I bought the CHEAPEST Army truck I could find, Will It Run??? (Deuce and a Half)
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- čas přidán 30. 11. 2022
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Hey Matt I know a lot about these trucks, the idle issue is usually the fuel shutoff valve stuck or the rod isn’t adjusted or the spring on it. There’s an o ring on the fuel shutoff valve that can leak and suck air too. Another issue is the fuel density compensator, they get stuck and don’t meter the thinness or thickness of whatever fuel is in it. Especially if someone runs used oil mixed with diesel or gas, it’ll gum up quick. You might wanna consider draining the tank and flushing it and flushing the fuel system with just straight diesel and only run straight diesel. The fuel tank also has an electric fuel pump that comes on with the main power switch, it looked to be working in the video. There’s a fuel filter i think around the alternator area and the 2 you bled, those fuel filters look like spooled yarn haha, but might wanna change the filters also. They also make a conversion to put spin on filters on it but it’s cooler to be original but that’s an option. Same with the oil filters. Make sure you replace the o rings for the oil filters if you change them, they will leak bad. A few issues on those trucks I know of, the oil cooler housing is known for pitting out inside mainly on the top where the coolant enters the housing, it wears the housing out and leaks, it’s made of a pot metal too. That happened to mine. The brake system uses dot 5 silicone based brake fluid, only use that. The master cylinder is under the drivers side floor board under a little door on the floor. The best way to bleed that system is pressurize it, I use a pvc pipe with a hose coming off and a homemade cap connected to it, fill the pipe with brake fluid and install cap, connect regulated air and push like 12 psi and it’ll force pressure with the brake fluid and you can bleed and refill at the same time. The rubber boots on the steering axle are another issue, check those they go bad over time and crack and rot. The transmission is a 5 speed spicer transmission. The radiators are junk in those trucks, I’ve never seen one not leak, best to take to a radiator shop and resolder tanks and all. A few more tips, the left wheels are left hand thread, yeah those dipsticks are threaded kinda weird but it works, they’re great trucks and will go anywhere, they’re so low geared they’ll climb a wall with 5 tons behind it, they also have a pto winch for the front on some trucks, I think you can convert it to that if you want. You can also convert it power steering if you want. On the front there’s a little fixture below the lights, that’s blackout light, it only emits enough light to see barely to get where your going to be stealthy and not shine big headlights, I think the same for the rear taillights have a small light in them. Thanks for the videos, can’t wait to see what you do with it.
I'm sure if you add some photos you could publish this as "The layman's guide to the Deuce and a Half" 😄. Good reply.
Sir, excellent report. 🇬🇧
This is a great wealth of maintenance knowledge. Thank you for posting!
Dont forget they can break axles in the rear. We used these as brush fire trucks it was best truck for the woods. I Spent many hours in these trucks.
I don't have much experience of diesel troubleshooting, but my thoughts were leaning toward bad adjustment or a leak around the idle stop or fuel shut off, though that fuel density compensator sure sounds like it's a potential suspect, despite not knowing anything about them.
Don’t park it in the woods Matt, come springtime you’ll never find it 😲🍻
Dang it...I was about to say the same thing!
@@fyreantz2555 sorry, I couldn’t allow that 🤷🏻♂️🍻
😂
ha ha ha ha ha so funny
No problem just look for the yellow door!
I drove these things all over Germany and never got one stuck when Jeep drivers got stuck all the time. Multi-fuel, they will burn anything from Diesel to Gas, Kerosene, and even cooking oil. Awesome trucks!
These were responsible for many post WWII trucking companies. Imagine what a grind it was to drive one of these beasts across country with a full load. Sleeping on the seat was probably not much fun either.
OMG! $3,000.00 is CHEAP! What a DEAL!!!
Especially since he had it on FB marketplace for 2 years listed at 12k😂
I was in the National Guard in November 1983 to September 1991, as wheeled Combat Engineer. We had 3 engineer platoons in our company and our squads used the 5-ton dump trucks with the troop transport setups in them. Those were for each squad, so they didn't haul as much inside as this one.
1st and 2nd platoons had diesel 5 tons but as 3rd herd, we got the leftovers. We had gas 5 tons from the early 60's without even turn signals on them.
The maintenance platoon also was the fuel hauling unit for the company, and since we had gas trucks, their tanker pulled a pup trailer set up with gasoline. Incidentally we still had the jeeps at that time, so we weren't the only vehicles running gas. We also had the M880 Dodge pickups which were also gas powered. Maintenance, the cooks and the admin team all had the Deuces which were exactly the same as this truck. The only issue was that, considering the fact we are in North Dakota, our trucks didn't have heaters.
Ultimately the state Guard Bureau decided to switch all the Guard unit trucks to diesel so there was only one fuel needed for everything. So, our gasser trucks became diesels, and they even installed turn signals on them...still no heaters though. Our trucks got the same engine the Deuces had. The Jeeps and the Dodge pickups went away, and we finally got the Humvees. This was around 1990 to 1991. I got out of the Guard in September of 91 and did a Try 1 in 1995 then got out altogether.
Beautiful Deuce. There was one of these abandoned at a small Army outpost up here in the Santa Cruz Mountains (thought they finally cleaned up that site and removed the truck about 15 to 20 years ago). There's still a bunch of abandoned military buildings and concrete buildings/ foundations hidden in the forest and barbed wire and chain link fences around the site (which was called Peanut Hill), and was a support site for Nike Missile Bases and other Military infrastructure (communications and Radar/ Microwave sites) during WWII in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Know the area well. Only live about five miles from there. During the time it was active, it was well protected.
