I want a deuce

[Streamline]

For my recovery I drove the truck about 550 miles and it cost about $150 in fuel, so I guess I got somewhere close to 10 miles per gallon, but the tank was full when I got the truck, so maybe a little less.

Wow you drove that truck 550 miles when you first got it. Man does that show the craftsmanship of the old trucks! I don't think that there is a car or pickup truck made that's not brand new that I would feel safe to buy and drive 550miles home after the purchase!....lol What a good buy for ya also way to go!

 

[kastein]

Wow you drove that truck 550 miles when you first got it. Man does that show the craftsmanship of the old trucks! I don't think that there is a car or pickup truck made that's not brand new that I would feel safe to buy and drive 550miles home after the purchase!....lol What a good buy for ya also way to go!

I would have done it with my 91 Jeep Comanche, but then again, I had owned a Cherokee for a year when I got it and I've basically learned the drivetrain inside and out since buying it. I have owned the Comanche for 5 months now and was the previous owner's mechanic for 5-6 months prior to that, and every single failure it's had so far was something I told him we needed to fix right as soon as he purchased it.

In a Deuce though? I don't know the Deuce drivetrain at all yet... so I'm here trying to learn what I need to look out for BEFORE I try and drive one home!

 

[Preacherboy]

streamline, every post 1990 vehicle I've owned I wouldn't hesitate to drive 550 miles on the same day of purchasing, or else I wouldn't have bought it. With the m35a2 I was nervous about it, thats why I brought my dad (a mechanic) and lots of tools with me. The biggest thing was getting it off the base, but you are right that it is taking a chance. We did take mostly back roads on the way back home.

The truck has excellent brakes, I guess that is the most important thing. Closer recoveries are ideal, I just couldn't get a nice winch truck any closer than that.

 

[Fredo Corleone]

Any new pictures?

 

[Preacherboy]

Fredo, I'll take some picturs and post them.

I just got the SF-97 today, took it to the SoS and got my title. They will be sending me the title in the next 10 days or so. The lady was looking in all kinds of books and tried to title it as a "stake truck"; I wouldn't let her do that. I told her the definition in the book for a stake truck didn't describe my vehicle. After I asked her what a quad cab Ford F-350 was registered as I asked her to register my truck the same way. She agreed and it is titled as a pickup.

Once that was in hand, I filled out the application for an authentic historical plate, took a picture of my actual 1952 plate and sent in the $35 registration fee. So when the plate arrives I'll will be legal and roadworthy!

Now, that my adventure is progressing smoothly...soon my dad's begins as he wants a truck now!

 

[Preacherboy]

I found some pictures of the new tires before and after. You will also notice the stack is higher as I put in a Dynomax bullet muffler and put the stock guard right over it.

Mike's wheels are awesome! So easy to put together, really difficult to lift off the ground!

I'll get some more pictures this week, I also have the pioneer tools in the rack, just need the correct straps because I just have everything zip tied on right now.

 

[JC Clark]

To defuse the situation, I would save up enough money to buy the camera and the deuce. Unfortunantly, if you by the deuce and not the camera, she is going to think that you are putting the deuce in front of her wants. Unless you explain to her that you will buy the camera for christmas or a birthday.

 

[Preacherboy]

To defuse the situation, I would save up enough money to buy the camera and the deuce. Unfortunantly, if you by the deuce and not the camera, she is going to think that you are putting the deuce in front of her wants. Unless you explain to her that you will buy the camera for christmas or a birthday.

Maybe I haven't said that in the course of this long running thread yet, but I bought her a camera a long time ago...a Nikon D60 with an external flash (SB600) which is entry level professional stuff and expensive. I paid almost $600 for that setup. So I did think of her needs first!

