• Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!

  • Microsoft MSN, Live, Hotmail, Outlook email users may not be receiving emails. We are working to resolve this issue. Please add support@steelsoldiers.com to your trusted contacts.

 

Unicorns are real.... NOS MEP-802A

Light in the Dark

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
3,501
4,899
113
Location
MA
Chaps, I didn't think it was possible. I was fortunate enough to be able to acquire 2 NOS MEP-802A units. These are honest to goodness, never fielded units as best I can tell. They still have the original tape over sheet metal seams, battery connections, heck... one of them retained part of the original cardboard wrap when it left DRS in Bridgeport. I will add more to the thread, but I just wanted to share with you some photos of one of the units. :)
 

Attachments

Light in the Dark

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
3,501
4,899
113
Location
MA
I have never seen load lugs or the operator control box so clean. To have a set that has never gone down range is pretty special... but two??
 

Attachments

Light in the Dark

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
3,501
4,899
113
Location
MA
Eh, I would have had to reject them. One has the paint scratched on the generator head and one has a dent in it.:ROFLMAO:
DANG you got lucky! Did you get a lucky price also?
The unit photographed had the larger dent towards the back, the other had a bit more dust on it, and seemingly a very small impression dent near the top left corner of the dead crank door. I believe both were damaged in whatever warehouse they had been sitting.... but yeah, I almost rejected them because of these egregious flaws. :cool:

No, these were not cheap by any measure of the word. I can tell you though that someone got them for a song. These were sold as scrap by the base which surplussed them.... our government at work folks.
 

Light in the Dark

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
3,501
4,899
113
Location
MA
Great lookin units-congrats ! Gov Planet?? How much ??
No, these were not offered through the auction chain. I was offered them by a private party whom I have received gensets from before. I have not made up my mind on what I want to do with the second one (the other unit was made available to a local SS member), so I would rather not discuss what it cost me. This is one of those cases like when buying guns... there is what they actually cost you, and what you tell your wife they cost ;)
 

Light in the Dark

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
3,501
4,899
113
Location
MA
One thing that I found interesting in discussing these machines with a DRS factory guy the other day... Lister Petter provided the engines to DRS with break in oil (just like the tag states on any Tier reset units with under 100hrs on them). That's not the interesting part... he states that "We at the factory did not run break in oil in them, we used regular diesel engine oil. Lister Petter ran them with break in oil before shipping to us, we used regular engine oil in them for our testing and we did extensive testing before we shipped the sets out."

So when they left Bridgeport, they were filled with regular weight oil, not the special break in fluid. I was asking more to understand how best to reactivate this machine... seems the drawing board is truly clean for me. I guess I could run a real nice T6 or something in it essentially "from new" and not worry about ring seating? I'm still on the fence, but I did find the fact interesting.

maxresdefault.jpg
 

Ray70

Well-known member
2,314
4,866
113
Location
West greenwich/RI
Awesome score... I'm by no means an expert on oil, but I would be hesitant to run straight synthetic right from the start, not so much for the rings but more for the lifters and cam. They use hydraulic lifters / cams which normally you would use an oil with high zinc content to break in properly. For the sake of a few bucks you can get bottles of zinc additive and put it in with whatever oil you choose. Cheap insurance for your investment, in my mind. Not to say synthetic will wipe you cam lobes, but the old hot rodding crowd has always said to break in you new cam and lifters with zinc additive and "2000 RPM right out of the gate for 20 minutes".
 

Light in the Dark

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
3,501
4,899
113
Location
MA
I will probably end up running John Deere break in plus, just because I don't see any harm in doing it that way regardless... just musing really.
 

cbisson

Well-known member
157
257
63
Location
NH
The unit photographed had the larger dent towards the back, the other had a bit more dust on it, and seemingly a very small impression dent near the top left corner of the dead crank door. I believe both were damaged in whatever warehouse they had been sitting.... but yeah, I almost rejected them because of these egregious flaws. :cool:

No, these were not cheap by any measure of the word. I can tell you though that someone got them for a song. These were sold as scrap by the base which surplussed them.... our government at work folks.
Which Rapco color would best match these units if you wanted to touch up the chips and scratches?
 

Light in the Dark

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
3,501
4,899
113
Location
MA
Which Rapco color would best match these units if you wanted to touch up the chips and scratches?
In looking through my notes, I have purchased this before: https://www.armyjeepparts.com/p-2338-34094-lusterless-carc-green-rattle-can-34094.aspx

I recall it being similar, like 95%, but not identical. Being that its truly not CARC (which is a good thing for your health), perhaps its not able to be 100% replicated. But hopefully others who have repainted OD sets before will chime in.
 

Light in the Dark

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
3,501
4,899
113
Location
MA
Maybe they were damaged during shipping and sat while claims were made and then never settled
I'M JEALOUS
Definite possibility. Doubt I will ever get such a chance again, which is why no matter the cost... I had to jump on them.
 

Ray70

Well-known member
2,314
4,866
113
Location
West greenwich/RI
I also use the Gillespe coatings 383 green from Rapco Parts 34094, looks to be the exact same can as what LITD gets from Army Jeep Parts.
It's probably a decent match on such a pristine NOS unit, but a little off on "Used" machines due to the fading of the original CARC coating.
Ends up a bit darker and a bit glossy compared to a faded 15 year old machine, but definitely better than chips and scratches.
 

smokem joe

Active member
500
66
28
Location
Green OH
My 803a I kept for my primary was the same way. It was issued to a national guard unit and only started a couple times to charge the batteries. Paperwork left in the door documented every minute it had been running. It had the great sum of 5. something hours on it. It was clean enough to eat off of inside
 
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website like our supporting vendors. Their ads help keep Steel Soldiers going. Please consider disabling your ad blockers for the site. Thanks!

I've Disabled AdBlock
No Thanks