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Mileage and Deuces

kcimb

Well-known member
1,335
212
63
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
Alright.

At the last GSA auction there were 2 m35a2s in San Antonio that looked decent, one with a winch and one without (w/w went for 1300$, w/ow for 1000). They both had HIGH mileage-89k one one and the other about 75k or so.

My question is, for the price, were these trucks worth it? Is there any life left in them at 75 and 89 thousand miles?

Thanks a ton,
 

Pappa-G

Member
378
4
18
Location
Central, MI
For that kind of money? Oh heck yes!

They dont get that kind of use because they aren't reliable. I got mine with low miles, and a bent crank! Paid high dollars and got to rebuild the engine too. YES!! Pulling the motor out fo a duce with a cherry picker made for a small block chevy, good times...good times. :?
 

kcimb

Well-known member
1,335
212
63
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
Re: RE: Mileage and Deuces

Pappa-G said:
For that kind of money? Oh heck yes!
I'm looking for a truck I can keep for a long time and one that won't kick the bucket and have a ton of issues to deal with...I'd love to give my truck to my son someday.


1300$+500$ shipping+150$ rental car+50$ hotel...
 

gimpyrobb

dumpsterlandingfromorbit!
27,786
755
113
Location
Cincy Ohio
RE: Re: RE: Mileage and Deuces

I have a buddy who got his from a private party, said it was good to go. No air in the tires when we picked up, 2 trannys and a transfer case later, bugs are still getting worked out. You never know what you are going to get. I got mine that had been parked for at least two years. Bled the brakes and put in batterys, I have had basic maint. from there out. Unless you find one with a new motor or documentation to prove it, a deuce is a deuce. Just hope it wasn't beat too bad before you got it.
 

ygmir

New member
300
0
0
Location
northern CA
RE: Re: RE: Mileage and Deuces

I got two of mine from Alex a IMP.
I may have paid a little extra, but, he, being an expert, went through them and checked for roadworthyness.......
No real troubles in 6 years........
I think, unless you do it a lot, it's not so bad to pay an expert to check them out and fix stuff before you buy, especially if it's your first one.....
Just some random thoughts, from, a sporadic thinker.....
Henry
 

kcimb

Well-known member
1,335
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Location
Fort Worth, Texas
Re: RE: Re: RE: Mileage and Deuces

gimpyrobb said:
I have a buddy who got his from a private party, said it was good to go. No air in the tires when we picked up, 2 trannys and a transfer case later, bugs are still getting worked out. You never know what you are going to get. I got mine that had been parked for at least two years. Bled the brakes and put in batterys, I have had basic maint. from there out. Unless you find one with a new motor or documentation to prove it, a deuce is a deuce. Just hope it wasn't beat too bad before you got it.
That's what I'm trying to avoid. I was thinking of getting a rebuilt multi engine and trans and putting it in the GSA deuce should I have won the auction..
 

jeli

Member
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Location
Stillwater, MN
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Mileage and Deuces

it's hard to say until you see it. Mine has 34K on the odometer. I believe it to be accurate compared to the hours. Even though it's a '67 it has an engine originally built in '77. Who knows which engine has more miles on it. The first or the second?
 

kcimb

Well-known member
1,335
212
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Location
Fort Worth, Texas
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Mileage and Deuces

IMP has some very nice deuces For sale. I am going to need one to bring the ferret home. There's an ever nicer one for sale by vtdeucedriver....3500$ last check...
 

FreightTrain

Banned
2,730
13
0
Location
Gadsden,Al
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Mileage and Deuces

All the mileage figures out there really don't mean squat.There is no way to confirm or deny the mileage listed or the mileage on the Odo is actually correct.Over 35 years,how many times could that speedo been changed out.Was it new when yanked or was it pulled from a parts truck?Was the engine replaced,truck depot rebuilt,etc etc.An inline 6 diesel in a semi gets 1,000,000 miles or more.Heck a MB inline 5 banger gets 500k-1Mil.Sure,a deuce turns many more RPM than the big rigs and that inturn distroys the engines faster but these engines if taken care of should last 200-500K miles easy.That is for an engine that doesn't see super high RPM constantly(50-55MPH with stock tires),Regular oil changes,good clean fuel,clean air,etc.
 

