That starter relay at the bottom is the first thing I plan to look at.
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The Green Grendel
- Thread starter campfire
- Start date
Take those batteries and have them tested at the Auto Parts store. At the very least it just helps you eliminate something. I killed a cell in one of the batteries of my M1009 that I used to have during a very cold winter morning. Truck did the same thing. Click but no start. The 24 volt batteries should be replaced as pairs unfortunately.
they are 12 volt, not 24 volt batteries.
I'm starting to think the theory you must use two "matched" batteries in a dual battery vehicle is bunk--after having two mis-matched Duralast batteries that were probably 3-5 years old when I got my '82 GMC in it,and they are STILL in it today,tells me someone must be fibbing,because if they were going to "drain themselves due to the bigger battery trying to "charge" the smaller one",it would have been an issue many years ago..
This theory was probably spread by battery companies,in order to sell more batteries..it IS true however,if one battery has a dead cell,it WILL kill the other battery...
This theory was probably spread by battery companies,in order to sell more batteries..it IS true however,if one battery has a dead cell,it WILL kill the other battery...
If the battery is unable to deliver current the voltmeter will drop. It's not even flinching this time, so the starter is not drawing any measurable amount of current.
That's the only rationale that I've heard for keeping your batteries matched. If one is dying the other one might not be far behind. But I don't think I've yet bought two identical batteries on any of the trucks. I just replace one and rotate the weaker battery to the driver side.
On this truck the batteries are in series, so one couldn't discharge the other even if they were mismatched. Even if one were dead, the worst thing it could do is present a high resistance (strangling the current flow out of the other battery).
I'm also curious as to this point. The primary 12V bus sees much more current flow than the secondary 24V bus. And this truck is running a 12V glow plug circuit, so the primary battery is discharging a bunch more when starting (and my voltmeter measurements support this observation). Not to mention the oddball situations like leaving your headlights on. I can't see the batteries wearing out at the same rate when one is working so much harder than the other.
You know what I ment :/
Ah...but did everyone else?
We are talking military truck here with 24 volt starting and charging system, not a normal civilian 12v truck with a secondary battery added. Little different situation.
Again, having the batteries tested is easiest thing. Knock out the easy things first. You never know
Alright, everybody loses! The immediate failure was burned out contacts inside the solenoid (exactly what statistics predicted 
). I responded by buying a stock 12V solenoid as a replacement (jumpering over the relay wiring so it got 12V like a civilian truck instead of 24V).
When I put it back together, however, the linkage did not move correctly. On the first two cranks it didn't move far enough, and on the third one it got stuck in the closed position.
The good news is that it cranks perfectly, the bad news is that it doesn't stop.
So I either assembled it incorrectly (possible), or the linkage is binding. It was moveable but stiffer than normal when I assembled it. A bound linkage could well have been what ruined the old solenoid contacts. Rather than playing 47 rounds of adjustment and calibrating it with a large hammer, I simply ordered a brand new 24V starter. Mail order, of course (nobody stocks them in town). A warm front moved in yesterday, a blizzard is moving in Wednesday, and negative temperatures are coming in on Friday, so I opted to pay for overnight shipping this time. If it doesn't come in soon he job probably won't get done.
On the plus side, I already have all of my tools nicely laid out on a tarp. I just need to push it back under the truck and I'll be ready for round 2.
). I responded by buying a stock 12V solenoid as a replacement (jumpering over the relay wiring so it got 12V like a civilian truck instead of 24V).When I put it back together, however, the linkage did not move correctly. On the first two cranks it didn't move far enough, and on the third one it got stuck in the closed position.
The good news is that it cranks perfectly, the bad news is that it doesn't stop.
So I either assembled it incorrectly (possible), or the linkage is binding. It was moveable but stiffer than normal when I assembled it. A bound linkage could well have been what ruined the old solenoid contacts. Rather than playing 47 rounds of adjustment and calibrating it with a large hammer, I simply ordered a brand new 24V starter. Mail order, of course (nobody stocks them in town). A warm front moved in yesterday, a blizzard is moving in Wednesday, and negative temperatures are coming in on Friday, so I opted to pay for overnight shipping this time. If it doesn't come in soon he job probably won't get done.
On the plus side, I already have all of my tools nicely laid out on a tarp. I just need to push it back under the truck and I'll be ready for round 2.
Oh, and the new starter should be a 24V MT28 (gear-reduction) starter. @Csm Davis will be so proud of my new cranking speed... 
