Fired up Number Three today and took it for a spin!

[91W350]

At the end of June, first week of July, we bought three deuces at Riley. I managed to get two running.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/73763-revived-another-one-1966-m35a2-i-think.html

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/73495-1967-deuce-recovery-temporary-driver.html

When I went to get one to drive home, my plan was to pull my pickup home, take my brother back with me and get the other two deuces. Best laid plans of mice and men...

Anyway, we wound up hauling them home with a wrecker. This truck is ugly! It has rusty front fenders. There is some rust at the bottom of the door pillar. The wiring harness is cut and the instrument cluster is clear gone....not laying on the floor like the other two, gone! This was the first truck in the line, but t has no brakes so I skipped it.

Today I went out to the yard, opened the hood and checked the radiator, nice green antifreeze, but it has some oil droplets floating in the neck. I was kind of expecting coolant in the oil. Pulled the dip stick for the oil and it is clear, like right out of the bottle clear. Not like we changed the oil and fired it up clean, this oil is ultra clean. I am thinking they sent this one through a depot rebuild and it has been sitting since 1992. It is a 1970 truck, but the casting date on the engine is 1988. It has a 1992 rebuild tag, but only stamped with a date, no under or over size. It is equipped with a D turbo.

I do not have a loaded spare instrument cluster yet, so rebuilding the wiring harness will have to wait until later in the week when the M820s come home.

I jumped the truck with my M1008 and it fired right up. It runs smooth and quiet. I let it warm up for fifteen minutes or so and took it for a spin around the Industrial Park. This thing drives and runs super smooth. Everything seems to be in really good shape, except the brakes.

After shutting it down, I slid under and took a look around. Looks like a new transfer case, a 92 rebuild tag on the transmission, all the axle tubes appear to have fresh CARC on them. The park brake has new hard ware and new shoes. New wiper motors, air compressor has a 92 rebuild tag. I am looking forward to getting everything working and driving this one around for a while. I would say it has the best power of the three. It is kind of a shame, probably the best truck we have and in the ugliest wrapper. It will make an awesome work truck. I call it my M25A2 Rat Rod... It is definitely worth saving from the crusher..Glen

 

[ctmustang]

Glen all she needs is a wash and wax and don't forget to armorall the tires.
Then she will be a show winner. Glad you got them all going.
CT

 

[91W350]

I wish I had a source for a couple of fenders. I would get the pillar fixed, you can still see the folded lines in the cab cover. It does not appear faded out any either, several of the tires are new Titans and the spare still has the sticker on it. I am wondering if they had it inside a building someplace. If I had not purchased the two deuces last week, I would buy this one and fix the ugly, then use it daily. Wonder if he would miss it....

 

[midcounty]

Not a bad looking truck at all. Funny how the ones you don't expect to be much turn out to be the best trucks. I bought one off GL with intentions that it would basically be a parts truck. Turned out it is in better shape then my first Deuce, and just needs a fresh coat of paint.

 

[John S-B]

Yours is a trailer queen compared to mine. I really need a whole new bed and fenders. Not to mention a bunch of dings.

 

[R Racing]

I might know were there may be a like new set of fenders are at. Its been about a month but there was a set sitting against a fence at a yard I go to.

 

[Big Z]

Excellent! I'm going to be looking forward to my Ft. Riley recovery for awhile

 

[91W350]

I knew where there were several sets, the guy would not sell me anything. I stood by and watch those deuces and the M1009s get turned into baled metal to be exported and there was not a thing I could do about it. He wanted 4,000 dollars for a deuce that had a tank full of moss, it went too. He said it ran great when parked. I even tried to get the crusher guy to haul them to Salina to crush them, but the owner was patrolling the lot. I did not have a deuce at the time, but was in the market. I was hoping I could help out the members here with parts... it was just not going to happen. Wish your good fenders were a few hundred miles closer. Glen

 

[greg2560]

sounds like a good buy to me. You got pretty lucky...How much did you have to spend? Sounds like a **** of a deal.