Givinup
New member
- 135
- 4
- 0
- Location
- Oklahoma City
Hope everyone is doing well. I've been obsessing over overland/expo vehicles for the past several years. After overcoming some health issues, and saving up enough money, I'm preparing to take begin the build. I estimate it'll take 6-9 months to complete, so would like to purchase by Oct 15th, to be ready for mid summer trip. I want to get some guidance, based on a little bit of back ground. I don't plan on being in the bush for months at a time, but would like to disappear from all signs of human life with my Wife for up to 2 weeks at a time to push the reset button after stressful work contracts.
For work I do project leads for groups of several hundred and many tasks concurrently. I work 6 days a week, 12 - 14 hour shifts. The money is decent, but seemingly not worth it most of the time (seems common in life..). I've saved up enough to make a nice rig, but nowhere near unicat, earthroamer etc status. I have budgeted 30k for the rig and 50k for the camper, understanding there's a 12-15% fudge factor in there. I say this just to share I feel comfortable enough to manage the labor, independent trades etc to perform the applicable work. [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Based on the number of hours I work, and the fact I'm not a mechanic or great handyman, and I don't prefer to tinker beyond what I have to. I can do interior work, sound proof etc, but I don't prefer and don't have a shop to do diesel work etc. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Early on I laughed at the idea of an FMTV for my rig, based on the interior and top speed/comfort. After researching over the past several months, I am drawn to them based on their overbuilt factor, money to material, etc. If I can acquire an FMTV for under $18k (seems very doable based on govplanet prices and shipping estimates) I estimate I can hire a diesel mechanic to check/replace air lines, fluids, overall maintenance, trouble shoot, make road worthy, etc. Ive read of a few suggested individuals from SS to swap the axles or pumpkins (if available) for higher speed, and redo the interior within budget. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]What I'm now left to decide, is which model year or spec M1083/M1088 to look for? With a mechanical overhaul to the truck (within reason, not a full resto by any means); high speed axles, and interior sound proofing, air ride seats, new seals, AC, etc; is the A1, A1R, A0 all that important? From my understanding the A0's were fixed for their initial problems to meet most A1 standards. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Is there a reliability factor to consider in the different model years? What about breakdowns, preventative/regular maintenance, service while away etc? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]I would imagine the diamond in the rough would be a BAE repurchased/remanufactured A1 (rare).[/FONT]
Real world opinions/info from FMTV past, present owners would be much appreciated.
Thanks for everyone's time.
-Bob
For work I do project leads for groups of several hundred and many tasks concurrently. I work 6 days a week, 12 - 14 hour shifts. The money is decent, but seemingly not worth it most of the time (seems common in life..). I've saved up enough to make a nice rig, but nowhere near unicat, earthroamer etc status. I have budgeted 30k for the rig and 50k for the camper, understanding there's a 12-15% fudge factor in there. I say this just to share I feel comfortable enough to manage the labor, independent trades etc to perform the applicable work. [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Based on the number of hours I work, and the fact I'm not a mechanic or great handyman, and I don't prefer to tinker beyond what I have to. I can do interior work, sound proof etc, but I don't prefer and don't have a shop to do diesel work etc. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Early on I laughed at the idea of an FMTV for my rig, based on the interior and top speed/comfort. After researching over the past several months, I am drawn to them based on their overbuilt factor, money to material, etc. If I can acquire an FMTV for under $18k (seems very doable based on govplanet prices and shipping estimates) I estimate I can hire a diesel mechanic to check/replace air lines, fluids, overall maintenance, trouble shoot, make road worthy, etc. Ive read of a few suggested individuals from SS to swap the axles or pumpkins (if available) for higher speed, and redo the interior within budget. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]What I'm now left to decide, is which model year or spec M1083/M1088 to look for? With a mechanical overhaul to the truck (within reason, not a full resto by any means); high speed axles, and interior sound proofing, air ride seats, new seals, AC, etc; is the A1, A1R, A0 all that important? From my understanding the A0's were fixed for their initial problems to meet most A1 standards. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Is there a reliability factor to consider in the different model years? What about breakdowns, preventative/regular maintenance, service while away etc? [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]I would imagine the diamond in the rough would be a BAE repurchased/remanufactured A1 (rare).[/FONT]
Real world opinions/info from FMTV past, present owners would be much appreciated.
Thanks for everyone's time.
-Bob