Absolute Last thing a moving college graduate could possibly need: Possible M246 Rescue

In another folder in the proverbial file drawer of various MVs I've posted about trying to rescue...

Awhile ago, someone tipped me off about an M246 (Gasser predecessor to the M819) sitting rotting in a yard full of junk. For those of you who haven't spent time living in Fairbanks, Alaska, there is lots of green iron rotting away in the birch trees in "illegal junkyards" the borough is cracking down on.

After tipping a few others off who haven't been able to make it happen, I'm considering trying to rescue this heap. No idea what I'd do with it, but I feel as though being an odd model a rescue might be worth it. For perspective, the person who tipped me off is rescuing a M60 Deuce wrecker which has been parked since 1983. For more perspective yet, my other truck is still a complete heap I haven't gotten very far on.

I went to college up there, since moved. Moving and storing it will thus get, um, interesting, especially with me not there. Not sure when I'll be back, but I'm sure I will be at some point as I still have plenty of other junk to pack up and move that was left hastily when C-19 started becoming a thing. I left over the academic spring break and still have a fellow Steel Soldiers member up there who was renting me their spare bedroom while I finished my degree storing all my other junk in their garage.

It's even got the oddball arctic cab and everything. Looks mostly complete, I just figure it's sat forever.

I'd bet that motor would sound like a sewing machine when you get it running. It could be that Continental R6602 engine. I'll also bet the word pictures will keep coming up in this thread.

A deuce doesn't need to be a Dollar Eater Under Comfortable Existence...see what I did there. It's like BOAT...Bring Out Another Thousand...but I used deuce.

My deuce was a dollar eater living in a shop but it didn't start there. It started on the farm, getting driven. No sir, a deuce could just be a lawn ornament, sitting on blocks to keep the tires from going...whump...whump....whump....once you get it going. Restoration costs money but Preservation can be as cheap as a face mask or properly fitted breathing aparatus, piece of sand paper and a can of primer or paint.

Drag it home, sand the roof one day and throw some paint on it. Wash it. Clean the windows, whatever time let's you do. If the engine turns by hand maybe one day you'll drain the fuel system, clear out the air intake, lube up the carb, loosen the belts and check the other turny things, throw in a battery and see if she's got spark......if it starts and runs then you need brakes and that's another 12 month story with BOAT being the acronym.

Until you have another thousand to throw at it, drag that deuce to a buddies and preserve it.

Those things are huge and heavy. Worst of all they are old. All hoses and cylinder packings are shot. Maybe cylinder rods need rechroming. You need 11 expensive 12.00-20 tires. All new wiring. New torque rod ends. Think long and hard before moving on this.

Any more m60 wreckers up there? I’d love one even if just the bed to put on my deuce

It is work, work, more work and money and tools and parts and long time to fix GI.
It can be a hobby. It can be something you could keep forever, It can be fun to use if You have a use for it. Do You need a hobby.
Without pulling in favors for things, can you get it done alone.
Then there is that lady you going to meet that takes the big wrench and throws it in your gears. Golly, You got lots to decide on.
Then again, You graduated with hopefully enough to go make big bucks.

All serious issues! They are not unlike a boat...I shouldn't have even bought my M928A1 in reality- I've been laughed at for that thing for two years now!

Keeping busy with other (MV involving) things anyway these days, so will see if it happens. So far biggest obstacle has been storage, so may not get that lucky.

Money pit. I’ll be the voice of reason here, send it to scrap so you don’t end up junk yard rich but money poor living in a trailer in the woods of Alaska wondering where you went wrong.


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I ended up moving out of state instead...LOL