BEASTMASTER, I have often thought the same thing. The conclusion I came to is a lot of guys are not really military vehicle enthusiasts. Instead, they are big truck or off-roading enthusiasts. There is a difference. Sure, there is overlap, but there is a difference. For this reason, those guys who simply like the trucks because they are fairly cheap, big and tough don't care about modifying the trucks. They don't care what was correct in the military. As this site has grown, it has swayed in that direction. The old mil-veh list included very few guys interested in modifying their trucks. Over there, you had guys who were into restoring or fixing their trucks up to motor pool standards. I am not saying one is better than the other for the guys on this list. That is up to them. I know which way I lean and I will continue to pursue my goals. I skim this site and only really read the threads that pertain to my interests. I am not saying that guys should not bob or otherwise modify their trucks. Do what you want. You paid the price of admission.
Thanks for the post - I couldn't have said this better myself; although, of course, I will append some details
![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
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From what I've learned via hard trial and error, military drivetrains are incredibly performant for the cost, and offer tremendous functionality compared to any other available axle / transfer case capability, along with excellent spare parts availability and documentation. It's not so much that I'm buying mil trucks and parts wishing they were something else - I'm buying them because they are such amazing value.
Don't get me wrong - I respect vintage- or application-specific restoration.
I got into the military truck game knowing my interest lies elsewhere. To pull a metaphor from modern classic vehicle restoration, I consider both my deuce as well as this next build to have what is essentially a medium-duty-truck version of the "pro tour" ethos - think of it as a base of classic sheetmetal, modified via unique bodywork and the transplantation of modern underpinnings.
I see parallels between my mentality and that which led to the addition of your air cut-off switch... both involve the addition or modification of items that help performance or increase vehicle satisfaction. Obviously, I'm taking it to another level. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it suits me just fine.
But, I really do I hope my attitude is acceptable to this group. I was once part of the old mil veh list, and I definitely realized that this mentality wasn't germane to that community. That's totally ok - I will only want to be a part of a group if I can both be appreciated and also give back as possible. As an aside, I see the harebrained and truly poorly thought out ideas that now permeate the deuce modification forum, and I inwardly sigh.
Thanks for all the assistance with this sprag question. I'd really like to use the M809 case I already have for this next build, so I really value the information and assistance.
V/R,
Bob