Valence's 1972 M35A2

[Valence]

Thanks to Gunzy for finding this for me, I won my first auction from Gov Planet on Wednesday, April 1st, 2020 for an NOS 3-piece canvas cargo cover kit for my deuce! I obviously have a working vinyl cargo cover setup, but I didn't own a canvas one.

https://www.govplanet.com/jsp/s/item/3210953?h=6-22

My review of Gov Planet's service:
I knew about 2 of the 3 "hidden" fees, +10% buyer's premium + Tax (7.25% in the case of Farr West, UT), but then there was the additional credit card fee that took me by surprise. I paid the credit card fee just to make the process smoother and so I could pick it up sooner. So it made the winning bid from $315 -> $382.59. An additional 21.45% to the winning bid. What a joke.

I am not impressed with Gov Planet's service and lack of internal communication, but at least their photos were accurate and of the actual item. The facility, located at 883 N. 2000 W., Farr West, UT, only allows "load outs" from 8am - 2pm Tues/Weds/Thurs. Which means I had to take time off from work for my pick up. I scheduled my pick up via text message (as I was directed to do via the voicemail) with Misty, the location's GP representative, for the following Tuesday, April 7th, 2020.

When I arrived, the forklift operator claimed I didn't have an appointment which I refuted. At least the forklift operator didn't put up a fight about it. She wanted me to text her my item release because she wouldn't touch my paper print out due to concerns for Coronavirus that comes from China (even though at the time Utah only had LESS than 1900 confirmed cases of COVID-19, in a population of over 3.2 million, in a state of nearly 85,000 square miles, granted, not spread evenly), so I took a photo of the Item Release paper and texted the photo. The forklift operator then directed me to move my vehicle outside the gate and she'd bring my crate to me.

At least I was able to unpack the crate and leave it in with the other discarded pallets by their entrance.

Came with:

• 10 steel bow corners, painted 383 CARC green
• 10 fiberglass uprights, 383 green
• 5 wooden bows, painted 383 CARC green
• 2 canvas end curtains, U.S. MS-51324-18, MFR-56101
• 1 canvas top/main cover, US MS 51323-28, MFR-56101
• 10 strap assembly, 10883175 (these screw to the bows)
• 50 screws, MS35206-300

Original listing photos:

 

[Valence]

I unpacked everything at home and unfolded the canvas as it needed to dry.

Unfortunately the end curtains had seen the worst of the constant wetness for likely 20+ years, and all metal pieces have a thick coat of heavy, green corrosion. I think I can wipe it all off, but it will be time consuming and super messy. The main, larger section faired better, having little signs of corrosion, but heavy odorous quadrepel smell, and a lot of loose thread and grommet punch outs left over from the manufacturing process.

I did have a thought, perhaps I could use the canvas cargo cover as sort of a "home made" arctic cargo cover. Basically, put on the canvas cargo cover, then put the one-piece vinyl cargo cover over top of it. That would give superior water protection on the exterior, and with the canvas on the inside, there wouldn't be condensation dripping onto the occupants/cargo inside the bed. The canvas, being treated, would not be worse for wear with any moisture trapped between the two layers of cargo cover for the duration of the trip, even if it were more than a few days. I mean, the canvas already survived being tightly folded in a crate being wet for who knows how long...

 

[cattlerepairman]

Good score! Despite the frustrating parts, let me tell you how lucky you are that you have an opportunity to bid on such items AND pick them up at a facility not too far away. No such opportunity here for me, unfortunately, just checking GovPlanet and being jealous!

 

[Valence]

Back filling some truck usage here:

Nov. 11, 2019
I once again took my truck to work for their Veteran's day flag raising ceremony. The WWII Jeep is owned by Chris D, and the last photo was right after he got done manually starting it.





