My first M715 build!

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  • Wagoneer-ing
    232 I6
    • Sep 14, 2012
    • 124
    #1

    My first M715 build!

    Hello everyone! I've finally found a M715 that wasn't either completely rusted out or destroyed beyond recognition! This will be my first posted build thread I believe. I figure maybe if I post it up here then I will stick to it.

    My plans so far are getting the whole thing, including the frame, sandblasted. Then I am swapping in a mopar 440/"stubby" 727. I will also be swapping in newer axles. The axle part has been kind of interesting so far. The M715 has a WMS surface of around 73" on the front and back axles. Most of the axles I'm finding only have a upper 60" WMS measurement. I do not want to run spacers of any kind on this rig.

    It will get new one ton axles whenever I can find the right size. I'm planning on 4.56 gearing. The motor will be sent off to the shop soon to be rebuilt. So far the plan on the motor is a torquy cam, some headwork, clean up the block and throw on a nice open aluminum intake. The guy I have lined up to build my motor says that it "should" be pushing over 400hp and around 550 ft/lb torque. I will try to keep the stock transfer case, although I've heard horror stories about them puking out oil because they overheat. I may try to find a divorced NP205.

    I'm still trying to figure out a color for this Jeep. I'm leaning towards what everyone does, which is OD green. The other options I'm looking at are a "burnt bronze" color, flat dark earth, or a desert camo scheme. I want it to resemble it's military heritage, but I also want to make it my own vehicle. Of course I am wanting to add a winch bumper and maybe a few offroad lights. I'm also gunning for 40" military tires. I believe those will fill that fender gap up nicely!

    This Jeep will be used in a wide variety of activities. I plan on driving it on the weekends for fun. I will be doing some mild wheeling, as well as making this the official camping/tow rig. I will end up boxing the frame in and figure out a better suspension setup for the Jeep. I've heard some fun stories about how stiff they ride with the stock springs under them.

    Anyway, this is going to be a VERY slow build. I am starting school very soon and will probably not have much time to work on this while also working full time. I will try to post pictures as I go. So far all I have done is remove the front clip and I am in the process of test fitting the motor. I'm sure I'll have to custom make engine and tranny mounts. Alright, well here we go! I'm going to attempt to post my recent picture in here. Constructive criticism is always welcome! If you feel that there is a better way to do something I plan, then feel free to let me know.










    This is the worst of the rust on the whole truck.




    This Jeep had a BBC 454 in it before I had it. I was hoping I would be able to just set mine in here and bolt her up. Things are NEVER that easy with a Jeep though! The PO who installed the motor had welded some kind of thin plated to the stock mounts to install the 454.




    For those of you who do not know, the M715 has a divorced NP200 transfer case. It used an intermediate driveshaft. I got my hands on a cheap one and plan to just adjust it however I need to.



    Alright, well here is the start! I'm hoping to get it blasted, painted, and have the motor in before January. It should be fun as the weather gets colder and it has to sit outside.. I still have some more adjusting to do on the motor to find out the final position. It can't sit as low as it is now. Thank you guys for reading, and I hope you enjoy an amateur trying to bring a former veteran back to life.
    Last edited by Wagoneer-ing; 10-08-2015, 10:00 AM.
    1968 M715 - Resto-Mod, Ford Dana 60/Sterling 10.25, AMC 360/727/208, 37" hummer tires, metal hard top, and a ton of work to do!
    Tags: None
  • DarkMonohue
    Shakes hands with danger
    • Jul 01, 2012
    • 1145
    #2
    Beautiful. Ugly, but just beautiful. I'm eager to see what you get up to with this.
    '85 J20 Old Man Truck, bought @ 65K miles - not great, but better than walking.
    Member, FSJ Prissy Restoration Association
    High quality junk here: intro thread and slow build thread

    Did you know? Willys is just Willis spelled differently, but pronounced the same. Neither Willy nor his apostrophe are involved.

    Comment

    • Wagoneer-ing
      232 I6
      • Sep 14, 2012
      • 124
      #3
      I don't know if I've ever seen those two words used so closely in a sentence before. What is the ugly part? Not keeping it stock?
      1968 M715 - Resto-Mod, Ford Dana 60/Sterling 10.25, AMC 360/727/208, 37" hummer tires, metal hard top, and a ton of work to do!

      Comment

      • DarkMonohue
        Shakes hands with danger
        • Jul 01, 2012
        • 1145
        #4
        I didn't mean that to be hurtful. It's an old military vehicle with fifty years' worth of patina. Designed for function, not appearance, and allowed to age. It's just not the kind of thing my wife would be excited about being seen in.

        I think my truck is ugly, too, and I love it to pieces. Sorry if the comment was out of line. I really do like the truck and would love to have an M715 myself someday.
        '85 J20 Old Man Truck, bought @ 65K miles - not great, but better than walking.
        Member, FSJ Prissy Restoration Association
        High quality junk here: intro thread and slow build thread

        Did you know? Willys is just Willis spelled differently, but pronounced the same. Neither Willy nor his apostrophe are involved.

        Comment

        • DarkMonohue
          Shakes hands with danger
          • Jul 01, 2012
          • 1145
          #5
          Also, about the axle width - the stock M715 wheels have a lot of positive offset to work with those wide axles. Using "normal" wheels would allow you to use narrower axles, and vice versa.
          '85 J20 Old Man Truck, bought @ 65K miles - not great, but better than walking.
          Member, FSJ Prissy Restoration Association
          High quality junk here: intro thread and slow build thread

          Did you know? Willys is just Willis spelled differently, but pronounced the same. Neither Willy nor his apostrophe are involved.