Matt, I spent nearly 20 of my 32 years in the Army around these. Although I was not a mechanic I did have an HHC and was signed for 10 of them. And again as a Battalion Motor Officer. And, of course, when I retired from the Army I bought one, because they are useful and very, very durable...if you know what to do, as they are different than most modern vehicles. So, yours *might* be a REO, but it is not a 1953. In 1953 there were still M135s. The M35s hadn't been fielded yet, and they were all 427 C.I. gas engines. In the 1960's they came out with the first LDS465 Engines in the M35a1s, followed a couple of years later with the addition of a turbo to clean up the coke from the exhaust (LDT465) in the M35a2's. A data plate on the passenger side of the engine, towards the front will tell you which engine you have. But it sounds like an LDT465C, a.k.a. "The Whistler". The year can be tricky because power packs and transfer cases were changed out regularly. Also, don't believe the mileage. When a speedometer broke they would replace it. No one would set the miles on the new one most of the time. So, the first place to look is on the data plate just to the left of the glove box. The top line will be the stock number. The bottom line will be the contract number. In the middle there will be a registration number and a serial number, that may be displayed on one line separated by a space, or it may be on two lines. One of the numbers will probably be 6 or 7 characters, and alphanumeric. That's the registration number. The other will be 9-13 numbers and is the serial number. The contract number line should say who manufactured it. If it is REO then it was likely a 1950's vehicle. Some did get updated to the LDT 465 in later decades. If it was built in the late 60s-70s, then it is probably a Kaiser Jeep. Kaiser Jeep was spun off to AM General in the Chrysler bankruptcy, I believe. So beginning in the late 70's through the last contract in 1987 they were made by AM General. For the Kaiser Jeep and REO vehicles you *might* be able to put in the combination of the registration ID and the Serial number into a VIN decoder. Usually the Kaiser-Jeep vehicles had a 7-digit Registration number, and the last two digits were the year. In the AM General Vehicles (which were made in the same plant as the Jeeps, just under different management) the first two digits are the year. For instance my Deuce's Registration Number is 83K658. 1983 was the year it was made. Now, cab data plates often were broken or illegible. So if it doesn't look old, its not. But you can look on the drivers side of the frame near the front wheel. The number will likely be buried under paint. And you can check the axles. Each will have its own data plate with the registration number and serial number on the front of the front pumpkin or the back of the back two.
Sorry to be long winded, but I'm going to make some hard recommendations right off the bat in priority: 1) Check and replace your soft brake lines for all three axles if they look anything less than new. Its not worth guessing if they *might* be old. 2) Bleed out all the brake fluid. People will add DOT 3. But there will have been DOT 5 from the military. STRONGLY recommend you just bleed out all of what's there and replace with DOT 5. They're not compatible. 3) Bypass your FDC. It is a wearable part that was not maintained after 1995 or so. When the seals go it will leak diesel into the engine oil. Bypass is a 15-minute job. I can send you instructions if you like. 4) Replace soft fuel lines from high pressure pump on the side of the Injection Pump just below the Hydraulic Head to the secondary filters, to the hydraulic head. This is best done when bypassing the FDC. The function of the FDC was to modulate fuel so that the engine would have similar power with any of the fuels, though all but jet fuel had less energy than the diesel. It is still a multi-fuel without it. The multi-fuel part is in the design of the piston cup and compression ratio ... 22:1. 5) Re-pack your axle hubs. The Army uses "Grease, Army-Artillery" or GAA. It is animal fat. It goes rancid and should be replaced annually. Do yourself a favor and just buy a 5-gallon pail of a good moly-lithium heavy duty bearing grease, and re-pack them all. Those are most of the out-of-the-gate "Must Do's". Your radiator is separating from vibration. Just solder it back on. But under it you will find a couple of very flattened square rubber pads. If they were still good your radiator would not be coming apart. You can buy new ones cheap from BigMikesMotorpool.com. If you want to know how to do anything else, just contact me and ask. If you give these trucks any love at all, they will outlive you.
PS. There is an electric lift pump in the tank. The little box on top of the tank holds the fuse which is a 15 amp capsule type. If you can't hear it running when you turn on the power, then you may be just pulling the fuel mechanically from the high pressure mechanical pump. Sometimes that can cause hard starting. The other common issue that makes it hard starting and not idle well is fuel leaking inside the hydraulic head due to bad seals. The seals are rubber and cost about $15. These trucks sit a lot. If the rubber dries then they will leak, and you can mix fuel and oil, or you can have low pressure from the injector pump because it is bleeding fuel into the bottom part of the injector pump. To fix it you will want to remove the cover on the fuel shut-off (two screws). And remove the injector pump alignment cover from the top of the injector pump just forward of the hydraulic head (4 bolts...3/8s or 7/16ths). Then, in the cab, place your transfer case selector in the middle position between high and low, which will be neutral. You can then insert a long prying tool into the gaps in the jack-shaft between the 3053 Spicer transmission and the transfer case to rotate the engine. Rotate the engine from beneath the vehicle until the two lines in the injector pump alignment window are within 1/8th a turn from each other. Then in the fuel shutoff window you will see a small arrow at the top, and one of the teeth of the hydraulic head will have a vertical line that is usually painted red. If the two are not aligned then continue to rotate the engine until they are, ensuring that the alignment marks in the injector pump inspection window are within 1/8th a turn. If they aren't, but the HH lines are aligned, then you are probably 180 degrees out. If for any reason the HH does not EASILY lift out or return, then DON'T FORCE IT. Just rotate the engine some more using the jack shaft until the alignment is correct. Remove the injector lines. Remove the four bolts holding in the HH. Lift the HH out. There is one appx 3" diameter O-ring around the girth of the HH. There is an approx 1/2 O-ring around the base shaft. And the shut-off lever will have another 1/2 inch O-ring. If for any reason the HH does not EASILY lift out or return, then DON'T FORCE IT. Just rotate the engine some more using the jack shaft. The best video tutorial I have seen is on the "Tactical Repair" channel on CZcams.
