is a bobbed deuce a practical daily driver?

[supeman100]

I am interested in getting a m35a2 bobbed deuce as a daily driver, is this practical? it would have hydraulic brakes and steering. also how long does the engine last? I hear only 100k miles is this true?

 

[wreckerman893]

In Texas, in the summer it would be real, real, real hot. And loud and rough riding. And use a lot more fuel than a smaller vehicle.

 

[Jeepsinker]

If you can afford the fuel and the maintenance... Sure. My deuce is my DD, and it isn't bobbed.

 

[supeman100]

my dads f250 gets 11mpgs I heard rumors that it can get 15mpgs, this true

 

[Jeepsinker]

Only if you tow it four miles and drive the other 11. You will get about the same mileage as the ford.

 

[supeman100]

@jeepsinker how many miles does your engine have on it? is it true A2s only last to about 100k while the A3s last to about 300k

 

[Jeepsinker]

I have around 53000 on mine now from what the odometer says. I've never seen an A2 or A3 with more miles than mine has, so I can't make a definitive statement there. The multifuel should last at least a couple hundred thousand miles though with proper maintenance, good lubricants, and sensible driving. All I can tell you about cat motors is that they are cost prohibitive to rebuild when they do need it, and they are somewhat problematic. Others will chime in with specifics on the matter that I can not provide.

 

[whiskey357]

iffn you fix up the MV with air ride seat....24 to 12 conv...for radio....new heater defogger unit....things like that might make it a good ride...drive it only a short distance........looks cool but not all the time.......OH and won a large amount of BP gas shares...heheh

 

[Reaper651]

I have dealt with the 3116 Cat Engine of the A3 in Cat tractors and I'm not too impressed. Single head that will start to have issues even with the slightest overheat. They also seem to burn oil. Put a Cat reman in a 950F a couple years ago and it started burning 2 gallons of engine oil per 175 hours about 6 months after installation. I've heard that a bobbed Deuce with un-lockable front hubs and overdrive kit for the transmission can get 13mpg, but that's just what I've heard. It seems that the only real "issue" A Multifuel can have is head gasket problems, but I'm sure it depends on how you run it and what style head gasket it had to begin with. People have also put A/C units on their trucks. There are some posts here on SS that talk about it. It would definitely be cool to run a Deuce as a daily driver. Especially in the winter months.

 

[Doug Roberts]

I'm just not into compromising the truck's utility value in bobbing it. Being a mulitifuel , roll with it !

 

[EWhytsell]

The A2 engines grenade at will just like any used engine. Personally my deuce is treated better than my wife, but I'd still rather commute something modern. The truck is for joy riding when I have all the time to be safe and really enjoy it.

 

[General Mcgregor]

Many might not care about this, but the deuce (bobbed or not) can be downright uncomfortable sometimes. I love my truck (A2) but would go nuts if I HAD to drive it everywhere. The constant shifting for red lights and sharp turns gets old after a couple hours, and I KNOW mine really hates stop and go traffic.
The noise, fuel consumption, seat, lack of power steering, 24v system, slow acceleration and low top speed are reasons why I wouldn't use mine as a daily driver. All of these things can be changed to make for a better ride but when it comes to top speed leave it alone! These old trucks don't stop on a dime and you are asking for trouble if you try to push it above 60mph. I blew up my first multifuel by trying to drive it like a car, now I rarely go above 2200rpm at 50mph. Just my , others may disagree but this is IMHO.

 

[doghead]

No

 

[VPed]

Noise - hearing protection
Fuel consumption - anybody have a Ford excursion? Deuce is not that bad.
Seat - New shock and change to MRAP seats, night and day difference.
Lack of power steering - Oh well. (although wrestling with 395's is helping in that regard)
24V system - Add a second alternator or a converter.
Slow acceleration - leave earlier.
Low top speed - stick to side roads...better yet, off-road.

O.K. maybe not for a daily driver but can be used regularly. To Gen. Mac's point, it would be tough if you HAD to use it every day.

 

[Jeepsinker]

I've been daily driving mine for quite a while now voluntarily. I can count the number of times I have taken my fiancées car instead of the deuce on one hand, and the only reason for that was to get somewhere in a hurry.

 

[mobileauto2000]

I drive mine every day to work and back. 20 miles round trip to church on Wednesday night and twice on Sunday. But if I need milk or something in the evening I drive something else. It's driven 90% of the time but I would always want a second car.

 

[Dipstick]

I'm just not into compromising the truck's utility value in bobbing it. Being a mulitifuel , roll with it !

I hear you on losing the utility. I plan on an air ride suspension on my bobber one day to get the load carrying capacity up a bit higher. Other than that, I love driving my bobber. Brutus is pretty maneuverable for a large vehicle and he fits right in my apartment complex parking spaces. Hydraulic power steering makes him even more drivable.

 

[supeman100]

sounds like if you have the right set up it can be O.K, do these bobbed deuces fit in a regular parking spot ok, or do you always have to take up at least 2?

 

[Reaper651]

A Deuce isn't much wider than a dually pickup. That being said, there have been times where I have needed to take up two parking spots in my pickup. The single line parking places are a pain. I don't think a Deuce would be my ONLY vehicle. I prefer to have a Deuce and a smaller pickup truck, an S10/Ranger or a half ton full size truck or a Blazer for when you don't feel like driving the Deuce or you have to go into a town that has narrow streets and/or those d@mn single line parking places. LOL If you buy an S10 or a jeep Wrangler, you could put it in the back of the Deuce, then if you get to town or something, you can park the Deuce, unload and drive the small vehicle, not to mention you would have a spare vehicle if the Deuce were to break down.

 

[VPed]

I fit my regular deuce in regular parking spaces all the time at restaurants and such. It really exemplifies how close to the size of a full size truck they really are. Turning in a small, crowded parking lot is not a lot of fun though.

A spare vehicle in the back is a cool proposition but not so much in a bobber (except for maybe a Smart car).