          Comment

          • Wagoneer-ing
            232 I6
            • Sep 14, 2012
            • 124
            #6
            Nah, there was no offense taken. I just wanted to make sure I was understanding what you were saying. No one in my family thought it was a nice truck except my buddy in the service right now and his ex-military father. I've grown to really love these trucks. I started out with a Grand Wagoneer with a parts rig when I was 18 and it all just spiraled from there.
            1968 M715 - Resto-Mod, Ford Dana 60/Sterling 10.25, AMC 360/727/208, 37" hummer tires, metal hard top, and a ton of work to do!

            Comment

            • Wagoneer-ing
              232 I6
              • Sep 14, 2012
              • 124
              #7
              As far as the axles, the closest I have found were 67" dana 60s out of a late 90s 1ton Cummins. Do you think the stock wheels would give me enough space on the end? Maybe if I used 9" or 10" wheels?
              1968 M715 - Resto-Mod, Ford Dana 60/Sterling 10.25, AMC 360/727/208, 37" hummer tires, metal hard top, and a ton of work to do!

              Comment

              • DarkMonohue
                Shakes hands with danger
                • Jul 01, 2012
                • 1145
                #8
                I'm a little confused. Are you determined to use the original M715 wheels? If so, how are you going to bolt them to the newer axles?
                '85 J20 Old Man Truck, bought @ 65K miles - not great, but better than walking.
                Member, FSJ Prissy Restoration Association
                High quality junk here: intro thread and slow build thread

                Did you know? Willys is just Willis spelled differently, but pronounced the same. Neither Willy nor his apostrophe are involved.

                Comment

                • Wagoneer-ing
                  232 I6
                  • Sep 14, 2012
                  • 124
                  #9
                  I apologize for not making this clearer. By stock wheels, I meant wheels for the cummins dana 60 axles. I do not want to keep the old M715 axles or wheels.
                  1968 M715 - Resto-Mod, Ford Dana 60/Sterling 10.25, AMC 360/727/208, 37" hummer tires, metal hard top, and a ton of work to do!

                  Comment

                  • DarkMonohue
                    Shakes hands with danger
                    • Jul 01, 2012
                    • 1145
                    #10
                    No worries!

                    So, long story short, this is an FSJ. They're narrower than Big Three full size trucks. Even with the flares it's probably not too far off the current crop of large-by-huge pickups.

                    Instead of focusing on axle width, maybe look at track width. Center of tire tread to center of tire tread. Measure your truck and compare it to modern heavy duty pickups with the wheel and tire size you want. That will give you some ideas.
                    '85 J20 Old Man Truck, bought @ 65K miles - not great, but better than walking.
                    Member, FSJ Prissy Restoration Association
                    High quality junk here: intro thread and slow build thread

                    Did you know? Willys is just Willis spelled differently, but pronounced the same. Neither Willy nor his apostrophe are involved.

                    Comment

                    • Wagoneer-ing
                      232 I6
                      • Sep 14, 2012
                      • 124
                      #11
                      It'll probably be awhile before I mess with axles anyway.
                      1968 M715 - Resto-Mod, Ford Dana 60/Sterling 10.25, AMC 360/727/208, 37" hummer tires, metal hard top, and a ton of work to do!

                      Comment

                      • Wagoneer-ing
                        232 I6
                        • Sep 14, 2012
                        • 124
                        #12
                        Alright, so I have had a slight change of plans. A built mopar 440 will get me maybe a max of 10mpg. I know, I know..if I wanted mpg I should drive a Prius. The problem is that I want to drive this Jeep a lot. I think I am going to go the diesel route with a Cummins. I can still build it up and get around 15mpg. Plus I have always wanted a diesel!
                        1968 M715 - Resto-Mod, Ford Dana 60/Sterling 10.25, AMC 360/727/208, 37" hummer tires, metal hard top, and a ton of work to do!

                        Comment

                        • DarkMonohue
                          Shakes hands with danger
                          • Jul 01, 2012
                          • 1145
                          #13
                          There's nothing wrong with working toward some kind of fuel economy. No doubt a big gas engine will be thirsty. You could get some economy back with compression, tall gearing, etc, to a degree. Aerodynamics is, of course, a total loss...

                          I don't know as much about diesels as I should, but the Cummins swap makes sense for this build. I'd love to have one myself. The poor range alone (with an inefficient gas engine and small fuel tank) is enough to get one thinking.
                          '85 J20 Old Man Truck, bought @ 65K miles - not great, but better than walking.
                          Member, FSJ Prissy Restoration Association
                          High quality junk here: intro thread and slow build thread

                          Did you know? Willys is just Willis spelled differently, but pronounced the same. Neither Willy nor his apostrophe are involved.

                          Comment

                          • Wagoneer-ing
                            232 I6
                            • Sep 14, 2012
                            • 124
                            #14
                            Yeah, right now I have my eyes on a newer matched set Dana 60 and 70. They have discs in the front and 4.88 gearing. I think that'll be plenty tall enough. I originally was looking for 4.56 gears. I don't think it'll make too big of a difference.
                            1968 M715 - Resto-Mod, Ford Dana 60/Sterling 10.25, AMC 360/727/208, 37" hummer tires, metal hard top, and a ton of work to do!

                            Comment

                            • Wagoneer-ing
                              232 I6
                              • Sep 14, 2012
                              • 124
                              #15
                              So things have been interesting as of late. I had it planned to drop some big money on a new motor and then I found out I need around $1500 just for BOOKS for school.. Sooo...this thread is going to take awhile.
                              1968 M715 - Resto-Mod, Ford Dana 60/Sterling 10.25, AMC 360/727/208, 37" hummer tires, metal hard top, and a ton of work to do!

                              Comment

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