Bloody Hell..... Some of the replies are amazing, so many of you sure know your stuff around these. You are sitting with a cuppa, in the warm and dry telling Matt EXACTLY what is possibly wrong. That is my definition of an expert, it's good to see so many experts coming to help. I suspect there might be a lot of love for theses vehicles. Some of you know every one of them by name, don't lie, you have given yourselves away! Now, any Reliant Scimitar SE5a experts around please?
@@blastithenry check your ground attachment points is the answer to most SE5 questions 😁
@@specialse Ah Ha, you know! One manual, full MOT a few years ago, should run this coming summer. The other, auto in dry garage, needs full body-off. Both Essex. One spare chassis in surprisingly good nick. One spare engine/gearbox. Arthritis. A difficult combination.
@@blastithenry Thanks Able. When you live or die by certain equipment, you develop a love for it. The LMTV's that replaced the M35 are alright. But mostly they are "more", meaning more comforts (AC/ATIS/Automatic Trans). So... I've spent a lot of my life in, well, less than ideal conditions. All those things that are 'easy' are just points of failure waiting to go wrong. That's why I bought one of these when I retired from the Army. It's not special or fancy. It is just durable, simple, and GOOD for what it does. I bought mine in my last deployment before retirement. I did it from Iraq. Never even saw it. But I can offer this testimony from 2003: Though the 1078's were in the production from the 90's, most combat units were being fielded from about 1997 to about 2004. In 2003 during the initial invasion, some of the Civil Affairs, Psyops, and SF units were given a choice. Their fielding was in progress. They could take their 'old' M35s or they could take then 'New' 1078s across the burm into Iraq. A buddy of mine chose the older m35 for his team. These 'Special' units were supposed to bypass the main flanking maneuvers near An Nasiriyah and Baghdad and go all the way to Kirkuk and Mosul. My buddy said that there were about 15 vehicles in his convoy who were supposed to drive deep to prevent concentration on the main effort north of Baghdad. Of them most chose the newest 1078s. My buddy chose the m35. The Iraqis had mined several areas. And they came into contact several times. He said that about half of the 1078s overheated. He said that three of the six remaining lost fluid pressure in their automatic transmissions from bullet penetration, and were abandoned or recovered later. And he said all of the M35s made it to the objective, and about 1/3 of the LMTVs. His vehicle, he said, had a bullet-hole in the transmission that caused most of the oil to leak out. But, being manual, and not depending a lot on synchro's, he was able to nurse it by driving slow, adding oil when needed, and sticking chewing gum in the holes. No joke. He said it. And I believe him. Its not a tank. Its just simple and durable. But... Its a truck. What more is needed? The rest is just vanity and weakness leaving the body.
My father was in the US Army Transportation Corp. In 1957 he went on a mission above the Arctic Circle to supply "The DEW Line" He said that from the time they left the LST to when they departed three weeks later, they were never turned off once. He said that if he had a choice between the the Deuce or a Weasel, he would take the truck because... It could outrun the bears.
😂 My late uncle would agree ! He was a mechanic during Vietnam and would tell me stories about these military vehicles. They were built for simplicity and, most importantly, easily diagnosed in the field. Speed was not as important as power and durability in his opinion.
@@ronhart4166)
I grew up in Alaska worked all over the North slope of Alaska most of the dew sites had airstrips don't think there were any roads past Fairbanks unless in the winter even then don't think a deuce and a half could make it I've been brom dead horse to barrow Alaska in the early 80's seen many of the dew sites usually a small airstrip and a bunch of old fifty five gallon drums
I'd rather have an old vehicle like that over this modern crap
@@plumbcrazy375 The army back then actually had their own navy. My father left Puget Sound in the WWII Navy LST 521. The army recommissioned it USAT Cape May County. The convoy of ships left with heavy equipment, Deuce's, Weasel's and as you had seen, a ton of 55 gallon drums.
Riding in the back of one of these as a young PFC was the roughest ride of my life, and that includes standing up inside of a C-130 while it flew NAP of the earth. Anyone who says it beats walking is full of 💩. I can still hear my kidneys scream when I think of that ride.
Im 34 now, my dad knows how to fix cars but never taught me. A dream of mine is to buy an older military vehicle, learn how to fix it up like this. Then learn how to build a camper on the back to travel in. Only downside is I know nothing about being a mechanic, electrician, carpenter, plumber... But by the end of the project I feel like I'd be a jack of all trades.
THIS is the kind of video that built this channel. Awesome old equipment being brought back from the dead. The excitement when it fired up! WOW Love it!
The way things are going we all are going to need trucks just like this. Every one l fine ok try my damest and buy it. I have three now and two of them from WW-2. God l love them. And fixing older construction equipment. So to repeat seems as of now we are going to need all equipment.
SInce I have been watching the content has not really changed much. We get some fixing, some building, some messing around. Its going to get even better when the shop is done and we can pull stuff in and fix a whole bunch of stuff.
I have an M35a2. It’s an amazing vehicle to say the least. I have the C-turbo (whistler).
When I was going through my divorce I was daily driving it for a long time before I could afford a car.
When I was really hard up I ran it on 100% waste motor oil. People told me it would hurt it running waste oil but I never had a problem. The truck still runs great to this day. You will definitely have some fun with it.
Remember a M35 won’t get you anywhere fast but it will always get you there.
Ya I can’t see how it would hurt anything!
@@DieselCreek good thing that it runs on multi fuel
Only harm I can see running it on anything is if Elmers glue were flammable. Lmao
Matt did you get a new Red truck what happened with Blue
Yup, just wear ear plugs or muffs. The turbo noise can hurt your hearing long term.
