common problems w/ your m35 when you picked it up.

[ghettoct]

greetings!

iam new to the big toys here but restore mustangs, and though i have not found my m35 as of yet iam ready to pull the trigger and make the jump.

my question is to those who have bought their m35's through ** auction, what are the common problems that you had on your vehicle on site? (ie batteries needed replacing, fuel issues, brakes etc).

iam debating on driving mine home when i find it, but iam trying to stay around 260 miles out from my area one way. i have debated having it hauled back but i think the fun would be in making it home on its own power.

also i have noted that the specs on the said vehicles for auction state driven to lot but vehicle wont start, should one avoid these?

i have read alot of the manuals here on ss and found lots of useful info on the m35, and i wanted to also say thanks to OldDominionIron (aka dave) here, he lives in my AO and has given me lots of useful info on owning one in Virginia., thanks dave!!


again thanks for having a great site! i cant wait to join officially with a m35.

james

 

[WyoDeuce]

When I bought mine from GL it said nothing about running or not. Looked real clean and had a B4 condition rating. When I picked it up it had extras that were not advertised. New tires, heat and a brand new cargo cover. The batteries were dead but the GL rep jumped it for me. Don't expect them to do this, they often will not help. Checked fluids and drove 350 miles home with no trouble. Never shut it off. GL is a crap shoot. I say drive them home but make sure you have an extra grand if you end up needing a tow.

 

[ghettoct]

thanks WY, your luck sounded good with yours. thanks for writting! from what i have been looking at the ratings are H7's (driven to lot and starts) but they dont mention where driven from..lol

 

[bassetdeuce]

First issue: build yourself a brake bleeder. Often, a good bleed and some pumping of the pedal afterward will "wake up" marginal brakes, provided the lines are sound. Batteries are the next biggest issue. Emergency brakes get stuck sometimes. It doesn't hurt to have another deuce or 5-ton on standby with a towbar, or as mentioned, cash for a tow bill. I second the don't shut it off mentioned above. At least shut it off where you could get help.

 

[m16ty]

Pay no attention to condition codes. They are not reliable.

If you don't go check the truck out before the auction it's really a crap shoot. Even if you go check it out things can still be wrong that you don't catch because you can't drive them and sometimes they won't let you try and start them. When you bid with GL, hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

 

[Boosted_Nelson_Inc.]

We've brought home 6 deuces all under their own power. 3 needed to be jump started, 2 of those had bad alternators, and 1 needed new batteries to make it home. 2 had brake issues (1 slowly leaked fluid, and 1 just needed to be bled) that were fixed on the GL lot. 1 was 2.5 gallons low on oil. 1 of the deuces had a bad tachometer cable, so I had to shift by ear/max speed per gear label.

1 truck drove 320 miles back, the other 5 all ran for 550-700 miles. We never shut down the trucks on the drive back just in case they decide not to start. When you get one you might not want to rely on the gas gauge being accurate or working at all. You also might want to check the tightness of the hose clamps for the cooling system.

 

[Heavysteven]

I had my hauled to my home. Glad I did so.

1. Plug in transmission vent
2. Ground wire not connected to alternator
3. Heater did not work
4. One flat

front axle seal failed after 60 miles

 

[porkysplace]

keep in mind buying from GL=good luck hopefully
I drove mine 200 miles home with minor leak in front pinion seal starting about 50 miles into the trip but i had a lowboy trailer on call for back-up if buying from gl INSPECT prior to biding or if to far away see if you can get a member from S.S. who lives nearby to inspect for you good luck in your search

 

[roscoe]

I bought 3 from GL and drove them 500 miles home. All had bad batteries. They did appear to have been recently serviced though with clean fluids at the proper levels. All stated they had been driven on to the lot. Condition codes were E7, F7 and B4. The E7 is the nicest overall body and mech. but did have one craked & rusted winshield. Plan on taking everything with you - just in case. There is a thread on here somewhere with a list of items to bring. Good luck with the hunting.

 

[TURKEY131]

All the trucks I bought had dead batteries.

