M35A2s in Vietnam? what year?

[maddawg308]

My dad was in Southeast Asia from 1963-1967, various places. Told me that the deuces over there early in the war were mostly gassers, the diesels came a little later. While I don't doubt him, he drove everything in SE Asia, from jeeps to 10-tons and heavy equipment as a combat engineer, the question arises of when the diesels started to become more prevalent. When did the M35A2 deuces start rolling off the line? There are some M35A2s on GL that are dated 1966 right now, but not sure if they were rebuilds or not.

 

[AceHigh]

Friend of mine got his "new" M35A1 multi in 1965 and drove it to the dock. He and it were loaded on a ship and went to Vietnam with the 1st Cav when the division first went over.

He seems pretty clear on all the details, so I would guess he was right.

I was there in 69-70 and remember the Red Ball Express coming to an LZ near me. The trucks were turbos as I remember listening to all the whistlers as they idled down.

 

[emr]

I will say it is my opinion that they were 427s with turbos , I do not have the dates but think the 465s were later , even if they were like late 60s and 70 and after they would not or probably not have gone over do to draw downs and slow downs, in the last years, its my opinion he is absolutly correct in gassers AND diesels but U know that , they would have been
35s and m35 A1s..... I will say the fendor stack was there also, but did not mean it was a 465 ...But this is my opinion on what I know, and it is fuzzy on the dates the 465 came to town, I know david Doyle will know for sure, hope He comes in with some facts, good post,,,

 

[Katahdin]

Kaiser Jeep data plates may hold a clue, those show the original model year and number.

If my Kaiser Jeep data plate is an indicator, 465s came off the line at least as early as 1966. According to David Doyle in another post, the M109A2s had 427s, the A3s had 465s. My Kaiser Jeep data plate says 1966 and M109A3. I would assume M35A2s with 465s came off the line then as well.

 

[Desert Deuce]

My M109A3 has it's original date plate, Kaiser-Jeep 1965 M109A3. It has a LDT465-1C. Have no idea when this engine went into it as it most likely had an LD465 when built.

 

[elkhunter]

Not sure about when tM35A2's went to Viet Nam but I'm guessing probably 1965 or 1966.We received our new Kaiser Jeep M35A2's at Fort Richardson in 1967 and they were multifuels and "Whistlers". I ordered parts for them and remember them quite well, especially the sound of that turbo! Its a sound you never forget. We always had trouble starting them at the motor pool in the winter. Probably not much help with your question but at least I can give you a rough time frame they came into service in Alaska and assuming they went to Viet Nam at the same time. elk U.S. Army 1965-1969.

 

[vtdeucedriver]

Well let me put my 2 cents. I am sure DD will chime in as I believe he would know the production dates on what engines came about on what time frame. I have manuals for the 465 that are dated in he 60's so that would answer that to some degree.

The deuce with the turbo in vietnam would be the 427 and it had the rear exiting exhaust. I think these pipes were bigger in diameter than the normally aspirated 465. So that would be through the mid 60s. Now the normally aspirated deuce with the stack through the fender, I have pics of them in Vietnam that were taken in late 70 and 71 that show them. Also on that note, I have seen them also have composit lights!!

I will drop a note to some of the guys I chat with that were with the 5th Maint BN, they would remember what the engine CID's were more than drivers would for some better dates.

 

[vtdeucedriver]

My dad was in Southeast Asia from 1963-1967, various places. Told me that the deuces over there early in the war were mostly gassers, the diesels came a little later. While I don't doubt him, he drove everything in SE Asia, from jeeps to 10-tons and heavy equipment as a combat engineer, the question arises of when the diesels started to become more prevalent. When did the M35A2 deuces start rolling off the line? There are some M35A2s on GL that are dated 1966 right now, but not sure if they were rebuilds or not.

Tell your dad "welcome home" for me. I am about to head out the door to wash some vehicles for a parade today. Carrying some Vietnam Vets!

 

[OldGoat]

I bought a 65 from GL a couple of years ago. It was a multi/turbo & had a sprag. Of course it could have been upgraded by the Gov.

 

[lonegunman]

That was before my time, but it was not until the 80's that the military got serious about getting rid of as many mogas trucks as possible. My brother was doing engine swaps in deuces in the late 70's while he was wrenching in the army. He said they were swapping out gassers and non-turbos for turbos multifuelers.

My first guard unit was a combat comm unit that had Vietnam era non-turbo deuces. We had 30-40 deuces for cargo hauling and fighting forest fires. I drove quite a few of them as a volunteer driver. It suprised me how many had 2-3K miles and almost no hours. They got started for an hour every drill weekend, pulled out 50 feet and backed up unless they were needed.

 

[cbvet]

I was there 1966-1968. I'm pretty sure all ours were gassers, built in the 50's.
But keep in mind, we had a LOT of older equipment. Marines complained that they got the Army's leftovers. Well SEABEES got the Marine's leftovers!

 

[Katahdin]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIWGrzCiEII[/media]

In the video above, at 0:48, any reason to believe that's not a M35A2?

 

[rlwm211]

A very good friend of mine served in SE Asia in 66-68. He was in Army Intelligence and was based in Laos, and tells stories of the trips he made other areas. He has ridden with me in the deuce, on a long trip of 330 miles so he is a GOOD friend, and he remembered the Multifuels they had and fording streams with the trucks.

I suppose his stories could be all BS, but I have seen his purple hearts and his knee and lower leg that still has shrapnel in it to this day. Next time I see him, I will ask him if he has any photos of his unit, or in country that he would like to share and maybe there will be a clue in there.

RL

 

[Thunder in NWOR]

Army Viet Vet, June/June 1969/70:
Vehicles in my unit were a couple M38a1s and M151a1s, M37a1 (and strangely an M152 used by the armorer and by the mail clerk) and about 15 Deuces. They were all multifuel (pipe under bed, exiting by wheel). Just before I left, an avation unit located nearby got a couple Deuces with the pipe up through the fender, but I never got a close up look at them....
Mark

 

[Katahdin]

Checkout this picture reported to be from Phu-Loi in 1970. Fender pipe, factory painted registration number, dropside bed, upper placed headlights, fresh 24087 paint under the road dust, is it a new M35A2?

Original link here, note contains some hippy and religious material.

 

[progun]

THAT's what mine is gonna look like! I want an Air Force scheme tho.

 

[maddawg308]

I don't know, Katahdin, that pipe looks awfully thin, like it's a M35A1. The rest checks out, though....

 

[Katahdin]

Its my understanding M35A2s/109A3s were first issued with non-turbo LD-465s which would have the thin exhaust pipes. And that if it were 'not a A2' then there would not be a side exhaust at all?

 

[nhdiesel]

According to records, my 1962 Deuce was converted to A2 in 1967, and was equipped with the turbo Continental multifuel at that time. I can't get enough info off the engine data plate to give any further specifics. This truck didn't go to Vietnam from what I can find, it served in Germany most of it's life.

Jim

 

[sigo]

Checkout this picture reported to be from Phu-Loi in 1970. Fender pipe, factory painted registration number, dropside bed, upper placed headlights, fresh 24087 paint under the road dust, is it a new M35A2?

Cool, that truck is from 539th Trans, which is now based here at Ft Wainwright. They were inactivated in Vietnam in '71, and were just reactivated here at FWA in 2007.