I drove the 2 1/2 in the early 70;s mostly in Europe during the Vietnam war,it was a very dependable vehicle. The sound of Matt running this deuce and a half made old memory’s that been locked up in my mind for 53 years come flooding back! Thanks Matt for the wonderful memories you unlocked!
Thank you for your service!
memories
“Drove it in Europe during the Vietnam war.” Words of wisdom
Texas WW i drove a deuce in Germany in 70/71 but my assigned vehicle was an M113
@@jimsmith9819 I was stationed at Flegerhorst Casern Hanau Germany 70-72, 2nd of the 75th field artillery,I may have crossed paths with you Jim some time over there. Where were you stationed Jim
On the multi-fuel, when I was in the Army we were in convoy when our Deuce ran out of fuel. The only gas station we could get to didn't have diesel, so our first sergeant had us get 5 gallons of gasoline and 3 quarts of 20w50. We put the oil in the tank first, then the gas. It took almost killing the batteries before we got the fuel lines bled enough and it finally started.
I found out later that the multi-fuel engines will burn almost anything IF the viscosity/thickness is in the acceptable range. Later on, I saw deuce's run on jet fuel, kerosene, alcohol, gasoline, used motor oil, vegetable oil, used vegetable oil and a few things I have no idea what they were. But the Continental Multi-Fuel engine was supposed to be able to burn almost ANYTHING flammable that was able to be vaporized through the fuel system.
Came back to add since I remembered it after I left this comment. But the Continental Multi-Fuel engine is NOT a diesel engine. It is actually a "Compression Engine" which is slightly different from a diesel engine.
Thanks for the video, Being a mechanic in the ARMY and working on them over 30 yrs ago. this took me back and I was glad i could remember what was needed and what was wrong. Thanks from an old 63 B
Huge respect to the engineer that designed the dip stick to not pop out under battle conditions AND made it so it is not damaged when a newbie goes and tries to pry it out with a crowbar.
😆...
It's threaded
Was I the only one yelling you need to turn the dam thing lol
@@juliaharris1455 nope, pmcs lol
Mistakes were made prior.
The most important thing to know about driving one of these offroad is to keep your fingers on the *outside* of the rim of the steering wheel. Since this doesn't have power steering like the 813 series 5-tons, if you hit a bump or a rock or something, the wheel can suddenly and forcefully turn and it will break your thumb if it's in the way.
AMEN
Is it possible to put power steering in?
that can still happen in a vehicle that has power steering
My wife will still tell you “thumbs outta the wheel” when offroading.
Even if you keep your booger hooks out of the ways of the spokes. It can spin fast enough hitting a bump to give you a nasty second degree friction burn
Tears in me eyes! The first thing I ever drove. I just turned 17, stationed at Ft. Still, when a Cpl. insisted that I drive a fully ammo loaded, 105 hitched howitzer up the side of a very steeped embankment ! He did not except the fact that I had never driven a motor vehicle. Well, I made it and the next day he gave me a drivers manual and insisted that the following day I take the drivers test in a similarly selected rig. I passed it and got my ammo hauling license! Finished my tour there as a howitzer/ ammo hauler.
I didn’t drive an automobile until after
I was 20 after discharge 🥴
When I was a K9 Handler assigned to Clark Air Base in the Philippines, we used deuce and a half's and gama-goats to post out K9 posts. In the morning, every dog handlers favorite sound was the sound of that deuce coming down the dirt road for pick up.
Glad to see safety was on your mind when loading the behemoth (coat over the cable)
I noticed that too. Back in my youth, in the far south western part of Virginia, we carried on old sleeping bag in the back of the truck just for throwing over the cable. Thankfully the cable never broke, but it was cheap insurance!
Time stamp, I missed it.
Matt I can't imagine how busy you are right now with the new building going up and everything else you've got going on and you still manage to put out some great content for us to enjoy . Those of us who always look forward to your videos appreciate you brother.
It does have more tires, which makes it expensive to run
it's not exactly fuel efficient, which makes it expensive to run
and it's obnoxiously loud in the cabin, which makes it expensive to run...
I LOVE THIS TRUCK!!!
Many many moons ago my dad had a small trucking company.The fleet was Reo' s Diamond T's, Autocars, Internationals and later Diamond Reo's. Big heavy trucks with no power steering. I learned to drive these behemoths while delivering freight in Manhattan.
Helped a friend move his a while back, I remember his girlfriend at the time was concerned that we would get going too fast and get a massive speeding ticket. We had to explain that the only way that the truck could break the speed limit was if it fell out of a plane and even then the headwind it would have might shave the speed a little.
He sold it to a guy that offered five times what it was worth plus a four door square body Chevy. The part of that trade deal that makes me laugh is how much those old square body trucks are going for now.
Well you could always put it in neutral on a REALLY steep hill and it would go dangerously fast. But yeah, I NEVER rode in one during my Army career that got over 55 mph.
Matt, My dad retired from Tooele (pronounced Twilla) Army Depot. I saw on the filter housing that there is a warranty sticker. This leads me to believe that your truck was probably "reconditioned" at Tooele.
They used to have a building called the CMF building it stood for Consolidated Manufacture Facility. A truck would drive in one side of the building and be completely torn down to the frame.
EVERYTHING would be rebuilt and put back together and the truck would drive out of the other side of the giant assembly line.
I was awesome to watch.
My guess is your truck was reconditioned about 7,000 miles ago. they were brand new when they left Tooele. Nice find and I hope she serves you well.
Love it. People said I was mad when I bought a 40 year old Ex military Land Rover. I don't care, you enjoy your Ford Focus, I'll enjoy my wee beast.
BUSSSSCHHH ! and a little left hip action too! Pull that Big Boy in the Dream Shop and spin some wrenches! I'll be there!
