Need advice for a 500 mile trip in a deuce.

[ratat98]

Hello all!
I'm getting ready to buy a deuce that I found a real good deal on, but the only catch is that it's 550 miles away. My question is; should I haul it back, or drive it?? The owner hasn't started it in about a year and couldn't get it to start last week when he went to run it. That kinda scares me because I'm afraid it wouldn't make it 550 miles without a few parts replaced. I don't have a CDL, but I can get a semi and lowboy with farm tags for a price so hauling is kinda iffy. Any input is appreciated!!! Thanks!!!

 

[oubeta]

I'm in the same boat except mine is 1200 miles away.
I have been trying to get shipping quotes all week and if your truck isn't under 10' tall it won't be much to ship it. Mine has a shop box on the back and it doubled the price of shipping because a lowboy had to be used to clear bridges, etc.
I might drive mine back on the 1200 mile trip.

I think you can get something to lock out the front hubs and remove one of the rear drive shafts and save you some gas mileage. I'm not an expert on these things, this is just what a guy who knows a lot more than I do suggested 'might' work. If you ship it let me know who you use.

 

[M1075]

Plenty of trucks here in Oklahoma. Buy local and save the shipping!!!!!

 

[hndrsonj]

I think you can get something to lock out the front hubs and remove one of the rear drive shafts and save you some gas mileage. I'm not an expert on these things, this is just what a guy who knows a lot more than I do suggested 'might' work. If you ship it let me know who you use.

A standard deuce should get around 10 MPG. I wouldn't wast money on lockouts during your first recovery, save your money for unexpected expenses during the recovery. That being said, I just added a set of Selectros this week and really like them!

 

[oubeta]

I wish I could of found a nice box truck in OK.
I just need to get it back.

 

[91W350]

M1075 is giving you some good advice and knows these trucks well. If you are mechanically inclined and can follow a book for.repairs, you can fix anything you are likely to run into. You can figure about 48 mph and ten mpg. There are lots of recovery threads here. If you 500 miles includes coming north., I can probably help. Glen

 

[Recovry4x4]

What do you consider a good deal on a non running truck 550 miles away? $2 a loaded mile or more to ship it. Thats $1100 aleady. Just because it ran when parked a year ago doesn't mean if will run without more expense. You may want to crunch the numbers a little more. Now let me ask one more question, does the seller have a title in hand? Is he promising one in the future? I would not give a red cent for a titleless truck unless I planned to scrap it. Lots of horror stories on here dealing with titles or lack thereof. Proceed smartly don't get sucked in on price only.

 

[ratat98]

Help me find one in Oklahoma! I can't find one that isnt being sold for way too much! The guy that wants to sell me his was asking $5500 for his but when it wouldn't start he went down to $1000. Seems like a pretty good deal but I'm worried about the distance. I'm a mechanic by trade so I'm not real worried about getting it running, but I am worried about getting stranded without parts or tires.

 

[Warthog]

So which part of Oklahoma are you? And where is the truck located? Maybe someone in the area can look it over?

What is too much for a local truck?

A 500+ mile trip in an unknown truck that doesn't start isn't a great idea for a newbie.

I have recovered dozens of trucks and I always have a backup plan in place

 

[hndrsonj]

Help me find one in Oklahoma! I can't find one that isnt being sold for way too much! The guy that wants to sell me his was asking $5500 for his but when it wouldn't start he went down to $1000. Seems like a pretty good deal but I'm worried about the distance. I'm a mechanic by trade so I'm not real worried about getting it running, but I am worried about getting stranded without parts or tires.

The guy dropped $4500 because it wouldn't start? Sounds fishy.....

 

[73m819]

WHY even consider a non-running truck for your first truck except for parts, look in the classifieds, there is trucks as low as 2500. You may be a super wrench turner in the civi world but getting up to speed on the multi and the rest of the deuce/MV systems is a REAL learning curve, you will be surprised, NOT for a ROADTRIP class room.

HAVE you even read the -10, let alone the rest

Starting to sound like another new pilot

 

[islandguydon]

I'm in the same boat except mine is 1200 miles away.
I have been trying to get shipping quotes all week and if your truck isn't under 10' tall it won't be much to ship it. Mine has a shop box on the back and it doubled the price of shipping because a lowboy had to be used to clear bridges, etc.
I might drive mine back on the 1200 mile trip.

I think you can get something to lock out the front hubs and remove one of the rear drive shafts and save you some gas mileage. I'm not an expert on these things, this is just what a guy who knows a lot more than I do suggested 'might' work. If you ship it let me know who you use.

Did you buy in Michigan...?

 

[porkysplace]

So does it have a title ?

 

[Beerslayer]

The guy dropped $4500 because it wouldn't start? Sounds fishy.....

+1

If it will run at all, it will run with fresh batteries and fresh fuel to the injector pump.

$4500 is a long ways in price drop for a fuel bleed out and jump start.

Awful lot of unknowns, maybe the seller is desperate, or maybe it needs $4500 in repairs to run.

If you are new to these trucks please don't buy a non runner.

I paid more for mine but the local seller guaranteed it, and it was in near perfect mechanical condition. For $3750. Still runs perfect after 2 1/2 years.

I bet if you are patient you will find one near you that runs from a seller who's reputation can be established.

 

[ratat98]

Ahh I'm glad I asked for advice on here! I've got a lot more than I realized I would! Thanks for all the responses! I've worked on M35's before, but after reading a few posts it sounds like I haven't worked on them enough! I'm basically looking for something to fix up, so the no running thing isn't a problem if I can find a way to get it from there to here without much cost. The deal doesnt sound like a bad deal, the guy just doesn't have a chance to drive it and wants to get rid of it. He's sent me plenty of pictures and it looks like a good deal. The truck is in MO and I'm in NW Oklahoma.

 

[porkysplace]

Ahh I'm glad I asked for advice on here! I've got a lot more than I realized I would! Thanks for all the responses! I've worked on M35's before, but after reading a few posts it sounds like I haven't worked on them enough! I'm basically looking for something to fix up, so the no running thing isn't a problem if I can find a way to get it from there to here without much cost. The deal doesnt sound like a bad deal, the guy just doesn't have a chance to drive it and wants to get rid of it. He's sent me plenty of pictures and it looks like a good deal. The truck is in MO and I'm in NW Oklahoma.

You didn't answer wether or not it has a title , no matter how good you are at fixing things if there is no title it's a parts truck . There are probably a 100 threads on people who bought trucks without titles because "they got a good deal" and found out they got the shaft . Do a search on "how do I get a title"
it should give you several days reading and then decide if the hassels are worth the savings.

 

[ratat98]

Ah, Sorry, I was posting from my iPhone and it was being difficult. Yes it has a title and is tagged in Kansas. Im going to do some more research and quiz the owner about it a little more and go from there. If I can find one closer, and in better shape, for about the same price, I would probably go that route instead of driving 500 miles for one

 

[jbingvtx]

I drove my deuce home 540 miles from GA to WV. I also bought mine from a SS member who owned it for some time, drove it, and knew the truck well. The miles home aren't as big of a concern as the many questions about the mechanical condition of the truck. I would buy either closer to home, or a runner from a reputable person.

 

[AMX]

If you find another for $1k you will be lucky. So what if you had to repower it, multifuels are'nt that expensive.

 

[porkysplace]

If you find another for $1k you will be lucky. So what if you had to repower it, multifuels are'nt that expensive.

$1000 for the truck , another $1000 to get it hauled home , another $1000 for a runing motor . For $3000 you should be able to find something you can drive
home .