Just a warning, I'm going to be as detailed as I can so this will be a long read!


After I posted I had just purchased a surplus HMMWV in this thread, at the request of Schott8283 I'm starting this thread to lay out what I've gone through in the purchase process for people who may be interested in purchasing one too, with the hope that people who know more than I do chime in and fill in any blanks I'm sure to leave.

Here's my truck I just bought:




















She's a 1994 M998A1 with a 6.2L diesel with 38,669 on the odometer. She runs and is intact from what I can see in the pictures (minus a broken mirror). There were 50 bids on my truck with me winning it at $9,500, up from a $5,000 opening bid.


First where do you find HMMWVs for sale? Just head on over to GovPlanet, the company awarded the contract by the US Government to sell off these trucks, to find the current inventory. From what I have heard, this was a first batch of roughly 4,000 trucks released by the government to see how sales would go. Sales started about a year ago and they are more than half way to 4,000 (2,600ish as of my posting this).

From there you will be able to narrow the inventory down by state and auction end time. Auctions are held weekly on Wednesday. Inventory listed is typically out two weeks.

Definitely read through the FAQ thoroughly. It will answer almost any question you've got. That said I did run into a mistake in it that has yet to be corrected by GovPlanet that I will detail below.


Now you'll have to decide if you want to buy something close enough to pick up yourself or if you want to have it shipped to you.

Shipping will, of course, cost more the further the truck is from you. That said, picking it up yourself can be cheaper if you live close to where it is located or don't mind a little travel. My truck I just purcased is about 4.5 hours from me so I'm going to be making a day of picking it up with my brother and a friend.

If shipping it, you will have the option to get an estimate from Veritread on shipping it from where it is located to you. This can found on every truck's listing on the right hand side.

If you are picking it up yourself, you can either trailer it or flat tow it.

Trailering is preferable from what I've read from people that have done both. Flat towing can be a bit of a task as the HMMWVs can manhandle a truck that is not up to the task. To flat tow it safely you'll need the military tow bar setup designed for the truck. The complete tow bar package will likely cost you $400-$600 if you can't find one to borrow. You'll also have to disconnect the half shafts (shafts that connect from the differentials to the geared hubs that drive the wheels, also known as portal axles) to safely tow it without damaging the transmission or transfer case. Just putting it in neutral will not suffice as either the transmission or transfer case will not properly lubricate itself. I can't recall which off the top of my head without looking it up but, trust me.

If you want to trailer it but don't have a trailer you can rent a U-Haul flat bed transporter trailer. It must be one of the newer models (galvanized as opposed to orange painted). The newer ones are wider and have a higher weight rating than the older ones. Also, if you truthfully tell U-Haul what you are planning on putting on it, they will deny you the rental because they believe it is too big/heavy. You'll have to... *ahem* stretch the truth as to what you're putting on it. From what other people have said, the HMMWV will fit (albiet snugly) and the trailer can handle the weight.

If your truck is running, when picking it up, bring fresh batteries and an air pump so you won't have problems loading it.

Now for the error in the GovPlanet FAQ. You may see in the FAQ that if you have your truck shipped to you, you will not be liable for the sales tax for the state it is in if shipping it out of that state. This is incorrect straight from a GovPlanet rep I spoke with on the phone after I made my purchaes. They are collecting sales tax regardless of whether you have it picked up by a shipper or pick it up yourself. I was originally going to pick it up myself but found through the Veritread estimate on the site that it would have been cheaper to have it shipped if the sales tax wasn't collected. After the purchase I called GovPlanet to find out how to schedule the pickup since it can't be picked up until your EUC clears (I'll go into this later). That's when I found out about the tax situation. So, if you are having the truck shipped, factor the shipment cost and sales tax into your final price. That said, if you are tax exempt for any other reason you can get your sales tax you have to pay refunded. No idea how that works but there is a section in the FAQ about it and process for it.


Here we get to selecting the truck you want.

After you've found the truck you want, I recommend picking another one or two trucks you can fall back on should you be outbid. Then again, if you have enough patience, you can always just wait until the next auction. I didn't end up with my first choice truck! I had originally bid on a 1992 M998 that ended up selling for $12,750, above my $12,250 max bid (it had 10,000 fewer miles, looked cleaner, and had a 6.5L diesel and full cargo cover).

