Thinking about getting an M-35A2

[Gadget01]

Hey everyone, my name is Matt and I am new to the MV community.
Over the past 2-3 months, I have been thinking about purchasing an M-35A2 and preforming a few reliability upgrades to it, but I am not sure where to start. Since I am planning to use it as a cross-country touring vehicle it needs to be able to drive at least 1000 miles at a time. I am already thinking about Super Singles with Michelin tires, a new lighting kit and replacing all the fluids and hoses, but what else should I do to make this as reliable as possible?

Also, What would the cost for a fully functional truck be? To the best of my knowledge the truck would cost me $2-4k, and the Tires would be about $1.5k.

So basically what I am asking is: What reliability mods would you preform to a stock M-35A2 and how much would they cost?

Thanks, Matt

 

[pyrogod117]

Definitely add power steering (Pricey but well worth it if you are going to do that much driving). If you are traveling to a northern state where it will be cold and hard to start, consider ether or a heater (ether is much faster).

That's all I can think of since I don't own a deuce.

 

[mcmullag]

cross country touring

Good Gawd man.

Buy a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord for cross country touring on the interstate highways. If you are going off road, I suggest my daily driver,
a Toyota 4Runner.
My deuce is just used for parades.

 

[greenjeepster]

Power steering would be nice, but it is a very involved undertaking. Keep in mind that these rigs have an absolute top speed of 55 MPH.... Reality is that they are hard pressed to do 50 mph under normal driving conditions.

 

[stampy]

I agree with the above. A Deuce is an amazing truck but constant long road trips are NOT what it was built for. You will hurt from sitting in that seat for 5-6 hrs (especially if you are 6'2" like me) to get 200-300 miles @ 9-12 mpg Running the engine at the top of the power band is not healthy for it, and the truck is an antique. Please don't regard my post as bashing deuces. I LOVE them and have them but I have learned their limitations. BUY ONE! You will love it for off roading and around town, just don't expect to be criss crossing the country in comfort.

 

[Snarky]

Trucks are worth what you're willing to pay for them. You can get a truck with most of the items on it working for about 3000 without winch 4000 with winch. For that price it should have had at least the fluids checked, most of the things on it work, and the brakes looked at after it was taken off a government lot.

I paid 7000 for mine, but mine came with good 46" super singles + new tubes, a new coat of OD green on the body and black on the wheels, heater, hard cab, all the lights working, brakes good, fluids changed, minimal leaks. I drove that truck from north Ohio to South East Texas with no problems.

Some people think the deuce is made of gold and will try to charge 5 digit numbers, but if your going to pay those prices, it had better be a collector's piece, those are prices for modern trucks, not military surplus you paid for with your tax dollars.

A reliable deuce is a well maintained deuce, the best thing you can do for you truck is work to get it maintained well. That means either fixing all the leaks these things develop or at least checking the fluids often to make sure the fluids are still there and making sure things like brake hardware is all up to par. Shoes, cylinders, hoses, lines, airtanks, fluids.

Brake failure is the most common failure on the deuce, you need to learn a lot about the brake system to own a deuce, it's a rule.

Rarely deuce will throw a rod through the block. You have to be prepared for that to happen, most of the time a truck was abused somehow, but sometimes it just occures mysteriously: people here have seen it, the army has written papers on it, it just happens. I would personally then decide how much the 'multifuel' feature was worth to me and try to decide whether to get another pullout mystery multifuel, a rebuilt multifuel, or another engine. People here have swapped in many different types, I think one of the more popular engines is the early 90's mechanical cummins out of a surplussed schoolbus or whereever you can find it.

This is not to scare you away from deuce's it's just a fact of life that a truck designed in 1949, built in 1950 to the 80's at some point, and has generally been sitting unused in a surplus lot for decades at a time, might have some issues, and no amount of tinkering will solve all the reliability issues outside of proper maintenance and hoping a truck wasn't terribly abused.

Most issues are minor: turn signal module goes out, brake switch bad, bulb out.

Some issues are major: Brake hose failure, Rod through the block, blown head gasket.

You 'could' add a dual circuit brake system or a cummins diesel, but until you really have an expensive problem like a bad air-booster or a rod through the block, there's really no reason. You dont need powersteering if you are going to do a lot of driving, you need if you are going to do a lot of parking, a steering dampener might help prevent some of the feel of the road from hitting you.

 

[Snarky]

FYI, I drove my deuce from Sandusky, OH to Lake Jackson, TX in my deuce. It's a 1500 mile drive, in a car it would take 22 hours at around 70mph, in a deuce it took a lot longer, I would think 26 or so hours. My deuce is faster than a usual one, with the overdrive transmission and large tires. In a normal deuce that 1500 miles probably would have taken between 27 and 30 hours.

