NEEWB to Deuces. Looking to get first Deuce (need sage advice)

Greetings all. I am fresh off a 47 Willys project and looking to get into deuces. But..... I don't want to do like I did with the jeep (i.e. buy first and learn later)

I need a "deuce guide". Any volunteers?

Looking for: ( I think)
M35a3 or later vehicle (need automatic if possible not sure if the earlier M35's came with automatic trans)
Located in So. Cal. so.... trying to avoid shipping too far
Like to know what I'm looking for before I buy.
I can maintain the vehicle, but not set up to do a major project with it.
Have a budget of $6-10K

sound doable?

Thanks, input and PM's welcome.

David

Consider a 939series 5ton, as well as LMTVs.

98G said:

Consider a 939series 5ton, as well as LMTVs.

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Agree .

98G said:

Consider a 939series 5ton, as well as LMTVs.

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might be tough on his budgeted price point of 6-10K.

bigmike said:

might be tough on his budgeted price point of 6-10K.

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$10k is the price point I've been aiming for on recent M939series trucks. I've sold a couple right around that in the past year.

Granted, it's the high end of his budget. Thing is, he specified auto transmission ....

98G said:

$10k is the price point I've been aiming for on recent M939series trucks. I've sold a couple right around that in the past year.

Granted, it's the high end of his budget. Thing is, he specified auto transmission ....

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No worries, please keep me in mind. EVERYTHING is flexible right now. I still don't know exactly what I want. Auto trans makes sense since the wife "could" drive it (in an emergency), but ... lots to recommend for an older M35. Overall, I want to get at least 10K solid repair-free miles on it. I can maintain it, but lack the huge workshop it would take to perform major repairs on it and I live here in So.Cal (the land of BMW and MB's) so there are not likely ANY shops to readily take it if it has a major problem that I can't fix myself). I bought my CJ2 on E-bay and the seller said "nothing needs to be done to it". LOL Seriously, it literally almost blew up off the truck and didn't make it around the block when I first got it. I CAN'T have that with a 6 ton truck. It MUST be ROCK SOLID for 10K miles. (that shouldn't be too much to ask, right?)

Not sure about CA but in TX you need at least a Class B license for M939 series trucks so unless your wife wants to get a CDL you should look at a M1078. If you want one that is solid $10k probably won’t cover it.

mkcoen said:

Not sure about CA but in TX you need at least a Class B license for M939 series trucks so unless your wife wants to get a CDL you should look at a M1078. If you want one that is solid $10k probably won’t cover it.

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Great Point! With a bit of research, it appears in CA with a standard class C license I get:
A 2-axle vehicle with a GVWR of 26,000 lbs. or less.
A 3-axle vehicle weighing 6,000 lbs. gross or less.
A motorized scooter.
Any housecar 40'or less.

This would seem to nix most all 3 axle Deuces, but allow for most all "bobbed" deuces. In CA, it appears I would need a Commercial Class B license for a 3 axle 6 ton Deuce.

djandj said:

Great Point! With a bit of research, it appears in CA with a standard class C license I get:
A 2-axle vehicle with a GVWR of 26,000 lbs. or less.
A 3-axle vehicle weighing 6,000 lbs. gross or less.
A motorized scooter.
Any housecar 40'or less.

This would seem to nix most all 3 axle Deuces, but allow for most all "bobbed" deuces. In CA, it appears I would need a Commercial Class B license for a 3 axle 6 ton Deuce.

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I believe theres an exemption for historic vehicles over a certain age. You'll want to talk to people in California who have these things. Don't get your info from people out of state (including me), nor unfortunately from reading the laws. The relevant data is scattered and the exemptions aren't in the same place as the regulations.

98G said:

I believe theres an exemption for historic vehicles over a certain age. You'll want to talk to people in California who have these things. Don't get your info from people out of state (including me), nor unfortunately from reading the laws. The relevant data is scattered and the exemptions aren't in the same place as the regulations.

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Interesting. Thank you. I will inquire further.

djandj said:

No worries, please keep me in mind. EVERYTHING is flexible right now. I still don't know exactly what I want. Auto trans makes sense since the wife "could" drive it (in an emergency), but ... lots to recommend for an older M35. Overall, I want to get at least 10K solid repair-free miles on it. I can maintain it, but lack the huge workshop it would take to perform major repairs on it and I live here in So.Cal (the land of BMW and MB's) so there are not likely ANY shops to readily take it if it has a major problem that I can't fix myself). I bought my CJ2 on E-bay and the seller said "nothing needs to be done to it". LOL Seriously, it literally almost blew up off the truck and didn't make it around the block when I first got it. I CAN'T have that with a 6 ton truck. It MUST be ROCK SOLID for 10K miles. (that shouldn't be too much to ask, right?)

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Your expecting a lot put of a 30-50 year old truck , no matter how well the current owner has maintained it .

porkysplace said:

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Your expecting a lot put of a 30-50 year old truck , no matter how well the current owner has maintained it .

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You very well may be right I certainly do not know what is reasonable to expect out of one of these trucks

The sagest advice I will give you is "DO NOT TRY TO SCRIMP BY AND BUY A TRUCK THAT NEEDS WORK"!! Everybody thinks they can buy a 3K truck and fix it up, all it needs is and let the list begin. I did this and now I own one of the most beautiful deuces in the land and could not even come close to selling for what I have into it, and that does not include labor. Save you money for another year or so and buy a truck just like mine that somebody is tired of sitting around and is finally ready to take the LOSS and get rid of it, BE THE SMART GUY, Unlike me!
Good luck
Karl

djandj said:

You very well may be right I certainly do not know what is reasonable to expect out of one of these trucks

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IMO, unless a person truly loves one of these trucks for reasons other than "it's big and cool looking", and is willing to spend a significant amount of time learning and working on the challenges it ABSOLUTELY WILL BRING then the buyer most likely isn't going to be happy for very long. The truck needs to be accepted as a hobby, and it's certainly not a Honda.

