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MTV / LMTV crew cab / 4-doors

BadRobot

Member
153
2
18
Location
Raleigh, NC
Is it possible to convert MTV / LMTV to crew cab / 4 doors? Will the cab lifting mechanism support the weight of the new cab? I am working on converting a MTV / LMTV to a overland vehicle but I need 4 seats for my family. Any suggestions / inputs are greatly appreciated.

Best regards,
 

coachgeo

Well-known member
4,964
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113
Location
North of Cincy OH
Is it possible to convert MTV / LMTV to crew cab / 4 doors? Will the cab lifting mechanism support the weight of the new cab? I am working on converting a MTV / LMTV to a overland vehicle but I need 4 seats for my family. Any suggestions / inputs are greatly appreciated. Best regards,
That concept of everyone in the cab keeps getting passed on but have you ever asked WHY!!! What value is there to that arrangment. Safty?? really that is safer?


As a kid back in the 70's we had a motorhome, those days they were cheaper than Cadillacs neighbors drove lol. Cept me on occasion my sisters and I never wanted to sit up by the windshield. Sure it was a Dumb move; Motorhome bodies are notoriously weak. Buttt..... from that I came to realization .... IMHO big cab is waste of money and space.

Build a camper box suitable to transport kids. The military boxes (S280) are significantly stronger than the cab anyway. One to no kids in cab; Mom and rest of the kids in back in the box buckled into a suitable seat. Later as they are older Mom in front as Co pilot and kids in back. A good communication system from Camper box to driver along with video monitor in cab showing what is going on in camper, is significantly cheaper than fabricating a Doka/Dual cab and agan IMHO everyone in the box will be safer than those in the cab as long as you have the right box.

PS- for ideas look at how ambulances are constructed. They are obviously certified to carry passengers in the box.

Question.. S280 Comm boxes.... were personnel inside the boxes when trucks were bopping around on highway or areas of conflict?
 
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1951M1078

Well-known member
1,018
184
63
Location
Glendale,AZ
Leg room will be a problem to the rear. If you look at the center seat,the motor is in the way so the floor came up.
But I would be cool.
 

BadRobot

Member
153
2
18
Location
Raleigh, NC
That concept of everyone in the cab keeps getting passed on but have you ever asked WHY!!! What value is there to that arrangment. Safty?? really that is safer?


As a kid back in the 70's we had a motorhome, those days they were cheaper than Cadillacs neighbors drove lol. Cept me on occasion my sisters and I never wanted to sit up by the windshield. Sure it was a Dumb move; Motorhome bodies are notoriously weak. Buttt..... from that I came to realization .... IMHO big cab is waste of money and space.

Build a camper box suitable to transport kids. The military boxes (S280) are significantly stronger than the cab anyway. One to no kids in cab; Mom and rest of the kids in back in the box buckled into a suitable seat. Later as they are older Mom in front as Co pilot and kids in back. A good communication system from Camper box to driver along with video monitor in cab showing what is going on in camper, is significantly cheaper than fabricating a Doka/Dual cab and agan IMHO everyone in the box will be safer than those in the cab as long as you have the right box.

PS- for ideas look at how ambulances are constructed. They are obviously certified to carry passengers in the box.

Question.. S280 Comm boxes.... were personnel inside the boxes when trucks were bopping around on highway or areas of conflict?
Thank you for your response.

Are there any laws or regulations that prohibit people to sit in the RV when it is in motion / moving?

I am also thinking about pass-through door between the cab and the box. Assume that I can relocate spare tire carrier, air filter / snorkel, etc. behind the cab to somewhere and build the box close enough to the cab.
 

Rebuilder

Member
96
5
8
Location
Minnesota
Thank you for your response.

Are there any laws or regulations that prohibit people to sit in the RV when it is in motion / moving?

