Deuce Recovery June 15-18 Augusta, GA to Austin, Texas - 1100 miles

[kenn]

I'm driving back what appears to be a solidly roadworthy deuce from The Augusta Area to The Austin, Texas area. Are there any steel soldiers members along the way that would be willing to help if we have an issue? I've a map of the likely route. We keep going back and forth on the whole back roads vs. major highway. The major has gas, parts stores, etc. Contrary to popular belief there isn't a minimum speed on interstates but this deuce is stock and should hold `50ish... We will probably take I-20 as it is the shortest overall route and stick to as many feeders and side roads as reasonable but not make the route 50% longer. It will be flat most of the way, though so there's that. There doesn't appear to be any major elevation changes along the way with a slight bias toward downhill from Atlanta all the way to Texas. I have already procured an insurance policy for the move and will have a "transit plate" in hand as well. On board we will have a fire ext., 20-ton jack, HD jack stands, cheater pipe, lug wrench, wheel chocks, brake fluid, basic tool kit, and some spare fluids and of course hearing protection, gatorade, and snacks. I do not have a tow bar for it.

Other than murphy's law, what else do I need to plan for? All fluids have been checked and topped off and will be done again on departure. Tires and brakes checked and checked again at departure.

 

[m715mike]

First off — heck yeah — That sounds like a good adventure!!!

I’m on the north side of Houston. If you decide to go I-10, let me know and I’ll give you my number.

A buddy of mine in Montgomery, TX may still have a tow bar for sale. I can confirm that if you are interested.

Here are some random thoughts in no particular order.

It is hot outside - very hot! It’s even hotter in the cab of a Deuce with heat from the engine helping to warm the cab. Close the windows on the doors and then open the windshield about 4 inches. That will help cool the cab.

Drive with glasses on (clear safety glasses, sun glasses - but never beer goggles!!!!).

Do you have a hard top or soft top? If a soft top, bring gorilla tape. Stitching on old soft tops can come lose at speed.

Keep your credit card close and your cell phone closer. Bring a battery pack or something to charge your cell phone.

Check and confirm that your lug nuts are tight. Do this regularly.

Bring a infrared temperature gun and monitor the temperature of every hub, transmission, transfer case, etc. I recommend driving 5 miles and then checking your hubs when you first start out.

Bring a flash light.

 

[Tow4]

Stick to the interstate. Less starting and stopping, usually the most direct, and easier to get help.

 

[Jbulach]

I-maps says only 20 miles more avoiding interstates, less chance of getting run over by something going a way faster and a lot bigger than you. Probably save some fuel by not keeping it wound so tight as well…

 

[NDT]

As hot as it is, it may be tempting to drive at night, if you do, put some kind of revolving amber light on the back of the truck so you don't get rear ended, this has happened many times to people on here at night with catastrophic results.

 

[royalflush55]

Everything will last longer if you run at night in this heat wave! Especially you, the tires, engine and coolant, belts, hoses, alternator, really just about everything! An added bonus is truck will run better on night air and get better fuel mileage!
Good luck from everyone!

 

[M813rc]

I second the amber blinky light, a good bright one.
I have one on most of my vehicles, and when we move the slower ones to shows etc. we usually have an M1009 with a full amber light bar as Tailend Charlie.
Check the laws on flashing lights for each state on the trip, though. In Texas you can flash amber all you want (though all other colours are restricted), but some states are fussier.

I have a couple of magnetic based 24v amber lights with long cables ending in alligator clips to temporarily rig to vehicles. If you can find one of those, its a good thing to have. I made the extra long cable from an extension cord with the ends cut off.
Add a few zip ties to make sure it doesn't fall off.
You probably know this, but don't run a 12v light off just one battery, it draws too much and you'll get a differential charge on the other battery and damage it.

Good luck on the trip!
Unfortunately, I will be out of state for a funeral, so can't be of any help at this end.

Cheers

 

[kenn]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm looking for an amber light I can hook up quickly right now... I ordered a 24 volt rated alligator clip to female socket and a 24 volt rotating LED light rated for the top of a vehicle. Maybe put the bed gate down and put it in the back near the back edge? I also ordered a couple of strong magnetic yellow flashing beacons that are rechargeable and run long enough that they could be used all night. I'll try both and see which works better. A fire extinguisher is also in the cards.

 

[98G]

Stick to the interstate. Less starting and stopping, usually the most direct, and easier to get help.

And a certainty of a lane for faster traffic to pass you. This prevents unsafe passes and head on collisions.

I've done a bunch of this kind of thing. My opinions -

Interstate preferred for the reasons listed.

Daylight preferred over dark. A breakdown is much less of a big deal at 10 am compared to 10 pm. You'll be hard to see in the dark. Augmented lighting will offset this to some extent,but daylight still to be preferred.

Your tool set seems adequate. Make sure your brake fluid is compatible with what's in the truck (dot 3 vs dot 5).

Don't drive tired. If you're too tired to change a tire, you're too tired to drive. The truck will wait until you're complacent, tired, and sleepy and then it'll do something that requires you to be at 100% to react appropriately. Don't give it the opportunity.