Ending odometer: ???
Ending hour meter: ???
(forgot to record)

 

[Valence]

June 26th, 2020:
I went and participated in flag bearing along the procession route to honor the final return trip of Airman 1Lt Kenneth "Kage" Allen, whose funeral was just last Saturday, July 4th, 2020.

https://www.facebook.com/followtheflagnorthogden/posts/2694191190839328

Total, from last recording
Ending odometer: 3858.6 miles (+88.1 miles)
Ending hour meter: 370.8 hours (+2.7 hours)

 

[Valence]

July 04th, 2020, Independence Day

My city canceled their Independence Day parade and instead held an ironically named "Freedom Drive" on a small loop around the town of only city first responders at the same time the regular parade should have been held. So instead I went south and finally got to participate with the Freedom Vehicles Association that held a "Victory Ride", probably the largest gathering of privately owned Military Vehicles in Utah, on a 19+ mile trip around Orem and Provo, Utah.

View all the pictures here:

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/honoring-the-lord-and-nation.141749/post-2300900

We didn't have any official support from police, city or state and our convoy was frequently broken by lights, and traffic, but we'd stop from time to time to gather back up, as such, there was some disorganization. But it was a fantastic time all the same.



Ending odometer: 3985.4 miles (+126.8 miles)
Ending hour meter: 374.8 hours (+4 hours)
As a reminder, the reported odometer mileage is off by a percentage due to the larger Goodyear G177 11.00x20 tires.

 

[Another Ahab]

July 04th, 2020, Independence Day

View attachment 805327

That sure is pretty country out there in Utah, and what a day:

- Looks like it was picture-perfect weather!

Is there high humidity in that part of Utah? Because as clear as that air is I am guessing not, like 50%-60% or something. Nice!

 

[Valence]

That sure is pretty country out there in Utah, and what a day:

- Looks like it was picture-perfect weather!

Is there high humidity in that part of Utah? Because as clear as that air is I am guessing not, like 50%-60% or something. Nice!

Utah is rather dry, but it still rains and snows here. The humidity was probably less than 20% (it's currently only ~15%), just the way I like it. The temperature was about 68F in the morning in the low 90's by the afternoon. Very comfortable basically all day, but the UV index is high so wear sunscreen if you're a blond like me ;P
The return home drive north on I-15 was pretty warm and my back was sweating, but I wasn't dying, just a bit uncomfortable.

News casters here constantly complain about the weather or supposed "smog" but I haven't been anywhere with better weather than Northern Utah. It isn't always sunny, it isn't always rainy, it isn't always cold or hot. The temperature and weather changes, there's winds, clouds, storms, seasons and I love it.

Now if I could just move a little further away from people...

 

[Valence]

Seems like I'm always back filling the things I did with my deuce. Oh well.

September 04, 2020
I used 'er for a trip to Burton Lumber in Salt Lake City (and Lowes in Bountiful, UT) to get some 12' redwood 4x4 posts, 10' 2x6s, 2x4s and about 70 2x2 balusters for a partial rebuild of the deck attached to the house.



The fellow I hired in the fall of 2019 to support the deck, tear out the old cement, install a french drain, pour new cement with deck footings and sidewalk path, and build new deck stairs did a really crappy job of attaching new supports to the bottom of the deck and the deck was wobbly. I didn't care for the job he did with the stairs either (subpar) but it was solid enough to not rebuild.


New supports, new railing, a few new top boards, and built a new, better railing while I was at it. No screws in the railing are visible from the top of the deck (except for the dumbly done stairs by the contractor). It's pretty bad when me, as a Software Engineer, can do a heck of a lot better job than this contractor. Sure, I did woodworking in high school, after, and while in college but that was well over 15 years ago. It's nice to have other marketable skills I suppose.

Looking back now, I'm sure glad I did this project (I think) before wood prices rose so much. I don't really know what the prices are now, but even last September it felt expensive. Also, it was an excuse to buy a Dewalt combo miter saw and stand. In between the deck projects, yes, the house did get new siding, which is why wanted the deck cement work and footing done.