 

[wsucougarx]

Experience from picking up 4 M35A2's from GL. This is a list of all the issues I encountered with my trucks.
1) First and foremost----DEAD BATTERIES
2) Low tire pressure
3) Missing parts (shifter knobs, dash bulb covers, headlights)
4) Leaky wheel cyclinders
5) Oil changes way over due...or did they use black mape syrup
6) Smoke like crazy when first put on the highway. Clears up after a few miles

 

[ghettoct]

thanks! i really appreciate the help mentioned here on the post. iam looking at PA for the next event and found a few that i will bid on. i guess even though i may not win a bid there i will certainly assemble a "kit" for when the m35 comes around. i really appreciate everyone's input here. any members who live near PA and seen any of the lot have any input if they have been there to look as well? again thanks!!

 

[jeep-Jeep]

not suposed to talk about upcoming or current GL auctions .
I do not understand why they can advertise in SS but it happens and helps this great site going .
The quality if auction items is going to keep going down as they deplete the stock whitch is overdue because a few holds on sales in the past .
Do not expect the future trucks to be complete like the past trucks .
At this point I would tow or buy from another source that checks out the truck .

 

[ghettoct]

oops about the auctions, perhaps what i meant to say was where there any PA members who happen to shop around at "walmart "and can look at the "shopping carts" to see which ones had good "wheels". =) ill go back and edit the specifics on the auction.

any ideas on when the govt deems the vehicle stock obsolete and no longer usable?

thanks.

 

[porkysplace]

if there is something you need a inspection on that to far to go yourself do a posting for inspection needed at whatever town it is in ans see if anyone is close have them PM you for information on what you want inspected
don't list auction number or lot number in forums

 

[Boosted_Nelson_Inc.]

wsucougarx brings up some things I forgot. We've brought back 2 with 1 burnt out low beam each. So if you might have to drive back at night, you might want to order a new headlight just in case. 1 truck had a bad stop switch for the brake lights. The NAPA part number is SL134 I think. You might want an airline that attaches to the emergency side glad hand on the truck to fill tires or a tank with enough air to try to fill the 2 front tires (checked the rears on our 1st truck and they had 3-5 psi each, but it drove fine). And if the deuce has been sitting for a while it'll probably be a dog for the first 10-20 minutes on the road.

 

[TIGERFANS2]

checked fluids
inflated tires to spec
filled up just off base
drove 264 miles with one stop for fuel and one for behind (mine)

Camp Dodge Iowa Guard trucks = good trucks

since have done minor PM and changed out the two front tires

YMMV

 

[glcaines]

I picked one up last year and drove it back almost 700 miles for 17 hours @ max 52 MPH. It started right up, had good brakes, no leaks, fluids full and looked like new fluids, lights all worked some new tires and all at correct pressure. The problems I had were:
1. Wipers did not work for several thunderstorms, but started working a week later.
2. Fuel gauge sporadic

After getting it home, I lost 5th gear a few weeks later. Swapped transmission and installed new clutch/pressure place.

Take tools with you and check fluids often. Concentrate on the brakes! Don't shut it down if it runs.

 

[mistaken1]

Everything I have purchased has been labeled H7.

The deuce had been in service until it was driven to the Jeff City GL lot from KC in June of 2008 and I drove it off the GL lot in December 2008. The motor was rebuilt in 2006. It has 5 new tires, 2 near new tires, new rear brake cylinders, a springer seat with new cushions and covers on both. As a matter of fact I let the kids (college) drive to the neighbors to look at goats yesterday, it fired up immediately after a 4 second hydrolock check.

The M1009 started in 20 degree weather the following January and would have driven home (trailered it). All I have done to it is change the oil and align the front end (passed every MO safety inspection without issue).

The M101A2 had been R&I in June 2007 and test driven July 2007. Saw very little use after that (if any). I had to loosen one wheel bearing that was too tight (new parts and fresh grease).

The MEP-002A started up this past weekend and produced power. The filters are new. It needs to have the throttle cable replaced (broken adjuster).

I have heard God watches over fools and in my previewless GL bidding He has been working overtime. Thank you God.

 

[Stan Leschert]

Make sure that it is previewed by someone who knows what to look for. Be prepared for the fact that you may have to tow it off of the lot, and have a nearby place on standby, if req. Also, do make sure that you have a reliable hauler on standby, just in case the work required is too great for a field repair. Having a chase vehicle (parts fetcher) would be a good idea, and a cheap pair of FRS radios would be handy, in addition to the parts already mentioned. Good luck, and make sure too take a bunch of pictures of the recovery!