I went and looked an an M152 yesterday.

[Terrh]

I've been wanting to get my feet wet with an M/V for a while, and I recently heard of an M152 for sale on facebook a few hours away from me. I had a day off yesterday so my brother and I piled in my car and drove 4 hours north to go have a look at it.

Owner says he's had it for 25+ years and it's been stored indoors for most of that. Odometer showed 14,000 miles but the tires look like they have more than that on them.

I was really surprised at the lack of rust on it - it's one of those rare vehicles that actually looks better in person than it does in pictures. Underneath was spotless except for a few spots where the undercoating was peeling that had surface rust. The frame looked completely rust free, the worst rust was on the windshield frames.

The interior was in good shape, someone has added an aftermarket heater box and a defroster, possibly to make it compliant with more modern commercial vehicle laws here, or just to make it more comfortable to drive. I don't think it's been winter driven just by the lack of rust.

It hasn't ran in over a year - the fuel pump failed, but he has a new one to put on. The brake pedal went straight to the floor and I have no idea when the last time that it actually moved was. He says last year, but who knows. He did seem pretty honest.

Tires are older than time and the fronts are cracked pretty badly. All the rubber seals are shot.

If I decide I really want this thing, how much should I pay, and can I get parts, like tune-up stuff (those sealed plug wires looked interesting) or tires? I know it's hard to put a value on what these are worth in proper condition, but I have no idea what to offer the guy.

 

[m1010plowboy]

M152 cdn

That one is real nice. There is one over here and up a little on the map that's not in bad shape.
and might net you some parts if you need them. A few others are buried in the bush and I'm sure they'd rather be used then rot.

I know of a trailer with parts but don't know enough about the 152 to say how difficult it is to find all that you need. After reading the stories on Steel Soldiers, everything is possible with enough drive, dedication, determination and doe.

Someone will chime in that loves the M152.

Search the M152 online and find past sale prices. It sure would be nice to know a "range" of prices that it's been valued at to help with the purchase decision. The guys with similar trucks up here want billions for them so between five hundred and a billion.

Patience when choosing an MV is the best advice I can give unless you're flush with cash. You have some heavy hitting mentors on your side of the map so search MVPA locals that you can get advice from. Thanks for grabbing pics.

 

[wheelspinner]

Value is VERY subjective. Its a good deal if both parties are happy at the end. It looks well cared for and is certainly not seen every day. For a first vehicle (MV) your learning curve will be pretty steep at first, but it sure looks like all the big parts are there, so getting it to have some go and whoa shouldn't be too bad, prob not horribly (relatively) expensive and something you can do in steps without a major teardown.

Has he given any indication of the asking price? Its for sale so he must have some idea where to start.

Bottom line is, What are YOU willing to spend for such a neat piece of history?

Do you have a storage location that will help preserve it?

Just my rambling thoughts.......

 

[RodUSMC1962]

Neat old truck, try to have him give you a price and let us know to see if he is in the ball park.

 

[dmetalmiki]

That vehicle looks well worth recovering..and will give you some imediate and seriouse interest in the green hobby. Good luck and go for it, Keep us posted. with pictures.

 

[Terrh]

I spoke with him some more, he's thinking it's worth around the $2500 ball park which doesn't seem unreasonable to me in it's current shape. I could see myself being more willing if it was already running, but it does seem like if the weather held up I could probably get it running in an hour or two. But if I can get a good runner in similar shape elsewhere for the same price, maybe I should pass on it.

I don't have anywhere indoor to put it, and won't before next summer. I'm in the process of building a barn, but it's not going to be finished before next summer. It would be spending the winter outside either way (at his place or mine).

 

[Thunder in NWOR]

Nearly every old Dodge needs work on the brakes - so thats a given. Midwest Military and Vintage Power Wagon has true type parts, but NAPA, Carquest and many other auto parts stores has wheel/master cylindars and brake line and shoes. Or you can buy rebuild kits too. Should be able to totally redo brake system for less than 800$ (and I suggest that - you need to safely stop!!)

Price of tires/tubes/flaps have skyrocketed the past couple years. NDTs look great, but not so good on wet and snow.

If you want to stay with OEM plug wires, thats expensive, but the two venders above, and others can suggest alternatives.