I still have the Army drivers license from 1968 for this truck. It was a beast I loved to drive, very rugged and reliable. This model was commissioned in 1950 as successor to the wartime GMC CCKW. During a Reforger maneuver here in Germany in the middle of nowhere the V-belt ripped off. With a rope and some duct tape as a makeshift belt we made it back to camp. During one of my transportation assignments I got pulled over by the MPs for a roadside check. My unit later awarded me a plaque and an off-duty day for passing the inspection 100% flawlessly. The recommendation plaque still adorns my wall.
what year were you in Germany reforger manuevers 1984-85 ?
@@deanyanko3326 No, i served from 1968 to 1975
we had reforger in 1984 ?
Drove a deuce and half in Vietnam.. Beat the hell out of it. Reliable.
I was in Germany too…I thought the exercise was called Autumn Forge?
I drove and worked on those for the fire dept I was with. We had two that were water tenders. The biggest problem I had with them was fuel contamination. I suggest draining the fuel tanks and looking inside to make sure there is no corrosion. If there is there are several fuel tank interior coatings and it would be to your advantage to do that. I put dual fuel filters and a water Seperator on ours and that took care of a lot of problems. You got a very nice truck in great condition. I had a chuckle with you yanking on the oil dip stick, I did the same thing the first time I changed oil, like the first time I was told to gas up a 55 Cadilac when I worked at a gas station and couldn't find the gas filler. Check the fuel filters, always have extra filters in the cab. All the manuals are available on line also.
We had one that just quit running one day after a large grass fire. It turns out a tiny fuel return line had a 1/8 inch long crimp in it(probably from hitting a tall rock or tree branch) . It was back pressuring into the engine and not allowing fuel to flow. After fuel pumps, filter changes, and hours of troubleshooting, someone found the crimp in the line. replaced that part of the line and truck ran smooth as ever.
It felt like you could pull a mountain in first gear we used to say. I'm sure it was not as strong as it felt.
1953 looks about right. Identical to what Dad would get from surplus when I was kid in 60s.
STart the enine, bring the oil pressure up, shut it down, then check the oil. The oil filters drain back to the crank case after you shut it down. You will get the true oil level if you check it after about 2 minutes of shutting dow.
ALSO IMPORTANT is the brake fluid level you need to check daily or before you drive it. The master cyslinder in under the driver side floor board. IT takes dot 5 NOT 3. you cannot mix tehm. lOW OR NO FLUID means no brakes. The trucks weighs in around 13K. My insurance agent said they do not issue Collision insurance on these guys, but wouls send me a paint scaper if I ever ran into anyone.
I have decal I made for eah side of the panels on the hood that says "My Lug Nuts have mre torque than your whole truck!
DH
Always love to see you stick your head out and laugh and smile when you finally get those engines to start. Love watching you work!
Here's a little trick where u will never have to Crack an injector line agai buy your self a inline electric pump put it on the return line connect pump and run until u see constant fuel running into tank start no problem been doing that of excavators bobcats tractors works like a charm
I was around these things for 20 years while in the Army. They were usually pretty reliable, but I preferred the M813 5 ton truck, for load carrying, power and added reliability. In 1972 I was in a Support Platoon with 21, 5 tons and 2 of the M35s. Ten years latter I was placed in charge of a Support Platoon with 22, 5 tons and one M35. The M813s were older than all of my drivers, and still strong. The M35 had been rebuilt at least five times since it was accepted in 1967. In 1991 while involved in Desert Storm, I had the privilege to demonstrate to some maintenance personnel how to destroy a truck with demolitions, after dragging it most of the way through Iraq. (We did have to go back a few days later and recover the pieces.) They can be good trucks, but you have to stay ahead of maintenance. Also, today finding a parts supply is sure to be a problem unless you know of a scrap yard full of doners.
Hello Matt, man did I enjoy this video. I drove and fixed more Duces than I cared to count, as you were troubleshooting I was here wishing I had been there to help along. I started driving one in Dec 1979 and the last one around May 1998-99. When I saw you put a bar through the dipstick loop I was laughing and then you figured it out. There is a fording kit for these trucks that would allow you to drive it through water as deep as mid driver’s window. If you haven’t gotten to it check the fuse for the in-tank fuel pump, it’s under that small cover to the left of the full cap with a wire on it. Without this pump running they don’t idle much because the injector pump doesn’t create a lot of suction. One thing to watch for on these trucks, DO NOT LET IT ROLL BACKWARDS WHEN IN A FORWARD GEAR AND STOPPED!!! This will wind up the transfer sprag unit and if it is not released properly it can send a shock through the transmission shifter that can snap your wrist, yes, it can break your wrist. If you are driving and it kinda hops when turning STOP 🛑, put the transmission in neutral, chock the rear tires, carefully jack up the driver’s side front wheel and you will see that wheel spin backwards as the sprag releases. Any questions? Let me know, I have the books for this baby on a CD.
By the way, I noticed you changed the bridge classification number from 21 to 50…
Before registering ensure you have the correct serial number, I’ve seen too many with erroneous numbers on the data plate, it should be on the chasis somewhere above the rear axles and the end of the chassis, or above the front axle depending on who made it; but I can’t recall what side.
Damn good knowledge right here my dude!
@@thJune I was once in a re-vamp team converting these from gas to diesel and installing the seatbelts modification. I love these and the old 5-ton M818 series.
Matt, There are support groups out there. You can get together with other guys who have obsessive vehicle buying disorder. The stories people tell are endless. The frying pan wounds are among the most common.