 

[TommyG45]

My wife is awesome, she would ask me what I was looking at on my laptop, I promptly said porn... she looks over at my screen, and I had this fourm up... I read on her for a solid year before making the plung myself, finally she says, why don't you just get one. Without questioning her, I did just that that evening on ebay... The kids love it, the wife loves it, you can hardly see it parked next to the white barn lol... The football team loves it and looks forward to going to the first home game of the season in the back with the horn ripping. Buddy the pig used to love it, but I moved it and now he has nothing to lay under.

So you see, all the way around it was a great idea my wife had to get a Deuce I support her fully

 

[kastein]

Well... The search is over!

I didn't end up buying a Deuce. Emailed a couple craigslisters about them, but got no replies. I ended up picking up a 5 ton (M54A2 variant) in Brownsville PA and driving it the 14+ hours back to Worcester MA this weekend.

Coming back up I84 I lost the belt to the air compressor on the long grade just past the NY border. It shredded the tach cable and then jammed into the fan/alt/water pump belts and shredded them too. Didn't realize it for a few miles, overheated the engine (hopefully it will not cause trouble further down the road, did not realize because the temp gauge was not working) and lost brakes due to the lack of air compressor. Fortunately, realized that and stopped, hit up the local Advance Auto Parts after finding the specs for the belts, installed them and drove it the rest of the way home.

I love a good reliable truck! If I'd done that with one of my Cherokees I would have destroyed the engine completely and would have had to tow it home, then at the very least replace the head gasket and have the head resurfaced.

 

[srodocker]

 

[Preacherboy]

kastein, take some pictures and start a new thread in member's rides, we are all waiting in anticipation!

 

[kastein]

Wow you drove that truck 550 miles when you first got it. Man does that show the craftsmanship of the old trucks! I don't think that there is a car or pickup truck made that's not brand new that I would feel safe to buy and drive 550miles home after the purchase!....lol What a good buy for ya also way to go!

I completely forgot responding to this saying I probably wouldn't do it in a truck I didn't know... drove it from Brownsville PA to Worcester MA with a stop (and some very light wheeling) at Rausch Creek in Tremont. 548 miles and I didn't even know how to drive stick when I started.

Preacherboy, I don't own a digital camera at the moment

Will post up a thread about retrieving it though, and add pics when I can.

EDIT: thread - http://www.steelsoldiers.com/members-rides/55406-my-new-m54a2.html

 

[Preacherboy]

You ended up doing the same thing as me! Driving a truck 550 miles! You had a couple hiccups though, glad you fixed them. I'll make sure to slide on over and check out your thread.

 

[Preacherboy]

Just got my authentic historical plate registration today, cost $35 and my uncle already had the original 1952 plate! Plated insuranced and I'm now ready to take plart in all club activities!

 

[Fredo Corleone]

Hey Preacherboy you drivin' that deuce or what? we did 550 miles round trip to fort drum for trailers. How do the new tires ride? we will be heading to Ohio next week, in our van not the deuce for hardtops.

 

[jbingvtx]

you have me beat...barely. My recovery was 540 miles from Ga to Wv. Slow going but it was a fun ride.
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/members-rides/49680-iron-butt-deuce-recovery.html

 

[Preacherboy]

I've been driving the deuce, but I just got my registration today; so now I can officially drive it! The tires ride sweet, it hauls...I passed a motorhome the other day on the interstate. It was the first time I'd ever passed anything!

I started passing another car and then it went faster, so still only one thing that I've passed.

 

[kastein]

I passed a guy in a BMW sports car going through Hartford on I-84!

I'm fairly certain he was just trying to get pics from as many angles as possible though, because he passed me again and his passenger proceeded to stand up out the sunroof and snap a couple more shots... no, I'm not kidding. Somewhere on the net there is probably a picture of me waving from the 5-ton, roofless.

 

[Preacherboy]

Well, dad just got his truck. I had him on the phone for the last 2 minutes and he was yelling, "Come on, come on!" He is excited.

He paid a little more than what I thought he would have too, but still $550 under his high number.

Plus I will add his "Harley hauler"