CUCV vs excursion, F350, or other pick up for bug out and snow vehicle.

[stampy]

Lets face it you can't prepare for any and all situations and thats why we all should have friends we can depend on as well as being a dependable friend. I am the guy with the big trucks and different gensets in my group, others are farmers, some have large stores of food or water, or fuel and some.....especially some here probably have all of the above. But being a "survivalist" doesn't necessarily mean going it alone.

 

[dskchevy]

I have & love my M1009. As said before with a man trans I beleve it would be unstopable...... I will be putting spare alt & starter in an ammo can..

If you have a gas chevy or gmc 4x4 with a v8 or inline 6cyl from 1955 to 1991 along with spare alt & starter get a point type dist w/plug wires.

With a chiltons manual & a few hand tools you can change the dist in a 1/2 hr & set timeing by ear.

 

[19kilo]

Lets face it you can't prepare for any and all situations and thats why we all should have friends we can depend on as well as being a dependable friend. I am the guy with the big trucks and different gensets in my group, others are farmers, some have large stores of food or water, or fuel and some.....especially some here probably have all of the above. But being a "survivalist" doesn't necessarily mean going it alone.

Yep, I agree with Stampy. Being the good friend with many different interests and backups can help in a real "survival" setting. I'm currently learning another skill set, how to make good MEAD. You can never know to many things.
Now I wouldn't in any way wish it upon us, however, I wonder if our server is in a location that wouldn't most likely get hit with an EMP, and since the internet was designed to work in such an environment, I could see us writing to each other with "safer" areas to meet up in various states.

Another point I'm curious about, would a 5 ton do as well as a deuce in the Survival bug out mode? I've currently got a deuce set up as a "BOV", but I want to transfer the backend to a 5 ton I was looking at, although I haven't made up my mind yet. Here's a link to my BOV. http://www.steelsoldiers.com/early-deuce/26152-my-new-1957-m-46-utica-bend.html

 

[Radioshop]

Some notes on EMP.....

EMP mostly kills things that are "Solid State". This means, Integrated Circuits (IC's), and transistors.

It does not kill the old fashioned coil-and-contacts-moving-parts-relays.
It does not harm vacuum tubes.
It does not kill solenoids (unless there's some solid state switching in it).
I won't kill resistors.
I won't take out diodes.
Starters/Alternators on CUCV should be okay, because there are no IC's or transistors in them.
I'm not sure about the glow plugs, but a toggle switch could solve the fragility of the GPC.

I would probably choose either my 1930 Model A or, my CUCV for post EMP ops.

 

[MARCO1031]

I'm with stampy and 19kilo...you can't go at it alone. Having friends and being a friend is the best approach. What we do will depend on the situation. If there is a CAT5 storm heading my way I will bug out to higher ground and help my friends do the same...we have had to on o number of occasions. If the event is regional I may decide to stay put. I know this place and I have good friends here. Banding together can make the difference. In that case my truck becomes a mobile workshop that I can use to help others if needed.

 

[WorkingDeuce]

I think ideally anything with solid axles and non electronic engine and trans would be suitable,even a gasser built before HEI or duraspark would fit the bill but my real question for the bugout types is: Where in the hell are you going to get fuel for these bugout vehicles once you are enroute? Do you have locations close enough to only burn up one tank of fuel and a few Jerry Cans?

Range is probably as important as EMP or load bearing capacity if things got nuts. Gas stations pretty much close the doors during a disaster and you would probably only be able to run what you brung making the 1 ton pickups with the bed tanks the longest legged.

A M1009 CUCV under ideal conditions gets 20MPG and the biggest tank available is 40 gallons meaning 800 miles of level highway driving at optimum fuel consumption.If you have to go offroad cut that in half,if you have to get into low gear cut that in half again. You just got 200 miles from home before running it dry.Was that far enough?

If your vehicle is truly for bugging out are you carrying enough food and water?Maybe a GP tent and a portable wood stove?That's a lot of gear so why not get something meant to haul like an M35? An M35 towing a 500 gallon fuel trailer would get the job done for sure just not quite as fast or nimble but if you knew something was gonna happen you should be an early adopter of the bugout plan.

I think getting bugged out before something happens is a better idea.Live far enough away from military and terror targets to give yourself some time and reduce the amount of urban nonsense you are dealing with in the process.

Exposure=Risk

 

[stampy]

Wow 19kilo you have the Cadilac of a BOV! I am currently building my m109 for a similar purpose. About the fuel question, many of us have invested in centrifuges and have our own WVO or WMO supply on hand. I would reccomend it to anyone who wants to be self sufficient.

 

[nhdiesel]

Sounds like my Durango fits the bill for a decent BOV. Cummins 4bt, 5-speed (NV4500), 28-30 mpg, and when I installed the engine I wired it extremely simply. Every other system could go out, and I would still be able to run the starter and fuel shutoff. Worse case I'm running without gauges...no big deal. I have over 600 mile cruising range now, add one of my spare tanks in the back for extra range, and I could double that.

Not what I built it for though...its just a nice daily driver that can tow anything I want and have fun with. Bit its nice to know it could come in handy.

I'm fortunate to live in an area with lots of connections, and know people in many different industries/careers that could be handy in an emergency, such as medical, mechanical, and electrical (Nurses/doctors, mechanics, and power company linemen), as well as family members and friends who are great hunters (I don't hunt myself), and old-fashioned farm families who know how to prepare everything. I guess I'd be able to chip in with vehicles and my mechanical abilities, and my talent for working well under pressure.

Jim

 

[alfred10]

19 Kilo, how much was the back that you put on there? Are deuces made like that or is it custom? How steep and long of a hill would you need to push start a m35a2? Im going to do some more research and then post something in the Deuce form about this.

