Newbie/POSSIBLE Future '71 Deuce Owner, from Alaska/California

[theeDIZ]

Good luck , hate to see it scrapped !

 

[71DeuceAK]

Thanks for the encouragement! I hope this can work out too. It sounded like whoever was mildly interested and backed out was a total idiot when it comes to mechanical anything, too. The way the current owner (My supervisor at one of my three jobs, I might add) related the phone conversation, there was stuff like "I can't get it started"! (He told me he's certain he could have it running within 20 minutes of arriving). "It needs new tires!" (Oh really? Five years ago it had brand new tires all around and it's hardly been driven since). Stuff like that. I personally had a good laugh though.

I may visit someone this December who has what I THINK is an M49, which I've actually ridden in about three and a half years ago, long before I was interested in owning a Deuce. Hopefully I'll be able to get some hands-on experience and maybe some drivers' ed...I still haven't even gotten beind the wheel in a CAR yet, though I do now have a permit...wouldn't it be neat if the first thing I drove was a Deuce?

The best part about potential Deuce ownership is getting laughed out by 50% of people, and the other 50% shouting encouragement.

I'm sure there's millions of threads on this (I've read some of them already) but what are the major things to look for and/or be prepared to fix immediately? What things if I see should I RUN, FAR, FAR AWAY from?

 

[71DeuceAK]

Another update: Should be getting pictures soon. Then I'll know what I'm getting into. It may end up as mine in a trade for the boat equivalent of housesitting.

 

[Prospector GM]

Welcome from California.

 

[71DeuceAK]

Thanks! Eventually I'd like to meet some AK and CA members.

 

[71DeuceAK]

Good news! Still on the proverbial radar as a project. Current owner is in the process of selling their place in Port Townsend, WA, where it currently sits. He has a rent-to-own tenant there apparently in the main house. Since the current owner of the truck is thus moving out he's there right now. I talked to him on the phone today and the current idea (Knowing I'm still interested) is to get it running (It hasn't been started in quite some time now), stick a cargo cover on, and make it a mobile storage unit. That's actually perfect, so it gets used for something other than becoming scrap metal, and then come June I can deal with it then. I'm thinking maybe a recovery road trip in the making? This could get interesting.

If all pans out and I end up with it, it might work out great! I might have a long-distance move in August, to Delta Junction, AK.Guess what would probably get used? ("What? You're going to drive that far in one of those things? You're crazy!") Yeah, I know. LOL. "But where are you going to park this thing?" Shouldn't be a problem considering I might be living on six acres. (Perfect place for a wannabe-MV collector). It'd be great for moving there, the firewood chore in a house with wood heat, etc. Not to mention living on an unimproved dirt road, where a little, low-to-the-ground Sedan might not cut it in the winter when it snows. Any suggestions on mounting a snowplow?

Plus, considering I might have space to do so, I could set up the needed infrastructure for some alternative fuel. (Filtering WMO, WVO, etc). Anyone have suggestions for making that work in the subzero winter temps? Or am I just going to have to run diesel? And anyone know of good sources for WMO or WVO in Fairbanks, AK? I'd really like to find some good sources, considering I'd be living 100 miles from campus and commuting back and forth from Fairbanks to Delta Junction on weekends, etc. That's going to add up fast at 10MPG! One weekend? 20 gallons right there!

The only thing I'm a little nervous about is the top speed...considering how much freeway there is in Fairbanks (It seems like everything that isn't a residential or downtown street is freeway) I'll be spending a lot of time in the right hand lane LOL. Is the traffic crazy enough there for that to be a problem? I hope not...

I've already joked with one friend from Fairbanks about cruising around at 45MPH in the slow lane on the freeways...

And I think the university parking authority is going to have a laugh when the first see me! Anyone have experience dealing with any potential issues like that in metered/paid parking situations? (case in point, a university campus)

 

[FloridaAKM]

Welcome from Florida, don't let the truck get away, you will always regret it if you do!

 

[71DeuceAK]

Thanks for the words of encouragement! I'm getting more and more excited LOL.

