1976 m880?

[*lawrence*]

Hi guys, I have a question. In 1990 I bought a Dodge pickup from the Army. What was interesting is I thought it was a standard M880. I bought it through the old system and did not go and preview it. The problem is that it has a 4 speed transmission and not a automatic. This pickup has government data plates and the vin is not the standard civilian Vin. There is no vin plate near the windshield and never has had one. It was painted old drab and had U.S. Army painted on the sides of the doors. My question is it a M880? Been the best truck I have ever had 170,000 and still going. Did the standard M880 have posi-traction front and rear like this one does?

 

[NDT]

Every M880 I have ever seen has been a carbon copy of one another, with the exception of the 1976-77 changes. That being, 318 2bbl, 727 trans, 203 transfer, open D44 front 3500 gvw, open D60 rear. You may have a special order truck?

 

[*lawrence*]

This may be a special order. It has the 318 2bbl, and 203 transfer. I have never checked to see what the front and rear are. I did not even know it had posi rear ends until I tried to pull something heavy in dirt and all four wheels sunk in 6" when I could not move it. It was never wired for blackouts. Which was a good thing. Most of my units M880's had wiring problems with the blackouts. Since it is a Dodge 1 1/4 ton rated truck, on the data plate, bought by the Army and ran for 14 years what would the nomenclature be?

 

[NDT]

M880 series trucks ALWAYS had M880, M882, M890 etc stamped on the Chrysler Corp data plate riveted to the center of the lower dash near the ash tray. Mine has open differentials and will spin all 4 wheels on dirt as well.

 

[M813rc]

The military have always used off-the-shelf vehicles in large numbers. Some are bought in lots, stock or to a certain specification, others were bought one or two at a time.
Most all will have some form of data tag, ranging from a stamped metal plate to a tinfoil sticker.

None will have military nomenclature, i.e. an M-series number, because they are not a standardized military vehicle, designed to a certain military specification. for service-wide use.

So yours sounds like a military Dodge pickup, but not an M880.

Cheers

 

[Super Warrantman]

The Dodge M880s I remember from the Army were identical as any manufactured product can be. The only obvious difference was the change over to the 1977 front end. (Dual headlamps and turn signals in the grille next to them.) They did not have a factory VIN number plate at the left corner of the dashboard, but they did have a Chrysler Corporation plate riveted to the lower edge of the driver's door which showed the factory VIN number. All of them had the US Government plate riveted to the dashboard as well which gave the USA number and contract data. As NDT says, M880s tended to have the same equipment: 318 2bbl V-8, 727 auto trans, NP 203 transfer, open D44 front 3500 gvw, open D60 rear. I never saw one with a stick shift. You could have a special order one. The fact that it doesn't seem to have been set up with black out lights leads me to think it may have been SO; all the M880s I saw had the black out lights.

Here's my Chrysler data plate.

 

[Bob H]

Hi guys, I have a question. In 1990 I bought a Dodge pickup from the Army. What was interesting is I thought it was a standard M880. I bought it through the old system and did not go and preview it. The problem is that it has a 4 speed transmission and not a automatic. This pickup has government data plates and the vin is not the standard civilian Vin. There is no vin plate near the windshield and never has had one. It was painted old drab and had U.S. Army painted on the sides of the doors. My question is it a M880? Been the best truck I have ever had 170,000 and still going. Did the standard M880 have posi-traction front and rear like this one does?

It sounds alot like the Canadian version. or similar to. Yet not an M880 series.

 

[bikeman]

Lawrence, if you post up the info (VIN) in the 2017 VIN Thread, I'll take a look and see if I see anything.

 

[michigandon]

It sounds alot like the Canadian version. or similar to. Yet not an M880 series.

I was just about to say the same thing!

 

[just me]

The only 880 I ever drove was one a friend had and it had a 4 speed stick also. So there must have been a few of them. (His had BO lighting and the 3 lever switch on the right dash panel.)

 

[Recovry4x4]

The M880 trucks with the odd trans and such were often called GSA trucks and after delivered, configured to look like 880s.

 

[nattieleather]

Most likely a non M880 Dodge truck purchase by the Army and used for non-combat functions. i.e. by post maintenance or range control or what ever. It could be the same truck used by all the forces (Army, Navy, AF etc) for base and post vehicles. Purchased in a large lot with x number going to the Army, X number to the AF etc. Why use a combat truck like an M880/M1009 etc. to run around the fort when a civilian truck will do the job? Still a military truck just spent its life on base.

 

[*lawrence*]

Sorry for the long delay. I am not sure what you mean when you say 2017 VIN thread.

 

[*lawrence*]

Just checked, mine has the same style data plate as yours.

 

[Bob H]

The M880 vin is no different than the civi ones. The vins were on the driver door & not the dash, vin also on gov't data plate on the middle lower portion of the dash, which would indicate it's gov't designation, if any. W24BE6S###### is a 1976 W200 (M880) vin.

 

[*lawrence*]

The vin number on the door is W24BE6S######.

 

[bikeman]

Sorry for the long delay. I am not sure what you mean when you say 2017 VIN thread.

Well, you're about a year too late now. I used to have access to a system that I could check VINs and find the last assigned unit. However, that capability is gone.

 

[*lawrence*]

I sorry, I thought we were checking the VIN to see if this is a M880 or not. I am the first civilian owner of the Dodge. I bought it from the U.S. Army on the Sierra Army Depot, near Herlong California in 1990. From what I was told when I picked it up. It was used mainly as a drivers training truck on the base. It only had 45,000 miles on it when I bought it from them.

 

[Bob H]

the VIN indicates, a 1976 W200. No way to tell from vin if it was civilian or military.
The gov't data tag on the dash would indicate any military designation.
All M880/M890 series trucks came with automatic transmissions and open differentials.
So with manual trans & posi differentials, not a M880.