5 important modifications to make to old army trucks

Рет қаралды 3,329

Күн бұрын

If you own an old army truck, you should consider these five modifications to improve the safety and drivability of your antique military vehicle.
historic military vehicles are a great hobby, but these trucks, especially the older ones, weren't really made for everyday road conditions. Making these five modifications will make your historic military vehicle much safer and easier to drive on the street.
0:00 Intro
0:40 Proper signal lights
2:35 Better mirrors
4:52 LED headlights
5:23 Extra reflectors
7:10 Remove front driveshaft
8:58 Other modifications

Пікірлер: 12

@snowwhite7677 5 ай бұрын

I do agree, these trucks are like stone houses that easily weather the decades. They also tend to have parts made for them a lot longer than civie trucks.

@moosetruck66 4 ай бұрын

Nice information 👍

@tomprovo6204 Жыл бұрын

Your video gives some good information. Thanks.

@calvinsgarage Жыл бұрын

Glad I could help. Let me know any topics you would like me to cover in the future.

@evanstauffer4470 3 ай бұрын

Slow Moving Vehicle Emblems were designed specifically for farm and construction equipment operated on public roads. Their use on any vehicle capable of operation at greater than 25 mph is illegal in my state, and I believe that is a uniform Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards requirement. If you need more protection on the highway, use of the reflective panels that are now mandatory on the rear of fire apparatus [and common also on DOT maintenance vehicles] is a much better, albeit more expensive, approach. In most cases a high-quality rotating beacon or Class 1 strobe light may suffice; they are available with magnetic bases if you want to be able to easily demount them to keep the "stock" military look for shows and parades.

@calvinsgarage 3 ай бұрын

I’m paraphrasing from the Vermont DMV website, but an SMV signifies a vehicle, such as farm vehicles, that does not travel at highway speeds (i.e. Significantly below the speed limit) and may make wide turns at unmarked entrances to the right or left of the highway. That’s why I specified that when I am using it for work on the farm, I add the SMV, as I meet those criteria. I did not specify that I take it off when not doing farm work as I thought it would be obvious from the fact it is held on with Parachord. I have never heard of anyone getting in trouble for going too fast with an SMV, but I know many people who have gotten in trouble for driving slow without an SMV. Extra reflectors are an excellent idea (as I stated in my video, I also said they can be magnetic for easy removal for a stock look), but the SMV is a specific signal to drivers that a vehicle is driving slowly. Be careful recommending strobe lights to people. In Vermont, amber or orange strobe lights can be used freely by anyone to signify a hazard (vehicles that are stopped, slow moving, or crossing in the roadway), but in some places, Georgia I believe is one of them, you need a permit from the state to have any strobe lights (and the type of permit dictates the allowed colors). In Vermont, it is not illegal to have red and/or blue flashing lights on your vehicle, it is just a violation if you use them on public roadways. However, in some states it may be a violation to have them installed on your vehicle. At the end of the day, I can only speak on Vermont vehicle laws, and even then I’m not a traffic lawyer. Everyone needs to understand the laws in their own state

@jimsmith9819 4 ай бұрын

instead of rem,oving the front drive shaft, why dont you install manual locking front hubs?

@calvinsgarage 4 ай бұрын

Mainly because it's cheap and easy. Locking hubs are nice. The idea of removing the front driveshaft is so that the ring gear isn't being turned unnecessarily. An air lock transfer case solves that issue. However, the axle shafts are still turning, so there's still some wear although it is greatly reduced. The axle shafts turning is prevented with the wheels is prevented by unlocking the hubs. That's why they recommend leaving your transfer case in rear wheel drive and front hubs unlocked in a pickup with locking hubs, preventing all unnecessary movement in the axles. Locking hubs are also great off road, and I'm preparing a video about further modifications that can be made to these trucks to make them perform better. Thanks for the comment.

@jimsmith9819 Ай бұрын

you have some incorrect info, the little mirrors were on the WWII and Korea era trucks, the Viet Nam era trucks had the big west coast type mirrors stock

@calvinsgarage Ай бұрын

Yeah, I wasn't sure when the change occurred, if it happened all at once or slowly over time. I just know the larger mirrors are really helpful and should be added if you plan to drive the truck a lot.

@theupper30 Ай бұрын

A dear friend left me his M35 1952 Studebaker... just brought her home a couple weeks ago and working out the bugs. I see the VT license plate, are you planning on being at the car show in Waterbury in a few weeks? As of now I plan on being there on Saturday with the truck.

@calvinsgarage Ай бұрын

Unfortunately, the truck is having some problems, you'll see them in the video I'm posting Saturday. Once I get it fixed I'll be able to bring it to more shows. Maybe we'll see each other then.