Wow! **** of a deal, indeed! I just picked up my M352A from the Marion, TX VFD yesterday! I live in Oklahoma City... left OKC at 0700hrs the day before yesterday and returned to OKC at 0700hrs this morning.
My story's similar in that I was not looking for such a monster when began looking for a replacement vehicle for my old '99 E-150 cargo van. I work with wood (cabinets, counter tops, beer mugs, etc...) and I decided it would be best to get a 4x4 pickup as a good replacement - easier to load and unload, and far more versatile than a van! After searching through adds for a week, or so, I came across a Dodge M880 with a mere 5300 miles on it, but there was something wrong with the electrical system and the owner stated it wouldn't start, so I decided to research possible solutions on MV sites when I came across an M35A2 for sale!
Initially I was a little "putt-off" by the shear size of those things, plus the fact that it's a 6x6, but the more I read about the beasts, the more I liked them!
After going through several adds, several calls and emails that were not returned, I found my old '67 here in the classifieds. She was recently retired after many years of service with the fire department, and had been garage-kept for the duration of those years. Prior to her years with the fire department she served with the Texas Nation Guard - not sure of her military service record, but would be fascinated to find out.
I called the number listed someone actually answered!! WOW! He was honest and didn't attempt to sugar-coat anything about the vehicle, so I figured it was worth a shot to take the long trip for a look.
They had a water-tank and pump installed on the bed (brush-truck), so he agreed to remove it before we came down to pick it up. After it's removal he called to notify me that there was no rust on the bed where the tank sat (something I figured was inevitable).
Chris, the Volunteer Firefighter who handled the paperwork was incredible - he even called this afternoon to make sure we made it back okay.
Anyway, the trip there was tough, as time seemed to have slowed to a stand-still (the way it always does when wish it would fly by), but once we arrived we knew it was well worth it! The old '67 was beautiful in all her glorious imperfections and she didn't disappoint when it came time to start her up - immediate start, though I could hear the crank for a split-second
After a quick lesson on the controls (the fire trucks have a master switch that turns on all running lights to lessen time or operator error in an emergency), and a quick look at their other M35A2, we hit the road home!
All was fine for the first 100 miles, or so - pressure, temp, fuel - all perfect, until our first fuel stop when we noticed a HUGE oil leak from what looks to be the rear main seal and a somewhat sizable diesel leak at a few places along the line (easily fixable). No other problems noted, thus far, but that rear seal leak is somewhat bothersome, as I'm perfectly aware of how HEAVY those transmissions are!! Oh well - such are the problem we encounter when choosing a vehicle without a warranty
She's a strong runner and there's never a question as to whether, or not the engine's on, which is slightly different than a prius
I'm having a hard time deciding whether to restore her to her military specs or to leave her with her current look and simply replace the top and fenders and add a little fresh paint. We'll see how I feel a year or two from now. More pics to come of the truck w/o the tank and pump in the bed.