FreightTrain

Banned
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Location
Gadsden,Al
Just the say it was designed.Both Big rigs and the deuce are 4 stroke.If you ran a deuce at semi truck RPMs you wouldn't run but around 35-40MPH.A semi has 3.55-4.11 rear gears.The deuce has 6.72 plus a big rig has 400-600 horses while we only have 125-150.Gotta have that gearing to get the thing moving.And per the design of the multifuel,you will NEVER get the HP of a big rig.Period.The Multi uses a Hypercylce principle.Do a search on that one.It gave me a headache last time.As if the IDI princple wasn't hard enough to understand and try and figure out ways to get more power.
 

Barrman

Well-known member
5,255
1,764
113
Location
Giddings, Texas
No, regular 4 stroke.

The M35 is first and formost a vehicle meant to transport 2.5 tons of load cross country. You need different gearing to do that job correctly than you need to transport a truck down the interstate.

Most if not all military vehicles are excellent at doing what they were designed to do. Comfortable 60+ mph drivng down a highway were not high on the design priority list, so if you try to make it do that, it will not last as long as you would hope.
 

JDToumanian

Active member
1,655
14
38
Location
Phelan, CA
Why is that ? Are the diesel engines on a 2 stroke cycle ?
I believe it's just because the Multifuel engine is much smaller than a modern OTR truck engine... Compare at 478 c.i. (2600 rpm) vs. a Detroit Diesel Series 60 at 855 c.i. (1800 rpm).

Some older, smaller diesels (yet still bigger than the MF) that were the standard OTR truck engines of their day had max RPM closer to the Multifuel... 2100 - 2200 was common.

Jon
 

ah1955

Member
223
1
16
Location
Lancaster County Pa.
I have to agree with Freight Train that mileage readings don't tell much becouse speed-o-meters are changed around, engines changed, etc.
Mine is a 1970 that shows 35k the eng. has a Toole rebuild tag dated 1988 that does not mean it was installed then, could have been in a can in storeage for a while.
The only way to really know would be if you had the log book for that truck, which very few if any have.
You can just hope that the odds are in your faver and you luck out and find a good one that with a little TLC will give you good service.
 

Maroman

New member
18
0
1
Location
Forth Worth, Texas
I was the winner on the $1000 deuce. It appears to be a keeper. I believe the miles to be accurate. The other was from the same unit of the Minesota NG. I saw several trip tickets to Fort Chaffee Man what a drive I bet those were. It does not appear to be rebuilt. Where are these depot tags placed most often? I just finished the head gaskets today. Runs like a champ and has power steering to boot.
 

ARMYMAN30YearsPlus

In Memorial
In Memorial
3,585
7
0
Location
Parkville, MD
Power steering on the duece is worth more than you paid for it and is most likely the reason it had high milage,... going to Fort Chaffee.. I get the deuce with PS .. poor truck got to go every time I bet
 

Manstein

Chaplain Emeritus
331
4
0
Location
Cartersville Ga.
Mine had 51000 on it when I bought it which is kind of high compared to some of the other odometers however, I'll agree with FrieghtTrain. There's no telling how many are really on any of them. Basic maintence on these or any engine will allow it run for lots of miles and years. I've done less to mine than a friend who bought one with only 4000 miles on his.
 

kcimb

Well-known member
1,335
212
63
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
Maroman said:
I was the winner on the $1000 deuce. It appears to be a keeper. I believe the miles to be accurate. The other was from the same unit of the Minesota NG. I saw several trip tickets to Fort Chaffee Man what a drive I bet those were. It does not appear to be rebuilt. Where are these depot tags placed most often? I just finished the head gaskets today. Runs like a champ and has power steering to boot.
Was it the one with winch or without?

How did you ship it home?

I take it Fort Chaffee is quite a way away...
 
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