Treat every stop as if you may not have brakes. Brake primarily by downshifting.

Don't overrev the engine. 53mph on 9.00R20s.

A cat litter bucket (they have lids) full of ice water and wet towels to rotate out will go a long way to help keep you cool.

Expect to lose a tire. Maybe two. Even if they look OK.

Edit - here's my argument against driving at night :

Distracted Driving

While driving my M925 home from dropping off a M35A2 in Phoenix yesterday evening, a bad thing happened. I was driving in the right lane on the interstate, about 60mph, soft top removed. Headlights approaching from behind. He changed to the left lane abruptly at the last moment and went left...

steelsoldiers.com

 

[M813rc]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm looking for an amber light I can hook up quickly right now... I ordered a 24 volt rated alligator clip to female socket and a 24 volt rotating LED light rated for the top of a vehicle. Maybe put the bed gate down and put it in the back near the back edge? I also ordered a couple of strong magnetic yellow flashing beacons that are rechargeable and run long enough that they could be used all night. I'll try both and see which works better. A fire extinguisher is also in the cards.

Depends on how bright it is and where it can be seen best by folks coming up behind you. The tailgate, or even under the bed are good options too.
On my Unimog, which has a soft top, I put a strobe under the back of the bed, so it is always in the shade and thus appears a tad brighter.

Those magnetic flat flashers work remarkably well.

I mostly use rotating lights because they are more period-correct on my vehicles. I like to paint the top of the lens black, then paint it white or light grey on top of that. It creates a shade for the light, makes them show up a tad better.
A lesson I learned the hard way - if you paint the top of the lens black and leave it like that in the Texas sun, the lens WILL soften and sag! That's why I put another light colour on top.
The attached pictures are of the Federal JetStream lightbar on one of my M1009s (the other has a JetSonic). These were period correct bars on MP vehicles. You can see how I did the light grey over black on top.

Cheers

 

[kenn]

Thanks again for all of the information. We'll be driving starting this afternoon and well into the evening. Amber lights and more emergency items in hand. Hub temperatures will be measured with an IR gun when we get there and after a test drive. All fluids checked again and again... I have temporary plates from Texas that are DOT and serve as temporary registration along with an active Hagerty policy. Title and bill of sale in hand. Assuming no mechanical issues hopefully this will be a non-event event.

 

[m715mike]

I hope you have a smooth, uneventful trip!

Keep us posted and, if you get the opportunity, share some pictures!

 

[kenn]

Well, I guess murphy strikes again, lol. Made it about 400 miles with frequent stops and last stop both front wheels have a lot of grease and oil slung around the inside of the wheels so I guess that's it. That's too much to repair on the road and surely that's not something that will last another 800 miles so I'm going to flatbed it home. I've reached out to Dan at united states of freight to get it home and I'll have to redo the hubs.

 

[cbrTodd]

Are the hubs hot? Sounds like you've had the inner axle seals fail. If you remove the drive flanges and the front drive shaft you could keep going without the front axle spinning.

 

[kenn]

Here are the pix. Will have to drive a short bit this morning and test for temperature. It wasn't going up along the way but didn't check at shutdown so not sure on the heat yet. These were pretty clean and dry at the start of the trip and the vehicle was being driven. Both went at same time...

 

[Mullaney]

Here are the pix. Will have to drive a short bit this morning and test for temperature. It wasn't going up along the way but didn't check at shutdown so not sure on the heat yet.

View attachment 870538View attachment 870539

.
Just fishing... It looks to me like the steering knuckle boots are what is leaking. You should be able to confirm that by smell. If it is gear oil, it should have a sulfur smell. You don't want that to be leaking out (obviously). If it is grease in the knuckles, that isn't good but if it were mine - I would keep on driving. Testing regularly for heat...

You might even be able to spot holes or tears in the rubber boots. It happens. When you go to fix that problem - read up! There are old rubber NOS parts that won't last. There are some NOS parts available that are stored in a climate controlled environment (not me - I don't sell them).

 

[cbrTodd]

That definitely looks like failed inner axle seals and failed boots to me. It's very possible that the bearings are still greased and fine since they are on the other side of the knuckle. Unless you're set on having it towed from here I would definitely pull the drive shaft and the drive flanges and see if the hubs stay cool.

 

[kenn]

Going to take a short drive and test hub temps then look at what's needed to remove driveshaft... I know I'll need to find tools locally.

 

[cbrTodd]

If you have an air shift transfer case and you remove the drive flanges, you don't technically need to remove the driveshaft. It shouldn't spin the axle. But if the driveshaft is out, you KNOW it's not spinning. If you have a sprag transfer case then the driveshaft has to come out to keep the front axle from spinning.

 

[kenn]

Thanks for the help, gentlemen. Assuming I test drive it and the hubs are heating up and I removed the shaft/flanges, how long can I realistically go with the inner seals leaking gear oil? I've still got 800 miles to go. I should add that I'm mechanically solid but not deuce solid. I have downloaded the TMs and I'm confident I can fix just about anything given time and tools, but I'm not certain on this as I want to make sure I understand what I'm doing before I do it. Again, the help is much appreciated.