M211 questions!

[MStryker]

Hi guys,

New member here. I went to take a look at a 1952 M211 today.

It's an ex-fire department truck. It looked clean to me, didn't see much/if any rust on it, no body damage besides a little twist in the front bumper in front of where the winch would go (doesn't have one).

It started up fairly easily since it had been sitting, has two new batteries in it which is a plus. I am however worried about two things.

1. The brakes. There aren't any other than the e-brake. The current owner said he had put fluid in it and gotten some pedal feel back awhile ago but now it has none (it sat for awhile since then). He "thinks" it's the master cylinder but I'm not so certain. What can or usually goes wrong on the brake systems in these old trucks?

2. Coolant leak. I have heard these first Deuces had headgasket issues? This one seems to be leaking some coolant but I think it's coming from the radiator as there's a wet spot on it and the coolant that's visible on the motor seems to be directly behind where the radiator seems to be leaking. How much will a radiator run me roughly?

Also curious what people think is a fair price. It's got 20,000 miles on it but seems to be in decent shape besides those two issues. No winch or tailgate and it has the small mirrors and a few lights out but other than that seems good.

Thank you!

 

[hambone]

Welcome to the site, most of these old trucks that have been sitting will need a complete brake job, master cyl., new rubber brake lines, wheel cyls. but you never know until you get into it. As for the radiator, could be repaired by radiator shop??? may be the water pump leaking?? Pics would help on determining price. Hambone

 

[MStryker]

Welcome to the site, most of these old trucks that have been sitting will need a complete brake job, master cyl., new rubber brake lines, wheel cyls. but you never know until you get into it. As for the radiator, could be repaired by radiator shop??? may be the water pump leaking?? Pics would help on determining price. Hambone

I don't have any, I'd have to go check the truck out again to get some pictures. It might be repairable I suppose, I've always just replaced radiators instead of repairing them but I've only dealt with cars and I'd imagine they're cheaper.

As for the brakes, I'm sure I can handle the work myself but how much roughly would the parts run me in a worst case scenario?

Thanks!

 

[USMC 00-08]

As for the brakes, I'm sure I can handle the work myself but how much roughly would the parts run me in a worst case scenario?

Depends on what you get into. If you have to get brakes relined, new wheel cylinders, all new seals, gaskets, master cylinder and airpak, maybe some wheel bearings??...$1500+

I would take the radiator to a shop and see if it can be rebuilt or repaired if it is in fact bad. Not really any new ones readily available.

You will definitely need TM 9-8024 to guide you along.

How much is the asking price of the M211?

 

[MStryker]

Depends on what you get into. If you have to get brakes relined, new wheel cylinders, all new seals, gaskets, master cylinder and airpak, maybe some wheel bearings??...$1500+

I would take the radiator to a shop and see if it can be rebuilt or repaired if it is in fact bad. Not really any new ones readily available.

You will definitely need TM 9-8024 to guide you along.

How much is the asking price of the M211?

He wants $1,500 for it and seems somewhat firm on that price.

I will definitely have to look into the brake issue further. Hopefully it's not as extensive as all those things.

 

[hendersond]

If it is the one in Effingham I would say it is. Especially if it has a title.
Reality is you have a 60 year old truck and the rubber is breaking down. You may get by with only replacing a few parts to get brakes back this time. Maybe a wheel cyl or a master. In the spring you have a leaking wheel cyl and it goes on and on and on. It is a single master with a small reservoir working a single circuit brake system. You need them to work and so do the people on the road. Bottom line is you are going to spend some money and time on the brakes. I have $700 in mine buying parts found on ebay. I think I got by cheap.
Part of the sport is finding parts trucks and making the repairs. If you read the threads you will notice a lot of ongoing upkeep.
If that is the truck, I would not hesitate if the time and money is available for repairs.

 

[MStryker]

If it is the one in Effingham I would say it is. Especially if it has a title.
Reality is you have a 60 year old truck and the rubber is breaking down. You may get by with only replacing a few parts to get brakes back this time. Maybe a wheel cyl or a master. In the spring you have a leaking wheel cyl and it goes on and on and on. It is a single master with a small reservoir working a single circuit brake system. You need them to work and so do the people on the road. Bottom line is you are going to spend some money and time on the brakes. I have $700 in mine buying parts found on ebay. I think I got by cheap.
Part of the sport is finding parts trucks and making the repairs. If you read the threads you will notice a lot of ongoing upkeep.
If that is the truck, I would not hesitate if the time and money is available for repairs.

Yes, that's the truck.

I know there will be a fair bit of upkeep with it, it's almost 70 years old. He is firm on the $1,500 and with potentially $1,500 more for the brakes, $200 for some lighting on the rear end that needs replacing, maybe another $200 for the radiator...just seems a bit too much. I think that starts to approach diesel price territory (although they'd probably need some work too). This truck is in rather good shape.

I might try to go check it out again and get a better idea of the brake issue but you're right about wanting to do a complete overhaul before taking it on the street.

 

[USMC 00-08]

hendersond is right on. I just did the brakes on mine too. Even with putting all new wheel cylinders on, one just sprung a leak. These trucks are a lot of work but are a lot of fun too.

If the truck is as nice as you say, $1500 sounds good if the transmission is in working order. Pictures would help.

Welcome to the forum and I hope you get the truck if it is what you want!! We'll help you out as much as we can.

 

[MStryker]

hendersond is right on. I just did the brakes on mine too. Even with putting all new wheel cylinders on, one just sprung a leak. These trucks are a lot of work but are a lot of fun too.

