1942 M211, M222? How much is it worth running?

[shadow]

I found an early deuce right here in my town. I haven't looked at it yet but I was told that it was running and driving in use as a fire water truck. The water tank was removed when this seller got it and had it towed from Wisconsin to Iowa with it's drive shaft removed. He said the battery cables looked pretty rotted so he was afraid to start it till he put new cables on. The truck is a 1942 GMC with an automatic transmission.

The thing I was wondering is, how much is an old truck like this worth?

2nd, will an automatic from this truck work in my 1953 M275 tractor that has a 5 speed?

I assume it is a gas engine like mine and would like to switch the trannys in them.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Westech]

1942 gmc with a auto?? I would check on that year, and a 5 speed auto in your 1953? never knew that GM made a 5 speed auto in 53. anyway I bet it is a 1950's GM 6x6 of some sort. sounds like from 500-900$ price range. A truck like that will prob need a ground up resto.

 

[shadow]

Oops, I didn't make myself clear. The seller said his truck is a 1942 gmc with an automatic. My truck is a 1953 reo with a 5 speed manual.

 

[deuceman51]

can you post a pic of the truck for us? Sounds like someone put an automatic in a CCKW. I have heard you can take the CCKW tranny and put it in the M211 since it is the same engine. I'll bet they put an M211 tranny in a CCKW. Pics would definately help though. I don't think the OA 331 gasser in the M35 series will mount up to the hydromatic tranny from the GMCs.

 

[pa.rich]

Check with the guys on "Wheels of Victory" , they do alot with the cckw's.

 

[lacoda56]

Hey there Shadow,

First off, the M135/211 series GMS's were built in the '50s, so pics would help a lot. Can't even guess what it's wrth without knowing what it is. Second, no the trans won't fit in the M275 as is. Don't know if there's any adaptors available, but I doubt it. Third, the engine are totally different. The M275 has a Reo OA331 engine and the GMC either has a 270 or a 302 GM motor depending on what it is and if it's stock. K, now that we got that taken care of, it still sounds like an interesting truck. Let us know what you got there and how it turns out.

 

[DDoyle]

The 1940-s GMC has a hood that opens much like that of a Reo, and even has removable side panels similiar to the Reo's. The 1950-s GMC (M135/M211 type) has a hood that does not have removable side panels (the edge of the hood turns down and runs all the way to the fenders).

In the 1950s the Army experimented (successfully) with installing the 302 engine and transmission from the M135 in the Reo, but I don't think that you can reasonably swap just the transmission.

Also, on the M135/M211, low range is achieved by the transmission, not the transfer case.

HTH,
David Doyle

 

[shadow]

Thanks for the info guys. I tried looking around on the web and found some other trucks in about this same age and found they were anywhere from $500 - $3000 depending on how good a shape they are in.

The only photo I have of it is from the sellers ad on ebay for a pickup he was selling and I saw the truck in the background and contacted him. I stole the image so I could at least have something to show what it is I am looking at.

http://nightshadowentertainment.hypermart.net/m275/crtruck.jpg

It looks like what DDoyle is describing as a 50's style truck. The guy said it was a 42' so that has me wondering if he even has a title. I assume it doesn't run because he said it had bad battery cables, it will not have a bed on it, and he said it has 2 new tires on the front that cost him $600. I am leaning more toward bidding on 2 that are on ebay right now before I go for this guys truck. He did say it would be putting it on ebay soon so maybe he would lower the price. He told me that he had advertised it in the local paper a few times with no luck.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...RK:MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=160073358048&rd=1,1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...RK:MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=320073585090&rd=1,1

 

[lacoda56]

The truck in the background is a '50s era M135/211. They all had GM 302 gas engines and hydramatic transmissions. The guy might have said '42 and meant '52.

 

[hndrsonj]

Definately from the 50's. As for swapping the transmission; the 275 is very hard to find and it's your truck, but i'd keep her origional just because of it's rariety.

 

[JasonS]

Were there any M135/ M211 with detroit diesels? A number of years ago, I had the local auto parts store looking for master cylinder for my M135 and their parts book had separate listing for gas and detroit diesel.

 

[pa.rich]

I never saw one, only 302's with hydramatics.