Oh, back to the deuce. Yes, sure glad I had a truck that could haul such long lumber. My Dakota pickup can fit a couple 10' 2/6's (which was needed, because it seems for any project you always have to make extra trips to the store), but I needed more than a couple of everything.


Ending odometer: 4042.1 miles (+56.7 miles)
Ending hour meter: 376.6 hours (+1.8 hours)

 

[Valence]

Not all that exciting, but a little improvement.

May 29th 2021 - June 04th, 2021
My brother bought a fancy battery tester and was showing it off to me so we tested all my batteries. The "front" battery in my deuce (where the positive lead attaches in the battery series) tested bad.. soo it was time to replace both 8 year-old group 31 batteries. I bought the exact same models again from NAPA:
P/N 7237
BCI NO. 31P
950 CCA, 1170CA @ 32F
Serial Numbers: N1047920 & N1047955



I also addressed the corroding battery box too. It probably would have been best to have had it professionally sandblasted and painted, but I get tired of constantly running around so I did it myself.

I pealed off the flaking rust, neutralized the battery acid with baking soda and water, then I wire-wheeled the whole box to remove any remaining flaking paint. Even though I don’t use it, I also re-welded the center battery hold-down that had come loose on one side due to corrosion. The front, bottom side had the worst amount of corrosion but it wasn't all the way through the wall (yet).


I first masked the stickers on the front, then sprayed rust reformer over the whole box, and sprayed black plasti-dip on the inside (two cans worth). I primed the exterior (2 coats ruddy brown) and then sprayed the exterior with three coats of Rapco 383 Green CARC substitute.

 

[cattlerepairman]

Nice!

 

[Valence]

June 19th, 2021
Anyone who knows me knows that I don't much actually care for car shows, but I've attended the Sounds of Freedom car show in Layton, Utah several times before. However, this year I was doing so as part of my on-the-side home business, www.GreenIronRoadWear.com )



It was pretty cool to just roll up and setup my tables and basically sell from the back of my deuce. While letting people and kids climb into the truck and take pictures. Only one asked about the truck's mileage, and none about armor. Though there were several conversations about the gun ring and tires, especially with the little kids being about the same height as the tires. xD

Also, several older veterans stopped by to tell me interesting or humorous stories of how many miles they drove deuces, rode in them, or slept in them. There was this older woman veteran who was emotional seeing the truck and thanked me several times for taking the time and money to keep it running and moving for all the world to see. A tribute of a sorts just so some memory wasn’t forgotten and lost to time.



Sadly though, it seems in-person sales are certainly not worth the time or effort any more so I'm not sure I'll do it again (especially with the vendor fees on top). However, it was fun to talk to folks and spend time with family and the couple of friends who stopped by. My mother was, once again, a huge help to me to set up, load, and keep an eye on things.


Ending odometer: 4042.1 miles (+TBD miles)
Ending hour meter: 376.6 hours (+TBD hours)

 

[Mullaney]

June 19th, 2021
Anyone who knows me knows that I don't much actually care for car shows, but I've attended the Sounds of Freedom car show in Layton, Utah several times before. However, this year I was doing so as part of my on-the-side home business, www.GreenIronRoadWear.com )

View attachment 838222

It was pretty cool to just roll up and setup my tables and basically sell from the back of my deuce. While letting people and kids climb into the truck and take pictures. Only one asked about the truck's mileage, and none about armor. Though there were several conversations about the gun ring and tires, especially with the little kids being about the same height as the tires. xD

Also, several older veterans stopped by to tell me interesting or humorous stories of how many miles they drove deuces, rode in them, or slept in them. There was this older woman veteran who was emotional seeing the truck and thanked me several times for taking the time and money to keep it running and moving for all the world to see. A tribute of a sorts just so some memory wasn’t forgotten and lost to time.

