New One from indiana looking for a M814 RV

Wow. First, let me just say that I'm in about a dozen web forums already, but this one takes the cake. The depth and breadth of information here (within its milieu, naturally) is the best I've ever seen of any web forum, even CrownVic.net. The forum search tools are the best I've ever seen.

Anyway. Hi. Yes, I'm a girl. I'm also a "carguy", as might have been guessed from my being a member of CVN above. I'm also on Pirate4x4.com.

The one thing that brought me out of the woodwork... well, It's a little hard to pin it down to just one thing. Definitely a love for machines and wrenching there upon, but I also love designing and building new ones.

The new one I want to build requires that I be able to lay hands on a functional M814 as a starting point. From there, I would remove the 20' bed, sling a couple of bogey wheels under it and a military hitch so I could actually tow my M814's own bed behind it like an out-sized M105. (Oh, and I'm not entirely competent with the military nomenclature, so expect me to screw it up from time to time. Before I was born, my mom was a crypto-clerk in the Air Force and tells me she never even picked up a weapon in all the time she served. I know. I was appalled too.)

For a temporary bed replacement, I could see bolting on a 20' corrugated steel shipping container painted to match and outfitted for roughing it, but eventually, I'd want to skin the truck right down to its chassis.

The cab, fenders, hood, all of it goes bye-bye. Add on a front hydraulic winch if it doesn't already have one (and maybe one on the back). Swap the military issue wheels and tires for same diameter and twice the roadway contact patch super-singles. While I'm at it, swap out all of the drums for some big pizza pan disk brakes. And this is the tricky part, try to find a way to strip down the NHC250 and sling it behind the right-rear tires and its radiator on the left . I know, I'll be doing violence to my take off and approach angles doing all this, but it'll all make sense in the next paragraph.

Once what can now only charitably still be called an M814 is working mechanicly soundly in its new configuration, a pair of Z cuts to the chassis rails and a stretch of about 12 feet or a combination of 12 feet before and after the double axle makes the truck's new overall length 45', the legal maximum for an RV. Get an aluminum skinned 45' high cube shipping container, bolt it on top of the new lengthened chassis. Add three inches of so of rigid blue foam insulation and a fresh aluminum skin screwed and rivetted over that and it'll be the legal maximum width of 8'6". the HC shipping container is 9'6", so as long as the top level of the chassis can be suspension tuned to no more than 4', then I'll stay under the legal maximum height of 13'6".

A little work with the plasma cutter, angle grinder, sawzall, and mig welder for the foward windshield and the side door, and the renovations can begin in ernest.

Go ahead. Tell me what a lunatic idea it is. I need a little naysaying to keep me grounded in reality. The hardest part for me conceptually will be off-angle motor mount. Maybe a replacement transfer case of some description can get the final drive shaft angle out there in line with the rear pinion plate. Maybe when I inevibly Z-cut the rear of the chassis to lengthen it, I'll just spread it so the engine can fit comfortably between them.

Then, there's the issue of steering, but when the new driver's position is going to be so much more forward of the original driver's position, that was a foregone conclusion. Are completely hydraulic steering linkages DOT approved yet?

I'm working on cleaning up some diagrams from some TMs so I can pit it all together in a Flash animation at some point. Curse my OCD that won't let me use half-assed diagrams, they have to be dimensionally perfect. As might be obvious, I think while I'm writing, and I tend to write what I think.

Love the name!!

WOW Ambitious ... opcorn:opcorn: waiting for the picture show.
-Rick

BB: Same as on Pirate4x4. I'm also partial to the Steampunk aesthetic, so I don't mind being called a saucy wench... in the right context.



Rick: Go big or go home.

I'm also designing a 3000 sqft house using seven 40' steel HC shipping containers, but it don't go nowheres.

i assume you love playing with dangerous equipment then lol

The trick is not working with dangerous equipment or not working with dangerous equipment, for all equipment is dangerous if used (in)correctly. The trick is knowing which end of a piece of equipment is more dangerous than the other ends.

My original plan for this RV would have started from bone scratch with three 5-ton front drive axles, and I was going to space them evenly along a scratch built ladder frame. It was going to be able to crab from side to side and with rear steer, it'd certainly cut down on the turning radius., but then I'd have to start out with a custom suspension as well and I'd need to find an engine and instruments and yada, yada. Starting with an M814 is a nice first step. It'll eventually allow me to get my hands dirty in diesel mechanics and what not.

Might want to get me an M818 in the bargain, that way I have a way of lifting the bigger pieces of the M814 around. Damnit. I swore I wasn't gonna keep growing my vehice collection.

true about which end is the danger end, but im afraid i dont have much of a clue about the vehicles as im more into boats and dont actually own a vehicle apart from a 50cc scooter lol

816

Yes! Thank you, Robb. I just realized my error from a moment ago and was coming back to correct myself only to discover that someone else already had. Good. Yes. M816 wrecker is what I was referring to.

Thats one of the things you will spend the most coin on.

Why not use a long wheel base van truck on a M35 frame (M292?). No need reinventing the wheel when you dont have to. Van trailers are prewired and well insulated. the long wheel base ones are somewhat rare but M109 trailers are very easy to come by shown below.

THere is also the 820 5ton vans too.

Wow, think your kinda of unconventional...

Anyways, we are not as rough as Pirate4x4. Thank god. I must warn you, seen to have had a rash of newer people posting up some wild ideas, and then nothing happening, or going way out to defend a bad idea/misinformation. But everyone is given a fair chance, and heck, you want to build a wild rv, have at it!

Did see some 814's recently on GL. Not a very common truck.

Welcome aboard, and let us know what you come up with.

Dennis

Unless it comes in this form.

<imagine a beat to crap picked over M816 offered for sale on an auction site>

Then, of course, still, major coin. It was one of those Wouldn't-It-Be-Nice-Ifs.

What's the X in XM816 mean? A prefix of X seems to have as much meaning as a suffix of A2 a lot of times.

Dennis: Yeah, and I could very well wind up as one of those big spash in the pool that leaves no ripples. Entire possible. I'm in the research phase. Lots of tape measures and scribbled calculations.

I thought about those 820s. but the interior of a 45' shipping container is just so free form, I've gotta try for it, plus, that project comes with its own free sub-project of a towable. =)

Posting links to auctions is not allowed here. you might want to edit that post.

Hey, at least it wont have button tuck red seats........right?

Interesting concept, best of luck. Keep us posted and be sure to post lots of pics.

Hemmitt 816

Sounds like my brother in law's rig, or his ex-rig, they sold it at barret jacksen a while back?
Check DRACO out?

index

Guess he never built the truck.

I personally looked at 3 different M814 today in Indianapolis.

If you haven't found one there around.

Tom