New M880

[Denim880]

Hi there, I purchased a '77 M800 to play around with. I have done some searching but could use some verification on a few things.

Tires & Rims

1. I am looking to switch to some 16 in steel rims, does anyone know the backspacing that the stock rims have?

2. How large of a tire can I put on a 16 inch rim, while keeping the suspension stock, and not have any rub? It looks like a 255/85r16 works, has anyone done this or gone even larger?

Paint

The body is in really good condition for what it is however, I would like to freshen up the paint. Does anyone know a paint code for the original green? Also where might I be able to find the paint? This is one thing I have had very little luck locating.

Steering

I would like to swap out the steering box for power steering. I am looking at purchasing an old Charger for a parts truck, will I be able to pull everything out of that truck for a power steering swap? What other donor vehicles are there for the power steering swap?


Thanks in advance, I am excited to get this project rolling.

 

[Denim880]

Has anyone purchased paint from SurplusJeep.com before?

I came across paint codes for the M880's and these guys seem to have some of the paint.

34079 - Lusterless Forest Green
24052 - Semi-gloss Forest Green

http://www.surplusjeep.com/trspaint.htm

 

[MWMULES]

You can use Behr flat ext house paint and get it at home depot just ask them to mix whichever FS code you pick and never saw a 880 in semigloss. both done in house paint.

 

[K9Vic]

That Behr paint holds up well after a year of intense off road driving scraping against trees and brush. As long as you prep it right and get a good sanded down base, it will hold up to just about anything you put to it. It holds up in that the paint will not peal away, but yes it will scratch easy. The flat paint makes it easy to touch up and will dry even over a few weeks. Just try to use the same paint mix or a newer one may be slight off. Make sure you use the Behr premium plus as it has elements in it to hold to bare metal.

I abuse the heck out of may paint on my cloned CUCV Suburban, last weekend I scratched the paint really good. Drove through some narrow trails as you can see from the branches still on my rig.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Ford truck rims 98 and older are 8 on 6 1/2. They will bolt right on and are 7" wide. I have these very rims and 255/85R16 tires on my M1010. Looks boss.

 

[nattieleather]

So let's see a picture of your ride.

 

[vespaholic]

Glad I found this thread…. I had the same question about the tires for my M884.
It came with the 36" tires.
They look cool but I'm not sure how they will work for plowing…...Anybody know???
If they won't be good I'll get the ford rims and tall skinny tires for plowing.
What would be the tallest tires I could get without rubbing with the stock suspension?
Thanks

 

[Alexsha]

Seriously people, we need eye candy! Truck ****!

Wow... that reads badly...

 

[Flyingvan911]

You'll want to carry a spare ballast resistor, ignition module and air filter in the truck. The ballast resistor and ignition module are know to fail randomly. The air filter can stop the engine even though it still looks clean. My dad had a 74' W200 Club Cab for a long time. This was his survival kit.

 

[Bob H]

The answers to all of the OP's questions can be found here in the M880 forum.
I get my paint from http://rapcoparts.com/manuals.html. yes 34079 lusterless forest green
The Charger power steering won't work. (Did you mean Ramcharger? a 75-77 4x4 box will work) Reverse rotation box on the M880, the pitman arm is specific to the power steering box and can't be bought new.
vespaholic, the 36" humvee tires are useless on ice, deep snow off road they are great, Ice on the road and your done.

 

[vespaholic]

@BobH Thanks for the reply.
Any recommendation on a tire brand and size to use for plowing.
I'm only using the plow to do my driveway so I don't want to spend a ton of money.

 

[N1265]

I am using P265/75/R16 Firestone Winterforce on a standard 16" 8 lug dodge rim off a 1980's high capacity window van.

The directional Firestone winter tires work great for plowing, but they are a little tall and rub on the drag link when making a hard turn to the right. If I had to do it all again, I would probably get the next size shorter tire.

 

[MatthewH]

I ran some Goodyear Wranglers last winter, LT245/75/R16, got threw the snow pretty good. The old plow truck had 9.50/16.5 Goodyear Wranglers that came off my M887 when I bought back in '09. Weather checked bad, but I tubed em and ran em several seasons locally

 

[Flyingvan911]

I have a set of Thule XB series chains in my van. They clip on fast and easy for those tough situations.

 

[N1265]

Here is what she looks like with P265/75/R16 Firestone Winterforce tires

 

[N1265]

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...e=yes&CAWELAID=530007250000334609&CAGPSPN=pla

 

[vespaholic]

@N1265:
Thanks for the pictures.

I found the Firestone Winterforce P265/75/R16 at $96 each + $15 each to have studs put in them.
I like the way they look but I'm concerned about the rubbing on tight right turns…..I already have that problem with my 36" tires.

I found these rims:
8-lug Chevy truck rims 4 rims, 16", 8 lug, great condition
OR
NEW FORD Wheels 16" 8-lug x 6.5" Take-offs of new 350 van. Fit 16" wheels off of Ford & other vans & trucks from 1999-2013. They are 8-lug x 6.5"
Not sure which is the better choice or if either will fit.
Advice????

Also, a side note…your video inspired me to put a plow on my truck. I'm doing the same type of installation with the same parts as your setup. Only difference is that I'm painting mine to look like the Army put it on the truck. Painting it CAMO to match the truck etc…….

 

[MatthewH]

The Chevy wheels may or may not fit, depends on the center opening. You need 4-3/4", preferably 4-7/8" opening. The ford rims won't work either, cause in '99 they went to a metric bolt pattern.

Rims you can use,
Pre '97 Ford F250/350 or van

Any current Dodge D/W 250/350 will bolt on, second Gen ('94-2002) require different lug nuts, as they have a 9/16" stud. 2003-newer require wheel spacers. Pre '93 bolt right up, no issues.

Some Chevy rims fit, just have to watch the center hole size. I've seen 2005 HD rims on a '93 W250, so they should fit.

All else fails, buy new steelies from any number of aftermarket companies

 

[Bob H]

You need the 4 7/8" center hole for the rear, the 4 3/4" Chevy wheels won't fit on my trucks.

I plowed last year with worn out(about 1/32) 285/75R16 mud tires, no fun, gonna get some tires for it before I plow again. Even if I have to use the 4 rear tires from my W400 Ambulance. Firestone Destination Mud Terrains 235/85R16.

 

[WVCB]

I run 265/75/16 mud terrain tires on my 1977 W200 with no problems rubbing. The Winterforce tires you looked at should do fine.