I am also thinking about pass-through door between the cab and the box. Assume that I can relocate spare tire carrier, air filter / snorkel, etc. behind the cab to somewhere and build the box close enough to the cab.
There's room for a pass thru without moving the tire and air intake. It would be more of a tunnel but there's room. and regarding RV passengers.... http://blog.rvshare.com/things-need-know-rv-seat-belt-laws/
 

coachgeo

Well-known member
4,964
3,332
113
Location
North of Cincy OH
Suggest either Van seats or passenger seats from vehicles be used in camper. One example is van seats that fold to a bed like https://shop4seats.com/van-seats/sofas-and-benches.html Course you can get these used as well. All seats and seat belts mounted to good metal structures in the cab. That is another advantage of getting seats from a Pick and Pull like place... crawling around pulling seats and belts educates you on what is good/bad seat and seat belt mounting. Have seen some who torched out sections from the metal floor of a van and welded that into the floor of their camper so the van seats could maintain the same hook in system. This allowed for removing seats etc. as was designed into the van.
 

agazza2

Active member
483
31
28
Location
Ahwatukee, AZ
Somewhere I had seen a FMTV that came out of the military with a seat mounted sideways above the storage box area giving you four seats in the cab. Your legs would have to be flat on the floor. But for short distances may not be to bad if you had a cushion on the floor. If you are building a Expedition back, register it as a RV when completed, and then it "should" be legal in most states if there was a pass through.

Ambulance bodies are also good for an RV as they already meet crash standards. I am using one for my trailer build.
 

ke5eua

Well-known member
2,568
40
48
Location
Baton Rouge (Central), LA
That concept of everyone in the cab keeps getting passed on but have you ever asked WHY!!! What value is there to that arrangment. Safty?? really that is safer?


As a kid back in the 70's we had a motorhome, those days they were cheaper than Cadillacs neighbors drove lol. Cept me on occasion my sisters and I never wanted to sit up by the windshield. Sure it was a Dumb move; Motorhome bodies are notoriously weak. Buttt..... from that I came to realization .... IMHO big cab is waste of money and space.

Build a camper box suitable to transport kids. The military boxes (S280) are significantly stronger than the cab anyway. One to no kids in cab; Mom and rest of the kids in back in the box buckled into a suitable seat. Later as they are older Mom in front as Co pilot and kids in back. A good communication system from Camper box to driver along with video monitor in cab showing what is going on in camper, is significantly cheaper than fabricating a Doka/Dual cab and agan IMHO everyone in the box will be safer than those in the cab as long as you have the right box.

PS- for ideas look at how ambulances are constructed. They are obviously certified to carry passengers in the box.

Question.. S280 Comm boxes.... were personnel inside the boxes when trucks were bopping around on highway or areas of conflict?

My first deployment the drive to
Iraq from Kuwait and back there was a guy or gal in the 250 shelters.

The comm shelters normally aren't used while traveling, I want to say the only reason we had someone in this shelter was because of the fbcb2 system as it was the main system for the battalion.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

coachgeo

Well-known member
4,964
3,332
113
Location
North of Cincy OH
Somewhere I had seen a FMTV that came out of the military with a seat mounted sideways above the storage box area giving you four seats in the cab.....
Trying to picture this. Are you saying there were two seats back to back on the hump in the center and riders in those seats sat facing the side windows and legs dropping into area behind pilot and co-pilot seats? hmmm..... interesting idea. Especially of one laid back and other slide forward and then laid back.... combined that makes a bed.

I had considered removing the Co-Pilot seat and putting a Van bench seat across the back. Would give seating for two Co-Pilots in back...... Middle bench sitting arrangement would be same as standard third seat and regular Co-pilot would now be further back on bench as well. This would even increase cab storage and make it feel more roomy with typical Co-pilot seat gone. In addition with this option and use of a sleeper Van bench seat instead of typical, then one could fold driver seat flat forward and then bench can slide to a bed position. Would be a good private sleep spot for oldest teen in family? Original Co-pilot area could be porta potty with Curtain. Great if younger kids in cab whose little bladders want alot of potty stops. Cabin fridge for lunch on the road under bench at far back end of Co-pilot side?

Another option even more unconventional is same above but have a Co-Pilot seat with them sitting in non pilot sit position; AKA- facing driver. For enter and exit that whole seat tips forward over hump to access getting into back bench seats. This configuration would make 3 Co-Pilots seats allowing for leg room of far right back one on bench seat. Not measured it out but thinking was this might give enough room to that person to place legs to floor; maybe???

803b01be03e07e37a3f52cdd836d10b1.jpg
above ideas flowed from this image
 
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