 

[71DeuceAK]

OK, so here's the deal as of now, the better part of a year later (It just made me realize how high my post count is already!). The story gets even weirder. So the truck ended up being a civvy flatbed (was convinced it was a Deuce from the description), BUT, there's a '68 M35A2 I'm going to try to pursue further. I'd post the Craigslist ad but I get the impression linking to those is frowned upon, so I won't.

Back in December I got some in-person experiences around these trucks. Some of my first "encounters" entail some funny stories (Like how my first time ever driving a vehicle with a manual transmission was trying (unsuccessfully, mind you!) to roll-start a M49, in a flat parking lot, by being towed (actually more like helplessly dragged, I couldn't keep it straight!) around a flat parking lot in about a foot of snow. "Yeah, my first time driving a stick shift was trying to roll-start a Deuce and a Half!" (insert canned laugher). I learned a lot though. I know I'm in the minority for sure now since having lived in a roadless/carless place for my teenage years, then finally starting to drive once I turned 18, and having some of my first driving experiences in a Deuce. I also learned things like how stiff the steering and clutch pedal are, and just how rattly they are! (Believe me, when you're behind the wheel for the second-ever time in any vehicle, trying to roll-start a Deuce, and don't know the "good" sounds and "bad" sounds, it's disconcerting!)

Now...the truck I might try to pursue further also has a "right place, right time" story behind it. A few days ago my dad and I were talking and as it turned out while we were on the phone he was perusing Craigslist in Fairbanks, AK, looking for a Chevy AstroVan. In the space of 45 minutes he found 3 Deuces, though two were total yard-ornament projects, and '50s models, which I'm not terribly interested in. BUT, there was a '68, in good condition, with canvas cargo cover, for 9 grand. I got off the phone, and a couple hours later was wading through Craigslist Fairbanks myself. I found all three but quickly discounted the first two. By the time I went to look at the third ad a second time later that evening (was linking to it since I was telling someone else what I had come across) they'd dropped the price to 6 grand. (How cool is that?) It's going to need tires soon (And it has the NDTs, which need to go anyway if you ask me). The current owner apparently moved to Alaska from Michigan in the truck. It has the PTO winch but it's not hooked up, though the parts are apparently included to make that happen. Paint job is in decent shape. It does have the "Whistler" turbo, which some love, and some hate, I'm undecided. I do think that might get old quickly though since eventually (once I'm licensed to drive) most of my seat time in the truck could be commuting 2 hours each way each weekend at 50MPH on the freeway/highway between Fairbanks, AK, and Delta Junction, AK. (definitely not doing that drive every day though, in any vehicle!).

I think I'm going to offer to go in half with my dad on the truck, he found it and I think it could possibly be a neat project for both of us, he's a car guy.

Now for the usual reality checks...insurance, parking, maintenance, the fact that I'm mechanically ignorant, the potential money pit, the list goes on and on, like it would for any entering college freshman considering a Deuce as their first vehicle who isn't even licensed to drive yet.

I've been reading some of the "Sticky" threads, and I know this has been talked about 500 times before, but "What should I be prepared to look for and prepared to fix? What should I run far, FAR away from?" "Where do I even start inspecting this thing?" I've been reading TMs but need to brush up on that again.

Of course, people think I'm nuts. But I secretly enjoy being laughed at and being the butt of jokes about it. A couple friends in particular, who know these trucks well, even tease me about it. In good humor of course.

It'll probably mostly sit at first, though it could do stuff like the firewood chore, and be how I learn to drive a stick. But eventually, yes, I'm planning on it being my daily driver. Am I crazy or what?

It's dependent on multiple factors of course, like the fact that I'm trying to acquire a piece of property, 6 acres, on which it could be stored but so far that's not working out terribly well. (we'll see). And convincing my dad, who might be workable but so far sounds uninterested, which I can totally understand and respect. If it doesn't work out, I'll probably just bide my time, go through school, get a CDL, and get a M923A2 and be done with it. Probably offer them 5 grand for the truck and see what happens. But of course things will stack up once you count registration fees, insurance, etc.

Thoughts? I'm always open to suggestions, even the proverbial "Don't do it! Run far, far away! It'll be a huge money pit!"