If the truck is as nice as you say, $1500 sounds good if the transmission is in working order. Pictures would help.

Welcome to the forum and I hope you get the truck if it is what you want!! We'll help you out as much as we can.

That was the other thing, the transmission seemed a bit uncooperative. Granted, I don't know anything about the transmissions in these trucks but it didn't seem to want to shift gears much. And when it finally did pick a higher gear it felt really bogged down. I understand these trucks don't go very fast but it though, what sort of issues would I be looking for with the transmission?

This is the CL listing with pictures:

 

[hendersond]

I made my decision based solely on how I would look driving with the top off and the windshield folded down.

 

[MStryker]

hendersond is right on. I just did the brakes on mine too. Even with putting all new wheel cylinders on, one just sprung a leak. These trucks are a lot of work but are a lot of fun too.

If the truck is as nice as you say, $1500 sounds good if the transmission is in working order. Pictures would help.

Welcome to the forum and I hope you get the truck if it is what you want!! We'll help you out as much as we can.

I appreciate everybody's help thus far!

The transmission seems iffy, it works I'm just not sure how well it works...don't have something to compare it to really.

I made my decision based solely on how I would look driving with the top off and the windshield folded down.

Not going to lie, that's playing into my decision a bit...

 

[MStryker]

Here are the pictures from the ad, I tried linking to the ad but apparently you're not allowed to do that.

Transmission is iffy, I don't know if it's good or bad. Only drove it for a short time because of the lack of brakes and didn't go very fast. It didn't seem like it wanted to shift much but both high and low range gears seemed to work. I just don't know what to expect from a 70 year old truck.

Thanks to everybody for their help so far!

 

[USMC 00-08]

I would give $1500 for that truck. Look what you could turn it into.

 

[MStryker]

I would give $1500 for that truck. Look what you could turn it into.

View attachment 575192View attachment 575193View attachment 575194View attachment 575195

Believe me, I'm very seriously considering it.

I just want to know what I'm getting into before I purchase it. I think I should figure out if it'll fit in my garage first...

 

[USMC 00-08]

Any military truck will be expensive to own. I have friends that have M35A2, M35A3, M818, M923, etc., and they will tell you the same.

I just really like the looks of the M135/M211's. Check out the parts list in the stickies and you can get an idea on parts availability. Most everything is easy to find. I believe SturmTyger380 even found a transmission rebuild kit that is readily available.

If you drive the truck again, there are 4 high gears and 4 low gears in the transmission. You will feel the shifts in high gear. Low gear is hard for me to tell since mine shifts so fast but they are all there. If you have all four gears, that would be a really good start. The brake system is not too complex, just hard work to redo. If the engine is strong, I don't see how you could go wrong if this is for sure what you want.

Good luck on your decision!

 

[MStryker]

Any military truck will be expensive to own. I have friends that have M35A2, M35A3, M818, M923, etc., and they will tell you the same.

I just really like the looks of the M135/M211's. Check out the parts list in the stickies and you can get an idea on parts availability. Most everything is easy to find. I believe SturmTyger380 even found a transmission rebuild kit that is readily available.

If you drive the truck again, there are 4 high gears and 4 low gears in the transmission. You will feel the shifts in high gear. Low gear is hard for me to tell since mine shifts so fast but they are all there. If you have all four gears, that would be a really good start. The brake system is not too complex, just hard work to redo. If the engine is strong, I don't see how you could go wrong if this is for sure what you want.

Good luck on your decision!

My issue is with the lack of brakes, I don't want to take it out on the road to where I can test to see if all the gears are working or not. The e-brake worked but it's almost 70 years old, if that fails...then what?

 

[USMC 00-08]

That would be bad. You are thinking things through really well. If only there was an open field or something you could drive in to test it.

 

[MStryker]

That would be bad. You are thinking things through really well. If only there was an open field or something you could drive in to test it.

I wish there was, it's small town Maine so not much traffic but not worth risking. Looked on Google maps and there seem to be some sand pits very close by. Maybe I can convince him to meet me again (it's at his friends house) and take a look at it again.

What should I be looking for in the brake system? I've seen some talk of listening for air leaks when pressing on the brakes but what else?

 

[USMC 00-08]

Brake fluid draining out of the drums would be an obvious sign of leaking wheel cylinders. I think it would be almost impossible to know for sure about anything else without taking the hubs off.

Look over in the TM section and browse through the TM on these trucks that you can download for free. That will give you some good pictures of what things look like.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/forumdisplay.php?118-Korean-War-to-VietNam-War-Vehicles-TMs

Here is what mine looked like when I was going through the brakes.

Before

After

 

[Section8]

1500 for the truck?
I would buy it in a heartbeat!
I paid 1000 for mine and it had a seize engine, no real wiring, air system, or even a radiator. So needless to say I paid a grand for a carcass.
It all comes down to how much of yourself you are willing to give to the beast.
The multifuel deuces are nice and plentiful but you can't beat the classic looks of the old snub nose Jimmy.
Most parts for these rigs can still be found in the civy world. If you ask the gods of the M211/ M135 world, they may Grace you with an ever growing parts #'s and cross reference list.
Welcome to the site by the way.
The search function takes a bit of getting used to. If after reading a bunch of threads you still haven't found what you are looking for, DONT BE AFRAID TO ASK.
Some people get irritated at questions they know the answer to at the drop of a wrench, and will tell you to use the search. Once you have done your due diligence and asked you question anyway, there will be someone here who will be more than willing to answer.
We all learn and grow by reviewing topics and materials and new ideas about these trucks.
Welcome again.