 

[alfred10]

I have a cabin about 45 miles away. Do they make a small fuel tanker built into a trailer that the deuce can pull? If not maybe I can mount some type of a cheap plastic house type heater oil holder in the bed of the deuce. Im thinking the camper back is the way to go. How many adult sized people can sleep in the back of a m35A2?

 

[nhdiesel]

There are fuel trailers on GL from time to time. Or you can make up your own for emergency situations using a heating oil tank and M101 or M105 trailer.

Jim

 

[stampy]

m109 shop body m35's are the most common large truck BOV. Some here are REALLY nice. I bought mine for a BOV (and for FUN!) because not much can stand in the way of a deuce. I had planned to camp out in mine for a couple of weekends and see what I really needed before spending a lot of money. I have camped out for a weekend in my m1009 and while not uncomfortable, I would not plan on using it as shelter for a family. If I had a cabin close by (within an hour drive) I would probably hide (read bury) my fuel tank and any other provisions I might need there instead of hauling it there with my truck. It seems to me that you want to have less to carry rather than more if you need to leave quickly.

 

[Milbikes]

Gas vehicles ok as BOV?

Both of my daily use trucks are diesel... 1996 Chevy C2500 6.5 turbo diesel, and a 1999 K2500 Suburban. I would imagine both would be poor choices due to the computers for the fuel injection delivery. How about my WWII Dodge WC56? How about a M715? I know it is gas, but it is simple for sure. Maybe a M715 with a 6.2 diesel conversion?

 

[acesneights1]

MY CUCV has the stock fuel tank but I have a 100 gal tank in the back.

 

[MARCO1031]

I really wanted to get a deuce as my BOV. I had an M35a2 years ago that I really liked. I actually looked hard at buying 19kilo's truck when he had it for sale this spring. His rig is a great setup with lots of reserves for water and fuel. One big limitation I have is where I live. Having a deuce here would be a challenge. Local codes would classify it as an RV or commercial vehicle and I would not have been able to park it at my house. I had considered an M1009 but I like to carry my tools and stuff with me and the 1009 doesn't have the cargo space I wanted. I had never seen an M1031 but when mine showed up on ebay I decided to give it a closer look. It has some negatives but overall it has been a great truck and works well for every day use. It gets the looks around here but so far no issues with the neighbors or local code folks. So for me this is a good compromise. I have a number of mods I want to make like run flats, a winch, additional fuel tanks, and maybe even AC...gets pretty sticky here. I think it will serve me well. I will say though that if you are in a position to have a deuce, especially something like a 109, go for it. They are great trucks that can be set up as very capable BOVs.

 

[19kilo]

I really wanted to get a deuce as my BOV. I had an M35a2 years ago that I really liked. I actually looked hard at buying 19kilo's truck when he had it for sale this spring. His rig is a great setup with lots of reserves for water and fuel. ...... I will say though that if you are in a position to have a deuce, especially something like a 109, go for it. They are great trucks that can be set up as very capable BOVs.

Hey Marco.. I presume your the one with the local friend that checked out my deuce eh? Well I can't say I'm sorry I didn't sell it, but I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. I'm glad you found something to compromise with. One other possibility is the diesel ambulances (don't recall their number right now). The 109 is a great way to go for a BOV or if you can find them, a shelter or a lab (like mine) is good as well. Mine is the longer wheel based deuce with a converted (read custom) photo lab that has a lot of creature comforts, yet is still simple. With the current configuration I get (with full diesel loadout) around 1400-1650 mile range (roadway) and less of course off road.

I've found my bug out spot already (if the crap really hit the fan spot), but I don't currently have the cash to buy the property yet.

Alfred- to custom make a unit like mine will depend on how much of it you do yourself and how much you have to hire out someone else to do for you. So a real "rough" estimate depending on how much work you do verses others do for you would be from around 5K on upwards to 20K (NOT INCLUDING THE TRUCK). Mine has a lot of little stuff that you don't see with the pictures, but you could do it for around 5k or so yourself or more depending on the options you wanted.

Stampy- Thanks. I think so too. Just need to add a diesel gen set (probably take out one of the smallest fuel tanks (I know, cutting my range a bit) and then mounting the A/C unit I've got on top.

 

[stampy]

I am going to mount the portable boat A/C in the front window of my box to keep from having to put a hole in the roof. Did you put another tank where your spare tire mount was? great spot for the tire though...as long as you have popeye arms! I thought about mounting my spare to the rear door...what do yo think about that?

 

[alfred10]

MY CUCV has the stock fuel tank but I have a 100 gal tank in the back.

How did you mount the 100 gallon tank? I was thinking the Deuce will go through more snow due to 6 wheel drive. I have gotten a chevy 4x4 with larger tires stuck in a few inches of snow. Same for other trucks. I was hopeing that the Deuce would have a slight advantage. It would also haul me and all my friends if ever needed.

 

[wilber]

One other thing we need to remember is the potential for a large solar flare. A massive solar flare like the one in the mid 1800's would likely take down the entire electrical grid. This would end life as we know it in this computerized age.

 

[steved454]

I would also add if you have a antique car or truck, they would work fine. I have a 1931 ford fordor I have been drive since I was 8, I am now 40. same engine. With a box filled with a set of points and a couple of belts, a intube repair kit and a hand air pump you can make it fine. I have cranked it many times with a dead battery by pushing it then running to the door and hoping and popping the clutch. As for as fuel range and carring stuff that is the down side, it has a 8 gallon tank and gets around 18 to 20 miles to the gallon. You can use this concept and get a TT truck or a AA truck from that area and build a box on the back and store fuel and supplies. the T models and A models are hard vehicles to stop. Just my 2 cents.