Other Military Machines; Converted Civilian Vehicles

[cr4x4cruiser]

Would be interested in seeing a forum just for the rigs the military has had converted for their needs.

Some examples might be;

1) Fire Trucks

2) Fuel Rigs

3) Staff Cars

4) Construction Equipment

5) Support Vehicles


There are plenty of funky and "one-off" vehicles to keep many of us entertained, I suspect.

What's your opinion?

We'd like to know...

 

[wdbtchr]

It would probably be filled with pictures of "bobbed deuces". We see enough of them now.

 

[5tonjeepman]

Hi.......I have a 94' jeep cherokee I will be retrofitting to a 1955 M37 chassis and running gear.. The body is toast on the M37, been sitting for 20+years un-covered in the woods, there are 3-of them.. Too bad(((( I've curated the best one for this very important project, to me.. Should take about 2-months, the wheel-base is slightly off but that'll be taken care of, nicely..
It's a bit wider, that will take some thinking//? Just thought I would contribute..))

 

[gimpyrobb]

A wider stance on an off-road truck is adventagous.

 

[5tonjeepman]

That's what the problem is, the width is too wide for the body.. it looks weird.. The frame sits right under the floorpan on either side..
The wheels are about a foot outside the fenderflares that came with the jeep..

 

[oilcan]

I think the point of this thread is to talk about civilian vehicles that the military has appropriated for military uses. Staff cars and construction equipment are good examples from the original post.

Kinda like those "cattle cars" that new recruits get to ride around in, or the International trucks that take the place of deuces on base.





By the way, stuff like this occasionally shows up in the conversations forum.

 

[cr4x4cruiser]

Well, here is one example of the kind of vehicle I'm talking about;

It's an Airport Crash Truck, meant to run off into the woods. It was originally outfitted with Dry Chemical tanks & a cannon on the roof.

However, this vehicle is (apparently) even more rare than the original trucks. The original trucks were standard-issue International Harvester 1854's. Regular Cab & Chassis, outfitted with all the fire-fighting equipment.

For some reason, someone decided that they needed something a bit more unusual. Hence, this Cab-Forward design. Still, it's an IH Chassis.

However, this has become a problem, since it is so unusual. I have yet to find the correct manual for this rig. The manuals all lead back to the standard rig.

We'll get it sorted out, eventually.


1982 International Harvester 1854 4X4

DT-466 Turbo Injection

4sp Allison Automatic, w/ Hi/Lo

In-Cab Differential Lockout

170" wb

15 x 22.5 Singles

96" x 144" Service Bed.

Seating for three in the cab, and two - outside - behind cab.

Built by Fire-Tec, of Texas (out of business???)

Less than 12,000 miles

No smoke, purrs like a kitten, pulls like a ox.


Repairs required:

Replace damaged Tie-Rod

Front Bumper & Headlights

New Tires (too old - dry rot)


The green one is mine. The white one (CM-KFT is what was originally ordered by DoD - which is the only manuals I can locate.