Welcome Back

[New2Skool]

Hello All,
First, I am sorry that I have been detained this spring and summer.
I have missed the Skoolie world and this wonderful forum.
Proud to say, that I am back.
My most recent time consuming project is completed and on the market.

My 1987 HMMWV started out as you see above and has turned into this.




Since, it was completed a couple of weeks ago. I have installed electrical conduit in my bus, I have applied roughly 500 rivets with about 1,500 more to go. I have created and installed a rough frame on the interior and prepared for window installation. I had to focus on weatherizing my bus as the summer is done and it has been sprinkling most days since and that will soon turn to huge mounds of snow blanketing everything including my bus.

I have put exactly zero miles on my bus this summer but, I have started it numerous times and ran the usual upkeep routine on it. It still purrs like a kitten thankfully. The subfloor and rough floor is done, that subfloor PL glue spared me the work of screwing, bolting or affixing the subfloor to the metal 10g floor. 1 inch of foil faced insulation topped with two inches of rigid insulation covered with 5/8ths inch plywood creates a very nice floor. There is no noise coming from the insulation or plywood, it is solid and reminds me of a bowling alley.

The interior framing is done, I have created a new mid-beam from the interior. A good solid attaching point for interior walls, counter tops, fixtures and furniture in the future. I just started the electrical systems and I have decided to run reduntant systems. 12v dc directly from the solar system and battery bank with a 110v ac system operated by shore power or onboard generator. Now, I am researching further into heating and cooling my original selection of wood burning immediately ended when I toured an Ice Castle and found a AC Heater unit much like the ones you find in a hotel room but, this unit produced 13,000 or 15,000 btus and won me over on the spot.

The bus is coming along and I am refreshed and ready to begin working on it this fall and winter. I will be unable to insulate with foam this season and will have to wait until spring and summer. So, in order to continue working I will finish electrical, plumbing and partially close the walls with plywood so I can begin other projects in a compartmentalized fashion. Once, built, temp installed and fitted properly I can remove them, remove the plywood interior walls and insulate when the weather permits next spring.

So, what do you guys think of my monster war machine? Was it a worthy cause for a six month delay in my bus project?

Thanks

[PNW_Steve]

Hey New2Skool,

Kewl rig!! I have been eyeballing them on the auction site and wondering how tough it is to get them registered? I did some searching and was surprised at how little information that I could find.

[New2Skool]

The process for getting them road worthy is tough.
Personally, I dont trust the auction sites.
Gov Planet does a fine job selling them but, EUC and DOD requirements are insane. Background checks and pay up front for a sight unseen truck with a quick salesmen inspection.
Then you get to wait a few months before it is cleared for release and you have to have it shipped from the base to your address since, there is no title and it comes with a federal property title only.

The starting prices are great but, a $5,500 truck probably wont run or it will have horrific mechanical issues. Something decent will hit $10,000-$15,000 flat with minor issues. The good finds auction off for $30,000 roughly. A rebuilt truck like mine that is standard (soft doors, top, original equipment) will sell for $20-25k, a customizes truck like mine goes for 25-35 grand. A full off frame restore hits $40-60 thousand. Now, if you do an era restoration back to 1987, 1993, 1999 with turret, doors, airlift bumpers, equipment, rebuilt or replaced duramax engine, upgrade tranny and everything you can hit $70,000 to $90,000.

Now, getting an auction truck titled is a hassle. The local DMV has no idea what to do with a six digit VIN number plus the manufacturer is not a national listed company so it rarely pops up in their auto fill out forms. The argument it is an off road vehicle only comes up, you can get it titled as an off road title easily but, if you take it off property and it hits pavement you will lose it and your local fire department will have a new rescue vehicle.

Before you go for an on road title, you need to have an emissions stamp through the state. Change out some engine components and upgraded a few things like the fuel filter, exhaust system, carbon sensor, etc then they measure everything in parts per million and if you make it boom you get your $455 stamp. Then you need to take it in to the local highway patrol for road safety inspection. You will need reverse lights, upgraded headlights, removal of black out lights, seat belts, safety glass windsheild, pillar cushions and at very least an actually front bumper. Then you get that paperwork signed off and you can apply for an on road title.

The DMV that already loves you, fights tooth and nail. It is a military vehicle, no on road title generally. You give them your paperwork and they struggle with everything. Six digit vin number doesnt work in the computer so it ends up going back and forth in the mail to the state. Then you run into little unknown problems, vehicle color. Woodland Camo pattern, which color makes up the majority color of the vehicle? Green. Rejected, state considers the primary vehicle color black. Once you are all done with that and have your on road title you get to start the next chapter.

Insurance, it is very much like insuring our skoolies. Nobody knows what the hell you are talking about or how to value it. They dont know what the under writers think or say about it. It took me 14 companies to find a company that would insure my HMMWV but, I was very lucky it is 30 years old this year and classified as a classic collectors car and for $15,000 in coverage it ran me $440 per year. It saved me about 500 bucks a year if it was one year newer.

Then you have a titled, insured vehicle you can drive through town. The loudest, coldest or hottest, cramped vehicle you have ever driven. You get two blocks through town and you hear a siren behind you and see lights flashing. Some local cop needs to check out your vehicle make sure it is safe and up to street standards, like he is some expert on vehicle requirements all of a sudden which naturally ticks you off immediately. He looks in the truck, asks you why you need this, what do you want to do with it, where did you get it and how much, then indirectly threatens you, keep it off the grass or I will be cruising this.

