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New early deuce owners in Oklahoma *Lucy*

NDT

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Camp Wood/LC, TX
Well what can we tell you. The main data plate says M135 without winch, build year 5/52. M135 is the single rear wheel truck and given the way the hubs are set up on your rear tandem, that is what you have. Can you look for the stamped VIN on the frame under the passenger side fender kinda above the axle, it will be "M135-135XX" if the data plate is correct. If the data plate is correct, someone added the winch which is fine. The dump bed does not belong on that truck, I suspect you know that. Looks like a fire department used it as a brush truck from the 1960's? to the 1980's?, then a civilian buyer added the dump after that. Now hopefully you will bring it full circle back to 1952 new.
 

m1010plowboy

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In Canada in the 1950's we stored thousands of Deuces under the Civil Defence CD and later the Emergency Measures Organization EMO program. My intelligence Officer collector buddy said they'd see these brand new trucks on blocks and didn't understand why the couldn't touch them....until later, around 1962. Many of the trucks had a soft live.

The U.S. history on CD is amazing so very cool to see the sticker. https://training.fema.gov/hiedu/docs/dhs civil defense-hs - short history.pdf

There's a lot of great U.S. CD history over here.......http://www.civildefensemuseum.com/history.html

We don't see a lot of hard tops on U.S. trucks so the story of your truck may be more than expected. I won't waste time guessing so looking forward to more ID info......Who am I kidding, I love guessing. I'm expecting to see M220XXXXX stamped on the right frame rail behind the passenger wheel. Someone took the van body off to use as a smoke house or chicken barn and now she's a PTO drive dumper.

It isn't the M215 because the wheel base and tanks are wrong. It could be a M211 but where did the hard top come from....unless it's the CDN M207 but that makes no sense at all so let's see that M220 stamp and data plate!

Research shows that Mulvane has a facebook site. https://www.facebook.com/mulvanefirerescue/ ......maybe they have some old photos!

.....and there's more here. We might get lucky on some early history. http://mulvaneemergencyservices.org/history.htm

Welcome to Early Deuce Heaven.
 
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lucydeuce

Member
16
26
13
Location
Cogar, Oklahoma
Well what can we tell you. The main data plate says M135 without winch, build year 5/52. M135 is the single rear wheel truck and given the way the hubs are set up on your rear tandem, that is what you have. Can you look for the stamped VIN on the frame under the passenger side fender kinda above the axle, it will be "M135-135XX" if the data plate is correct. If the data plate is correct, someone added the winch which is fine. The dump bed does not belong on that truck, I suspect you know that. Looks like a fire department used it as a brush truck from the 1960's? to the 1980's?, then a civilian buyer added the dump after that. Now hopefully you will bring it full circle back to 1952 new.
I believe the last two digits are 46 it is dusk here and fire engine red paint on frame is very thick.yes I believe winch was an add on and yes there is remnants of a construction company sticker on the dump bed,also an add on.I’ll take and post a few more pictures now. Tomorrow I’ll take some sand paper to the frame to verify the vin.
 

NDT

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Location
Camp Wood/LC, TX
46 matches your main data plate, so yup you have a '52 M135 cargo truck without winch. The arctic enclosure (hard cab) was a sought after item for fire departments that did not want to mess with canvas tops.
 

lucydeuce

Member
16
26
13
Location
Cogar, Oklahoma
In Canada in the 1950's we stored thousands of Deuces under the Civil Defence CD and later the Emergency Measures Organization EMO program. My intelligence Officer collector buddy said they'd see these brand new trucks on blocks and didn't understand why the couldn't touch them....until later, around 1962. Many of the trucks had a soft live.

The U.S. history on CD is amazing so very cool to see the sticker. https://training.fema.gov/hiedu/docs/dhs civil defense-hs - short history.pdf

There's a lot of great U.S. CD history over here.......http://www.civildefensemuseum.com/history.html

We don't see a lot of hard tops on U.S. trucks so the story of your truck may be more than expected. I won't waste time guessing so looking forward to more ID info......Who am I kidding, I love guessing. I'm expecting to see M220XXXXX stamped on the right frame rail behind the passenger wheel. Someone took the van body off to use as a smoke house or chicken barn and now she's a PTO drive dumper.

It isn't the M215 because the wheel base and tanks are wrong. It could be a M211 but where did the hard top come from....unless it's the CDN M207 but that makes no sense at all so let's see that M220 stamp and data plate!

Research shows that Mulvane has a facebook site. https://www.facebook.com/mulvanefirerescue/ ......maybe they have some old photos!

.....and there's more here. We might get lucky on some early history. http://mulvaneemergencyservices.org/history.htm

Welcome to Early Deuce Heaven.
WOW!! That is awesome to see the history of this beast. I have been dying to find out what all it has been through. If only it could talk... Thank you for all of this great information,and yes the guessing is part of the fun. I found old pics of the truck on the emergency services website you linked. I also forgot to mention it came with a snowplow and genpoles, they are in the dump bed along with a spare hydromatic and the 2 military wheels and tires that are missing on driver side. it got dark on me here so i will find m220xxxxx tomorrow after work and will update. E-5a.jpgE-5 2015.jpgE-5a.jpgE-5 2015.jpg
 
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lucydeuce

Member
16
26
13
Location
Cogar, Oklahoma
46 matches your main data plate, so yup you have a '52 M135 cargo truck without winch. The arctic enclosure (hard cab) was a sought after item for fire departments that did not want to mess with canvas tops.
thank you for the info.Here are a few badges 43953D25-9A1A-4392-A0F4-DAD88D6EFC1B.jpegC5E952C7-4E33-4465-9017-B09545771A15.jpeg56CA1CF7-198B-4A42-8A26-74B84EDFB73E.jpegE23D7464-CEEB-4182-B469-9A06EB42E478.jpeg
 

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m1010plowboy

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
Edmonton, Canada
I saw those dual wheels and got 220 220 vision but it's actually better. Thanks for the pictures. So cool that you have the original tag too. That truck was loved by the shape of it. Your M135 is one of the few that has a history we can lay our hands on so that will be real interesting.

Here's that stamp location behind the front passenger wheel.

P6281673.JPG
 

lucydeuce

Member
16
26
13
Location
Cogar, Oklahoma
Welcome to the forum from another Early Deuce owner in Oklahoma. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with your truck!
thank you for the welcome. I have been looking at for sale ads on this forum for a while just kinda dreaming. little did i know i would go to a farmers house about 10 miles from me to buy a pickup and spot this beauty in his backyard.I saw the truck and said "you have a deuce" he replies "ya and im gonna sell that piece of crap". Me being the shrewd negotiator i am i said "you just did" without even knowing what he wanted for it
 

lucydeuce

Member
16
26
13
Location
Cogar, Oklahoma
What are your plans for the truck? Will you try to put it back to original M135 configuration or leave it a dump truck?
well i would like to go back military original but im not really sure what she was in her military days. i also already have one dumptruck an 1972 c50 short wheelbase so i really dont need another. i will definetly be leaving winch on front. the winch case in the bumper now is busted on driver side but i have a spare that came with the truck. What would you do?
 

lucydeuce

Member
16
26
13
Location
Cogar, Oklahoma
What are your plans for the truck? Will you try to put it back to original M135 configuration or leave it a dump truck?
it came from an airforce base, would it have been that battleship gray color i have seen on some? I would rather go back with a green of some sort but i would definetly consider the gray if that was factory
 
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