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My first army truck and it BIG

indy4x4fab

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I received a pm this morning from glen in regards to aubrey's 810 in Kansas, waiting our pickup. Here's what he wrote.

The yard manager told the Mexicans in the yard to cut the boxes off of the M820s. They butchered the M810 too. By the time I caught wind of it the box was in a stack of M820 boxes. I guess I should have towed the thing to my friends place. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Me and aubrey nether one blame glen for this accident, as it does sadden us, for the simple fact that aubrey had her heart so heavily set on this truck do to its rarity.

Glen thank you for trying to keep it saved for use as long as you did. I just wasn't ment to be.:(
 

Bighurt

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That sucks! Any pictures?

How much did that set you back?

Doubt you can find another one but there is always my plan of putting a 109 box on a 818. Not a new idea but a nice idea.

How did the wife take it?
 

indy4x4fab

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Aubrey broke down in tears on the phone, we had already been auto cad-ing a floor plan based off a m109 box and she was picking out colors for the in side. The m109 on an M818 is the back up plan but I doubt we can put one of those to gather for 4000 dollars like the 810 was for sale. On the every small up side we didn't have to pay for it till we picked it up, but I think the wurst part of it was that aubrey had become attached to the m810 because of its history, rareness, and its low numbers of them built, one of six ever made.
 

91W350

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I can take photos, but it is ugly. I see the punctured the fuel tank with a crawler with forks on it and bent the lugs on the axle that did not have wheels. I suppose the chassis could be saved, a different front axle installed, the cab was big time rusty before, but we have cabs, I did not look for shaft damage. Their method of removing radiators is to peel the grill with the Fuchs and hook the core with the claws and rip the cores out. We have front sheet metal rolling in today and lots of parts, the labor and time would just be a deal killer for me. If a guy wanted to do a frame off, it would not matter much, but this will be no easy fix.
 

indy4x4fab

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I sent glen a text hes going to go by there after work to night and get pictures for us of the carnage as well as to see if we can still save the truck frame and cab. More on the damage report, he says they managed to put a fork threw the fuel tank as well, which was brand new by the way or almost new with a full tank of fuel.
 

indy4x4fab

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Very sorry about your truck Nick and Aubrey:(, I know you guys had your hearts set on that one. Hopefully plan B will be even better !!
Thanks augiedoggy, docs got an 820 that we are going to go look at here in the next week or two that hes willing to let us have for a fair price, aubreys only fear is the sheer size of it, but I'm all else fails there's always a m818 with a m109 box on it, shes spent most of the day looking over gl and gsa to see if there any other m810s coming up for bid.
 

rickf

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I am sorry and I am sure I will get flamed but I have no time for someone who will destroy perfectly good trucks to begin with let alone rare one's. Wonder how many of those Mexicans are legal? I would be more than happy to pay scrap price to get a decent truck. Everybody wants a quick buck today instead of taking the parts and selling them to people who need them. Yea it takes a little longer to make the money but you make more and give less to the freakin Chinese!

Rick
 

91W350

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If you can get Maccus to post a photo of his 818 with the 109 box on it, you will forget all about trying to restore that 810. His truck is a real beauty. We have 20 more five tons in the yard now. I am headed out after work, providing all goes well, to have a look at them. Some 813s and some 820s, none with engines. I have three working days left at my current job and will then be working in the yard. I am not sure how much time I will have to pull parts, but I am hoping to save some of the stuff that comes through. At least when something comes in that really should be saved, I will have more chances at doing that, like last week's early 40's Chevy that is now wadded into the stack.

This was a bad communication error and there just is no way to fix it. I wish the box could have been saved as it has a really nice thin oak strip wooden floor. I wish my house had flooring like that!
 

91W350

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We can make that happen...
That would cost more than the house did! My Grandparents bought this shack in 1945 for 2500 dollars. It cost me a lot more than that to buy it out of the estate. Now it has 1X3 flooring, if I was to venture a guess. Prior to them buying it, there had been a fire upstairs. We found out about that when we sheeted the roof for new shingles. I should be at the yard grabbing glass, turn signal stuff, windshield frames, instrument clusters, tires and fuel, but I am a tired boy after this week, I am going to kick back.
 

rickf

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If you can get Maccus to post a photo of his 818 with the 109 box on it, you will forget all about trying to restore that 810. His truck is a real beauty. We have 20 more five tons in the yard now. I am headed out after work, providing all goes well, to have a look at them. Some 813s and some 820s, none with engines. I have three working days left at my current job and will then be working in the yard. I am not sure how much time I will have to pull parts, but I am hoping to save some of the stuff that comes through. At least when something comes in that really should be saved, I will have more chances at doing that, like last week's early 40's Chevy that is now wadded into the stack.

This was a bad communication error and there just is no way to fix it. I wish the box could have been saved as it has a really nice thin oak strip wooden floor. I wish my house had flooring like that!
You going to crush all 20 5 tons ? I guess I just don't understand since I am not one of these people that has the capital to buy these things 10 at a time. I can't even afford one at today's prices .

Rick
 

91W350

Well-known member
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Location
Salina, Kansas
You going to crush all 20 5 tons ? I guess I just don't understand since I am not one of these people that has the capital to buy these things 10 at a time. I can't even afford one at today's prices .

Rick
They are very rough, beyond restoration. None with engines, transmissions in the bed. Most are pretty rusty, some have good looking tires, but we lose a lot of those if we tow the trucks home. Good looking tire blowouts have been enough of a problem, we started loading two on a trailer and hauling them home. Several were wrecked or rolled. It is not like we are driving one to tow the other to the lot. What surprises me is that there is zero market for 5 ton axles.

Here you go, bring me about 22,000 pounds of iron and 2,000 pounds of aluminum, I will give you this truck and a bill of sale. You can take over restoration from there. I have been trying to pull parts for people as I can, I have been snagging instrument clusters, turn signals etc.... and whatever good windshields and frames come in. They are way more than I would want to try to restore, especially when the nicest exspansible van I have ever seen sold two weeks ago for 4800. You cannot come close to getting a truck like this running, much less nicely trimmed out for that. Do not get me wrong, I would like to see them all rolling, but that is not happening. Glen
 

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