Too bad you aren't more local, the place I use for starter and alternator/generator rebuilds has those 24v starters sitting on the shelf
New starter is in. And so far it is fantastic. Jeff, you were right about the faster cranking speed, it's great! And the smaller, lighter motor is a bunch more fun to bench press. 
Win-win-win!
Win-win-win!
I've been thinking of this mod for several years, but always thought it would be a big deal and then I totally missed that you actually did it. What would it take to recess the whole window frame inward an inch or so? At first I was thinking the aluminum frame should sit close to where the stock window channel is. From your install it looks like just going in 1/2" or so would line the bottom seal up correctly. I also imagined using fiberglass resin or Bondo-glass to set the frame into the topper. You were able to drill sheet metal in there and use just sheet metal screws and caulk? Also, the topper window is glass or plexi? Do you know what that topper was for and approximate vintage?
Let's say you have a truck tailgate. Could you open it now without opening the window?
It was last fall, but yeah, I did that conversion. It was easier than I thought it would be, and it looks like any generic stock pickup topper.
I still need to trim the right side rail up just a hair, so the plastic bump stops aren't installed at the moment. So the tailgate sits slightly forward of the stock position, and there is a 1/2" gap between the tailgate and the glass. I have a 1/2" piece of weather stripping to add to the window, but I need to get the bump stops installed first. Or switch to a pickup tailgate with much sturdier bump stops.
On the inside you can tell it isn't stock, but I can live with that. The window track isn't straight in any direction, so it's easier to mount to the outside layer vs. the inside layer.
There is plenty of structure to mount the window at pretty much any depth you want, within +/- 1" of the factory glass. If you are willing to build a suitable frame.
Yes, the gap at the bottom is 1/2", but that cuts in half when the gate is held by the factory bump stops. So it's close enough that a single layer of weather stripping should have no problem sealing it up. Even now, the glass seals better than the old window did, and probably better than the rest of the tailgate does.
Yes, it's screwed into the thick section of fiberglass. Window material appears to be plexiglass. I grabbed it out of a topper buried in the woods. No idea what it came off of, but it measured out to fit a 6'x8' full-size truck. Somewhere I have a dimension sheet showing my initial measurements, but you're probably better off measuring your own setup. This window closely follows the line molded into the rear of the topper, and this was more important than it looked. Because that was the only place where I could cut a single flat plane through the curved back section without looking tacky or needing to do fiberglass work.
I can go grab a picture of the topper (it's sitting in my neighbor's woods), but if I were to guess I'd say it probably came from the early 90s. The neighbor didn't remember what it came from, and said it has been sitting there for many years. Its fiberglass mounting surface was about 1/3rd as thick as what the window now screws into, but it had an aluminum backing bar to spread out the force. Surprisingly, the bar was not attached to any of the structure, it was just sandwiching the thin fiberglass flange.
See this thread for more tailgate/liftgate discussion.
https://ck5.com/forums/threads/barn-doors-on-a-blazer.331726/
https://ck5.com/forums/threads/barn-doors-on-a-blazer.331726/
I found this old thread - it has some numbers in it https://ck5.com/forums/threads/inst...-glass-ditch-that-crank-up-rear-window.64369/
EDIT: found another one discussing it: https://ck5.com/forums/threads/lift-glass-conversion-on-73-91-k5.297144/#post-3102072
EDIT: found another one discussing it: https://ck5.com/forums/threads/lift-glass-conversion-on-73-91-k5.297144/#post-3102072
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Update time...I listed and sold the Grendel on ebay, but the winning bidder didn't pay. Lacking better ideas, I'm going to prep it for another camping season.
I've ordered new mufflers, insulation and vinyl covering for the floor, and gas struts for the topper window. That should make it more fun to drive. I have a slow drip at the oil cooler (again). The rear brakes still aren't quite right, but otherwise the truck is no worse for wear this year. Zim has a truck tailgate for me if I can find mounting hardware to go with it (to complete the liftgate conversion). I have disc rotors, calipers, brackets, and hoses already lying around if the brakes continue misbehaving.
Lacking better ideas, I'm going to prep it for another camping season.I've ordered new mufflers, insulation and vinyl covering for the floor, and gas struts for the topper window. That should make it more fun to drive. I have a slow drip at the oil cooler (again). The rear brakes still aren't quite right, but otherwise the truck is no worse for wear this year. Zim has a truck tailgate for me if I can find mounting hardware to go with it (to complete the liftgate conversion). I have disc rotors, calipers, brackets, and hoses already lying around if the brakes continue misbehaving.