When selecting a truck, read the description and look over the pictures very thoroughly. Unless you happen to live close enough to schedule an inspection, that is all you'll have to go off of for vehicle condition. If you do live close enough, you can contact GovPlanet who will put you in touch with the local rep to let you on site to look the truck over. I did not go inspect my truck prior to purchase though I will try to sometime between now and when I receive it.

You will find the trucks listed in various running conditions such as "running", "needed jump started", "needed ether", "not running", or listed otherwise.

Advice I had seen given was that GovPlanet will typically do what they can within reason, short of replacing parts or making repairs, to get a vehicle running so that it will sell for a higher amount.  If it isn't running it could be missing vital parts or it could have a cracked piston/head/block or some other catastrophic damage. Needing a jumpstart is likely not a big deal, possibly a dead battery or at worse a faulty charging system. If it needs a shot of ether, it could be a fuel delivery issue or possibly bad fuel. These trucks have been sitting for a while so things like that and flat tires are not uncommon. Again, if loading it yourself, bring fresh batteries and an air pump for this very reason! But, if it isn't running at all, there's quite possibly a very good reason for that and you should bid accordingly while possibly going so far as planning on replacing the drivetrain. Since even if you can inspect it, you can't tear it down, any non-running truck is going to be a gamble.

Besides being in various running conditions, you will also find trucks in various states of repair. Some will be nearly 100% complete while I've also seen stripped bodies on frames with partial engines being sold. A good bit of advice I once saw posted is that if it is missing parts, there could be a very good reason the unit it was with decided to start cannibalizing it. Maybe the transmission is slipping or maybe it doesn't stay running. Regardless it was seen as a more expendable vehicle for a reason. I'm sure a lot of readers, military or otherwise dealing with keeping fleets running, have experienced this first hand. Of course, you will pay more for a more complete and well running truck. Then again if you don't mind a challenge you can potentially save a lot of money. Just know that missing or broken parts that need replaced can add up and potentially be hard to find! My truck had a broken passenger mirror. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal finding some new glass for it since I've done that before on other vehicles. After several hours of searching I turned up nothing and was forced to buy an entire mirror assembly. Individual mirrors were around $90-$100 with eBay being the best source. Given that the individual mirrors were priced what they were and the driver side mirror's paint was pretty faded, I decided to purchase a pair which ended up putting the price of both mirrors at about $80 each since it was a package deal. I also have an ignition instruction plate that is unreadable. Finding a replacement was a chore but was located.

From people with experience, trucks with body damage or paint damage will require extra care in repairing them so bid on those accordingly as well. The bodies are aluminum so typical body repair shops may or may not be able to make repairs. The paint is CARC (Chemical Agent Resistant Coating) and is typically nasty stuff when applied or sanded and requires certain precautions some shops might not be able to handle.

Another thing to keep in mind is that despite what the odometer reading is listed as, it may not accurately reflect the mileage on the truck! Speedometers are switched out without much regard to the mileage except it being recorded in the maintenance logs (which you will not have access to). Compare the trucks typical wear spots with the mileage to see if it matches up. Also, sometimes trucks are put through a depot rebuild and this may be reflected in the odometer reading, especially if it is very low. These trucks will have placards/stickers to reflect the depot maintenance but I have seen that GovPlanet tries to avoid advertising these placards/stickers because they cannot verify if the trucks have actually been through the depot repairs. The part with the placard/sticker may have simply been cannibalized off of another truck that had and if they sell it advertised as having been done, only for the buyer to find out it hasn't, they're libel.


Now we come to the actual purchase.

As I mentioned, auctions are held weekly on Wednesdays.

Each truck is listed at a starting price based on condition. Running trucks are now being started at $5000 (down from $7500) and non-running and salvage trucks are being started at less than that.

The acutual auction time for each truck only lasts for 4 minutes and below is why.

