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A few photos...

Happy New Year everyone. It's been a long week... but a great adventure. I can't thank Seth enough for coming along and helping out. I'm with some friends in Denver, and I'll probably stick around here for a couple days to rest and work out a few minor tweaks with the truck. Seth and I did...

Travel Update: We're in Columbia, MO. We've been watching the oil, and it seems to be leaking more and more. We decided to stop, used some super purple de-greaser, and washed out our engine compartment. We picked up some engine oil tracer and a blacklight from NAPA and dumped the tracer into...

Hello caudill1966. Danger Ranger posted the link above to the thread I started (thanks). I too am a noob when it comes to MVs, and I'm picking my M109A4 up on Christmas day. I'm quite familiar with oil field work, and extreme cold climate... just no experience with these trucks- yet. That...

THAT is a great idea... particularly the radiant floor (i don't shower much. haha).

Shopping Update: First off, you're going to see a lot more posts from me as I approach the date to retrieve the truck from PA. I'm done with work for the season, and my focus has shifted to preparing for this long haul. As soon as I get the truck in my possession, there will be a lot of...

Thanks for the words of caution on the propane heater idea everyone. I have a 22' travel trailer, and decided to test it out a the other night with a Heater Buddy (9,000 btu/hr) I picked up at Walmart. I wanted to test it in there to see how it does before testing a larger (20,000 btu/hr) unit...

Couple updates: The seller of the truck took the M109a4 in for a complete Preventative Maintenance (PM) service for me. The shop lubed everything, checked all the joints in the drivetrain, oil change, oil filter, fuel filter, and put dextrose in the transmission. They discovered one hose from...

If I were making the drive anytime other than winter, I would probably go a more direct route. North Dakota, Michigan, Wisconsin and north Illinois: not very friendly in winter, and... less services in case of emergency. I'm playing it 'safe'... leaving MT and WY as the real 'bears' to deal...

Leaving PA on the 26th or 27th of December. Hoping to get to Denver by New Years Eve, then north to Montana in 1-2 days. I didn't realize there was any/much insulation in the soft-top. If it works... don't fix it. I like your idea of a roof rack.

Here's a quick update: I acquired 2 fully adjustable air-ride seats that the Seller is installing into my truck prior to my trip. Although I haven't been in one of these trucks before, from what everyone has told me, that bench seat is brutally uncomfortable. I think this is a good...

BadMastard, you've done it again, and came back with some invaluable information. This saves me a lot of research time. I think I've located an online manual, but i have been so busy with work lately, i haven't had a chance to start reading... thanks for referencing the locations/chapters...

A few of you guys have mentioned and recommended the 'Arctic Kit'. Exactly what is that? Is there a list somewhere showing these items? Also, does anyone have a recommendation for what type of grease I should use for general-purpose lubrication in -40° F temps? I've been compiling a...

Hey Brett- if i do the roadtrip, you interested in coming along? Or- at least flying up for a week to help me install some winter parts? I'm thinking about renting a shop/storage unit for a month in January so I can work on it out of the elements. I think you'd enjoy Montana...

I spent a year surveying on Alaska's north slope in Kuparuk and Prudhoe Bay... driven the James Dalton Highway numerous times too (see the tv show 'ice road truckers'). I remember one winter day in particular: My 'trick' of taping chem hand warmers to the batteries on the theodolite wasn't...

@BadMastard: You obviously have a LOT of experience, and I really appreciate the time you took to give me fantastic checklist (to add to other members recommendations and advice of course). I'm already feeling 200% more confident that I can properly prepare for the long haul. I'll be working on...

I'll keep that in mind Jeremy. :razz: Since you're a local... you have any good resources to recommend in ND for MV parts, tires, or services that may come in handy for me?

I was curious about the construction of the van body and window assembly- thanks. The seller of the truck explained he had to fix one of the window frames already... the wood that is sandwiched between the metal window frame got wet, then swelled, making the window want to fall out. I didn't...

I've looked into solar panels for backup battery charging for my travel trailer. I didn't research it too much, but it didn't take long to see more cons than pros. If you have experience with them, or can point me in the right direction, I'd love to be enlightened. Here's what I came up...

Ask, and you shall receive... You'll notice there's a A2 tire as a spare... the truck had a flat/shredded front tire when it was recovered from GL. I need to get (at least) 2 more correct-size tires for spares prior to the long haul...