The metal on those 152s are usually in bad shape and that is a good looking one. I would buy it, as they are pretty rare.

(I like the 152 - my company in Viet Nam had one, it was a company HQ truck and the mail clerk/armorer used it to mail and weapons/ammo 'stuff'.)

 

[Triple C]

I have looked at two in my area. One looked about the same as that one and it ran (though the brakes were bad.) The owner wanted $5,300, but he still has it. The other one was LOTS rougher and the owner said it ran (no brakes) but when I looked at it I wasn't at all interested at the price he was asking ($3,900.) I don't know what prices are in your area but around here I think that would be a decent price. Good luck whatever you do!

 

[Gun Goober]

A couple years ago, I was offered 2 of these for $150 each. I kick myself about every week because I turned him down!

Don't make my mistake, if you like that style, get it. The longer you wait the more rare they get.

 

[Mac53]

Man, those are cool trucks! I'd really like to have one at some point.
I can't really say much as far as price goes, but I just sold an M43 with a bunch of spares for the same price, but it needed a LOT more body work than it looks like that one needs. Just based off that, I would assume the price was pretty fair.
For a first MV, unusual is a good way to go!

 

[RodUSMC1962]

I don`t think you will see a better deal.

 

[rumplecat]

$2500 is a good deal if the motor will turn free and it will roll even if it won't stop! Those are super little trucks! Have fun.

 

[54M37]

The CDN 152 has a 251 engine and an Acme tranmission which are different from the US M-37 trucks. Also these were used mostly as radio trucks in Canada most of the special parts are very hard to find. For example the windows had screens on the outside, to prevent radio signal interference I believe, and curtains on the inside for blackout purposes. These trucks usually towed a 101 trailer with gear and had a 3 man crew. The third man sat on the box between the two front seats.

These are neat trucks and the price is good.

 

[Juskatla]

Here is a site that might interest anyone with M152CDN afflictions. http://www.signaltelecom.ca/M152 I.html
JD Ballie put this together and has a lot of contacts across Canada for bits and pieces. His truck is at the Ashton Armouries in Victoria keeping the other green stuff there company. I spend many hours bouncing around in the back of these back in the day.

Jess

 

[justindearb]

I have a m152 I got about 2 years ago its I great shape its going to get brakes and a paint job soon

 

[Juskatla]

I looks to be in pretty good condition and a good start to any restoration. The link I posted above will give you some idea of how they looked and were used in service. Some had a 'penthouse' tent with an aluminum frame that was attached to the rear of the truck when set up. This gave an operations area for staff and kept them out of the truck. Some brackets were attached but I have not seen documentation anywhere. Others were set up as offices and accommodation for senior positions in a unit. If you look at the drivers side frame between the bumper and grill, you should find the CAR ( Canadian Army Registration) number stamped. It would be year-#####, and be part of its history. Unfortunately, no records exist for any of the older Canadian unit, having been destroyed when the vehicles were released from service.

Jess

 

[Familia Nomad]

Hi All. I'm new to the forum and I'm actually in the process of buying this very truck. I'll be rebuilding everything and using it as a home to travel the world in. Here's what I've got in the works- www.facebook.com/familianomad I'm stoked to have found such an intact M152 since there aren't many of them out there, let alone for sale. The windows and the single rear door will be perfect for my mission. I'll be having it transported to where I live in Central Washington state in April. If any of you can recommend a good transport company, I'd appreciate it! I'm loving this forum and am sure I'll find all the tech and advice I could ever need during my build up of the truck.

 

[Another Ahab]

Hi All. I'm new to the forum and I'm actually in the process of buying this very truck. I'll be rebuilding everything and using it as a home to travel the world in. Here's what I've got in the works- www.facebook.com/familianomad

That's a great find, and I sure want to follow your build and "migration". I hope you'll start a new thread for all that (and for us lazy folk, post the link on THIS thread here).

Welcome from Virginia, the Home of Presidents.

 

[german m1008]

Welcome from Germany.
I also hope for a restoration thread!

 

[Familia Nomad]

Thanks guys! I will definitely start a thread on the project once I get it here. I'm having to pay a transport company to haul it 2500 miles to where I live and I won't be doing that until April. But, without fail, I will document my project here! I'll be tapping the Steel Soldier community's collective experience along the way. It's going to be great!