test drove an m715 today

[ryanroo]

me and a friend of mine went to look at a truck i had already seen a few weeks ago, but i called ahead to make sure i could drive it and really give it a good look over today. what a cream puff. 18.5k on the odometer, and i beleive it. the fellow that owns it says that he worked for the city when they were purchased for the fire dept. brand new. never actually saw military duty. the truck pops off with no hesitation, shifts gears smooth as butter. has an aftermarket heater that was pretty cleanly installed. has a few fire engine trinkets that need to be dealt with. but all together is in great shape. fairly new soft top. original seats. 12k ramsey electric winch. lights all work. the doors shut like i've never seen on a 40 year old truck. the windows are still tight in the felts. no slop in them whatsoever. i am all in all pretty amazed with the truck. hopefully i can go trade the guy some cash for a truck in the next week or so.

sorry no photos yet. oh yeah truck is a '68
ryan

[george walker]

Sounds good the fire co always took good care of them an of course they were always inside the firehouse. He is mistaken though none of these trucks were ever sold directly to the public all produced went to the military. When the military was done w/ them municipalities got first dibs on them before auction, it is very likley that when they got it it may have had very few miles as some of these truck stateside spent most of their time sitting in the motorpool yard.

[ryanroo]

Sounds good the fire co always took good care of them an of course they were always inside the firehouse. He is mistaken though none of these trucks were ever sold directly to the public all produced went to the military. When the military was done w/ them municipalities got first dibs on them before auction, it is very likley that when they got it it may have had very few miles as some of these truck stateside spent most of their time sitting in the motorpool yard.

i figured as much. but i will let him blow smoke all he wants for as nice as the truck is. i am waiting on my tax appointment to tell me how much i have for fun money. the anticipation is killing me
Ryan

[MarknessMonster]

I cringed a little when I read that you found a nice clean fairly stock and original example of the classic M715 truck, because I know you're not going to be able to keep from chopping it up. It's "in your blood" to do so.

Oh what the hlel, they made over 25,000 of 'em. Cut the rear bed off, jack it up to the sky, cut the wheel wheels, firewall and floor pan. Make it unique, because there are so many stockers that look just like it.

[kwai]

Ironic isn't it. Find a great classic truck in near mint condition and then chop it up so it looks like all the other junkers on the trails.

[gregolma715]

Mine was about 17K when I bought it. It sat outside awhile, but still pretty cool. I have never owned a vehicle with so few miles!

[kwai]

I have owned a couple vehicles with less than 17k miles but they are only that way for a few months. My M35 only has 1600 miles and I put 1550 miles on it (only the guvment knows how many miles it had before the rebuild and they ain't talkin').

[ryanroo]

I cringed a little when I read that you found a nice clean fairly stock and original example of the classic M715 truck, because I know you're not going to be able to keep from chopping it up. It's "in your blood" to do so.

Oh what the hlel, they made over 25,000 of 'em. Cut the rear bed off, jack it up to the sky, cut the wheel wheels, firewall and floor pan. Make it unique, because there are so many stockers that look just like it.

i will be doing some mods to it for sure. but no thanks to the bed bob, and no thanks to the fender cut. i will have no need to to cut the firewall or floor plan. but it will still be a truck, and will be used as such. i will be making improvements that allow the truck to do what i want/need better and more comfortably.
ryan

[MarknessMonster]

...i will be making improvements that allow the truck to do what i want/need better and more comfortably.

That's a cool idea and I can appreciate that goal. I was razzing you a bit in the previous post, because I've followed some of your recent posts. Plus, you're a fellow Hawkeye. Although, I do really cringe when I think about good rare trucks getting badgered-up.

I've got a bad habit of buying two of each make or model, just so I can modify the one in the worst shape. Not to change appearances, but rather to make them more road worthy, driver friendly or powerful. I guess that would be referred to as Rest-mod, which I personally think is good that there is an established "market" for such altered vehicles (probably a lot of thanks goes to Barrett Jackson for creating more value in that market, as is shown by the price paid at their auctions).

Personally, if I had the time and funds, I'd take an M715 and keep it aesthetically stock from the exterior and throughout the cab. I'd run a diesel power plant at 24V hooked up to a 5 speed truck box with a 205 case. I'd have modern D60 and 14 bolt with disc/drum brakes, and run 9.00-16 XZL's on aftermarket M715 wheels designed for the new axles. That would be a nearly perfect resto-mod M-truck for my personal tastes. Of course, I'd probably have to figure out how to make more comfortable stock-looking seats.

[ryanroo]

i do really wish i could afford to buy two, and do just that. a restored 715 plus a more usable truck definately something i want. unfortunately i can't afford two of them at this point in my life. at least not if i want to be married any more.

my idea is roughly what yours is. i do not however want the diesel in my 715. i have another old truck that i am planning on doing that to so the kaiser gets to be a gas engine. i will be changing to more modern axles and a slightly better spring pack, but i may very well stay spring under. athstetically i want my truck to appear basically stock, but function better than that. then when i have the cash, i do want to have a stock one.

i got the young dumb hack it apart and run the most insane retarded tires ever streak out of my system back when i was 14-16ish. thats no longer what i want. unfortunately i have to undo a bunch of that on my other truck now. thankfully i didn't get to crazy

and go cyclones
ryan