1995 Stewart & Stevenson 1078: New Acquisition Need Input

[Phoenix77]

So my thread imploring fellow members to talk me out of an LMTV did not accomplish it's stated objective.

I read the rules governing auction postings, and this complies, so please, if you are an LMTV guy / gal / guru, take a look and let me know what sticks out to you (beyond the basics of the inspection details).

Thanks in advance

1995 Stewart & Stevenson M1078 LMTV 4x4 Cargo Truck

4x4, Cat 6 Cylinder Turbo Diesel Engine, Automatic Transmission, Central Tire Inflation System, 395/85R20 Tires, Fold-Down Bed Sides, Tailgate, Hard Top, Heater, 22,770 lb. GVWR

www.govplanet.com

 

[JD4044M]

I think you did good great price $8,000.00 less then me too! Mine was never Tan so it did not go over seas?

 

[Phoenix77]

I think you did good great price $8,000.00 less then me too! Mine was never Tan so it did not go over seas?

As a 1995 model, I think this one most likely hung out around Ft. Bragg...

I know people who know people at Ft. Bragg, so I'm hoping I can get under the paint to identify the unit and see what they did with it.

 

[JD4044M]

Same here I might have mine this week end it is now in Transit to me from Florida to Washington State. One long haul! I know what your feelings I am so pumped up I could POP!

 

[NDT]

Looks fine to me. Oil change last year, so like many at Bragg, it has been routinely used and maintained up until recently.

 

[Ronmar]

Oooh now you gone and dun it...

well you are Probably not driving it home. Crank no start, probably fuel system... Said they couldn't raise the cab Hand pump or hydraulics inop? .. Hmmm Looks as if someone started to work on a driveshaft and that's when they decided to send it to DRMO... Fair bit of coating failure, but all the big pieces are there...

 

[JD4044M]

OK I looked at all the pictures but wondering how 1300 miles can do that to a truck. Paint coming off in strange patterns and the driveshaft looks like off 2 different trucks. Not knocking your truck but we had old trucks when I was in the Army and they were inspected in the motor pool and they shined when we were done cleaning them. Are they not required to take pride in there trucks anymore If my new truck looked like that in 1,300 mile I would be ashamed. Again it is all cosmetic stuff a week of clean up and touch up to look nice again and not knocking your truck just wondering why it looks this way in just a few miles on it? Please don't get mad I will be posting pictures of mine when it gets here and it only has 2840 miles on it same year. Mark

 

[Phoenix77]

Looks fine to me. Oil change last year, so like many at Bragg, it has been routinely used and maintained up until recently.

Thanks for looking; I appreciate the feedback. I'm thinking (hoping, praying) the wanting to start, but not being able to is a simple fix.

Guys at the Sand Pit - GP's Ft. Bragg depository are lazy; no way they'd bother with a hand pump to take pics of the engine.

I found a heavy truck mechanic shop in Fayetteville and they have a retired Army guy who used to work on LMTVs, plus a towing company that can get it from the Pit to the shop at $175/hr. You can be certain I'm going to schedule my GP pick up 1 hr before I have the towtruck scheduled; not losing money for other people being slack.

I also want to see if I can meet the mechanic (I sound like such a fanboy) and do a thorough walk around the truck to see what works / what definitely needs work / replacement, and what look like they may need replacing after a couple years.

I can do all fluids myself, so not paying for flushing, just adding if that's what is needed to get it safely on the road.

 

[Phoenix77]

OK I looked at all the pictures but wondering how 1300 miles can do that to a truck. Paint coming off in strange patterns and the driveshaft looks like off 2 different trucks. Not knocking your truck but we had old trucks when I was in the Army and they were inspected in the motor pool and they shined when we were done cleaning them. Are they not required to take pride in there trucks anymore If my new truck looked like that in 1,300 mile I would be ashamed. Again it is all cosmetic stuff a week of clean up and touch up to look nice again and not knocking your truck just wondering why it looks this way in just a few miles on it? Please don't get mad I will be posting pictures of mine when it gets here and it only has 2840 miles on it same year. Mark

Nothing to get mad about; I didn't personally build it this way, and if it raises concerns from people more in the know than myself, I want to hear them!

 

[JD4044M]

Looking closer at the dash it looks like 6 gauges were replaced. Nice and shinny but the air filter gauge was not and it has been rubbed on a lot and no longer clear. This may mean the Speodo was replaced at one time too? So it may have more miles than that. Yours looks better then the first truck I had bid on. It had damage to the cab corner that needed major body work and dented things all over it. They wanted $18K for it I got mine for $14K plus shipping cost made it $20K You can do a lot of work for what I paid over your price. Enjoy your new truck.

