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Looking for advice on a possible build

Flanjan

New member
11
0
0
Location
Saint Paul, MN
I have a 1977 m880 that I am considering making into a summer time camping vehicle in MN. I'd like to do some mild off-roading while keeping it reasonably reliable and able to put a few miles on it.

1. Rims. I plan on swapping from stock rims to a 16" so it's easier to source tires as well as get a spare. I know I can find some stuff in junk yards but would ultimately like to get 5, for a full size spare. I don't want to run a spacer if possible so I am looking for suggestions for what rims people have gotten and what backspacing would allow a.) a larger tire and b.) put the least amount of additional stress on front end parts.

2. Tires. I also plan on putting bigger tires on it. What are peoples recommendations for 33" vs 35" ? I want to keep in mind it will have stock gearing and want decent reliability but if the general consensus is 33" vs 35" wouldn't have much difference on longevity of parts and the 35"s clear, I'd probably go that route.

3. Lifts. Is a 4" lift going to diminish u-joint life to a large amount? Is adding a spring in the front going to clear 35"s? Would 35"s and/or 33"s clear with no lift? What are peoples experiences.

4. Motor rebuilds. There's a lot of stuff out there about the 318 getting some impressive numbers with fairly simple rebuilds. What kind of builds have people done and what did you notice you started tearing up the quickest after the rebuild?

5. Lockers. I don't think I'd ever stick the money into it but who has put selectable lockers in the rear or even front? Was it worth it?

6. Transmission. It looks like shift kits are fairly straight forward and affordable for the 727. Any one do any transmission work on their 880? Was there really any improvement?

7. Other stuff. Any one have any other tips/tricks/suggestions? I've rebuilt the carb and had to do new rear wheel cylinders. I also had to do front rotors and calipers. I advanced the timing a little and other than that there hasn't been much else I've done with it. It was a former fire truck and they never removed the light bar and the federal siren so that's all still there and working. It has minimal rust, especially for MN, but from snow on the fire fighters boots there is some holes in the drivers side floor board. I know I can get a floor pan for like $60 or so but I may just cut out the area and weld some sheet in. I plan on removing the light bar and painting it something other than faded fire engine red.

I've been doing a lot of reading (more so recently) since I got the truck ~3 years ago. I know some of this stuff is loosely covered in other threads and I've tried to not ask repeated questions.
Thanks for any info and input!
 

CARMAN

Active member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
668
133
43
Location
Broad Run VA
Don't know much about these but I say go for it...and post some pictures. Then we can plan your build!! And I wanted to bump you back to the top.
 

Bob H

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
3,135
148
63
Location
Huron National Forest, Michigan USA
1. I have 16" wheels from an older F250 with Firestone Destination MT 235/85R16's (32's) on my M884, had run 16x8 wagon wheels with 285/75R16's (33's) before that. Running original M880 wheels with 36" HUMVEE tires on my M880.

2."Add a Leaf" up front helps the bigger tires clear.

3. see #2 above

4. all mine are stock, a cam & aftermarket heads would liven things up. (stock heads just can't flow enough)

5. I've gone through some nasty stuff with the open diffs

6. The TF727 is very strong & reliable, wouldn't mess with a shift kit unless you really upped the output of the engine.

7. front wheel bearings can be greased with a grease gun without pulling the hubs.
 
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