 

[gimpyrobb]

They make great "pick up" trucks. If you are able to have an econo-box car in addition, that would be the best way to go. Econo-box daily driver and big pimpin deuce for work on occasion, Thats how I see it anyway.

 

[71DeuceAK]

Great "Pickups", they do make! Firewood, trips to the lumberyard, etc. Might be also be actively helping remodel/flip a house while living up there, and having wood heat, so it would come in handy I think. Plus that "Cool" factor. Fairbanks, AK itself has a pretty good bus system from what I'm told, and I'd either be living on campus or possibly living maybe a mile from the university, probably car-pooling with a roommate (I might rent a room from someone in particular). Later, when the possible roommate goes back to Kansas to finish undergrad school (transferring up to AK for a year), I might still live there, and even if the house isn't on/near a bus route that kind of a daily drive wouldn't be too horrible, it's the 100-mile-each-way weekend road trips that will add up.

And I'd be hopefully running some alternative fuel, which would help cut the costs down to that of a "regular" car.

Plus, there's the "cool" factor and "Smiles Per Mile", as we all know.

 

[71DeuceAK]

Well, it's happened AGAIN. (Quote NPR's CarTalk.) The previous one never panned out. I'm looking at ANOTHER one though as of now. This one is also a 1968 and appears to be in decent condition; some rust but I've seen far, far, far worse in person. It does have a clean title, a plus of course!

I would link to the Craigslist ad but I get the impression that's frowned upon so I won't. It has a winch (apparently original cable too, is that good or bad?) Apparently some spare parts and manuals are indeed included, that's a plus right? They want 3,500 for it, but do you think they'll laugh at me if I were to offer them 3000 or even 2750? I know I sound like a cheapskate but I currently don't have a steady or reliable income, it's sporadic. It also has a block heater as evidenced by the end of an extension cord dangling out of the front, a mandatory accessory here in Fairbanks, Alaska. For those of you just joining this over a year old thread, I'm now a not exactly rich college freshman who STILL doesn't drive, so this would be a project that would sit for awhile.

A couple other ridiculous "problems" with the current situation are as follows (I could use some advice on possible ways to work around these):

-As mentioned, I'm still not driving yet. (I've driven, but not very much, and I don't have my license, in other words)

-Probably biggest problem: I currently don't own somewhere I could park the darn thing. (yeah, I know, people are probably laughing at me for this already and I don't blame you, I'm laughing at myself). I'm house hunting and may have a couple leads on places but trust monies would be paying for those and of course the trust will take awhile to get back to me on that; I've submitted a couple listings for review but it could easily take weeks or even a couple months for the executor to fully get back to me with a definite yes or no answer. What would storage for something like this probably cost, on average? I just moved to my current area (Fairbanks, AK) so I don't necessarily have many good connections yet; friends' places I could park it at, etc.

I probably wouldn't be driving this thing myself for at LEAST another six months. By then insurance, etc. will need to be figured out, and the insurance companies may very just well laugh at me. I should mention this would indeed be my first vehicle, no less. So it would therefore be a sort of daily driver, though I would be carpooling and taking the bus whenever possible. Not to start another "Do I need a CDL?" thread or a "How do I insure one of these things?" thread but what should I realistically expect to pay, and I know they won't exactly give me the cheapest rates most likely. I'd get the title figured out but insurance/registration will probably wait, it just needs to me in my name. But it won't be being driven for awhile anyway so no worries there.

For anyone who might just so happen to be familiar with my basic area (Fairbanks, AK) hypothetically I might end up with a house in North Pole, maybe with an MV-familiar roommate who might be able to help me wrench on the thing, I'm still essentially ignorant and don't fully understand the vast majority of the systems just yet. So think driving from North Pole to UAF (Assuming the parking attendants don't just have a heart attack, anyone ever park their Deuce on a university campus? If so I'd like to hear results/reactions from others), or even in North Pole to the major bus stop on Badger rd.

And finally, I know it's been talked about a MILLION times before and I'm sure there's a MILLION other threads I can search for on this, but what should I look for, and especially what should I definitely consider deal breakers to RUN from?

Let's hear some suggestions/advice!

 

[71DeuceAK]

I think I'm at least going to go look at it