Not familiar with M880

I'm new to this beast and have an opportunity to buy one. What do I look for to make sure I'm getting a fairly good truck? Rust--of course. I understand the engine is a 318. Are the axles, transfer case and tranny rugged? Gear ratios deep? Thanks for any pointers on what to look for.
Steve

318. 727 tranny, dana 44 front, dana 60 rear, open diffs, NP203 transfer case, 4.10 gears. Pretty tough trucks. Basically a W200 Dodge pickup. Not too well liked by the masses but I think they are a great truck. Rust is the #1 issue I'd say.

steve

your deuce will be easier to steer than the M880

they are a rugged truck, but no creature comforts at all

Dave

Your Deuce will probably get better gas mileage as well....................

I agree with Dave and Clinto on both accounts.

Hey now. They are good trucks, but they are fulltime 4WD and have a few issues in common with the civilian fulltime 4WD Dodge trucks from 1975-81. Rust is always an issue with these trucks as well as the unit bearing front hub design. Some people swear by the unit bearing, but most swear at them and all other arguments aside, they are much more maintenance intensive that traditional dual cone bearing front hubs. I for one will not own a truck with unit bearings as I am very rough on my trucks and I have seen to many failures to have confidence in them. I don't think anyone can seriously argue that there are not more front bearing issues with the 75-81 and the 84 and up trucks than were in the 74 and older and 82-93 trucks.

Other than those issues, they are a good truck and a worthy platform for modifications. The 318 is a very good and durable engine and the 727 is probably the finest automatic transmission ever made. They make good work and play trucks if you take their few issues into consideration. In my case it's easier to start with something else and make it more military rather than have to swap out 80% of the drivetrain to get the 4 speed and other heavier components so I bought my '88 Ramcharger and swapped a few parts in.

I have found that the electrical system is the biggest headach, expecially the junction between the engin compartment and the cab. Just make sure everything electrical works on these trucks and it is as rust free as possiable.

It is tough on gas, Most get 9 to 11 MPG But if you swap in a power steering unit and keep everything greased in the front end you will never regret owning it.

N1265 said:

I have found that the electrical system is the biggest headach, expecially the junction between the engin compartment and the cab. Just make sure everything electrical works on these trucks and it is as rust free as possiable.

It is tough on gas, Most get 9 to 11 MPG But if you swap in a power steering unit and keep everything greased in the front end you will never regret owning it.

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My m880 is an old PO.......well crap. But it's held up to the abuse of 15 years of hauling gravel and other heavy stuff. The electrical can be confusing, and irritating, mainly the gauges, and in dash stuff have issues.

They are horrible on gas, mine I believe to get about 6-8mpg, but then again I have no way of telling other than $60 in gas to go across town, play in the mud for 45 minutes, and come back to run out in my driveway.

The truck has something like 21 or so grease fittings that you will need to check regularly. I recommend using Green Grease, as it is harder to wash away than lithium grease.

bearings are an issue with ALL older dodges, and should be checked and possibly re-packed before being driven daily.

Make sure the truck starts, runs, drives, shifts good, and goes into 4wd. Main rust areas are fenders under the hood, cab corners, rain guards, and wheel wells.

Like any vehicle 30+ years old, they have issues, but are still great trucks and rugged and more tough and reliable than the cucvs with their annoying 6.2 non functional diesel motor.(at least the two I owned were POS). If you can get it for cheap, you will fall in love with it.

My .02

-Richard

I personally know two dealers that sell both the Dodge mid-70s trucks and the CUCVs and they would take a Dodge in similar condition over a CUCV any day of the week...no questions asked. The Dodges have a bad reputation, but I don't think it is deserved. I've driven one...never have owned one...but would like to one day. Vehicle price and my disposable income have never met in space and time...yet.

ChevyPowerWagon said:

bearings are an issue with ALL older dodges, and should be checked and possibly re-packed before being driven daily.

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I would have to politely disagree with this statement. As I mentioned before, only the '75-'81 Dodge models use that bearing design. The '74 and older models had normal, and actually quite over sized cone bearings that required only the usual repacking every 12-15k miles. Ignore the unit bearing style that long and you are asking for trouble. Personally, I don't think there has been a truck made since that can hold a candle to a 1974 Dodge W200. Just my .02

Thanks for the quick response guys. Hard to turn eh Dave, and bad mileage Clinto. Okay. I may pass. I looked at it today. Wiring is alll hacked up, no bed, 160,000 miles, running condition was unknown. No rust on the cab or frame. Had the original 24 volt military alternator still in its place but not hooked up. I figure that's worth something especially if it works! Thought it might be a nice tinker project. $500 too high? Thanks.
Steve

$500 isn't a bad price, if it's not running I'd try to get it for less though. A bed can be found for around $500 or less, the wiring isn't too bad. You can get diagrams in the repair manuals form advance auto parts. Tinker, you will do alot of, but I'm sure once you get it on it's feet you will love it.

Don't even mess with the Haynes manuals at Advance. They are horribly wrong on numerous points. The TMs are here on SS for the M880 series that you can download for free. Also, just about anything you could ever need to know about D or W series trucks can be found over at RamchargerCentral, although the site appears to be down at the moment.

I have the Chilton book, and some stuff in it is correct, but 90% seems to be on point. I bought my book from O'reilys. I didn't know you guys had the TMs right here. (shoots self in foot) I looked everywhere for them. lol

I think you can still get complete wireing harness for these trucks, maybe try Saturn Surplus.

swaping in a Power Steering unit is a piece of cake so dont let the hard steering keep you from these trucks.

There is nothing you can do about the bad gas milage, except keeping the key out of the ignition. even if you were to make some changes and maybe gain a couple of MPGs it is still Bad gas milage. At $4.00 a gallon you will need to Give this some thought before deciding on one of these trucks. ( IMHO )

ELWENIL is right about RamchargerCentral another good place for help is the PowerwagonAdvitserForum. Any problem you could possiably run into with these trucks you can get help form at these places, they are a good bunch of guys.

I will not comment on the price, But I will tell you that if you have your heart set on one of these trucks there are still enough trucks out there that would make a better canidate for a complete restoration ( running, more complete with fewer miles )


Good Luck !

Wow. Very good and practical answers! Thanks. You've successfully dissuaded me from buying. I'll look into a 5 ton!

I dont think you should buy it. It is better off a parts truck. You should buy something that runs. Maybe a CUCV. I have two M885s, for the past 7 years, I do love them though. You can buy most parts at Advance Auto. The engines are weak, and bad on gas. You really have to love them to own them