Newbie looking for help on HMMWV research/buying

[98G]

You guys are great, thank you very much gentlemen. Is there a big difference between the 6.2 and 6.5 engines?

No. If I gave you two.trucks to drive with one having the 6.2 and one having the 6.5 you would not notice a difference, presuming they both had the same transmission.

 

[EladB]

yes.

No.

Obviously gonna need a tie breaker here.

 

[98G]

Obviously gonna need a tie breaker here.

The transmission with park and overdrive is a HUGE difference.

The turbo 6.5 is a different animal entirely.

But if the only difference is NA 6.2 vs NA 6.5 I don't think that you could differentiate them without looking.

 

[AOR]

Try and find one with a 6.5 GEP engine they are said to be the best for reliability
I am no expert but I know the 6.2 had more reliability issues such as engine block castings which have been upgraded with the 6.5 blocks I was also told that the GEP engines were new GM built engines and not rebuilt which apparently they had allot of issues with the rebuilt engines
Someone else said to stay away from the all black engines where everything was painted black. The GEP engines have a sticker on the drivers side valve cover which easily identifies them here is the one from mine if you can see it and it also has a barcode as I recall
it was put in my HMMWV in 2007 when it was overhauled. The other picture is with the dog house off I read a sure way to tell a 6.5 vs a 6.2 is if the mounting bolt for the oil pump drive is on the right side vs the left side of the OPD

 

[Jelloburger]

Try and find one with a 6.5 GEP engine they are said to be the best for reliability

So the 6.5 then, thank you . I keep going back and forth on tops, as I have 6 people I need to move around, I've leaned toward the 4 door wagon variants, but I like the security of being able to lock up valuables with a hard cover. I thought of getting a soft top wagon for warmer months or when security isn't a concern but then have a hard top to put on for colder/more security when needed. Is this a silly idea? I was told by a couple builders that getting the wagon hard top or slant back tops off are very difficult and requires 2-4 guys to get them off and many bolts removed, that I would likely never remove often because it's such a task. True?

 

[Action]

So the 6.5 then, thank you . I keep going back and forth on tops, as I have 6 people I need to move around, I've leaned toward the 4 door wagon variants, but I like the security of being able to lock up valuables with a hard cover. I thought of getting a soft top wagon for warmer months or when security isn't a concern but then have a hard top to put on for colder/more security when needed. Is this a silly idea? I was told by a couple builders that getting the wagon hard top or slant back tops off are very difficult and requires 2-4 guys to get them off and many bolts removed, that I would likely never remove often because it's such a task. True?

Factory hard tops are composed of many parts, which can be put on one at a time. I had 1 person help me with a slantback roof. You can get some straps on the ceiling in garage and lift ghe hardtop off and drive out.

 

[BLK HMMWV]

A slant back top is composed of many pieces this is true. but it isn't something you want to do very often. Nor do you want to do it by yourself. Yes it can me done with a chain hoist or lifting straps but you will have to have access to both the space and equipment for that.
It's not like a hard top on a jeep or t -bird. Even a non armored roof is heavy. The rear hatch will have to be removed by itself. non armored still weights 100+#'s
sponsons sealed with a gasket material the more you mess with them then more chance for damage.
Slant back roofs leak they all do so just remember that. To minimize the amount of leakage many people seal the around the roof and bearing and bearing support.
if you just remove the roof and leave all the bearing support hardware you could make a soft top roof I'm guessing but it wouldn't be a stock item.
If you remove everything related to a hard top roof your going to need to think about some kind of roll over protection as you will no longer have anything but a windshield frame higher then your head.

 

[Retiredwarhorses]

So the 6.5 then, thank you . I keep going back and forth on tops, as I have 6 people I need to move around, I've leaned toward the 4 door wagon variants, but I like the security of being able to lock up valuables with a hard cover. I thought of getting a soft top wagon for warmer months or when security isn't a concern but then have a hard top to put on for colder/more security when needed. Is this a silly idea? I was told by a couple builders that getting the wagon hard top or slant back tops off are very difficult and requires 2-4 guys to get them off and many bolts removed, that I would likely never remove often because it's such a task. True?

I have and have had 6.2’s that blow the doors off brand new detuned GEP 6.5’s. The 6.2 is also a quieter motor.
you will only know about a trucks nuisances once you get it and drive it, This is where private party is best.
This topic comes up weekly, the answers are the same, buy what makes you comfortable, The auction route is not for most folks, these days, basic trucks at auction have gone up considerably, inventory is running low, you no longer see all HMMWV auctions with 400 trucks for sale, that’s done with.
As the owner of a hmmwv Restoration business, I have no problems buying a private party truck, I actually prefer it, and yes, I pay more, but not always and not that much compared with the alternative of not knowing what I will get stuck with fixing once the unknown truck arrives...they all need work! Period.

