5 top items to check before buying a M923A2, Good +/- Price point Dec 2021

[Superthermal]

Hello ALL,
Looking to purchase a decent M923A2 need some upfront advice. What are the top 5 things I should be checking to ensure I am not out too much $$$ if a particular system is in poor needing replacement condition I know I will be spending money on this but I would prefer not to be spending TOO MUCH where I wasn't expecting it.. I have already looked over this potential rig and it appears to be very stock and very little rust of any kind. I know it had a little work done on the 8.3 like a new head gasket done by Boyce Equipment. I know the gas gauge doesn't work well because the owner ran it out of fuel. The tires have no serious cracking but do look like they are low and possibly Flat seeing there is no load in it but the rear tires are bulging a bit. The tires are 14.00 R20 Goodyear. I dont know how much sidewall strength these tires have to know if this is flat or not. Unit has a soft top. I have not had a chance to look inside the cab but I will next week. Thanks pre-post to anyone willing to give the kind of excellent advice they wish they had had before making a purchase. Your welcome to throw in what price is decent for a good running stock unit in your view.

Just FYI I will be in my mind planning a Big Cam 400, Eaton 8LL manual or similar trans and a 50000 transfer case somewhere in the future of this rig or one like it. Even a M800 series looks great to me and I actually like the M800 series hood assembly more. I don't expect this "conversion" to happening right away so I need what is on this to work out of the gate to keep me and my best friend/amazing wife happy. Thanks again.

 

[98G]

Hello ALL,
Looking to purchase a decent M923A2 need some upfront advice. What are the top 5 things I should be checking to ensure I am not out too much $$$ if a particular system is in poor needing replacement condition I know I will be spending money on this but I would prefer not to be spending TOO MUCH where I wasn't expecting it.. I have already looked over this potential rig and it appears to be very stock and very little rust of any kind. I know it had a little work done on the 8.3 like a new head gasket done by Boyce Equipment. I know the gas gauge doesn't work well because the owner ran it out of fuel. The tires have no serious cracking but do look like they are low and possibly Flat seeing there is no load in it but the rear tires are bulging a bit. The tires are 14.00 R20 Goodyear. I dont know how much sidewall strength these tires have to know if this is flat or not. Unit has a soft top. I have not had a chance to look inside the cab but I will next week. Thanks pre-post to anyone willing to give the kind of excellent advice they wish they had had before making a purchase. Your welcome to throw in what price is decent for a good running stock unit in your view.

Just FYI I will be in my mind planning a Big Cam 400, Eaton 8LL manual or similar trans and a 50000 transfer case somewhere in the future of this rig or one like it. Even a M800 series looks great to me and I actually like the M800 series hood assembly more. I don't expect this "conversion" to happening right away so I need what is on this to work out of the gate to keep me and my best friend/amazing wife happy. Thanks again.

1)If you're swapping engines at some point anyway, why pay a heavy premium for an A2 with the 8.3?

2) 809series trucks are substantially less expensive than 939series. I've owned both. My preference is for the 939series due to the full airbrakes.

3) RRAD rebuilds are the least desirable of reset trucks. My preference is KS RSMS or Maine RSMS.

4) Pretty much any decent 939series truck is bringing $10k. The A2 variant adds a premium on top of that.

5) 14.00 tires are getting scarce and expensive. I'd replace with a different size given opportunity. Further exacerbating this is the CTIS on the A2 trucks has a tendency to allow the tires to go flat, leading to weakened sidewalls. Further, the AT2 tires are prone to being somewhat egg shaped...

 

[Ajax MD]

If you're doing the big cam, you should buy an M809 series unless you're really hung up on having air brakes.
Yes, they are superior but I find that if you drive rationally (like you should be doing) the air over hydraulic brakes are perfectly serviceable. You can upgrade an 809 series to air brakes. There are threads here showing it done.

Admittedly, I'm biased. I own an M813 and I like the look of it far better than the 939 series trucks.

 

[simp5782]

You can't just swap a big cam into an A2 truck. The engine sits a foot more forward in the frame than an A1. It requires new frame engine mounts, new cab(A1s have a doghouse, A2s don't)

So might as well save that money and buy a base model.

 

[Jbulach]

Base model? Guess you guys finally admit the 8.3 is the superior stock motor! Sorry, couldn’t resist, been a long time since we went there…

Seriously though I would have reservations with an 8.3 that just had a head gasket done. Wondering what caused if to blow, if everything was repaired correctly, replaced if needed, and if the block is cracked.

And yes, plan on swapping tires if it’s going to see much road time.