Can't get no respect- the G749

[Dave D.]

Originally Posted by Ed Storey

These SMP vehicles at Hagersville in the 1950s are up on blocks.

Attachment 116759

Hamilton would have been the City these M135's were dispatched to after a nuclear exchange. Thank you so much for that photo. Can we use your deuce pictures for future stories over at www.civildefence.ca?

In the 1960 Survival Operations Handbook, the 2 1/2 ton would have been used to transport wounded civilian Canadians to 'reception towns' around target cities.

The trucks would pull up in front of a federal building with a surgical ward set up in the basement, offload patients and treatment would begin. In Alberta, 19 underground hospitals were set up through the 50's with some stock still stored today. Old's near Calgary and Wetaskiwin near Edmonton would have had similar stockpiles of deuces. Wainwright also housed a fleet of EMO equipment.

The other support cities were Holyrood, Windsor, Camp Gagetown, St Jerome, Almonte, Newmarket, Welland, Centralia, Chatham, Portage la Praire, Chilliwack and Duncan.....if we're looking for stockpile pics.

[Ed Storey]

This image shows a M135CDN that has been converted to carry casualties by strapping in approximately 16 stretchers. This configuration was not only employed for Civil Defence casualty transportation but also in the late 1950s and early 1960s by RCAMC Field Ambulance and Hospital units.

M135CDN Civil Defence Vehicle - Stretcher Modification copy.jpg

[chris vickery]

Here’s a pic of mine, always wanted one now I have one.
M35 is next...

[rob love]

That one should be very economical to drive, since it looks like it is on a 90° slope.

Here is a photo of mine from a few years ago. The paint has since faded a bit, but it was a nice clean truck that spent most of it's life in war reserve storage.

[Bob Phillips]

I thought I would resurrect this thread because I found another flyer from Levy's, advertising G749 trucks. This flyer IS from the time I was buying there in the 1980s and as some others have suggested my first and original posting is probably from an earlier time..say the 1970s. And back in the day when I was buying CMPs for 1-2 or 3 hundred dollars, $2995 was a lot of cash!

G749Levy1980.jpg G749Levy1981.jpg

[chris vickery]

And they really haven’t gone up much in value since then.
Take a look around and most crapped out M135 trucks are about $3000 these days. Finding good clean runners now is almost a miracle.

[Bob Phillips]

Chris is correct. I remember a roadworthy M211 sold at action a couple of years ago for close to the same price (mid 2ks) and there are lots of junkers on kijiji for 1500- 3000. I also admit my bias because I just like the old GMC s having owned and driven a couple many miles in the old days. They had a few faults that doomed them in the commercial market; they were underpowered, the front axle tended to slip before the axle drive engaged and by that time you might be stuck and the biggest issue was the automatic transmission that needed regular tinkering to stay functioning. Still, overall, a well designed and purpose built vehicle that was too many years ahead of the rest of the pack to find acceptance.