got a chance to get a m35 type truck for real cheap.needs work

[resistance32]

i live in rural WV, down at the end of my rd there has been a m35(i think) sitting for a while, the guy wants to sell it, says it has low miles. the frame and suspension look good, a bit of rot on the shell in a couple small spots, and it has no bed, plus a busted shaft coming out of the transmission, it broke where it mounts onto the differential. has a front winch, i wanted to have a big flatbed for a farm use log hauler, but know nothing about these truck, besides they run on anything and are pretty tough. i will get some pics to post tommorow, so you guys can get a look at it. go easy on me i'm new here. thanks. would it be worth the work?

 

[doghead]

They do not run on anything(for long or without plenty of repairs/maintenance and screwing around).

If you want reliable, use diesel fuel.

Pics, price and capitalization would help.

The transmission does not have shafts going to any differentials. The transfer case does though.

 

[resistance32]

sorry, i just amputated a finger at work and split my thumb in half. not worrying about punctuation right now. whatever the shaft is coming out its broken at the differential side. the mount was broken, i will get some photos up in the afternoon tommorow. thanks doghead.

 

[RodUSMC1962]

Welcome to the site, maybe there is a member or two close by that could give the truck a look?

 

[doghead]

Ouch!

no problem

 

[resistance32]

thanks, i hope so, i'm in center point wv, north central WV, west of clarksburg.

 

[3dAngus]

Broken shaft woulc have been the work of GL or DRMO in moving it with a forklift. Has he ever had it running, or did he get it non-running and never get it fixed? How long has it been sitting? Winch is worth probably $1500 or so mounted on the truck, so there is the most important thing you have told us about. Most of the other parts are reasonable, but we need to know more. If sitting over a year, drain the tank and see if it needs cleaning out from algae growth. Check it for rust. Brakes might be bad by now if sitting for over two years or so. You might find a lot of other problems once you get the engine running, so I would really want to lowball him. Just with the info you gave, I would not offer more then the $1000-1500 area, which is just above scrap metal value. Expense to repair and get running might be more then that. You never know. If he has had it running and can tell you more about it, you would be better off with that extra knowledge going into it. Why is the bed missing?

 

[clinto]

That sounds really painful.

 

[resistance32]

yeah pretty **** bad, but i try to look on the bright side. comp is giving me the run around too.

 

[RodUSMC1962]

They will always screw you around if they can. If you have to get a an attorney that work for free unless you get paid.

 

[resistance32]

yeah i may need an atty. and i plan on making a stop and talking to the guy tomorrow, he is asking 1000, i can get it for a chunk less i'm sure, i have no idea why the beds off??? i know its gonna need work, but i plan on putting farm tags on it, if i ca get it going, i use an atv to get to the store around here. i'm sure brakes will need help too, but the lines looked solid, the exhaust looked rot free, and the inside looked to be in ok shape.

 

[ATPTac]

Welcome to the forum!

If you can get it under $1k, I'd say go for it (worst case scenario you can part it out and make money off of it, not that I'm for parting out trucks, but if its too far gone...). It will absolutely need some TLC and work to get it in working condition, but it'll be worth it in the long run. Absolutely do NOT overlook anything in the brake system, components can seem fine from a glance but can actually be on their way to failure. One thing to be mindful of with the exhaust is that when we bought ours it had been sitting for several months, the exhaust looked to be fine until taking it on the road, a gigantic hole miraculously appeared in the bottom of the J pipe. Said hole has since grown after every time we drive it. I got a NOS (new old stock) entire exhaust kit off of a member on here for a reasonable price (if you get the truck and it ends up needing exhaust parts, search the classifieds or PM me and I'll point you in the right direction).

If you're mechanically inclined and have some money to spend on parts, there's no reason you can't get a nice farm truck out of it providing there aren't any major mechanical issues with it. Post some pictures up of it, and make sure you get other than just exterior shots of the body.

Good luck! Let us know what you find out.

 

[resistance32]

here are a few photos, they are'nt the best but will give you a general idea of condition. let me know guys. View attachment 475394View attachment 475395View attachment 475395

 

[resistance32]

not even really sure about the model, year, or really even what it is exactly.

 

[doghead]

It's a 5 ton truck. A gas engine truck. Old Short wheelbase, maybe a tractor or dumptruck. This makes it an M39 series truck.

Look at the dash, on the passengerside above the map compartment. There should be a data plate there. Take a good picture of that and post it.

What's broken is an easy fix.


Personally, I'd pass.

 

[doghead]

After some staring at the pics, I'm leaning towards it being an M51 dump truck.

 

[resistance32]

thanks doghead, after i looked at it today i thought it was some other type of truck. i'm still looking around for a deuce though, sometime in the next few months when i get a settlement from the comp people, hopefully i can find one i can tinker with thats not too beat for under 4000$. hopefully i can find one around the WV PA MD area, if anyone knows anybody give me a shout..

 

[ATPTac]

Sheesh, that's a rough looking truck... You would honestly probably be better off spending the extra cash on a better condition truck. I (personally) cringe at the sight of rust like that. I guess it all comes down to what you're wanting/willing to put into it if you were to buy that one. You should be able to find a pretty decent condition M35 for around $4k. Just do some searching on the classifieds here and Craigslist (or anywhere online) a decent one that needs some TLC is bound to pop up in close proximity to you.

 

[3dAngus]

Only good if you want to salvage parts and scrap it. You could make a few bucks but you would have all that labor into moving and dissasembly. The winch might be worth it alone but I can't really see it and you don't know if it's good or not.