Ive also done the battery terminal seating the way you do for years without issue as well. Don't forget to keep some roofing nails around in case one of the terminals is loose that way you can drive it in between the lead and terminal ring to take up slack. That should get you lots of comments too lol
A pain in the ass! In the early 70s my Stepfather was a SFC and a marine diesel mechanic. Stationed of all places Fort Benning, Georgia. Back then they had VOLAR (Volunteer Army) recruitment drives. I was given the okay to ride along to a small city on the Alabama Florida state line. There were Jeeps, Lo-Boys caring A.P.C.'s, and other vehicles. I was still in high school and was told just to walk around and seem interested. I enjoyed the ride so much down there that I decided to ride back with my mother in her VW Bus. 😀😆🤣
Soooooo did i miss something? When did matt get a new pickup? Or is it even his? Ive been noticing it last few videos and figured it was the contractors for the dream shop
It’s mine. Video coming soon!
@@DieselCreek sweet! Can't wait!
Check the fuel line between the pump and tank to make sure it isn’t cracked and sucking air. Also running it straight on Diesel Purge a few minutes may help clear it up.
I concur.
Yep.
.
Had a friend with the same problem
Yeh, definitely a fuel problem, would be best to check the whole system for water in the tank and the filters too.
This really took me back! I was Army 75 -78 and Army Reserve 80-86. I was never in combat so I had a lot of fun driving Deuce and a halfs.
Tapping on the battery posts helps to loosen and shake off all the debries from the plates, good practice!
I am not a mechanic but enjoy watching you troubleshoot the old equipment. Never too old to learn something about engines. Thanks.
My dad was a test driver for AM General and their group of vehicles. He used to pick me up at lunch with the fleet and boy did I get friends quick! That was second grade about 51 years ago. Still brings back good memories
I served with the 8th Cavalry, in Korea. What we put this beast through is unbelievable. You put chains on all six wheels and no place where they could not go. +
One of the pleasures of 12 years in the USAR was driving one of these. I always wanted one too. Our Motor Sergeant worked full-time at the Army Depot on these machines. A couple tips I remember, if you only have gasoline available, dump a quart of non detergent motor oil in before you fill the tank with gas. Always let the truck idle for a few minutes before shutting down so the "whistler" can slow down. When the engine shuts down, lubrication to the turbo's bearings stops and if the turbo is still tunning it shortens the bearing life. It seems to me I remember it causing a problem with head gaskets too.
One of the reasons for the unusual gear shift is it puts the shifter out from between the 3rd persons legs while on a road trip.
Hey, the old hand-cranked windows!
Truck body looks great. But it's a real exhaust belcher.
It is likely a '53. Remember your revision is an "M35 A2". That means that it has the second revision with updates. In the service I started with the M35 A3, which was a Cat turbo diesel, an Allison transmission and a CTIS tire system. You could actually see where they cut the hood down the middle and widened the hood to fit the new engine. I did have some A2's until they got updated later.
I have a vague memory from back in the '80s of my Dad telling me that in the early '70s, one could buy a deuce-and-a-half, swap out the rearend gears for a more highway-friendly ratio (being built by the lowest bidder, it has a standard commercial axle, probably a Dana 60, IIRC) and put a fifth-wheel plate, a coat of paint, and highway tires on it and use it as a janky, questionably-legal 18-wheeler tractor. Also that headlight switch is still on current production US military vehicles. If it's ain't broke and the company that makes it donates to a Congressperson ...
Also I always give the battery terminals the tappy-tap with whatever tool I'm using to tighten them.
One good addition is it has the fairly rare hardtop on the cab, beats the canvas any day. Too bad there isn't a winch. When I was in the Army my truck had a hardtop and we ran it on "high test diesel" which was about 5 gallons of gas with the remainder of diesel, man would that truck scream down the autobahn (Germany). If I had one of these today I would make a modification I saw on one near here, rear axle removed and frame shortened and a bed of an Army utility trailer replacing the original bed, sorry no pics but you'd still have a 4X4(6) that would take you anywhere you wanted to go
Those are called "Bobbed". They are cool.
A piece of advice on something to look at is the shutoff like you said but if it doesn't move freely then you'll need to replace the o rings on that shaft in the pump. I have an AM General m35A2 and had the same problem with the loping and not wanting to start. Also that truck should have an electric fuel pump in the tank to prime the system. Hope this helps
Also getting rid of the Fuel Density Compnsator would be a good idea. They tend to malfunction and add fuel to engine oil. Don't want to run the bearings out
@@Whitebuffalo44km
I was on a volunteer fire department a few years back, and we built a couple of brush trucks out duce and a haves. We had a mechanic that would switch them over to strictly diesel and turn the boost up on them and they would run extremely well. It made a huge difference in there performance.
Thanks for serving your community. Everyone needs folks like you.
@@freemansgarage Thank you
I'd be careful of doing that if not installing a pyro meter, you start cracking pistons after sustained temps of 1000°F and start melting them past 1300°F. I've done this once when I blew a head gasket, that piston was toast, lol.
Mat if there is not an issue with the shut off, pull the pickup and check for pinholes. With the corrosion in the tank it is a high likelihood The tube needs replaced.
My dad drove one of these back before or after 1950's in the military, wish I had one because I have to move a lot, wish I could find the one he used the most, he said they had to be able to break them down and put them back together and they better run or you done something wrong and do it again, he was a marine and MP and got called on for that job, commaned a convoy from 171st here in Shreveport Louisiana to Wrigley field for the troops some R&R, it was said they watched the game and got to eat a hot dog and drink a soda, probably was a coke a cola in a 6or 8oz. Bottle considered an antique by now, I loved my dad, later his love for driving these big trucks got him a long route as a job.
I was stationed at Camp Howez, South Korea in the Western Corridor near the "Bridge of no Return" with HHC 44th Engineer's Batallion 2ID, and I was one of their motor sergeants for their small vehicle motor pool. I was the only person in our platoon who could drive a manual transmission vehicle. So our team and I spent two weeks doing exactly what you are doing, fixing up a neglected M35A2 and saved US several miles of walking back and forth to the motor pool. I miss that ol girl, she was a very reliable old truck.
