1950's GMC M211

I'm deciding on whether or not to buy a M211. I found a cheap one at a local shop yard and I don't know anything about them whatsoever. And I was wondering if anyone can answer a few questions that I have. 1) How easy is it to service? 2) Will rust be a large problem? 3) How large of a aftermarket do they have?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

RE: 1950

S.M.B., The 211 sells much cheaper than the M35's. Most guys like the diesels better. They are a hefty, strong truck and in my opinion, easier to service and engine is simpler. I have a manual for mine which is helpful. As far as rust goes, I havent got that problem with mine. In fact, my 1970 has a body that is worse. It all dep[ends on what it has been used for after its retirement from the service. Alot of these were used up north to be municipal plows and salt spreaders, some quarry trucks. The municipal trucks take a real beating. If you mean resale as your aftermarket question, I dont think they are as popular as the diesels, but they are cheaper and will do the same job. Most parts are still available and are easy to work on. As with any 50-55 year old vehicle, some of the bolts will be difficult to remove, but I was surprised how many came off without any problem for disassembly , cleaning and repainting.Mine is a '52 As I said, you can buy one much cheaper than the M35's.M211 and I like it. But truthfully, I have always liked the diesel stickshift better. I also have a diesel five ton dump.As I said , you can get one much cheaper than the M35's, and they are a tough truck. I keep joking to my wife that I will be driving theM51, and she will drive the M211 which is the automatic. She says,"IDONT THINK SO !! Do you mind me asking what he is asking for it?

RE: 1950

My XM211 was meticulously maintained by the my fire department before I bought it. I have heard of problems with the transmissions on these, due
to them being a hydra-matic tranny, RPM's can be a killer on them when shifting. As pa.rich said, they are 50-55 years old, so its expected to find
problems. Mine is strong as an ox. I just got done hauling lumber from a mill site for a friend, and all the lumber being wet, I had 4 - 5 ton on it and it
didnt even hesitate. This is on a mountain dirt road, not highway too. From what I have been told, parts are all available. Several members here have
them and also parts vehicles.

Ron

He wants $900 for it.

If the liquid-cooled transmission is OK, you should be fine. Don't use high range reverse - especially if loaded.

Best wishes,
David Doyle

Just letting you know, $900 is about scrap metal value of a deuce, so if you get it for that, even if you abandon the project later on, you can make the money back. Not that I want to scrap MVs, just saying that $900 is about base metal content of the vehicle, so you can't go wrong.

If it runs for $900, BUY IT!

Will it run and drive?

Buy it!!! if you can make it run & move Alot of tec. help here....Everybody loves the old GMC`s hehe

I have used one of these trucks for over 15 years with no major complaints except lack of horsepower for what I was doing. I had an 11 foot plow on it for winter, a 32 foot flat bed trailer for hauling farm equipment, and used it to haul grain and stone. I put a hoist under the bed. It was not abused and was not babied.
I never had any transmission failures. I followed my tranny shop guy's advice and got the engine oil out of it and put in Dexron. He used to work on them in the military, then built the GM equivalent of them out of cars in civilian life for racing, and said the engine oil was the biggest problem. I also periodically removed the front cover on the trans pan and cleaned out the water/oil cooler where crud can collect and inhibit cooling. I also kept the bands adjusted, especially the level of the indicator pin on the side of the tranny valve body boss.
I was not afraid to use high reverse, I just used my head and listened to what my truck was telling me when I did. As was said in another post, using high reverse when heavily loaded was many times not possible unless on a hard level surface. I would ease into the gas, giving the truck time to get moving. If it resisted moving, I would then go to low reverse. I liked the idea of Memphis Equip's Reb Shifter, but did not buy one because I would have lost high reverse. I would not have liked having to back out of the blind alleys I plowed in low reverse. I also used high reverse many other times like backing to the dump point at the elevator and backing down long drives to dump stone. Just be an operator in tune with your truck, maintain it well, and it will serve you well.
In my experience, the tranny is not the bomb waiting to go off it has been many times portrayed to be when properly treated.
Regards Marti

Having owned a M211 and a M35A2 I liked my 211 better. It had a "softer" ride than the M35. The brakes were much better and far eaiser to work on and adjust than the M35s and once adjusted and working properly it will stop on a dime and give 8 cents change. Its draw back is the gas motor and auto transmission. Top speed in mine was 45-50 mph. I often wonder what one would be like if it was repowered for "modern" driving......

I never checked mine, but on a recent road trip (30 miles) down back roads, I did just what my dad said to do. 'Keep your foot on the floor and hang on thru the curves.' I changed the 9x20's over to 11x20's, and he said I was gettin up around 50 or so, but that was on the straight stretches, and it took a bit to get there. That dang fan up front sounded like a jet engine, especially on the downshift from 3rd to 2nd. I have no experience on the M35's, but the ol 302 gasser itself has a pretty decent aftermarket following. You can get performance intake and exhaust manifolds for it, and put on an electric fuel pump. I'm still workign a few bugs out of mine, but if the M35 runs rougher than an M135/211, HOLY COW! I about left my kidneys on the road after my road trip in the 135. I couldn't imagine what it'd have been like with a rougher ride.