Any mechanical issues then can be addressed. I had to replace both of the batteries since it is a 24v system and I added a third for my toys and extra winter starting ability. My alternator was over powering so I had to replace it with a $800 rebuilt alternator generator the new generators are about $1400. I had to order filters and gaskets which doesnt sound like much since they come in a nice service pack from a few online stores but, they are about $140 for a full set of filters and maint gaskets. Garages and mechanics look at it and either refuse to work on it or say they need to double their hourly labor prices. So, you end up doing most of the work yourself.

Oh the bright side of owning a former war machine. I pulled a full size 72 passenger school bus out of the ditch without a problem last march. I pulled down over 60 widow maker hanging storm damaged trees without a concern. I can cover terrain the local big truck shop spends tens of thousands upgrading their dodges, fords, chevys and jeeps to do what my truck does naturally. I took third place in the local car show just parked it and walked away all day haha. You cant get through town without having about a hundred pictures taken of your truck. You have to park it within sight if you go in a store because people will check it out, open the doors, climb on it, take pictures and treat it like it is a public display piece. The cops cant stop you, run flat tires, heavier vehicle, impossible to pit, they cant get through the doors or windows thanks to ballistic thickness. I carry twenty extra gallons inside of the truck in jerry cans to double the 200-250 mile range.

Ideal top speed of 45-47mph gives you a very nice slow paced ride but, in that truck you are not wanting to get anyway to fast. You are a head turner and love pulling up next to a brand new $65,000 Raptor and seeing the driver kinda sink in their seat a little and what appears to be pee leaking from the rear of the the raptor.

I honestly, hate to get rid of it. It was purchased as a flipper vehicle and it is ready for a new home but, I love it and have put enough blood sweat tears and thousands of dollars into it. $30,000 and you can drive it home hell, for my fellow skoolie folks I would knock off $3,000 instantly.

[cadillackid]

nice rig!! but what can tyou do with it? no windows .. hard to drive.. and im guessing no A/C so a crazy hot box in the summer.. do you have to take the gun off to drive it around town without every cop looking at you? definitely would be a cool toy or true utility on a farm or woods like you used it for... dragging trees out and such. whats in those a 6.5?
-Christopher

[New2Skool]

Thanks, it has front door windows.
They open slightly haha.
It does get hot but, I build folding suicide doors so they open and close as you like as you drive. Or you can just remove the doors all together and scary the heck out of yourself.
The driving isnt bad as I first thought it would be.
I am a big giant guy and I am comfortable in it for an hour or two then the legs rubbing on the vehicle gets a little old.
Haha what is AC the AC units for these trucks are $3,900.
Nope the gun I made, plywood and PVC it stays on unless I go through the woods or need to haul metal home then I pull it off and toss it in the back.
The cops get a little flustered at first but, once they check you out and determine you are not to crazy they ignore you after that.
It is an amazing toy, powerful, unbelievable off road abilities, 512 gear hubs gives me a max of 29,000 ft lbs of tort.
I may not be able to drive fast as the speed limit but, I can pull houses off the foundations.
Engine is a 6.2 diesel, pre turbo model so I avoided a lot of issues the turbo models face. It is still comparitively a mechanical driven truck compared to the newer models that are computer controlled and far less mechanical.
It is a blast to cruise and show off.

[spenceronehalf]

Love the build. Great work


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by New2Skool

Thanks, it has front door windows.
They open slightly haha.
It does get hot but, I build folding suicide doors so they open and close as you like as you drive. Or you can just remove the doors all together and scary the heck out of yourself.
The driving isnt bad as I first thought it would be.
I am a big giant guy and I am comfortable in it for an hour or two then the legs rubbing on the vehicle gets a little old.
Haha what is AC the AC units for these trucks are $3,900.
Nope the gun I made, plywood and PVC it stays on unless I go through the woods or need to haul metal home then I pull it off and toss it in the back.
The cops get a little flustered at first but, once they check you out and determine you are not to crazy they ignore you after that.
It is an amazing toy, powerful, unbelievable off road abilities, 512 gear hubs gives me a max of 29,000 ft lbs of tort.
I may not be able to drive fast as the speed limit but, I can pull houses off the foundations.
Engine is a 6.2 diesel, pre turbo model so I avoided a lot of issues the turbo models face. It is still comparitively a mechanical driven truck compared to the newer models that are computer controlled and far less mechanical.
It is a blast to cruise and show off.

$3900. for an AC unit? its a custom rig wouldnt you just make one up as you go? ive built a lot of custom A/C for much less than $3900. or is it a "keep it to original" kind of thing?

-Christopher

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

$3900. for an AC unit? its a custom rig wouldnt you just make one up as you go? ive built a lot of custom A/C for much less than $3900. or is it a "keep it to original" kind of thing?

-Christopher

They use the Red Dot A/C system. It is a nice complete package and they do fetch a premium. You generally want to keep it stock because the Military spent so much effort to get it right.

The problem with the Hummers is the title. They were sold as off-road titles and a bunch of guys got them pushed-through DMV and got plates. Our DMV is pulling those titles now and many of those who paid higher prices for on-road titles got burned.

Former Military equip is weird- Uncle Sam still has some say about what happens to some of it- EUC