LostInTheWorld
Member
- 108
- 6
- 18
- Location
- Central california
Hello all,
I’m new posting here, but I have browsed the forum much in the past. I have also been active on other military vehicle forums for years (G503).
This write-up might be a little long, but I’d love your input on the suitability of the M1078/M1079 for my use.
---Project Background:
I am a nature and wildlife photographer. My wife and I travel quite a bit in the US and sometimes internationally. We go on backcountry photography trips in our Wrangler/Autohome setup. We like our little jeep setup, but it is definitely camping, and it only works for a few days max. We are looking to significantly expand our trip capability with more internal volume. We are planning extended (months) trips in the western US, Alaska, and Canada in the coming years, and I am looking to “build” and new vehicle for that purpose. It would basically be something we would feel comfortable living in. We use our 4x4 to access out of the way locations (often in snow, sand, mud, and flooded roads), but we don’t intentionally seek technical situations. The vehicle would need to be highway capable, but we are in no rush, so cruising along a highway at 55-60 mph is fine with us.
---Project Budget:
I think we have “enough” money set aside for this, so I think we have some good options. I would prefer a used vehicle that I would work on instead of paying more for a new vehicle. Naturally, I’d like to minimize cost, but I do have enough to cover most reasonable options. The less I spend on the vehicle, the more I can spend on the camper.
---Build Capability:
I’m a certified welder (TIG and stick), I’m a machinist (I own a small machine shop), and I’m a mechanical design engineer. I have worked in the engineering field one way or another for the last 19 years. I have built several aircraft, and I have restored a military vehicle (See attached photo of my 1943 G503). Basically, I’m set up to handle most reasonable build projects.
---The Vehicle:
I was about to purchase a used Mitsubishi Fuso diesel 4x4 ($25,000-ish), and build a fairly large overland style camper back for it. We would like a camper with enough space to live comfortably at any backcountry location of a few weeks. In reality, there aren’t that many used diesel 4x4 Fusos available in the US, and it would take a good bit of drivetrain work/mods to get it off-road capable. I can basically purchase what I want new from Earthcruiser, but they are approaching $250,000 USD (that’s well outside of my budget!!). I think I can put together a whole lot of vehicle for a small fraction of that price.
We don’t need a lot of creature comforts in the cab. My wife is also a design engineer, so we both have enjoyed the practical simplicity of the military vehicle that we owned, so I started looking at M1078 and M1079. They are a good bit bigger than I originally planned, but I like many things about them over the little civilian Fuso. For one thing, they don’t need any drivetrain modification at all. The M1079 even has a reasonable camper enclosure starting point. I think it would work well for me to spend a year or two modifying one and making it into a great long duration backcountry “RV”. I’ve seen a ton of photos on the net of LMTV and Mog campers, but I have never heard from anyone that actually owned one.
I’d love to hear from anyone that owns a M1078 or M1079. Do you think that a M1078 or M1079 could be a good base for me to work from? I have a bunch of M1078/M1079 questions.….
1) What is typical highway fuel mileage (I’ll try not to cry when I read the answer)?
2) Where do I get new tires and how much do they cost?
3) What is the tire life estimate while driving on pavement?
4) Is the pneumatic system a pain when it gets old and leaky?
5) Is the tire inflation system reliable? Worth having? Can it be removed?
6) How is engine power at high elevation?
7) Are the pneumatic brakes reliable, hard to service, etc.?
8 What is a comfortable cruising speed (are they governed to 55-60 mph)?
9) I’ve read mixed reviews of the CAT 3116 engine, how many miles can you expect?
10) Anyone know the internal dimensions of the enclosure on the M1079?
11) Anyone have a yearly cost estimate for maintenance (say putting 10,000 miles/year on it)?
12) What are the TM I should be reading?
13) Is it just too big for this application?
14) Historically, what is their general reliability?
15) Are there any common mechanical problems with them?
16) How availability are general body parts (should I also get a parts truck)?
17) On the road, how is the availability of engine/transmission parts from CAT/Allison?
18 Are the mil surplus vehicles typically mechanically trashed, or are they in usable condition?
19) Why do the ones that I see at gov surplus auction have so few miles on them?
20) Would it be difficult to register a gov surplus LMTV in California where I live (registering my G503 GPW was easy)?
21) Anyone have a M1078/M1079 in California that I can come look at?
22) Are they highway legal in all states?
23) Are there any general legal issues with owning one?
24) Can I drive it through Canada to get to Alaska without border “export” problems?
I know it's a lot of questions, but I'd love some input.
Thanks a bunch for your time!