View attachment 838223 View attachment 838221

Sadly though, it seems in-person sells are certainly not worth the time or effort any more so I'm not sure I'll do it again (especially with the vendor fees on top). However, it was fun to talk to folks and spend time with family and the couple of friends who stopped by. My mother was, once again, a huge help to me set up, load, and keep an eye on things.


Ending odometer: 4042.1 miles (+TBD miles)
Ending hour meter: 376.6 hours (+TBD hours)

.
Nice setup in my mind and (even though I had nothing to do with it) THANK YOU for taking your time to talk with people and showcase your truck. I'd bet there were a bunch of youngsters that talked about "that big truck" for days afterward! Hey, and don't forget to say Thanks to Mom as well from the folks who saw this post.

 

[Another Ahab]

I used 'er for a trip to Burton Lumber in Salt Lake City (and Lowes in Bountiful, UT) to get some 12' redwood 4x4 posts, 10' 2x6s,

Nice looking work, Valence!

Redwood lumber is still available?!

Being a Certified Old F***, I recall when local (D.C.) lumberyards all had redwood (common as the SPF boards that everybody carries).

I don't see that lumber much anymore, and figured that we had abused our privilege to see it anymore (out of greed mostly, I guess).

But glad to see the forests (apparently), are still there somewhere!

 

[montaillou]

There was this older woman veteran who was emotional seeing the truck and thanked me several times for taking the time and money to keep it running and moving for all the world to see.

Once when I was parking on the street to go into a store, a woman pulled over and told me how the truck reminded her of her husband who had passed away and had driven the deuce in the service. That she pulled over only to talk to me told me how much the sight meant to her, then she got back in her car and drove away. I like to take my truck to car shows and many viet vets share stories.

 

[Valence]

I haven't kept up with the usage of my truck, but there hasn't been a lot to report. I need to drive it more.

Nov 21, 2021:
Drove the deuce to my mother's for thanksgiving.


96.3 dB average in my cab at highway speed according to a free decibel app on my phone (take it with a grain of salt):


Filled up the truck from some of my older 5-gallon scepter jerry cans and the spout cracked right through the threads. That was frustrating as those things ain't cheap.


March/April 2023:
Due to extensive concrete work at my place, and how slow the contractors were (don't get me started how much I hate hiring contractors), I couldn't easily get my deuce out so I let it slumber in the garage for well over a year.

Except for when my basement flooded in March earlier this year. We had an incredibly wet winter/spring with snow and rain on top of the snow. And then my sump pump failed. I had to shuffle my trailers around to extricate my deuce from the garage to 1) Make room to place the entire contents of my basement in the garage and 2) use the deuce to haul the carpet and pad to the dump. Scales said it was about 600lbs. I'm sure that was mostly water. Over $40 to throw that away. Still far cheaper than paying someone else to haul it.

Bless my friend for helping me for 2 days straight.

 

[Valence]

September 16, 2023:
I have seen a number of different ways how people placed a jerry can mount on the passenger step, such as with bolts with wing nuts for quick removal and a hinge on the jerry can mount to swing it down and out of the way. I had been rolling this idea around in my head for so long I got tired of it. I don't get into my battery compartment very often and I'll just undo the 4 bolts when I need to replace the batteries in a 4 years, or I'll change how it's mounted.

I didn't even bother painting the spare jerry can mount as it looked identical to the aged CARC paint on the truck and like it had always been there.

The 3-prong power cord you see between the step and fuel tank is for my mounted battery tender. Just plug it in to help maintain and extend the life of the batteries. When that 24V maintainer dies, I'll probably change it to two 12v chargers.

 

[Another Ahab]

I haven't kept up with the usage of my truck, but there hasn't been a lot to report. I need to drive it more.

Except for when my basement flooded in March earlier this year.
View attachment 906107

Sorry to hear about that the flood, Valence.

That kind of thing is no fun.

But glad the truck is running, and running loud!