Newbie in Missouri

[Greg Schreiber]

Hello all
I am currently waiting for my M35A2 to be completed from Boyce Equipment. I have always wanted an old Deuce and finally jumped in. Given the size of these vehicles I prefer to buy from a reputable dealer and have a decent unit out of my investment. Once I get my feet wet I am sure I will delve into some of the local Craigslist and or private sellers offerings. I have been in the transportation industry on the maintenance side for over 25 years. After looking at the prices of this new junk the auto industry is trying to sell. I decided to get a trucks truck in an old Deuce. Anyways being a newbie to the ldt 465 engine and the Deuce. I have a few mechanical questions to build my knowledge base on these before I bring it back from Ogden towards the end of the year.

-What is the factory recommended RPM for the LDT 465. I have seen it all over the place but have not been able to pin the exact sweet spot and safe zone. Given the age of these trucks anyone at one time may have gotten into the governor. I see way to may posts about people wanting to pull RPM's out of these old units that exceed current industry standards for late model OTR engines. I just want a cool old go everywhere ride.

-Availability of rebuild/inframe kits for the 478. I have found several kits for Oliver and White tractors that are fairly reasonable. Given I deal with this daily on later model diesels. I have seen mention the AG kits have three rings and the military kits have four. What is the fourth ring for? All of the later model diesels have only three as well. I have seen many debates on re powering with used engines. I am of the mind that I would rather inframe my own that way I know what I have.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[tommys2patrick]

Hello and Welcome from Colorado. Boyce should be able to provide you with a vehicle that will provide you good service with minimal headaches. In the meantime you could read here on this site a variety of the Technical Manuals related to the deuce. Even the Operator Manual could give you insights as there are some "unusual" things about just driving one that may make you scratch your head. Most of this is far from modern or even late model improvements. Most of it is similar to things you would see in a truck from 1940's or 50's. If it was me I would read up on the basics of the truck, the engine, the brakes, the tires etc. A lot of service parts and equipment is fairly available. Some can be quite pricey, however I can not recall seeing a "pre-assembled" engine rebuild kit. Due to the size/weight of a lot of the trucks components it would be wise to have a good place to work and some fairly serious tools. I am sure you are already aware of that so please excuse me if I am stating the obvious.

Enjoy your new vehicle and share some pictures and stories of your experiences.

 

[Flyingvan911]

Welcome from Kansas City, MO. Deuces are a ton of fun and very useful. Congratulations on the new truck. Be sure to check out the threads on the KAMO rally held each fall at the D-Day Adventure Park in Wyandotte, OK. It’s free and fun for the whole family. It’s a great place to fun a deuce off road.

 

[18operator]

Welcome from Northern Ohio! Wishing you many happy drive in your "new" truck.

 

[LiveFreeOrDieTryn2B]

Welcome from Florida soon to be Arkansas.

 

[Tracer]

Welcome aboard from Nevada. Looking forward to some pictures of your new truck!

 

[dmetalmiki]

Welcome to the site and the hobby.
Like any old vehicle, Driving (And the treatment) Of them is something that needs little (Obvious) explanation. You seem to have been around these thing a long time and must by now have gained an instinct on the care and considerations in the all round driving field.
I have a 'collection of trucks. 2 1/2 ton, 5 ton, 15 ton.
The multi-fuel engines in my trucks (LDT and LDS) Rarely see anything over 2250 RPM,s.
And the 'set in my mind' (and sweet spot) is 2000 RPM.
Everything turning over nicely, nothing stressed out. And, I (we) always get there.
AND Back!.

 

[SCM35A2]

Welcome to the site!

 

[85 USMC M998]

Welcome from SE MI

 

[Privatewrench]

Welcome from Kentucky

 

[cucvmule]

Hello from SE Missouri! Purchasing a prepared truck is good idea. Then you can accessorize as you want. OD and camo, how can you go wrong.

 

[Greg Schreiber]

Wow thanks everyone I appreciate it. I am really excited it hasn't been 30 days yet from placing my order with Boyce and I'm dying. I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas. I cant seem to get enough information on this old unit. Going to be a blast for sure.

 

[frank8003]

w[/B]here is the torque peak, do you double clutch or use two transfer case gears?
might want to keep it around there someplace .................
study lugging and wet stacking on huge diesel engines.

Maybe the last thing you want to do is to put nowaday diesel pump fuel in it with nothing else. I opinionated old , you do what you want

 

[Calder]

Welcome.

 

[71DeuceAK]

Welcome! I felt the same way, despite being mechanically inept I wanted a Deuce or a 5 ton because they are simple and durable!

 

[fasttruck]

A M35 has a syncromesh transmission so it is not necessary to double clutch it. Get a 10 ton if you want to do that. The transfer case is an item most operators are ignorant of. You can drive the truck high range if is empty. If it has a load on it, I start in 2nd low and go 2-2-4-5 in low range. Then (in order) upshift the transfer case and put the main in 4th gear and use 4-5 in high range. This makes 6 gears and you get to use the 4-5 shift twice which is the tightest shift in the truck. I would always back up in low range as to avoid riding the clutch. The WW2 CCKWs required you to be in awd to use low range, but a M 35 makes no difference. Most trucks have an air control to engage the front axle. 900 series trucks cannot be backed up in low range. I put 40k miles in the M35s bigger cousin, a M818 and managed to keep the clutch in it the whole time and everything I did with that tractors was heavy.

 

[Migginsbros]

Welcome from oversseas