Who wants to buy a M135 truck from the 50's?

Sigh. I looked at one of those in bruderhiem Alberta a few years ago with the idea of installing a cummins 5.9 and a suitable tranny into it and using it to tow my rv. Because the one I was looking at had been a farm truck it would not have killed me to change the engine. But I don't think that even my wife would follow along behind me in the car, I think she would die of embarrassment. As it is I still went out and bought a F700 with a cummins and allision for the job. At least she will ride in that.

What I could have done with one of those.
 
Rambo approved in First Blood. Perfect truck for serious preppers when SHTF.
 
I just picked on up last fall. I had worked on them as a young Craftsmen (Private) back in the early 80s and changed more wheel cylinders, wheel seals, and exhaust manifolds than I care to remember. This one had not run for 27 years and in fact had sat with the valve cover off and the carburator intake hose off. I had to pull the head off, did a quick valve job, and she purrs like a kitten. Over the winter i have been acquiring the parts I need to make it roadworthy....wheel cylinders, new roof, wheel seals, new exhaust system, fuel pump, heater kit, etc etc. Once the weather warms up, I hope to have it finished by June. I also have picked up a PTO for it, and will be picking up a winch once the snow leaves the ground.

I put in 2 cans of gas into the freshly cleaned tank and just spinning around the yard through the snow a couple of times and it's already empty.

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That's a hell of a deal for something that appears to be in that good of shape, I bought a M35A2 a couple months back and they are damn fun to drive and you are almost guaranteed a double take or a thumbs up driving down the road.
 
If I recall correctly, one of the reasons that DND started getting rid of them (besides the fact that they were antiques and an embarrassment to be seen using) was that spare parts were getting to be a real problem to find, rear ends in particular. I know of several here in Newfoundland, and all need rear ends.
 
Can't say we went through that many rear diffs when I was in the military. The reason that the army got rid of them was simply age. The trucks were built from 1952-1956, making them 30 years old by the time they were replaced. The actual replacement project started around 1978, with the MLVW bilt in the 82-84 time period.

Biggest weakness overall that I remember was the transmissions. And as I mentioned earlier, with 12 wheel cylinders, it seemed like we were forever changing those. I do recall some diff problems towards the end, but it wasn't a regular occurrence by any means.

I think the big killer with these trucks these days is the fuel. The tank was just under 47 gallons (aprox 177 liters) and the truck had an expected cruising range of 200 miles. That means that for the $1.20 liter of fuel you put in you should make 1 mile of travel.

Pretty much all the parts required for them are still available either new or used. I am just finishing a bunch or repairs on the one at work (a CF museum) and what we couldn't get from NAPA we got from either milsurp dealers or ebay. I should be road-testing it by Tuesday.
 
These just run a truck 350 afaik - making them a snap to wedge something with a bit more "pep" under the hood. 383 or 427 small block come to mind. I'm sure an ls1 could fit with some work as well. Could be a real fun project. Transmission gearing and EFI would go a long way towards increasing fuel mileage.

Of course, the MLVW is starting to hit the occasional crown auction. I hear if you buy a "Frame" from the states you can even make them road legal.
 
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