Michael,
Central California
I’m new posting here, but I have browsed the forum much in the past. I have also been active on other military vehicle forums for years (G503).
This write-up might be a little long, but I’d love your input on the suitability of the M1078/M1079 for my use.
---Project Background:
I am a nature and wildlife photographer. My wife and I travel quite a bit in the US and sometimes internationally. We go on backcountry photography trips in our Wrangler/Autohome setup. We like our little jeep setup, but it is definitely camping, and it only works for a few days max. We are looking to significantly expand our trip capability with more internal volume. We are planning extended (months) trips in the western US, Alaska, and Canada in the coming years, and I am looking to “build” and new vehicle for that purpose. It would basically be something we would feel comfortable living in. We use our 4x4 to access out of the way locations (often in snow, sand, mud, and flooded roads), but we don’t intentionally seek technical situations. The vehicle would need to be highway capable, but we are in no rush, so cruising along a highway at 55-60 mph is fine with us.
---Project Budget:
I think we have “enough” money set aside for this, so I think we have some good options. I would prefer a used vehicle that I would work on instead of paying more for a new vehicle. Naturally, I’d like to minimize cost, but I do have enough to cover most reasonable options. The less I spend on the vehicle, the more I can spend on the camper.
---Build Capability:
I’m a certified welder (TIG and stick), I’m a machinist (I own a small machine shop), and I’m a mechanical design engineer. I have worked in the engineering field one way or another for the last 19 years. I have built several aircraft, and I have restored a military vehicle (See attached photo of my 1943 G503). Basically, I’m set up to handle most reasonable build projects.
---The Vehicle:
I was about to purchase a used Mitsubishi Fuso diesel 4x4 ($25,000-ish), and build a fairly large overland style camper back for it. We would like a camper with enough space to live comfortably at any backcountry location of a few weeks. In reality, there aren’t that many used diesel 4x4 Fusos available in the US, and it would take a good bit of drivetrain work/mods to get it off-road capable. I can basically purchase what I want new from Earthcruiser, but they are approaching $250,000 USD (that’s well outside of my budget!!). I think I can put together a whole lot of vehicle for a small fraction of that price.
We don’t need a lot of creature comforts in the cab. My wife is also a design engineer, so we both have enjoyed the practical simplicity of the military vehicle that we owned, so I started looking at M1078 and M1079. They are a good bit bigger than I originally planned, but I like many things about them over the little civilian Fuso. For one thing, they don’t need any drivetrain modification at all. The M1079 even has a reasonable camper enclosure starting point. I think it would work well for me to spend a year or two modifying one and making it into a great long duration backcountry “RV”. I’ve seen a ton of photos on the net of LMTV and Mog campers, but I have never heard from anyone that actually owned one.
I’d love to hear from anyone that owns a M1078 or M1079. Do you think that a M1078 or M1079 could be a good base for me to work from? I have a bunch of M1078/M1079 questions.….
1) What is typical highway fuel mileage (I’ll try not to cry when I read the answer)?
2) Where do I get new tires and how much do they cost?
3) What is the tire life estimate while driving on pavement?
4) Is the pneumatic system a pain when it gets old and leaky?
5) Is the tire inflation system reliable? Worth having? Can it be removed?
6) How is engine power at high elevation?
7) Are the pneumatic brakes reliable, hard to service, etc.?
8 What is a comfortable cruising speed (are they governed to 55-60 mph)?
9) I’ve read mixed reviews of the CAT 3116 engine, how many miles can you expect?
10) Anyone know the internal dimensions of the enclosure on the M1079?
11) Anyone have a yearly cost estimate for maintenance (say putting 10,000 miles/year on it)?
12) What are the TM I should be reading?
13) Is it just too big for this application?
14) Historically, what is their general reliability?
15) Are there any common mechanical problems with them?
16) How availability are general body parts (should I also get a parts truck)?
17) On the road, how is the availability of engine/transmission parts from CAT/Allison?
18 Are the mil surplus vehicles typically mechanically trashed, or are they in usable condition?
19) Why do the ones that I see at gov surplus auction have so few miles on them?
20) Would it be difficult to register a gov surplus LMTV in California where I live (registering my G503 GPW was easy)?
21) Anyone have a M1078/M1079 in California that I can come look at?
22) Are they highway legal in all states?
23) Are there any general legal issues with owning one?
24) Can I drive it through Canada to get to Alaska without border “export” problems?
I know it's a lot of questions, but I'd love some input.
Thanks a bunch for your time!
Michael,
Central California
Maybe cab noise plays a part? Plus or minus a couple of MPG does not make much difference in the single digits.