M809 battery box step cover too tall?

[US6x4]

How many of you 809 folks have battery box covers/steps that hit the bottom of the cab? My truck has the plastic batt boxes and has always hit but now that I have fixed the curled plastic, it definitely does not want to go back on. I'm thinking of cutting 1/2" of height out of it...

 

[Wreckclues]

I've got metal boxes and just purchased the cover which fit fine...after hammering the box back into a square. Bonus, the rust matches the rest of the truck's rust.

 

[US6x4]

what height does the top of your metal box measure from the diamond plate step surface? I'd like to compare to my plastic boxes.

 

[Wreckclues]

what height does the top of your metal box measure from the diamond plate step surface? I'd like to compare to my plastic boxes.

The back plate is 6 7/8 inches off the step but the gap between the back plate and the cab body varies because the step cover sits diagonally to the cab body. There's about a quarter inch gap on the engine side while the opposite would likely hit the cab body if it lined up.

 

[msgjd]

How many of you 809 folks have battery box covers/steps that hit the bottom of the cab? My truck has the plastic batt boxes and has always hit

I have two M809-series that came with the plastic boxes .. The cover hits when trying to slide them off horizontally, they have to be tipped a bit but they don't hit anything once they are fully on

I have to ask if the boxes are pushed in as far as they should be, but knowing you i bet your pins are intact ..
Perhaps the two running board / battery box supports got bent upward at some point?

On my M809's with steel boxes , the covers will slide off horizontally without issue

I have not measured for height differences between the box styles but i believe the plastic ones are higher.. Even the latches have to be pulled harder

 

[msgjd]

I've got metal boxes and just purchased the cover which fit fine...after hammering the box back into a square. Bonus, the rust matches the rest of the truck's rust.

wow you managed to find a straight cover !!! You better put a lock on it !!

Every M809-series I've had my hands on post-military had covers damaged in one way or the other.. or like yours, came with no cover at all

 

[US6x4]

Before I straightened my curled plastic, the cover would touch the cab and when I got the truck the spot welds on one of the L-shaped reinforcement layers on the corner were popped from what I assume was years of being under tension.

Were the plastic boxes introduced after production ceased around '83? the cover must have been designed for the metal boxes and never updated even though the plastic boxes became available...

 

[msgjd]

Were the plastic boxes introduced after production ceased around '83? the cover must have been designed for the metal boxes and never updated even though the plastic boxes became available...

1; in active army and then VtNG 1970's into the 90's i did not see a plastic battery box until 2009 on one of a pair of M818's i hauled out of FIG Pa .. It's warped just enough to give a little bit of clearance trouble when replacing batteries if i don't slide out the box . (regular diesel pickup truck 900-1100ca batts will drop in without disturbing the box, but it's sometimes tight )

2: Correct, i would bet highly that the original cover design never changed . The cover on my plastic-box M818 as well as my M817 has original semi-gloss OD paint peeking out underneath the CARC flakes