56 m220

[jtrojan715]

ok been looking to buy a deuce for awhile. looking at m109a3's and m35a2 but i found this and its starting to grow on me. what i want to know is how do they do driving (top speed and up hill) wanting one to turn into a camper for the family and to tak to get to gethers. i know long trips would be long and slow but thats part of the fun

 

[gunboy1656]

The M220 is a nice truck, the auto transmission is OK, if properly adjusted. The one on mine needs adjusted, it is very hard on the head when it shifts.

I would suggest if you do go for that truck look it over closely, that has been advertised all over the place, for over a year (that I know of). Might be the fact that it is a gas only motor, meaning not a lot in the MPG range. but who knows, not sure what all the sheriffs dept did to it when they had it.

 

[jtrojan715]

now is it a 2 speed trans???? similar to a power glide. gunboy i see that you have both m25a2 and m220 what one do you preffer to drive

 

[Stan Leschert]

It is a fun truck, once you learn how to drive it. 2 range 4spd Hydramatic, Max 58 MPH on the level, expect 25-30 up hill. MPG sucks, but....

Download the TM from this site, and don't hesitate to ask questions.

 

[gunboy1656]

Me personally, I love my M35. The 220 is fun, but right now it is down needing a lot of work.

 

[M215]

Gmc

Let me start by saying these are great trucks and worth saving. Presently we own a M215 dumper and M221 truck tractor and have spent some time with the GMCs. These guys are slow, expect 45 mph max and easily drops to 25 on any hill. Our M215 gets around 5 MPG on most trips. The Memphis Equipment REB shifter installed in the M215 helps the tranny be more control-able. Had our M215 out today for an event today, gets lots of attention.

 

[gunboy1656]

When I first started looking to buy an deuce, I was looking at the M211 series due to the automatic transmission. (never learned to drive stick at that point).

So when I had the money I bought my 220, 3 weeks later my unit decided I needed to learn how to drive our deuce (M35). I fell in love with driving it instantly. Quite a few years later I own my own.

 

[nattieleather]

When I had an M211 it was a 45 -50 mph depending on road and conditions. Up hill 25-35 which on a freeway can get you flipped of in more unusual ways than you would believe. Down hill with a tail wind you could hit 60. If driving in hill country I will try to sling shot by running down the hill and then gassing it right at the bottom and sometimes I could get 40 mph up the next hill.

I think the GMCs ride much nicer than the REO/AMG M35s. A modern repower would work well if one wanted a more highway freindly truck, but with less and less of these old ones around it's hard to justify that kind of a swap.

Good luck with the truck if you decide to get it and remember the GMC 302 motor is not a question of if it will blow the exhust gasket but a matter of when it will blow it.