Hi all, some random questions...

[SomeWhatLost]

hope this is the right place for this, I am a bit new here...

so some back story: in the summer when its nice out I usually ride one of my bikes ('01 Sporty or '14 1190RX) as my daily transportation... when the weather becomes inclement I then switch over to my truck (01 Silverado 2500HD)... and that setup has served me well for like 10 years or so...

but the last couple years or so, the Chevy has been increasingly unreliable, and it seems to always break when it is cold/inclement out and I least want to spend time on the driveway fixing it...
but it is a low mileage truck, and it still looks mostly new...
so I don't really want to replace it with a new truck, and new trucks (at least the ones I like) are OMG $$$$$....

so then I started thinking about getting a backup inclement weather vehicle...
my first thought was an M38 (or A1)... I had an Willys M38A1 in high school... as long as you had a good set of points, and a relatively good battery it would start no matter what the conditions were...
the cloth top/doors and the somewhat non-functional heater/defrost are a bit of a drawback in the winter though...
so I did some looking, and it seems that the only ones priced reasonably all look like they were left to rot in a field somewhere... and the nice ones are all really $$$$$

so somehow in my look for M38's, I stumbled across M35A3's....
wow, there is just something cool about the M35's....
but the CITS, and the Allison trans kind of scare me a bit... my truck has an allison... cost me alot of $$$ to get if fixed last time it broke...

so then somehow my search drifted over to the M35A2's....
the multi-fuel engine seems like a really good idea... why did they stop using them on the newer M35's?
the stock heat/defrost seems well not super great, would be good enough for Illinois winters... and the arctic super heater thing could be a fun future upgrade, but probably not really needed.... especially if I got a hard top and plugged up any air gaps...
and there are less bits to break on the manual trans...

I read through the tread about using M35's as daily drivers and it seems to be a slightly mixed message of sort, on the one hand there is the definite "no" camp, that brings up reliability issues with the motor and gas mileage...
what are the reliability issue with the motor? how long can you go between rebuilds?
and just how bad is the mileage? my 2500HD has the 8.1L, I currently get all the power of a diesel and none of that pesky gas mileage to go with it... how much worse could a M35a2 be?
(ie I get between 6 to high 8 MPG's... well, at least when it is running/working )

so, I think I decided to look for complete/ready to be used M35a2's and I came across this:

http://ccsurplus.com/truck/522

it is a bit on the pricey side, but it sure looks like they spent some time going over and making the truck nice...

anyone here deal with C&C surplus? any customer feedback? it is a lot of money to spend, and I doubt I would ever get time to cruise over there and look at it person before buying it (assuming I can find some $$$ somewhere... need to start looking in the couch for all that lost change...)

 

[Warthog]

Welcome to the site.

The EPA was the death of the multi-fuel.

You will find yourself working on the M35A2 also. Parts are just bigger and heavier. Fuel mileage will be similar to your truck. 8-12mpg depending on the tail wind. You will also find that the NDT tires do not work well on ice and snow.

You can make a Deuce a daily driver. Just be aware that the more you drive it the more maintenance will be required.

C&C is a member here.

 

[SomeWhatLost]

just to be clear, I don't expect a 45 year old vehicle to be perfectly reliable... but hopefully, if I have 2 inclement weather vehicles, at least one will be usable at any given point in time...

I am aware of the NDT's wonderful abilities on snow and ice... ended up switching them out on my m38a1 for some standard all terrain tires... vaguely remember it being a pain to find tires that fit the rims, but didn't require a mortgage... but that was a long time ago... I could just not be remembering it correctly...


just curios if anyone has pulled up to a NTB or firestone and asked them to change the tires on your M35? might be fun to do, just for a laugh...

 

[mkcoen]

just curios if anyone has pulled up to a NTB or firestone and asked them to change the tires on your M35? might be fun to do, just for a laugh...

Most modern tire stores (NTB, Discount, etc) won't touch a split rim wheel due to liability issues. You'll need to take it to a large truck place (who may or may not do it), a mom and pop store, or learn to do it yourself.