The bidding process is a little bit different than most places you may have participated in. On GovPlanet you can bid at any time before or during the auction using what they call PriorityBid. Here is the FAQ section on what the PriorityBid is:

PriorityBid is our system for placing bids during the preview period of an auction. A significant amount of all bidding in our auctions occurs with PriorityBids; more than 70% of items typically have bids on them before auction day. Because they are placed during preview, PriorityBids have a delayed effect on the price of an item: the price does not change until the auction opens. There are several advantages of using PriorityBids:

   You do not have to be at your computer on auction day. When you place a PriorityBid, you specify the maximum you are willing to pay for an item. You will be told immediately if yours is the highest bid placed so far, but you will not know how much of your bid amount remains to protect you from later bidders. Your bid amount is confidential and our auction software will keep you in the lead against competitive bids through the preview and on auction day or until your maximum amount is exceeded. If you get outbid by another PriorityBid, an automatic email will immediately be sent to you.

   You can win the item for less than your maximum amount. In our style of auctions, the price the winner pays is determined by the price the runner-up was willing to pay. The final price is never more than one bid increment greater than the next-highest bid. So, if you have little competition, you can win an item for less than your maximum amount. We recommend you determine your "no regrets" price—the price at which, if someone else were to win, you would not regret the outcome—and then bid one increment below that.

   Bidding early helps ensure that you are the winner. When competing PriorityBids are placed for the same amount, the earliest bid takes precedence (it has Priority at that price), so submitting your bid early gives you an advantage. You can place a PriorityBid online any time day or night, or by fax during our Customer Care hours.

   Freedom to keep an eye out for other bargains. PriorityBids give you the freedom to browse and track other items on auction day without worrying about your "must-have" items. Our system acts as your assistant, constantly monitoring your PriorityBids and keeping you in the lead until the price goes beyond your designated maximum bid amount.

As auction day approaches, you can check the status of your PriorityBids in the Buying List of My Account. Make sure your email address and notification settings are correct in My Account Profile so that you can receive outbid notification emails. Before even being outbid, you can increase the maximum on any of your PriorityBids by placing a new PriorityBid on the same item for your new maximum amount (don't worry, you can not outbid yourself). Like all bids, PriorityBids are binding and can not be retracted nor reduced.


That pretty much lays it out. Bid what you're willing to go to before the auction starts. You won't know what the actual price is but if you get outbid at any point they will notify you via email and you can up your max bid if you want. If you bid a certain amount first, you get priority if someone else bids the same amount after you.

Also, bids are in $250 increments.

When deciding how much to bid, as I mentioned above, you will have to add in sales tax and transportation costs. That's not all though! You'll also have to factor in title costs as well as a 10% buyer fee! The title option with a Florida state off road title, a SF97 (essentially a federal government title), and a bill of sale will run you $150. Just the bill of sale and SF97 is cheaper but, you'll have to know if your state has any problems with dealing with SF97s. The Florida state title option was developed to help buyers deal with states that have problems with SF97s. Just the bill of sale is cheaper still but that may not be enough for some states. Know what is good for your state or err on the side of caution and get the full package!

I bought my truck for $9500. Between the 6% Kentucky state sales tax, the full titling option, and the 10% buyers fee I ended up with about an extra $1750 added to my purchase price. Then I've got to add in trailer rental and fuel costs to go pick it up.


And here we get to the post auction process.

So you've won your auction! Congratulations!

There are now some steps to take to finalize your purchase.

You will start by going through the checkout process. Here you will decide if you're shipping your truck or transporting it your self, selecting your titling options, and then finalizing the invoice total based on the options. After the invoice is finalized you will pay GovPlanet via wire transfer. Payment must be made within 3 business days or you may incur late fees usually $25-$50 per day depending on final sale price. If you go past a certain time, your item may be considered abandoned and you get charged an even bigger fee. There's also other stuff listed here.

But paying for it isn't the only thing you have to do!

On your account page you will be sent links (on the right hand side of the main account screen) to fill out your Hold Harmless Agreement which gets sent to one email address. You can print it out, physically sign it, and then physically mail it in. You can physically sign it, scan it, and then email it in. Or you can digitally sign it and email it in.

Most importantly, since the HMMWV is a defense article, you will have to fill out an EUC - End Use Certificate. This basically lets Uncle Sam know the final disposition of the item you're buying - if you're going to keep it, sell it, exporting it or not and if you are you have clearance to. This may seem to be a daunting part but GovPlanet has conveniently set up a form wizard that will assist you in filling it out correctly with descriptions of each field needing filled out. You will also need to send in a copy of your driver's license (preferably) or other government issued ID. Make sure your scan/photo of your license is crystal clear or your EUC may get kicked back after a very lengthy initial time period delaying you even further! Just like with the Hold Harmless Agreement you can send it in using one of the previously mentioned methods. It will be emailed to a different email address than the Hold Harmless Agreement though.

