Do any of you guys know of anybody in Colorado who can do M1078 upgrades such as sound insulation, gearing swaps and others I might want to do ? I have a four legged 120lb co- pilot that I want to make sure the cab is not uncomfortable for. I want to turn it into a camping vehicle but first get the comfort level a little higher. Any help would be appreciated.....Bob
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Camper Upgrades
- Thread starter rdynes
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- 705
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- San Diego, CA
If you're handy with a utility knife, possibly also a hot knife, fabric scissors, jig saw and table saw, you can do it yourself fairly easy.. you can watch the YouTube channels of Helicools Helipad, and Broke Overland for some inspiration. Apply three quarter inch thick foil backed under Hood insulation from Dynamat or similar underneath the dog house also. Use self-drilling and tapping sheet metal screws for holding the top up or use rivnuts in the holes already provided or drill your own. That being said a good resource might be any of those people that do campervan builds I'm sure this would be an easy job for them to insulate and put some paneling in.
ramdough
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I have KillMat, Noico Red, 2” of 3m thinsulate, 1/4 plywood, then Marine carpet.
The cab is pretty well insulated.
When the fan solenoid fires off, the dog want to jump out of the drivers window.
The dog is now relegated to a cage in the back.
Point is, do what you want for yourself, then see what happens. Also, getting a 60 lb dog in the front takes work. 120….. way more work.
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The cab is pretty well insulated.
When the fan solenoid fires off, the dog want to jump out of the drivers window.
The dog is now relegated to a cage in the back.
Point is, do what you want for yourself, then see what happens. Also, getting a 60 lb dog in the front takes work. 120….. way more work.
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Thanks for the DIY ideas but I really don't want to do it myself. I live at 8400 ft., my garage door is 6 inches too short, winter is coming and, oh yeah I don't want to do it myself. I'm looking for someone to do it.
- 687
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I mean, CTIS might get you close to that 6" in emergency mode...
Please explain further if this is an possible option
- 687
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- La Crosse, WI
You can deflate your tires to drop the height of the truck. The CTIS can be programmed as well if you need to drop down lower.
You can also used the hydraulic cylinders on the front to compress the suspension.
Do all m1078s come with suspension compression equipped?
- 2,076
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It's only in the front, but yes all of them are equipped with the suspension squat cylinder rams. This is for loading the trucks on an air-transport and not for driving them around. But what height are you using for your measurement? Cab height? If you add a habitat it will get a lot taller for example. Unless you are planning to pitch a tent in the cargo bed........
As to your original question - I'm in Portland and can do this sort of work. But there's probably someone closer to you. You and the other 4 legs will want air conditioning at the very least. Besides fast becoming a necessity the way weather patterns are going, it also supercharges the defrost that doesn't work all that well with a cab full of wet dog without the AC (no defrost vents for the side windows).
Sounds like you don't have a truck yet? What is your budget and goals? The M1078 is a cargo variant and generally to be used as a "camper" would need some form of custom habitat compared to the M1079 which is the "van" version of the LMTV chassis and already has a habitat that is ready to build out.
What's your budget for a truck and for a build? What generation of truck are you looking at?
Getting a 120lb dog into the cab will be..... interesting. You'll need to likely delete the center seat. And a ramp would be advisable. My 80 lb German Shepherd has to have help to get in and he's not old or overweight. My 40 lb Shepherd mix can jump into the truck without a problem.
It's a 1994 M1078 and my 30x40 shop has a 9 foot door but once inside the ceiling is 10 foot. I would consider tackling the insulation job myself if I can get the truck inside. My goal is to first get cab quieter and deal with the camper plan after that. Like I said I live at 8400 feet in the northern Colorado mountains so A/C is not on the priority list right now
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So do you not have the truck yet? Or did you just get one? You don't seem that familiar with them.
My point about the AC was that it makes the defrost/defog actually WORK. For that elevation I could see the need. Remember It's "conditioning" the air - that's not just cooling. Dry air that is then heated is much more useful for drying you, the dog, and the windows. In the wet these cabs suck at staying dry and defogging the windows.
Also if you are going to insulate the cab - it will require a lot of disassembly and at the very least I would invest in the Gen 2 cab AC unit so you can put it back together and be AC ready. The rest of the system can be installed later but you might as well have the evap core, newer blower/cabin filter and servo controlled blend/vent selection, etc.
Deflate the tires and suck down the suspension and I bet you'll get it through the door.
Just FYI.
FMTV Dog Ramp
Hey guys just thought I’d share my work in progress of a ramp I have built to help my 95lb golden up in the truck. I started with the idea of using a aluminum loading ramp but couldn’t figure a good spot to store it. So I thought it may be a little heavier but I have plenty of 1 inch tubing...
www.steelsoldiers.com
...or maybe...
Third From Texas
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Yep, my GSD won't board w/o a ramp. LOL
That's the ramp for my pup to get into my Ram 2500
Third From Texas
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Yeah, I just bolted a small piece of 1.5" angle to the top lip of the ramp. Then I bolted a piece of flat stock with a standoff the thickness of the angle iron to the passenger step/box (that 's the last pic). Super sturdy and quick to deploy/stow.
CRIME SCENE !!!!!!
B-Dog
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Literally any car audio shop will install sound deadening at an hourly rate.
Alternatively, take the cab off and cart it in the garage. It would be much easier to do all the work you speak of at ground level anyway.
Alternatively, take the cab off and cart it in the garage. It would be much easier to do all the work you speak of at ground level anyway.
Take the cab off and cart it into the garage???? What have you been smoking?
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I mean it's quite simple really! It's only a dozen cable bundles, a dozen pneumatic lines, steering linkage, four mounting points, and probably weighs as much as a Jeep! Nothing the local football team in need of a workout couldn't handle! Ganja.....