 

[Floridianson]

Looks like they pulled the shaft at the slip joint and left the end yoke in place and the propeller shaft was balanced. What I found on mine was the were numbers stamped on both ends of the yokes. I do not know if you are going to pull that yoke off but if you are going to just leave the one that is still attached and just put it back together. If you do when you put the shaft together I would phase it so the numbers stamped on both ends of the shaft are on the same phase or in line with each other.

 

[M1078MAN]

I wish I would have bought a Tan one, but the price for mine was "cant be beat" nothing a little paint wont fix..

Nice clean truck, echo comments, Fort Bragg is funny about trucks, seems they drive until something breaks and RDO, if you can get it unmolested and with most major parts, you are coming out ahead.

If your going to drive it, get and do a solid checkover..I should have, but didnt want to take the chance buying a non runner, so eventually had Simp recover it to Va and the rest is history.

Nice HMMWV you have there too

 

[Phoenix77]

Looks like they pulled the shaft at the slip joint and left the end yoke in place and the propeller shaft was balanced. What I found on mine was the were numbers stamped on both ends of the yokes. I do not know if you are going to pull that yoke off but if you are going to just leave the one that is still attached and just put it back together. If you do when you put the shaft together I would phase it so the numbers stamped on both ends of the shaft are on the same phase or in line with each other.

Good tip; I will do that when I reassemble.

Thanks

 

[FloridaAKM]

My truck came from Ft Bragg also as a runner for about the same price, but missing the turrent cover. When you get it home, spend some time on the TM's & get familiar with her inner workings as well as all the running gear. Welcome to the green iron club (yours is green under the tan).

 

[Reworked LMTV]

Honestly, you're much better off to learn how to do the work yourself by educating yourself and buying a few tools and asking questions. Then you will know how to fix it in the future. Nothing is that hard, just tedious. Get it running and RUN down to the driveshaft shop to get the driveshafts balanced : ) Don't say that you weren't warned : )

 

[Awesomeness]

I found a heavy truck mechanic shop in Fayetteville and they have a retired Army guy who used to work on LMTVs, plus a towing company that can get it from the Pit to the shop at $175/hr.

Unless you have really deep pockets, you almost have to work on the truck yourself. While nothing is particularly complex on these trucks, it does seem to me like everything takes 2-3x as long as it would on a pickup, perhaps just because of the size. I do it all myself, but one time I was in a hurry to take the truck somewhere and had to pay a shop to change one wheel hub seal (my parts) because I didn't have time... 10 hour job, $1500 bill.

The other factor is that these are $150,000 trucks. Yes, you might have bought it for $10-20k, but the parts and repair industry for them are built around them being $150k trucks. So a new engine starter is $1500-2000, a new tire is $2000, it uses dozens $15 circuit breakers instead of $0.50 fuses, etc. Buying surplus, or alternative cross-referenced components, is often critical to not going broke. It seems like every 3-5 months, my truck needs another $500 part, and being as these are all about 20 years old, anything plastic or rubber is starting to fail.

One last comment is that once you get into your truck, you'll likely discover all sorts of things that GI mechanics "fixed" incorrectly. There are good GI mechanics out there, but many are not (and judging by how screwed up these trucks are, "most" may not be an overstatement). Don't assume that guy you found will actually be any better than the knuckleheads that worked on your truck in the Army. On the bright side, if you do this yourself, you actually have an opportunity to fix and baby the truck, and make it really nice.

P.S. Be sure to read the Common Problems document here in my signature.

 

[JD4044M]

One thing that upsets me the most is paying for work I can do and having it done wrong! In 50 years of driving I paid to have a clutch put in my Dodge and it was a bad clutch they had to do it again and yet I had to change the Clutch Slave and Master Cylinder later? I Had the brakes done because I was sick and it cost me a little over $1500.00 which was insane! I do have others put tires on but nothing else. Had the TH400 Transmission go out in my 79 4x4 1 ton Chevy cost me about $150.00 for me to rebuild it and do all the work it would have been about $2500.00 plus if I paid to have it done?? I spend that kind of money on tools one time to take care of my stuff!

 

[JD4044M]

Phoenix77 Hey thanks for taking the time to make up that list of LMTV/FMTV Common Issues & Fixes I now have something to go by to check on mine. This is what groups of like minded people need to do to help each other enjoy there hobby! Mark

 

[Reworked LMTV]

I would add that anything exposed to UV, like air hoses for the brakes, should be suspect. They get brittle. Not hard nor expensive to replace, there are just 1000's of them lol Get your wife involved.

 

[JD4044M]

48 Hours and counting till I can look my Truck over. Going to test it pulling our 4 mile steep grade getting home and take a couple pictures on the way. Be my first trip in one. The Army still had old school stuff when I was in like button together shelter haves, metal canteens with black caps and a cup under them!