More Newbie Questions M35A2

[WarrenD]

Yes, I have searched the forum a bit, but I still have some questions I haven't found answers to yet.
1. Kaiser or AMGeneral? Is there any practical difference or is it only a nameplate?
2. Turbo, whistler or quiet? I think I'd rather have the quiet one, what would be the advantages of the whistler? I'm willing to trade a touch of power for fuel economy if it comes down to that.
3. Engine manufacturer, I see White and Continental, any preference and which engine model would be considered the most reliable?

Maybe a good time to say what I'm looking for: mid 60's to mid 70's, and from what I see, I think the best thing is to find one equipped the way I want even at greater cost (seems cheaper than buying and converting from what I'm reading). I do see that an air-shift front diff is desirable, anything else?

4. What kind of maintenance/repairs are common with these? Seems like lots of seals leak....
5. Life expectancy of the engine, Tranny, transfer case, diffs? Most seem to have low mileage by over the road standards, heck, my Chevy Impala is nearing 180k on it's original engine.
6. Other commments or advice?
I'm sure I'll have more questions, but this is a start for now. Thanks in advance.

 

[drgreg]

Welcome to the site Grasshopper, keep reading and all of your questions will soon be answered. Just kidding.
1) same, AMG is later
2) D turbo (non whistler) is newer, other than that, "better" seems to be only opinion
3) don't forget Hercules, the third mfg., all were made the same. Best is a TD block
4-5) lots of vairables, but overall great trucks
6) Keep reading the forum, if you like what you see, buy 1 or 8.

 

[Speddmon]

I can't help out with too many of your questions as I am still becoming acquainted with my first deuce. But Welcome to the madness!!!

It'll start small, just one deuce, I can handle that . Then it will grow, gotta have another deuce.... no wait, I think I want a 5 ton...strike that, I NEED a 5 ton . It only grows from there.

 

[Strykerboy]

i agree with drgreg buy one and get started. in OD madness!

 

[WarrenD]

That's why I'm doing as much research as possible. Once I have it narrowed down to what I want, I'll start looking for it. Otherwise, it's hard to find something when you don't know what you're looking for!!
Re: the "D" turbo, if it's newer, any chance of finding one on a Kaiser in my time frame (64-74)?

 

[Speddmon]

my '70 Kaiser has the "D" turbo. The "D" may be newer, but from what I've read they were also a lot more plentiful. Probably as one went bad it was replaced with a "D".

 

[WarrenD]

Thanks for the info so far, anybody else?

 

[nk14zp]

Welcome to the site.

 

[KaiserM109]

Jump in; the water's fine.

Just remember these trucks are 40 yr. old and time takes it toll, even with good maintenance. Rubber cracks, seals weep, etc. As soon as I have money and a shop, I plan to replace all drive train seals (axle, drive shaft, etc) and rebuild all brake cylinders. My intention is to get it reliable enough that I won’t be worried about taking it way off-road.

A recent thread about a freeze plug ( http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/38469-help-bad-water-leak-my-deuce.html ) has me worried about them now.

Just remember, you can’t eat just 1.

Arlyn

 

[Two Dogs]

My '67 M35A1 came out of service fitted with the D version of the 465 engine