What have you done to your FMTV or LMTV today

[AKPacker]

@IronhorseTX and I got after some cab bushings this weekend. Both our trucks were riding on rubber crumbs...
Passenger side.. about 10 minutes. A little more than an hour on the drivers side.. After we figured out the tricks.

Definitely helps to have two people, and a 8' pry bar.

Cab bushings are on my to-do list, could you share the helpful tricks?

 

[Primussucks]

Cab bushings are on my to-do list, could you share the helpful tricks?

The nuts are 1 3/16". The top is captive, so you don't need to hold that . Easiest way is to use a couple extensions from below and hit with your impact gun.

Installing on the Drivers side
If you have an A1R with the rear bushing. Removing that might be nessesary. Gives you a little extra 'lift' room to wiggle the new one into place
Remove the orange host clamp that secures the air lines. You'll need the extra room when assembling.
Place a 2x4 on the bumper. Get a buddy and a long leverage bar. Place the bar on the 2x4 and place right under the pivot point. One guy applies leverage, another wiggles the bolt out and old bushing away. It will all come out.

To install the metal bushing.. We got the rubber and bolt installed first. From below, we inserted the metal bushing and 'pressed' into place with a long bar and floor jack. jacking the bushing up into the rubber. worked perfecly.

Small hands help.. but thats not always available.

It shouldn't have to remove anything besides the skid plate.

Passenger side.
Loosen nut.
hand pump the cab title a little bit... just a few strokes is all you need.. you'll see the cab corner lift. simple slide old stuff out, and put new stuff in. super easy.

 

[AKPacker]

@Primussucks thank you! I was hoping to hear that the driver's side could be done without pulling the whole bumper, it is mighty crowded under that side.

 

[MatthewWBailey]

Added a 30x18x18 storage Box to replace the old Harry Potter box removed for the vertical exhaust

 

[Another Ahab]

Added a 30x18x18 storage Box to replace the old Harry Potter box removed for the vertical exhaust

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Looks custom fit. Nice.

 

[serpico760]

Sergeant York is now a four-seater! Two brand new Ford explorer police cruiser second row middle seats for the center. I have the matching left and right second row seats to go as the front seats in place of these old Chrysler Town and Country seats. Now I just need to get some Ford explorer seat belt latches. After a camping trip in the desert and a troubleshoot any issues I'm going to have it sandblasted and powder coated. Then I have to make the brackets for the front seats.

 

[Bryteayes]

Sergeant York is now a four-seater! Two brand new Ford explorer police cruiser second row middle seats for the center. I have the matching left and right second row seats to go as the front seats in place of these old Chrysler Town and Country seats. Now I just need to get some Ford explorer seat belt latches. After a camping trip in the desert and a troubleshoot any issues I'm going to have it sandblasted and powder coated. Then I have to make the brackets for the front seats.
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What year Ford Explorer cruiser are those out of?

 

[serpico760]

What year Ford Explorer cruiser are those out of?

Another member here won a nice auction of a whole bunch of brand new takeout seats from LAPD. So these are 2021-2023 I think because I picked these up in early 2024. And I chopped down a couple inches off of the bottom as low as they could go without going into the hinges.

 

[Freedom Land Clearing]

I started the process of getting a bed on my M1088A0. The bed rails are just c-channels I intend to set a sources M1078 bed on.
We will see how well it all goes over the next few weeks. Lol

 

[Another Ahab]

I started the process of getting a bed on my M1088A0. The bed rails are just c-channels I intend to set a sources M1078 bed on.
We will see how well it all goes over the next few weeks. Lol

Nice shed. Nice slab (including what looks like a mechanic's pit). AND nice rig:

- Just plain nice, Freedom Land Clearing. All around!

 

[serpico760]

It's Huck-bolt destruction time!
Six down and 14 to go. Combination of sawzall with the Diablo metal demon carbide tipped blade, dremel with a cut off wheel, portable bandsaw, hammered chisels punches and impact gun.
Definitely if you're going to contemplate a camper build with an fmtv try to find an m1088. That would be better for many reasons including a bigger gas tank and lower frame. Not to mention not having to cut off 20 Huck bolts!

 

[Ronmar]

It's Huck-bolt destruction time!
Six down and 14 to go. Combination of sawzall with the Diablo metal demon carbide tipped blade, dremel with a cut off wheel, portable bandsaw, hammered chisels punches and impact gun.
Definitely if you're going to contemplate a camper build with an fmtv try to find an m1088. That would be better for many reasons including a bigger gas tank and lower frame. Not to mention not having to cut off 20 Huck bolts!
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Skip the impact and the other tools… cutoff wheel on a grinder(face shield) and a hammer. If you cut thru the barrel right where it meets the hex head as soon as you pass thru the center rod/shank, they will pop off. If you want to avoid the “Pop” when they release their stored tension, stop just short of cutting thru the center shank and hit the head with a hammer to break the remaining fragment of the center shank.

 

[serpico760]

Skip the impact and the other tools… cutoff wheel on a grinder(face shield) and a hammer. If you cut thru the barrel right where it meets the hex head as soon as you pass thru the center rod/shank, they will pop off. If you want to avoid the “Pop” when they release their stored tension, stop just short of cutting thru the center shank and hit the head with a hammer to break the remaining fragment of the center shank.

With the particular tools I have available sometimes I can't reach at a good angle to cut very deep. So the impact worked great to get it out the rest of the way on a couple of them, since I had relieved the stress of the crimp.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

This 07' M1078A1R just got the royal treatment with a 370 hp tune, ECO Hubs, much needed PMCS, and tomorrow a paint job. She will be a clean machine in 24 hours.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

I got distracted by an M817 and M35A3 that came in that needed triaging. Now the M1078A1R is finished.

 

[aw113sgte]

This 07' M1078A1R just got the royal treatment with a 370 hp tune, ECO Hubs, much needed PMCS, and tomorrow a paint job. She will be a clean machine in 24 hours.

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More pertinent to 6x6s but do you go through and replace all the ball joints boots? I've done them all except for the center V-rod boots as they looked the most painful. Mine were basically non-existent and it was a MME truck.

 

[swiss]

I got distracted by an M817 and M35A3 that came in that needed triaging. Now the M1078A1R is finished.

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I think you loaded the spray gun with the wrong color paint


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[fuzzytoaster]

More pertinent to 6x6s but do you go through and replace all the ball joints boots? I've done them all except for the center V-rod boots as they looked the most painful. Mine were basically non-existent and it was a MME truck.

If they're needing bushings I replace the whole torsion rod/dog bone. It's more cost effective for me. As for the LMTVs they always get cab bushings, rear sway bar bushings (top and bottom), and A1R's get rear cab bushings too. This one I just painted had good rubber since it went through some level of maintenance in 2019.

 

[Another Ahab]

If they're needing bushings I replace the whole torsion rod/dog bone. It's more cost effective for me. As for the LMTVs they always get cab bushings, rear sway bar bushings (top and bottom), and A1R's get rear cab bushings too. This one I just painted had good rubber since it went through some level of maintenance in 2019.

Paint job looks real good against that mighty fine blue Texas sky

 

[fuzzytoaster]

Delivered this cab/chassis to a VFD for their new brush truck build. Classic black/white to match their other trucks.