wanting some info on dueces

[greasemykey]

i am about to buy a deuce to start a bob project on. however i noticed that these trucks come in all kinds of configurations for power plants and transmissions. is there anything i should be on the look out for? which engines have more issues than others? transmission issues? that kind of thing. i tried getting help on another 4x4 forum only to find a bunch of useless answers from less the helpful people. thanks for the help. sorry if this is in the wrong spot i am new here and this seems like the best place for it.

 

[m16ty]

There is basically only two transmissions (well three if you count the gas engine model). You have the 5-speed OD manual in the M35A2 and the Allison auto in the M35A3. Both are good transmissions, it's up to you on which one you'd like.

There are 4 engines. Gas, LDS-427 (early model multifuel turbo), LD-465 (NA multifuel), LDT-465 late mutifuel turbo, Cat engine (sorry the model escapes me) only in the M35A3. Personally, I'd only go with a M35A2 with LDT-465 or a M35A3 with the Cat.

The above info is just very basic info. There is a wealth of info on this site and all this has been covered many, many times. I suggest you spend some time searching the site and just generally looking around and decide which model you want. They all have their good and not so good. I wouldn't call any of them bad.

 

[Karl kostman]

m16ty seems to have it all right! I hate to pass info that I dont have confirmed BUT it seems almost everybody stays away from the LDS 427, I am not positive why but that seems to be just about everything I have ever read both on this website and else where. I have had two LDT 465s and loved them both, great engines and absolutely no trouble with either of them. I dont know enough about the CAT in the A3 to say much about except that the three letters CAT= $$$
Good luck there is a lot of good trucks out there to be had and farily reasonable prices.
KK

 

[novajohn]

CAT 3116=M35a3

 

[greasemykey]

Thanks for the info. Im planning to buy a bobbed A2 on 46" tires. You guys think that one of these could survive a cross country drive?

 

[hndrsonj]

I've had mine on long trips twice, it gets old after a few days.

 

[greasemykey]

I bet its not the most comfy ride. So i have read about air brake issues but that seams to be the only problem i can find. If it being uncomfortable and noisy on long trips i think ill be fine. Which cummins engine is a more direct swap. I cant search on my phone or i would just do that instead of asking. I plan to keep this truck for a while.

 

[Warthog]

There is no Cummins direct swap. There will be alot of fab work to make anything else fit in the M35A2 that you want.

deuces do not have air brakes. They have hydralic brakes with air assist

 

[197thhhc]

Why would you want to get rid of the Multifuel. Almost free fuel is the only way to fly. Can't do that with a cummins.

 

[greasemykey]

Multi fuel has me a bit scared. The thought of used motor oil and other things in a diesel creeps me out. I have been a diesel mechanic in the military for 11 years and its always been red diesel or jp5 through our Paxmans or ALCO's or the various series of CAT i have worked on. I have always been taught anything else is bad for a diesel. For what its worth a 12 valve turbo with a few mods would in my opinion wake this old girl up but your right its not neccessary at all. Just a thought i had.

 

[197thhhc]

Many people have done the cummins swap. Search on here and you will find a few threads. The multifuel isn't really a standard diesel its a unique engine. Its made for other fuels and in my opinion runs better on WMO. It cost me about .50 cents a gallon with waste oil. thats a lot better than 10mpg at $4.00 per gallon. Just my opinion. You will love them either way.

 

[Warthog]

For what its worth a 12 valve turbo with a few mods would in my opinion wake this old girl up but your right its not neccessary at all. Just a thought i had.

This should be what you are looking for.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?60642-5-9-Cummins-NV4500-Hydro-boost-and-Disc-Brakes

 

[greasemykey]

ah yes thanks for the info. so from what i have read 46" tires should get me a top speed of 62. is that something i can sustain for long periods of time? im really considering driving this thing across country. should be alot of fun either way. oh and does this truck also have a 24 volt electrical system?

 

[greasemykey]

another question. is it out of the ball park to be looking to spend 7000 on a bobbed hard top deuce on 46's?

 

[shannondeese]

Greasemonkey: I am about to drive my bobbed Deuce from San Diego Ca, to Gainseville Fl in Feb. I have done a bunch of long drives, from San Diego to Paradise Ca, just above Chico. I just did 402 miles today in it. And I drive 100 miles every weekday. I use it as my commuter. It has the 395's and I can comfortably hold 63 MPH ground speed. At that speed though you have to watch out for idiots, your brakes are the limiting factor. I also run WMO for fuel and have put over 20,000 miles on the truck using WMO as my primary fuel. As for price it's what you are willing to pay. I wouldn't sell mine, just because of the fuel savings. Good Luck

 

[greasemykey]

curious how you go about getting waste oil. do you just ask restaurants and you just pour it in your tanks? what do you do if its cold?

 

[Tlauden]

I get Waste motor oil and Veggie oil from various sources, funny how when the word gets out people are contacting you to come get the oil, I have over 400 gallons of Motor oil and almost 250 gallons of veggie oil n hand right now. I actually take in more than I use.

Motor oil Is fine to run straight in the summer, but up here in the winter months I cut it 50/50 with diesel or run straight diesel. While it will run on straight motor oil in winter it's hard as heck to start. I imagine since the oil is thicker in winter is why it's harder to start. She smokes a lot less on straight diesel . Filtering is a must, read through the Alt. Fuels section of the site for simple gravity fed filter setups to pump/centrifuge setups. Some real neat ideas in that section of the site.

As far as veggie oil goes, I can't help ya. I've never used it. I don't have the time/room/equipment to filter that stuff yet, but like I said I am stock piling it I would imagine in cold weather you need to have some way to have heated fuel lines so it doesn't gel up.

 

[greasemykey]

so i can run 50/50 used motor oil and diesel? are you serious? why didnt i buy this truck years ago. i just found one by sacramento thats hard topped but stock other than that for 3000 with 30k on it. is that a good deal? i can post up the link if that is not against the rules.

 

[m16ty]

I wouldn't mess with cooking oil. It's too much trouble and can plug things up if not processed (especially in the winter). A multifuel will burn waste engine oil just as well and all it needs is filtered before pouring into the tank.

 

[Tlauden]

Haha yup, mine love a 50/50 blend. You can't post to live auctions here on SteelSoldiers but I don't think there are rules for a general for sale add, I may be wrong though, it's been a while since I read the rules. You could always save the pics to your PC and then upload them here though.

About the price, prices for these trucks vary so much.... I would say if its good cosmetically AND mechanically then $3000 is a good price, if its lacking in one of them two departments start negotiating. Seems like $3000 is on the lower side though for a deuce, I've seen them as high as 5-7K and as low as 2K. I'm no expert when it comes to deuces though so just take my word for whatever its worth. Like I said pics would help folks here give you some pointers.