Last week I rented a car, took all my tools, and plenty of spare parts, and drove to just outside of Ft. Knox.
I had done the unthinkable, and bought a 1970 Deuce online.
I haven't driven a Deuce since 1976, and that was just around the motor pool at
Ft. Kobbe, Canal Zone, Panama.
The truck was in good shape, all green, no camouflage.
All lights worked. Brakes good. Left windshield wiper didn't work, swapped their positions. Belts and hoses looked good.
Tires were all about 35 lbs, and radiator 2 gallons low.
I made some short trips around the area, getting the truck up to operating temp,
and making sure everything worked right.
The only hassle was getting the rental car onto Ft. Knox to drop it off.
The gate guard said " There isn't a car rental place on post." I said "according to my rental contract there is" He said "Pull over to the left and back up into that slot"
I did, and gave him my driver license and rental agreement. About 10 minutes later he asked for my "last four". I gave them.
About 3 minutes later he came back and said "I need your full social security number" About 10 minutes later he walked over and said " Your cleared to go"
I wonder how people get on to Army bases to go to museums and such?
Anyway, next morning I headed out and made it quite a ways west of St. Louis before stopping for the night.
I had stopped frequently to check oil, and for warm hubs, etc.,etc..
The only scary moment was east of Joplin. I was cruising at 48-50 mph ( the groove where the truck seems to like to move at) and all of a sudden there was a tremendous grinding banging, shuddering racket.
I made it off the side of the highway and turned off the engine.
The Hi-Lo handle had dropped to the floor. I thought of a blown transfer case/transmission, and tried to guess how much a large wrecker fee was.
I crawled under the truck and all the drivelines were intact. Couldn't see anything wrong. Then I looked way up, and saw that the linkage from the hi-lo lever was hanging down, unattached to the transfer case/pto/whatever it is box. This linkage had dropped down and was being hit by the yoke end of a driveshaft.
A bolt had come out. I got a 3/4 wrench and socket, and detached the connector rod, and all was fine for the rest of the trip home. (725 miles total)
Since then I've put a couple hundred more miles on it,( just driving around for fun) and several local farmers have expressed interest in getting an M35A2.
Oil and oil filters have been changed since I got back.
The truck doesn't lose air when I forget to drain the air tanks. Weird
I mean zero pressure loss after 24 hours.
Other strange thing is the primary fuel filter. Since the truck was running great,
I didn't change (or check) the fuel filters in Kentucky. I was afraid I might mess something up, and decided not to change fuel filters unless I needed to.
After I got home, I cracked the primary into a glass container, and there was no water or nasty stuff draining out. Just pristine fuel. After all the fuel filter horror stories on SteelSoldiers, I was quite suprised there wasn't at least something draining out with the diesel. Must have been the fuel additive I used.
Anyway, great truck, and a great trip to get it. Memories made.
I had done the unthinkable, and bought a 1970 Deuce online.
I haven't driven a Deuce since 1976, and that was just around the motor pool at
Ft. Kobbe, Canal Zone, Panama.
The truck was in good shape, all green, no camouflage.
All lights worked. Brakes good. Left windshield wiper didn't work, swapped their positions. Belts and hoses looked good.
Tires were all about 35 lbs, and radiator 2 gallons low.
I made some short trips around the area, getting the truck up to operating temp,
and making sure everything worked right.
The only hassle was getting the rental car onto Ft. Knox to drop it off.
The gate guard said " There isn't a car rental place on post." I said "according to my rental contract there is" He said "Pull over to the left and back up into that slot"
I did, and gave him my driver license and rental agreement. About 10 minutes later he asked for my "last four". I gave them.
About 3 minutes later he came back and said "I need your full social security number" About 10 minutes later he walked over and said " Your cleared to go"
I wonder how people get on to Army bases to go to museums and such?
Anyway, next morning I headed out and made it quite a ways west of St. Louis before stopping for the night.
I had stopped frequently to check oil, and for warm hubs, etc.,etc..
The only scary moment was east of Joplin. I was cruising at 48-50 mph ( the groove where the truck seems to like to move at) and all of a sudden there was a tremendous grinding banging, shuddering racket.
I made it off the side of the highway and turned off the engine.
The Hi-Lo handle had dropped to the floor. I thought of a blown transfer case/transmission, and tried to guess how much a large wrecker fee was.
I crawled under the truck and all the drivelines were intact. Couldn't see anything wrong. Then I looked way up, and saw that the linkage from the hi-lo lever was hanging down, unattached to the transfer case/pto/whatever it is box. This linkage had dropped down and was being hit by the yoke end of a driveshaft.
A bolt had come out. I got a 3/4 wrench and socket, and detached the connector rod, and all was fine for the rest of the trip home. (725 miles total)
Since then I've put a couple hundred more miles on it,( just driving around for fun) and several local farmers have expressed interest in getting an M35A2.
Oil and oil filters have been changed since I got back.
The truck doesn't lose air when I forget to drain the air tanks. Weird
I mean zero pressure loss after 24 hours.
Other strange thing is the primary fuel filter. Since the truck was running great,
I didn't change (or check) the fuel filters in Kentucky. I was afraid I might mess something up, and decided not to change fuel filters unless I needed to.
After I got home, I cracked the primary into a glass container, and there was no water or nasty stuff draining out. Just pristine fuel. After all the fuel filter horror stories on SteelSoldiers, I was quite suprised there wasn't at least something draining out with the diesel. Must have been the fuel additive I used.
Anyway, great truck, and a great trip to get it. Memories made.
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