My new (to me) Deuce and a couple of deuce questions.

[rob love]

Shorty was John's son. I may well have to make a side trip there next spring when I am through Saskatchewan.

[rob love]

Well, the M135 drove out of the shop today, went once around the yard to get the motor to operating temp, and then back in for the head gasket retorque, re-adjustment of the valves, and setting up the timing. It is really starting to sound good. I am especially thankful the transmission works.

I have a few last minute things to do tomorrow to it (I need to get the in-tank fuel pump working), then another quick drive around the yard and she goes into the lineup until the spring. It's too big to fit into my shop, so the brake job will wait for warmer weather.

It is going to be a nice truck once the sandblaster and spray guns get at her.

[Kirk Armitage]

Nice pics Rob,I am admiring your hood and roof.Any airborne 135's out of PET that we have the hoods and roofs are in bad shape, too many tapdancing contests !
Kirk Armitage

[rob love]

The overall body condition was one of the reasons why I picked this truck. The hood has one minor dent in the center where it met with the roofline at one time. Most hoods I see have an actual hole worn in the center from hitting the roof as well as being constantly walked on.

My roof is a different story. It has been walked on. Good news is I picked up an almost perfect roof assembly off an early release cab that was sitting at the farmyard. I may install a roof rack once the new roof is installed to protect it down the road.

My last 7 years in the service were spent at 1 RCHA, where every time the truck was parked for more than 10 minutes, you had to cam it up. That meant walking on the hood, the roof, even the tarp over the cargo area. And all the while that you were crawling between the net and the truck, you wore webbing and gas bag just to add to the frustration. After you would climb up on the roof to install a spreader pole, the net would snag on the useless hood/windshield catches, or on some other trivial protrusion. Add to that it was either very cold out, or very hot. There was never a happy medium. Frustration wasn't the word for it. At the time you really did not care if you were bending the hood, or stepping on something semi-fragile. You also learned after a while to remove or tape over every useless item that would potentially snag the nets while back in garrison.

I picked up another deuce for a parts truck. It was the kitchen truck with the RCHA, and has all the attributes of a truck that served 30 years. Multi multi layers of paint, bent hood, bent roof, brush painted cab interior...I am glad I am not trying to restore that truck.

[Dano McLaren]

Here is a scan of a field kitchen from 1 Sigs Regiment early 70s.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Rob

I remember that there were a number of trucks like this and similar to this at a MV meet in the Hamilton area back in the late `80s probably 1988. I remember taking a bunch of photos, which I'm looking for.

Looking at them and talking with their owners back then about using them as campers was the genesis of my getting a C60S in 1990 and then looking for an appropriate box body.

So Rob I hope you have as much fun with your BIG camper as we have had with ours. Great fun to pull up at a stop light next big knurly pickup truck with a camper and look down at them and say "what a cute little camper".

[rob love]

Here are a couple of photos of the line-up of trucks that remain at the local surplus yard. The bulk are M135 with a couple of the vans at the end of the line. There is also a M211 in another yard that we were not able to tow over because the back wheels were locked up. As well, there are another half dozen or so parts trucks in the yards.

These were purchased by the dealer back in the mid 80s, and have remained in the yards since. Mine was chosen out of the bunch, primarily due to the nicer body and paint on it. But after 25+ years sitting in the open. all of them need some serious TLC.