Thinking about joining the chaos.... questions (and yes I've searched)

[VenomInjected]

Alright guys....

I've been bit by the bug hard..... I think I want one... and I think I've found one...

Found a 68 Kaiser C Turbo (air T-case..not the sprag) Soft Top W/W
CARC Forest Camo Paint
34,000 miles no cargo/no bows
9x20 NDT's (All 10)
(Weak parking brake... might just need adjustment)

Now that you know what I'm working with (hopefully enough detail given...not bad for a new guy right?)....... I have a few questions...


STORAGE: Soft Top..... I currently live in the city.... and it won't (well.. not without some dissassembly) fit in my garage... I have in-laws land to store it (havent asked yet) but wanted everyones thougths regarding storing a soft top outside in the elements (snow, rain, cold hold humid etc)

SECURITY: Being outside... it will be visible to country passerby's..... and as we all know... not everyone on the backroads is an honest individual.... I've read up on the door locks, pad locks on the e-brake... and electrical disconnects... do most of you do this?

MAINTENANCE: I'm a grease monkey by hobby and have rebuilt small block fords as well as a mechanical engineer by day...... this SHOULDN'T be over my head....... right? (The TM"s ...seem... pretty straight forward but.....

FUTURE: Cost of parts and availability 20 years from now? I'm pretty young... and this will be a working and driving truck.... Enough aftermarket support you think 20 years from now? (axle seals, tires, engine parts brake linings etc?)

WORTH IT: I see alot of people bail on them.... With single circuit brakes (fixable with the AF airpack...[again not bad for a noobie right]) what seems to be high maintence, high part costs, slow speeds..... WOULD YOU DO IT AGAIN?

Overall plan is to have my own acreage/storage capabilities within a year or two (moving to a new house out of the city) but wanted everyones thoughts before hand...

I love the sound, love the winch, love that Wisconsin finally repealed there dumb DD laws on MV.s and love the utilitiarian use of the truck.


Thanks guys!

 

[thatdude43]

I'm fairly new to the Deuce. I've been working on a friend's truck for 2 years and had my own for 1. Its cheap. I bought mine for 1200, added hummer seats for 200, and recently changes all filters, oil, axle bearings and seals with moslty hand tools and a couple helping hands for around 600. It also gets around 11mpg and runs on almost anything you put in it, read up on proper fuels and mixtures before just throwing anything in it. I say get that truck, its easy to work on, plenty of help on here, and so far I haven't found a part that was unavailable either new or pulled off another truck. Oh, and I live in a neighborhood and park mine in my yard, I've had no issues and don't have any locks. I had more issues when I parked it on the street, totalled a new Dodge Ram While I was sleeping. Get that truck, join an awesome brotherhood.

 

[Clay James]

City storange might be a problem, but lots of people do it. Some people have problems with the HOA.

You can only do so much to secure a deuce. If the bad guys want in you can only hope to slow them down.

Maintenance is pretty easy being as simple as a deuce is. I didn't get too serious about wrenching on things until I got a deuce and it's all worked out so far.
Never had problems finding parts. Sure you can't get that many parts at NAPA but they're out there. There will be a lot of work because most have been abused and had little maintenance and probably incompetant maintenance.

Definitely worth it. It may be old, slow, lots of work, expensive to maintain, but there's no beating a deuce. I've had my deuces for a few years now and don't know how I lived without them.

 

[VenomInjected]

I think registration right now to make it a daily driver (class E or higher weight rating) puts it around $285 / year and still be able to haul something.

Insurance.... NO idea... haven't checked into it....

The front bumper on one side is pushed forward (was in reverase and caught the extended winch bumper on a tree... it will have to be cut reliefed..bent backwards again.. and rewelded/painted I assume (as you cant simply just push them back into place)

 

[VenomInjected]

No one is bothered by storing their soft-top deuce outside during a Midwest winter (snow/mold/field mice etc?)

 

[John S-B]

No one is bothered by storing their soft-top deuce outside during a Midwest winter (snow/mold/field mice etc?)