It's not a fast vehicle, it'll never safely do 70 without extensive modifications, it's got massive brakes, so stopping probably wouldn't be an issue, but it starts to sound like it's going to break up after 50, the axles, the engine, the turbo are all very angry.

 

[stumps]

The deuce is already a pretty reliable truck... but it is also 30-40 years old. Things break and things go wrong on older vehicles.... and you have absolutely no idea what was done to it when it was in the government's employ. Did it just sit? Did it draw some cushy job hauling office supplies back and forth across the base? Did it have some mechanic doing burnouts on the motor pool floor (see Youtube). Did it train a bunch of new drivers in the fine art of deep water crossings (see Youtube)? You just don't know. It could be the perfect truck, or it could be a time bomb waiting for a place to go off. There is really no economical way to tell other than to use the truck and see what happens.

I am coming to the conclusion that the single best thing you can do to keep it running reliably is to keep the engine speed down. Although it is supposed to be able to go 56MPH, it can be hard to get there in a stock condition truck. The engine is kind of low powered for pushing such a heavy truck that fast, and most of the thrown rod failures have happened tooling down the highway at 55MPH. Do you really want to do your cross country cruising at 45-50MPH? If not, you probably don't want a deuce... not really.

All that said, I love my deuce, and driving it is a lot of fun. Going slow gives you a lot of time to look at the scenery.

-Chuck

 

[tjcouch]

An hour and a half is about all I can stand in the truck I love so much . . . . . and I would never drive it faster than 52 mph, even with my super singles and air assist steering.

Don't get me wrong - M35s are awesome . . . . but I would never go on a long haul in one.

 

[tjcouch]

Suggestion: Find someone near you with one and go for a check ride . . .

 

[Snarky]

Also I think CA in all it's glory requires a CDL for deuces because of the number of axles, just FYI. I think people get around this somehow though.

 

[Gadget01]

Thanks for all of the info. Ya... If I was going to get a deuce, I would probably have to check one out beforehand. Good information. So how much is the power steering modification? It seems like one of the best things to go for.

And also is there anyone on here that has a deuce in Northern California?

 

[pyrogod117]

From what I saw, the power steering is between $1,600 and $1,800

 

[steelandcanvas]

I'm sitting here smiling at your naivete, not a bad thing, just humorous. Power steering would be down toward the bottom of things to do to the Deuce list. If your driving down the Interstate, you don't need it, and it's about $1400. The singles are nice, but I'd save that $1.5K for fuel, you're going to need it. Good tires, a hard top, springer seat, good glass, good weather seals, are things you should be concerned with, this is assuming the drivetrain is in good shape. I happen to own a Deuce with a thrown rod, some of the previous posters are referring to me. That unfortunate situation is going to cost me a couple of $K to get my truck running again. Nice part: It happened 1 block from the house, not out on some interstate 50 miles from BF Egypt. Am I trying to talk you out of a Deuce? No Way! We have alot of fun attending parades, air shows, car and truck shows, and static displays on Holidays. But I don't recommend the M35A2 for "cross country touring", I drove mine from Sacramento to Denver 2 years ago, and just last week, got the feeling in my butt back! Good luck and tour in something comfortable!

 

[Sgt Hulka]

Well, since we're voting... IF you have the patience, resources, sense of humor, and willingness to fail and learn, I'd say... GO FOR IT!!!!! What reservoir of great memories you'll have for the rest of your life. Even the calamities, major and minor will be remembered with a laugh. And you know? It just might work...

 

[monkster]

I love mine view them as small tractors. The kawasacky mule (sp) want-a-be. But long distance I already have back problems. Wife likes them too, if she not with me riding, she likes to talk alot.

 

[drgreg]

I drove mine from Sacramento to Denver 2 years ago, and just last week, got the feeling in my butt back!

This explains a few things.

It is not really power steering, it is air assist steering. Similar but different.

 

[monkster]

Sorry got on a tangent. I have a CDL, as It stands untill a pull over, No CDL is needed with in 150mi of home, no CDL needed if hauling your own product and employees who are family. (My boys love and hate that) CDL is not needed if plated over #16000, but I had a neighbor who has his own dump truck w/o fed. inspection sticker and got a $180 fine. Fed inspection stickers are needed if the gvw is over 1T (In IN). Again I think it is up to the officer and if the moon is waning.

 

[steelandcanvas]

This explains a few things.

 

[Gadget01]

After mulling your suggestions over, I now present idea #2:

Buy a M-35A2 and spend a lot of time making sure everything is in tip-top shape. I think the local High School Welding shop will help out with rust abation. I can do all of the engine work myself. Then, after driving it around for a while, I will make my final decision as to if I want to turn it into my "expedition" vehicle. (Camper w/ long-range off-road capabilities.)

Does this sound reasonable? Can I procure a good truck and get it running reliably for less than $5000?

Thanks, -Matt