 

[BLK HMMWV]

What he said.
The 6.2 is quieter. that's one of the ways you can tell without looking.
If I was going to do it all again I would has bought one with a 6.5 4l80 in it already but that wasn't an option when I got mine.

 

[Jelloburger]

As the owner of a hmmwv Restoration business, I have no problems buying a private party truck, I actually prefer it, and yes, I pay more, but not always and not that much compared with the alternative of not knowing what I will get stuck with fixing once the unknown truck arrives...they all need work! Period.

Regarding Hmmwv builders/resto professional shops, it seems like best is Texas and west coast, I'm on the east coast (NC) and looking for a honest, knowledgeable shop, so far not too much luck. I would have thought being so close to Ft. Bragg they'd be all over the place as well as being in the heart of NASCAR land, there's tuners for just about everything here but I'm still looking for the Hmmwv shops.

And in that same vein of "online auction unknown vehicle" gambling, from you guys here, it's pretty much convinced me that I should (especially being green) buy a known quantity vehicle as my first versus rolling the dice, so thanks for that guys along with all your other great advice.

 

[Jelloburger]

What's your thoughts on the standard OE door/windows that slide up/down versus the aftermarket "camper" style windows that slide sideways? I like the look of the OE over the aftermarket sideways sliders, but figured there must be a good reason people are changing the doors out with that style of sliding window over the vertical OE doors.

 

[BLK HMMWV]

Most people don't want to spend the time to source the OEM doors.
Most trucks out of gov. auctions aren't sold with anything that can be equated with armor.
Hence the first Gen X doors to the new severely armored doors don't come with the truck.
Buying a truck from a private party you may find one that somebody already sourced the parts.

 

[BLK HMMWV]

I'm not up on pricing like RWH of some of the other guys .
but it wouldn't be too far fetched to say your going to be looking at North of 12K just for slant back parts.

 

[BLK HMMWV]

back when trucks were rare parts were cheap. now trucks cheap parts rare. X doors used to be 150 -200 per door now if you can find them expect to pay 500- 750 per door.
If you see doors with up down sliders in them there OEM. Camper type is total aftermarket.

 

[Jelloburger]

If you see doors with up down sliders in them there OEM. Camper type is total aftermarket.

Is there advantage/disadvantage OEM vs Camper types? Seems OEM much more visible and airflow over the camper.

 

[BLK HMMWV]

Personal choice . I tend to try and keep it all original as it will hold it's value in my book. You can always get a set of half doors or just take the doors off.
In the end it comes down to " It's Your Truck"
But try and remember 2 things
Once you buy it you will never be done spending money on it.
When you go to sell it , how will your truck compare to what the other guy is selling.
To me the more original the better, to you it may not matter.
It's an addiction how far you take it before you tap out is up to you.

 

[98G]

What's your thoughts on the standard OE door/windows that slide up/down versus the aftermarket "camper" style windows that slide sideways? I like the look of the OE over the aftermarket sideways sliders, but figured there must be a good reason people are changing the doors out with that style of sliding window over the vertical OE doors.

Nobody is changing stock hard doors to aftermarket hard doors. The only thing that steers the decision away from OE doors is price and availability.

At the same price point and if they were readily available, all you would see would be the OEM doors. The aftermarket doors exist due to shortage/expense of OEM doors.

You see a few trucks auctioned with X doors. The noobs fight over them and push them beyond any semblance of reasonable price.

I've driven soft top, soft doors at 8* and found it adequate. I like no doors in warm temps. But what I like may not be what you like....

Drive some of these things and form your own opinions of what's important. If you never drive over 55mph why pay an extra $10k for a 4th gear? That $10k would buy a live beltfed to put in the gunring....

 

[Jelloburger]

IIRC, the rules here on this forum prohibit specifically identifying items that are at auction and don't want to raise the ire of the Admins. That being said (if you're allowed to) I would like the input of this community on one on IP as it's near me in SC and would be a great educational moment for me if you guys could look at this helmet top and tell me why it is or is not a good specimen of a Hmmwv. This would give me a good watermark to compare to other vehicles out there.

 

[Datalogger]

IIRC, the rules here on this forum prohibit specifically identifying items that are at auction and don't want to raise the ire of the Admins. That being said (if you're allowed to) I would like the input of this community on one on IP as it's near me in SC and would be a great educational moment for me if you guys could look at this helmet top and tell me why it is or is not a good specimen of a Hmmwv. This would give me a good watermark to compare to other vehicles out there.

I'm curious about this also, are we allowed to post pictures of a truck that is up for auction if we're seeking input on it?

Thank you!

 

[98G]

I'm curious about this also, are we allowed to post pictures of a truck that is up for auction if we're seeking input on it?

Thank you!

Explicitly prohibited by the rules.

And think about it, do you really want to increase exposure and attention to the one you're thinking about chasing?