M-Truck helpful part numbers and parts sources

[Colin Rush]

The M-series trucks used an iron Bendix fuel filter mounted on the frame rail. The filter element was a stack of brass washers. Replacements are impossible to find, and they didn't work as well as a modern filter. The following filter elements will work, with a slight modification.

Luberfiner LFF200
Wix 33207
Napa FIL3207
Fram CS3608
Purolator 50005
Hastings FF839
Racor 2000SM
Baldwin PF599
Fleetguard FS1210
Motorcraft FD261
If you can't find these, do an interchange search for other brands at your local auto parts store. (Application is actually a GM 5.7 liter 350 diesel fuel filter for 80s and 90s-vintage GM passenger cars.)

Open the box, and throw any O-rings away, or save them for a future project. The filter itself is a paper element type like all modern filters, has a step on one end with a hole. You will need to drill the center of the other blank end with a hole just large enough to fit over the 3/8" stud that holds the filter and bowl on. Chamfer the hole, and blow out any stray bits of metal. Inspect inside to make absolutely sure you got everything out, and maybe even wiggle a magnet around inside, if you have one. Push the end with the factory hole onto the stud first, and you will notice that the step on the end fits the pocket in the main filter body perfectly. The hole you drilled will be on the bottom now with the end of the stud sticking through. The lower bowl-shaped washer and a hex jam nut (described below) should fit too. Now put the bowl on with the original nut. You now have a new modern high-efficiency filter instead of that old obsolete unit.

Other items that you should get are a SS jam nut, and a SS fender washer to put beneath the jam nut. The jam nut holds the filter on the stud. The washer prevents the nut from deforming the end of the filter. If your hardware store offers them, maybe even a rubber washer between the washer and the filter, but that is up to you.

Most of the filters I have seen by this time are usually rusted so that the stud is just a thin thread of metal near where the nut would go. You may need to make a new stud. Again, I would use stainless steel, or brass.

[denubilo]

What about the Dodge Fuel filter?
It looks pretty close

[Colin Rush]

The Green Diamond engine has shims that go behind a thrust washer to limit the axial movement of the crankshaft. The pinion shims from a Dana 60 axle will work, as they have the same inside diameter.

Dana PN 701012X is a kit of assorted shims.
In the kit comes the following parts:
PN 30291-1 / 0.003" shim
PN 30291-2 / 0.005" shim
PN 30291-3 / 0.010" shim
PN 34801-1 / 0.014" shim
PN 34801-10 / 0.010" shim
PN 34801-2 / 0.016" shim
PN 34801-3 / 0.018" shim
PN 34801-4 / 0.020" shim
PN 34801-5 / 0.22" shim

Six States Distributors stocks the first three on a pegboard, and they cost something like 12¢ per unit. The others are not normally stocked individually, but can be ordered. They cost around 23¢. Or, you can just buy the whole kit and give it to your engine builder and let him worry about selection.

The kit is also a part of PN 708020, which is a complete shim kit required to rebuild an entire Model 60 axle, including the shims for the carrier bearings.

If you decide to order from Six States, remember to say this is for International Scouts and Trucks of Oregon. They have a COD account, and there is a certain amount of discount to be gained by using it. More about that HERE in Post 11.

[Colin Rush]

Part Numbers for filter element:
IHC (original factory part number): 70671H (cotton sock)
Fleetguard/FleetRite (current International part number): LF-505 (cotton sock)
Baldwin: JC405 (cotton sock)
Wix: 51011 (cotton sock)
Hastings: LF-501 (cotton sock)
Amsoil: 51011
NAPA: FIL1011 (cotton sock)
Fram: C120E

Filter cover gaskets come with these.

The 3-piece decal set for this oil filter is available from Jim Osborne Reproductions as Part Number DZ0054.

[denubilo]

Keep your eyes open for the yearly NAPA filter sale.
I bought a case last year for the retail price of three filters.
Paul

[VSO]

Yup, the NAPA sale is in Feb. around here. You place your order and 4 weeks later you have your filters and cheap!! It pays to plan ahead and order in Feb.

[Colin Rush]

The original ignition coil on the M-series trucks was a weird unit with a round ceramic insulator and a cap that covered it and connected on the bottom. The old units were used on 1940s-vintage and older trucks and cars that used Delco ignition systems, and have not been available since about the 1950s. The coils that are available now work perfectly fine but aren't visually correct. If you have an original coil that is bad and want to make your truck spot-on, there is a place that will rewind the original coil.

Advanced Electrical Rebuilders

Ask for a guy named Jason. He rewinds vintage ignition coils. He also does work on other old electrical components including generators, alternators, starters, horns, and voltage regulators.

[Colin Rush]

A fellow named Robert Dudkowski in Poland reproduces the metal plates used on the M-series trucks. His user name on G503 is "Lt. Horne". His e-mail address is <horne@poczta.fm>. He makes hundreds of data plates for different military vehicles. Here is a LINK to a photo gallery showing most of his plates. You will need to spend a long time reviewing all of his plates.

He makes new plates/tags for the following:
Brown-Lipe transfer case;
Delco distributors, generators, voltage regulators, and starters, in red and black;
dashboard data plates for the M-1-4, M-2-4, M-3-4, M-5-6, M-5H-6, and halftracks;
Garwood winch ID plate;
round and sector tags for some of the knobs on the dash;
manufacturer identification plates for the Garwood and Anthony cargo bodies, dump bodies, wrecker bodies, etc.;
and more.

If you don't see what you need, e-mail him about it. If he hasn't made one yet, he can duplicate what you need from an old tag or from a photo.

[Colin Rush]

I borrowed an original Green Diamond 233 thermostat from Jeff, took some photos, and made some measurements. The old unit is a balanced thermostat, and was a type that once was quite common. I have seen them for sale at swap meets for old Ford cars. However, they are not made the old way any more.

Based off of the dimensions of the old unit, I found five that Stant makes that will work.

Standard Duty
180°F - PN 45368
195°F - PN 45369

Heavy Duty
160°F - PN 13366
180°F - PN 13368
195°F - PN 13369

Stant also has a gasket that looks like it will fit.
PN 25138

The NAPA interchange numbers are here.
Standard Duty
180°F - PN THM 533080
195°F - PN THM 533090

Heavy Duty
160°F - PN THM 42
180°F - PN THM 142
195°F - PN THM 242

Gasket - PN THM 1038ST

If you look in the second photo, you can just make out a bypass hole on the bottom. That allows coolant to trickle through when the stat is closed. The hole is fits a 1/16" drillbit perfectly. If you want, you can add the bypass to the new stats yourself, although I believe the new ones have a slight bleed around the valve without drilling an additional hole.

The stat with the green spring is the standard-duty unit, and the heavy-duty unit has a stainless steel spring.

[hanselandgretel]

Fuel Tank Cap. Does anyone know where I can buy a new fuel tank cover for an IH M5H6? The ones from the tractors fit, but they say"Buy clean fuel, keep it clean" and I want the plain one like the original. Al Hansel 507-528-2780