Been there, done that. The Alpha and Bravo company motor pool was outside the main gate in front and Charlie was on the other side of the "hill". No flat ground on Howze.
Engineer Brigade driver for CSM LEE
How did nobody else who was assigned to the motor pool of all places end up learning to drive a stick? It's not rocket science 😂
You could always call the Army customer service “Hotline” number that’s on the sticker right on the can in the front of the camera🤪
That's indeed funny 😄
During my brief stint in Army Reserves, we flipped one on her side,during winter exersises. 10 guys and all their gear in the back. Few bruises and cuts, nothing serious.
M35A2, 2 1/2 ton Truck, cargo. Ah yes, this thing brings back memories, 8 years driving this prime mover in the Army. Ft. Polk.
Truck doesn’t know it yet,but, it has you as it’s new owner! IT WILL RUN,and RUN SAFELY. What ever it needs to achieve that it will get!
Congratulations on your big baby! I love it! Once it gets into your stable,I see a new T shirt coming!❤
When you lifted the canvass to see the bed, I flashed back to sitting on the left bench of this model truck on my first day in the Army in February, 1967. A drill sergeant put his face into the face of the recruit next to me and screamed at him louder than I have ever heard coming from a human being. He was as close to my right ear as he was to the face of the recruit. I jumped out of my skin!
I used to drive and ride around in these things back in the '80's in Western Germany. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
those trucks make great service trucks for heavy equipment because they go anywhere a machine may be. they are the perfect size for a fuel tank oil tanks grease pumpers compressed air. that's the unit.
Every branch of the Military used these vehicles. The one you have was assigned to the Army. I was 24 years Air Force, and was assigned as Operator/Instructor for the ones assigned to our units no matter where I was stationed. Never could afford one, but I loved them.
Thank you for your service.
Thank You Kindly for your Service, Lord Willing You find the Means for that Two & a Half Ton One of these Days.
Shouldn't there be a service year for this particular truck on the nameplate?
@@JohnnyUmphress It was my pleasure. Thank You for your support.
That's a late 70s-80s duece comes equipped with a flame heater to assist with engine warm up, lower left hand side of the dash the 6x6 switch is underneath the steering column plus the primary fuel filter is underneath the injector pump and if you use gasoline you have to mix clean motor oil in the correct mixture but you cannot use av gas,plus that's not a continental engine it's a White- Hercules muti-fuel engine and if one axle seal leaks replace the one on the other side I know I was trained to work on them in the U.S.A.F
Welcome to the club! I've had mine for almost 6 years now. I love it and wouldn't get rid of it for anything. These trucks are old and require a good bit of maintenance. Definitely do a fluid and filter change. And without a doubt do a bearing and brake service before driving it on the road. If you have any questions let me know. Also, Steel Soldiers forum has a lot of help and tips. Big Mike's Motorpool has parts and he's a big help if there is something you need that's not on his website. Tactical Repair channel on CZcams has the most knowledge on these trucks on the platform.
CZcamsrs standing right near to the tow cables while in use.
In 1989 we were pulling an M113 from S-3 broke down in a ditch, the cables were attached to a M936 wrecker attempting to get it out, the steel cable snapped and the loose frayed cable cut loose and went inches over the head of the company commander of HHC standing too close observing the recovery. It would have decapitated him instantly had it been a few inches lower, the Captain slowly walked away from the scene in shock at what about just happened.
Keep the cammo, Finda rollback and put it on
Return the truck to repurposed usefulness wanna see more please
We had these trucks in the Greek Army back in 1988 🙂 They are undead! I believe some of them are still in use today. Cheers for the video!
I had a 74’ before I got married. I think you do actually have one of the 50’s era trucks that went through a modernization in the late 60’s or 70’s. The hinged rear mud flaps is giveaway for that time frame. Enjoy it. Also, just for future note, there is a fuse under the housing on top of the fuel tank that sometimes likes to pop.
So you don’t “ether train” an engine per se; what can happen is because ether dries things out, it can cancel out the lubricative properties of diesel fuel which can cause scoring on the cylinder walls and causes a lowering of compression and difficult starting.
Modern ether all has upper cylinder lubricant to negate that I’m not gonna say it’s good for it but don’t think it causes the damage it used to
I drove one of them one or two days a week for some ten miles when delivering the troops from our ( Company D-8-2, at the bottom of Tank Hill, Basic Training ) during the six weeks that I was a Ft Jackson, SC in in November- and December of 1959 until March 1960. It was fun.
Deuce and a half! (Rubbing my hands with engine start-up anticipation!) My husband was in the army back in the day (late 1980s), and you’re bringing back a lot of memories!
I'm not used to you staying so clean throughout and entire episode! Well done man
When I did my Apprenticeship in the Early 70s, engines with Inline injector pumps had excess fuel devices and Engines fitted with Rotary injector pumps had Hot Plugs
While i would say that most diesels dont mind ether... I do know of some that really dont, the ford 7.3 IDI comes to mind, with its precombustion chambers often throwing ether down its gullet causes the engine to fire oddly and in a sense its almost like it wants to hydrolock, you can sometimes hear them slow the starter way down.
Spent my year in Nam working on many of these...replace a bunch of injector pumps and injectors as a "contact team member." My last 6 months spent rebuilding injectors and pumps...loved these trucks.
I like to say a HUGE thank you sir for your service! 🙂
My Dad is an Aussie Viet Vet, thank you for your service.
Check the Data Plate that's above or near the passenger door for the year, or depot rebuilt year.
To avoid bleeding the fuel system you can put a fuel soaked rag in the air intake! The fumes allow ignition then fuel engine power pushes the fuel lines clear. Works on the M35, M800 series trucks and the US Army’s large passenger vans in the 1990s. I watched or did the intake vapor method on those type vehicles.