Menaces Nemesis said:

IMO, unless a person truly loves one of these trucks for reasons other than "it's big and cool looking", and is willing to spend a significant amount of time learning and working on the challenges it ABSOLUTELY WILL BRING then the buyer most likely isn't going to be happy for very long. The truck needs to be accepted as a hobby, and it's certainly not a Honda.

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Menaces Nemesis and I don't see "eye to eye" on much, but here we are in total agreement. This truck or any large Military truck should be looked at as a "Hobby" , nothing more. Yes there are those who regularly use their trucks for work and such, but they are in the minority. Having worked on these beasts in the "Marines" I can tell you they had 24/7 maintenance done on them. Every truck, every piece of equipment. Constant maintenance. Does that mean they cannot be relied upon ? Absolutely not, but they need to be "maintained" !!!! Just by there very nature, they shack, rattle and roll parts loose all the time. For example the driveline bolts come loose all the time ! The front axle boots get torn and leak water all the time. The brakes need constant checking. These are just a few of the items that must be checked on a regular basis. That was on "new" trucks !!!! Now add 40 to 50 years and you can imagine the amount of maintenance that they need to keep running well.
If you want a "trouble" free truck then buy a newer Chevy, Ford, Dodge and leave the older military stuff alone.

A lot of good advice and reflections in this thread.

I am afraid, you might be in a bit of a conundrum here, described as follows:

1) $6-10k
2) 10k trouble-free miles ahead, minimum maintenance
3) military vehicle with largely unknown past, 20-45 years old

PICK TWO OUT OF THREE !

cattlerepairman said:

A lot of good advice and reflections in this thread.

I am afraid, you might be in a bit of a conundrum here, described as follows:

1) $6-10k
2) 10k trouble-free miles ahead, minimum maintenance
3) military vehicle with largely unknown past, 20-45 years old

PICK TWO OUT OF THREE !

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2 out of 3 might be optimistic, but like I said, IDK. I'm not adverse to maintenance, **** I'm keeping a 70 year old Willys on the road. The question is how many miles are you guys getting on these things (on road basic driving) before the engines, trans or brakes totally fail? (or otherwise needs work that requires a professional) I understand that right from the GL auction the odds of being able to drive it home are slim, but if I buy one from a SS member for example I will assume it's been gone through many times, and been mainly completely overhauled by the military or the prior owner or both (right?) So, it's not any more a 50 year old vehicle than my Willy's is 70 years old. (right?) I can count on one hand the number of actual 70 y/o parts on my Willys. The rest have been replaced more than once. Isn't that the situation with these? Maybe be frame, engine block and body MIGHT be 35-50 years old, but most of the other parts have got be replaced at one point or another? No?

djandj said:

2 out of 3 might be optimistic, but like I said, IDK. I'm not adverse to maintenance, **** I'm keeping a 70 year old Willys on the road. The question is how many miles are you guys getting on these things (on road basic driving) before the engines, trans or brakes totally fail? (or otherwise needs work that requires a professional) I understand that right from the GL auction the odds of being able to drive it home are slim, but if I buy one from a SS member for example I will assume it's been gone through many times, and been mainly completely overhauled by the military or the prior owner or both (right?) So, it's not any more a 50 year old vehicle than my Willy's is 70 years old. (right?) I can count on one hand the number of actual 70 y/o parts on my Willys. The rest have been replaced more than once. Isn't that the situation with these? Maybe be frame, engine block and body MIGHT be 35-50 years old, but most of the other parts have got be replaced at one point or another? No?

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I think you're assuming a lot here. I've had mine for over 2 years and driven it several thousand miles and while I've been maintaining it (and improving it with ac, LED headlights, etc) I'm not going to tear the engine or tranny apart to overhaul because it's working just fine. These, especially the bigger trucks, aren't treated like '68 Camaros where your tear it down and completely rebuild it. Generally, from what I've observed, you do what's necessary mechanically to keep it running and then, maybe, do cosmetic improvements. Lots of guys do the "frame up" thing to jeeps, M37s, WW II stuff, but less so with 2.5 tons and up.

I have 13 k of dirt road mileage on my lmtv, with only an oil change, a couple door handles ,and an cab air bag replacement. I spent 6 k on it, its a daily driver, and a work truck, other than the climb to get in to it, the worst part about it is the price of a weekly fill up.

mkcoen said:

I think you're assuming a lot here. I've had mine for over 2 years and driven it several thousand miles and while I've been maintaining it (and improving it with ac, LED headlights, etc) I'm not going to tear the engine or tranny apart to overhaul because it's working just fine. These, especially the bigger trucks, aren't treated like '68 Camaros where your tear it down and completely rebuild it. Generally, from what I've observed, you do what's necessary mechanically to keep it running and then, maybe, do cosmetic improvements. Lots of guys do the "frame up" thing to jeeps, M37s, WW II stuff, but less so with 2.5 tons and up.

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Well THAT"S my question. Yes, I had to virtually REBUILD my little Willys. I CAN'T do that with a deuce, but that's the question, how often do they break and require MAJOR repairs. LOTS of posts here about tearing apart the transmissions, pumps, brake systems etc. Quite a bit difference between squirting up the zerks and changing oil every year, replacing bulbs etc. and tearing apart a huge cat. engine.