You can easily rig up a PVC frame to put over your soft top and then throw a cheap tarp over with bungees to keep out the weather. Keeping the tarp off of the soft top a few inches will allow for some air circulation. Mice shouldn't be able to get in if everything is closed up, at least in the cab, at least not without a struggle.

 

[mikey]

Both of my deuces are soft tops. I keep them outside in the harsh NE PA winter and have not had any problems in two years. With the cost of a new soft top at about $250 (Kublo's Surplus), it wouldn't be the end of the world if you had to buy one every five years. New hard top is about $1k.

I'd be most concerned with people messing with it. One of my deuces is kept on vacant farmland that belongs to my family. It's not even visible from the roads. I had a 250G tote with about 200g of WMO stolen from the bed (1500+ lbs). I'm grateful that's all they wanted. This is a very rural area and they could have taken anything, including the deuce.

Mikey

 

[VenomInjected]

Anyone want to comment on the condition of the running board damage (how hard to fix) along with the paint peeling on the rocker panel (below the door) and the access door?

SEE ATTACHED

 

[lawdog1623]

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=91071

check that link out. Im not sure the link is working so if it doesnt. Go to search feature and type in "cost of owning a deuce". Its the first response you get, The title is m35a2 as a working truck. Its another thread that just died out a week or two ago. This member asked a similar question and received some great info on this topic. General informaiton, cost, setup etc. was covered in detail. There are also a few other links in there that members added that can be used as another learning treatise.

being new to the forum i know this will be said by an admin if it hasnt already. Get the tm's RELEVANT to the m35a2 and read them, theyre all downloaded on this forum and its an excellent thing to have....ALL OF THEM. It makes it 100 times easier. Also, make the first stop in every quest for knowledge the search button on this forum. In my personal experience, ive found almost every question ive had so far has been asked and answered many times over and in great detail. There is so much knowledge on this site its not even funny and there are a bunch of great guys who will help in any way they can. Welcome to the forum and good luck with the sickness

 

[VenomInjected]

being new to the forum i know this will be said by an admin if it hasnt already. Get the tm's RELEVANT to the m35a2 and read them ....ALL OF THEM.

LawDog.....

I'm pretty far through already (IE reading up on the E-brake adjustment stuff etc) but just a TON of reading... but I'm chrugging through it...

I apologize if I missed it as I went back a good 10-15 pages and read about every thread forward [or so I thought]

I know no one likes the noobie.... and I'm trying to prevent that as much as possible... thanks again for doing some legwork for me.... in time I hopefully will be able to contribute back meaningfully....

 

[lawdog1623]

bro, im new here too. Im not in any way condescending to you. I know that via type its hard to know how to take certain things. I just never realized how important those tm's were. I also never took it seriously when someone told me that the search function on the forum was a golden ticket. Heres a helpful hint. Dont read the entire tm's just for the fun of it. You will burn yourself out. Only read what is relevant to the problem at the time. It makes it so much more fun. It cuts out the redundancy. We love new guys here (or at least i do). Because every time someone new comes in here i dont feel quite so new. Feel free to pm me anytime you need help. If i know the answer ill definitely help in any way i can. If i dont know ill tell you straight up. Hope you got deep pockets or a great job because these trucks have a mystical power of making the us dollar disappear.

 

[mikey]

Anyone want to comment on the condition of the running board damage (how hard to fix) along with the paint peeling on the rocker panel (below the door) and the access door?

SEE ATTACHED

If you're going to kick the tires on this like it's a Honda at the dealers lot, you'll never find a deuce. That damage looks like a day at Rausch Creek.

These are 40+ year old trucks. They will have damage and rust. If you want a "new" truck, go to Eastern Surplus and pay $15k. They rebuild them and repaint them.

If you buy the truck, there is a whole forum dedicated to Paint and Bodywork and I've had huge success getting help there from members. Prior to owning a deuce I had never touched a sander, bondo or a paint sprayer. This summer, with the help of this forum, I just sanded, primed and painted my deuce.

Good luck

Mikey

 

[VenomInjected]

I have a feeling... if I can get the OKAY from in-laws on storage... this thing is a GO