 

[rtk]

Have you thought about a CUCV as a daily driver , maybe a 1008 or 1009 . If you get a decent unit and go though all the maintenance items you should be be good to go . BUT as was said these are OLD used Military Vehicles that usually require a lot of TLC . They can get expensive in a hurry ! good luck

 

[doghead]

No zombie crap on this site, sorry it's not the image we what to portray to the rest of the world.

 

[JasonS]

Most modern tire stores (NTB, Discount, etc) won't touch a split rim wheel due to liability issues. You'll need to take it to a large truck place (who may or may not do it), a mom and pop store, or learn to do it yourself.

Lock ring; not split rim.

 

[Jeepsinker]

I've been DDing mine for over a year now. Gone on quite a few pretty long road trips too. Mine hasn't let me down yet, and has never failed to start. But I keep up with the maintenance. Packing hubs, replacing brake wheel cylinders and lines, changing engine coolant, keeping clean fuel filters in it, keeping a good check on belt condition and tension and hose condition, and of course the most important thing... Keeping an eye on ALL fluid levels and keeping them fresh..... This is what is entailed in having a reliable deuce. And buy a good phneumatic grease gun and lots of grease.

 

[EWhytsell]

They aren't really daily drivers in winter for the faint of heart. You'll be just about as warm if you ride your bike. Unless you work very hard at sealing all the drafty cracks, then to really make it toasty you could put carpet on all the metal. The arctic heater might be better, I have the coolant heater and it wasn't sufficient in central Ohio to over come the draft at speed.

Trucks still very fun but I think a lot of people don't realise they are old, heavy parts, harder to get, and more of a tinker toy than actually useful.

Now us who love them don't agree with all that but someone has to speak realistically.

 

[VPed]

That's why I have five trucks (2 chivvy 4x4s) for inclement weather. One of them is bound to suit the need. M939 series 5 tons are comfy (er) and warm (er) albeit with an Allison tranny.

 

[RodUSMC1962]

Didn`t say how old you are, if your young and in good health go for it. The adventure you will remember forever and if you can`t handle it, bail out and go for a civi version again.

 

[SomeWhatLost]

Didn`t say how old you are, if your young and in good health go for it. The adventure you will remember forever and if you can`t handle it, bail out and go for a civi version again.

define "young"
health is questionable... a life time of healthy eating (beer & Pizza) does not seem to have helped as much as I would have hoped for...

worst downside I see is that I don't like it and sell it... doesn't seem like all that bad of a downside really...

on the bright side, I just found the SS classified's... some nice vehicles there, a bit closer to my current available funds, but look like they would need a bunch of work to get them to the condition of the C&C one...

 

[RodUSMC1962]

"Young" is anything younger than me.

 

[rustystud]

define "young"
health is questionable... a life time of healthy eating (beer & Pizza) does not seem to have helped as much as I would have hoped for...

worst downside I see is that I don't like it and sell it... doesn't seem like all that bad of a downside really...

on the bright side, I just found the SS classified's... some nice vehicles there, a bit closer to my current available funds, but look like they would need a bunch of work to get them to the condition of the C&C one...

If your under 40 your still a "whipper snapper" !

 

[wreckerman893]

If your under 40 your still a "whipper snapper" !

Back in my day..................................

 

[rosco]

Just because Youth has passed some of us by, we shouldn't let "age", highjack a perfectly good thread! There are a lot of gearheads around, that need something to tinker on.

 

[SomeWhatLost]

If your under 40 your still a "whipper snapper" !

well, I still act like I am in my early 20's... does that count?
but stuff hurts more/longer when things don't work out as planned...
this whole getting old thing is not nearly as much fun as I was led to believe...

 

[rtk]

 

[SomeWhatLost]

Just because Youth has passed some of us by, we shouldn't let "age", highjack a perfectly good thread! There are a lot of gearheads around, that need something to tinker on.

what makes this thread so "good"?
its just a bunch of random questions, and I got yelled at for bringing up the undead beings that shall not be named(for fear of being yelled at again... or something...) ....

seems to me its all good...

truck question, while it looks like they are, are m35 side windows like a real car/truck (ie roll up/down. etc... ie not snap in or zip in...)

 

[Jeepsinker]

They are glass roll up. Just like an old Chevy.