I don’t know about computerized diesels.
I think that I remember , I was told the odd shift pattern was designed so when you were traveling down the road, you would most likely be in high gear, having High gear up to the dash gave the poor person the middle a little more room
The good ole deuce and a half. I was the last of a dying breed. When I went through my Army training for truck driving this gem was in the process of phasing out. We still had a few of them around, & they specifically asked who could drove a manual transmission before. I drove a 3 on the tree car, a '79 Impala. I WASN'T accustomed to driving a NON synchronized transmission, & it was a real learning curve to tame that beast! Once we got er figured out, I LOVED them things! At my first duty station, it was a sad day when the last one left the motorpool for good!
24:59 - me Hollerin' at the internet. Fascinated by these engines.
Light taps around the plugs. Never in the same spot until you went all the way around. And wiggle things out in circle motion.
Never rev up a cold engine. A slight high idle is fine.
It sounds like it has dirty or clogged injectors. I would run some fuel cleaner through the system. You never know how much that truck idled or was lugged around. But the rich smoke says its rich and might have sticking injectors.
I would use the truck as a dump truck.
Definitely a fuel starvation issue of some sort. You’ll get it squared away in no time I’m sure. That sound sure brings back some memories that’s for sure. You are correct about the turning radius, don’t drive her into the woods unless you have a really wide road to follow… ask me how I know. 🤣 Enjoy it Matt.
I would maybe change the fuel filters who knows how long they been in there full of algae. Nice truck. Good find Matt. Look forward to the next video.
i grew up next to a large campground and the owners 2 sons were my age. they had one of these. i believe it was a 1962. lemme tell ya that thing was a beast.we used to drive it through the swamps. we used to have swampwater up to our waists and never miss a beat.only problem was battery was in the cab. we just mounted it higher in the truck.
Where did you learn that good English expression "bugger" ?
I 'm a Brit living in France and enjoy your honest videos, full of enthusiasm for rusty old machines, always optimistic on getting them started.
Keep going the buggerr will start eventually.
Looks like you got a good one. You will enjoy it. Steel soldier is a good source of tech info like the dip stick screws in, it takes DOT 5 brake fluid and takes 10 to 14 second’s for the oil pressure to come up. You did good.
Hi Matt. I have the same truck. Make sure your lift pump is working in the fuel tank it’s pretty important on these trucks. Great video!
the lift pump is working, notice how the fuel/air keeps spraying out the bleeder when it's open and he has "main power" on. there's fuel through the filters at least, probably needs high pressure side bled. a dinosaur that age, I'm going to guess the compensator has been bypassed and kept in place for looks. but who knows.
These trucks will actually run with a working lift pump as long as it does not lose prime
Fuel pump on these is about 2in up from bottom. You can adjust them down.
Convert it to a Home Truck..an expidition truck that you can go anywhere on all types of weather in your country
I love that whistle. It is music to my ears. Military Rigs are my favorite. Try having someone put a hand over the end of the exhaust if it is hard to start. Sometimes that will create enough extra pressure to ignite the fuel. Or a rag with gas fumes held against the air filter. This is My dream Truck . Hook up the old 57MM anti tank gun and some ammo in back
Matt, I drove deuce and a half and 5 ton maintenance vans in the early 1970’s while in the US Air Force. We had a vehicle shop on base where you could work on your own cars and trucks. A group of us NCO’s got together and converted a surplus USAF 5 ton van into a portable drag strip control tower and we held AHRA-sanctioned drag races on Saturdays using a taxiway on the airfield for the strip. Incoming pilots would look down at the airfield, see the rubber residue from the burnouts and couldn’t figure out how someone was landing on the 1/2 mile long taxiway. The entire track setup was portable and run with a portable generator since the taxiway was used during the week for planes. Have fun with your new toy. 🚛
My favorite part of any video when it happens is your 'victory laugh', it just breaks me up every time. So, you got a Hummer and a deuce and a half, are you slowly equipping your own private army? Foreign countries want to know.
The same for me!
Next up "I bought the CHEAPEST tank I could find"
@@andythekitsune I like this one!
"Oh, look at that. It's threaded. - Heh! - I'm an idiot".
'Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. ~Aristotle 🤣
I heard a story about one of these, apparently they got an oil leak somewhere in the desert, but no oil to refill. The only thing they had was bananas. Crates of them. They mashed up a bunch and stuffed it into the engine, and it ran fine on bananas as engine oil until they reached a shop where they could get some proper lubricant. I don't know how true that story is, but it seems plausible. :D
We have an AM general 5 ton convoy truck at our shop, while I can't really say very many nice things about it because it is an absolute dog the one glowing remark I can say about it is it's never failed to start. Something that very commonly sits for six eight ten months at a time, you throw the batteries in it and in 10 minutes it'll be running, coughing wheezing being angry at the world about being alive but it will be running till we stuff it in the corner again.
Enjoy it Matt! I bought one of those several years ago. They are pretty unique trucks. Don't run gasoline in it. They will run, but it will not lubricate the injection pump. Some people run a mix of gas and used motor oil, I just ran Diesel. They love diesel and kerosene. Also they can be shifted from low range to high range on the fly! (At low speeds). I should have kept mine!
In the Corps we called them a “6 By”, the Army calls them a “Deuce and a half”. They actually have ten tires. They should have been called “ old shakes”. Supposedly they would tote a platoon, about 40 men.
These trucks were the work horses of my early days in the US Army. Lots of memories both good, and bad. 🇺🇸😎😎
Awesome addition to the fleet! Clean it up and fix the idle issue, then replace seals in the turbo to clear up the smoking issue and sticker it up as a marketing tool for the channel!