JDToumanian
Active member
- 1,655
- 14
- 38
- Location
- Phelan, CA
Hi Group,
I was going to post this in the other Gama Goat thread today, but I didn't want to hijack it since this is changing the subject. This is a copy of an old post (over a year ago) from the 2-Stroke Detroit Diesel group on Yahoo, where Goats frequently come up in discussions both because they are DD powered and because the little aluminum 3-53 engine is a popular choice for repowering pickup trucks and the like.
I've never owned a Goat and have no experience with them other than my familiarity with their engine. I don't know the poster other than 'Doc', and I didn't save his e-mail address... Maybe he's a member here, but I doubt it. Either way, I don't think he'd mind my passing this on, which I meant to do some time ago. I'm curious what you guys think about it...
Regards,
Jon
I was going to post this in the other Gama Goat thread today, but I didn't want to hijack it since this is changing the subject. This is a copy of an old post (over a year ago) from the 2-Stroke Detroit Diesel group on Yahoo, where Goats frequently come up in discussions both because they are DD powered and because the little aluminum 3-53 engine is a popular choice for repowering pickup trucks and the like.
I've never owned a Goat and have no experience with them other than my familiarity with their engine. I don't know the poster other than 'Doc', and I didn't save his e-mail address... Maybe he's a member here, but I doubt it. Either way, I don't think he'd mind my passing this on, which I meant to do some time ago. I'm curious what you guys think about it...
Regards,
Jon
I hope no one restoring a Goat is planning on a major road trip, but we used to convoy from Ft. Lewis, WA to Yakima, WA, which is a couple hundred miles away on the other side of the mountains. The noise of that little triple was deafening! We would wear standard hearing protectors with ear muffs over that and still couldn't hear ourselves think. So when you were driving in one, even with a guy in the next seat 2' away, there was a tremendous feeling of isolation, which, with the physical pounding from the sound and the truck, led quickly to fatigue, which led to people falling asleep and driving off the roads.
The mountain passes in Washington State are not very forgiving. There will be either a tree, rock, or several hundred feet of free fall in your path. The only thing in the way of occupant protection is about 1/8" of flat aluminum sheet and a dinky little aluminum bumper that is best used as a step. What the front end hits will be smacking you full force with nothing in front to stop it and several tons behind you pushing forward. We lost several guys that way, two at a time. It's a tough visit to the wife and kids.
Then of course there is the issue of amphibious operations. We prepared a Goat for a big brass demo once. Went through the list from one end to the other several times. Stripped off the canvas, put in the plugs, started the pumps and drove slowly down the boat ramp in front of a bunch of generals and a few Congressmen. The Goat rides in a dead calm with about 4-6" of freeboard, and is propelled by the tires spinning in the water. The driver was about 150' from shore when the freeboard started to reduce visibly, and before he could do anything about it, he was underwater and heading for the lake bottom. Did I mention that the tubs they had for the driver and co-driver seating were very awkward to get in and out of? It was about 45 seconds later (but seemed like an hour) when he popped up and waved at us. Getting the Goat out of the lake was finally assigned to a Navy Reserve unit out of San Diego as their summer training.
It was a very maneuverable vehicle, with great climbing capacity. We never rolled one, and we really should have the way a bunch of 19 - 21 year old kids drove them. They were a blast to drive on the flats, and kept up nicely off road if someone with a bit of caution was leading the way. As far as hauling stuff the way a M-37 (3/4 ton Power Wagon) or M-715 (5/4 ton Jeep pickup) would, it was quite possibly the most inefficient and impractical vehicle a Pentagon committee could have designed.
Every time I see one on eBay (there's one there now), I marvel that they still exist. It is definitely something most collectors will not have, and if the only use is parades and the occasional joyride, they'd probably be a thrill for someone with no memories associated with them. When I look at them, though, I see death looking back.
My goal with a military vehicle is to take an old flat fender Power Wagon and repower it with a 4-53 and gearing that would make it practical on the road. With a good brush rack and a winch on the front, you're looking at some real intimidation factor!
Just my $0.02. Hope I didn't overcharge you.
doc