Directions are included with both forms.

First time EUC filers like I am can expect a 8-12 week wait. If you've previously filed an EUC with GovPlanet (GovLiquidation not included!) within, I believe the last year, your wait will be considerably shorter. This part is a bit like the whole NFA application and waiting game!


Here I'm getting to the pickup process and since I haven't yet picked up my truck, can only relay what information I've gleaned.

After your payment is received and your EUC is cleared you have 8 business days to remove your truck or you'll incur storage fees. Now, not to worry, if there are incidental delays GovPlanet will work with you so long as you are making a good faith effort to pick it up. This is word straight from a GovPlanet manager on Steel Soldiers. They simply put that there to keep people from abusing the time given to pick up the truck.

To pick up the truck you'll have to schedule a pick up time. If you are picking it up, it should be as simple as it sounds. If you're having a shipper pick it up, the pick up time will have to be coordinated between GovPlanet, your shipper, and you. You don't need to be on site for the shipper to pick it up.

Since I'm fuzzy on this part if you have any questions it would be best to call GovPlanet for clarification at 1-844-225-8799, Monday-Friday 6am-5pm Pacific.


Once you've got your truck at your site, it is not recommended you hop in and start cruising around! Your truck may have been sitting for months or a year or more!

A full fluid change is recommended. Since these are diesels, Shell Rotella T is a good motor oil. Replace other fluids as recommended by AM General. Specifications can be found in military TMs which are available at Steel Soldiers and other sites. Add fresh fuel, draining as needed to get a good mix to burn off the old stuff.

Check all of your important fasteners like lugnuts to make sure they are secure. Some very important fasteners unique to the HMMWV design are the bolts that connect the differential to the half shaft and the half shaft to the geared hubs. These can work their way out and should have some blue Loctite applied to prevent that. If they come loose they can damage brakes and other equipment!

Check for any leaks GovPlanet may have missed.

If you run into anything that was not on your inspection report, report it right away to GovPlanet to take advantage of their Iron Clad Guarantee which basically states they will disclose any problems as best they can. If they examine your claim and find it valid, they will refund a portion of your purchase price. If it's something internal and you knowingly bought a non-running truck don't count on any sort of refund. If you bought what appears to be a complete truck and it's missing say a mirror or seat, or it has some other problem that wasn't listed, you will likely see some money coming back to you. When in doubt file a claim. Worst case they deny it.


Now at this point we get into a topic that Steel Soldiers will not permit on their site: Titling, plating, and insuring for road use.

If you do bring it up, the topic will be deleted and you may be banned. For some reason they think that violating the purchase agreement and putting these trucks on the road will cause Uncle Sam and GovPlanet to stop selling them.

When you sign the Hold Harmless Agreement with GovPlanet, part of it states that you acknowledge the HMMWV is not roadworthy. The Florida title and SF97 are also stamped "Off Road Use Only":




That said, in many states, there are methods of titling off road vehicles for on road use. Check local laws! We've tried to compile instructions for various states below.

(Old Ohio registration information contained within)
Click To View Spoiler

For insurance, a number of companies out there will insure military vehicles. You'll have to call around. Although Steel Soldiers doesn't allow discussion about insuring the HMMWVs for road use, they do have a list of companies that have been known to insure military vehicles.


If you want technical information on the HMMWV there are two great resources

Steel Soldiers
G503.com

Despite my thinking that banning certain discussions about on road use of HMMWVs on Steel Soldiers is stupid, both have excellent information on HMMWVs and other military vehicles. Steel Soldiers also has one thing G503 doesn't which is a section dealing with the intricacies of purchasing from GovLiquidation and GovPlanet. A GovPlanet manager with the username of "Jwade" also participates in the HMMWV purchasing threads there answering questions and helping clear roadblocks you may run into. This thread is a good place to find him. (Update: "Jwade" is no longer with GP, Phil Hasty has filled his role.)


While waiting for my truck I've already started picking up accessories for it. If anyone wants me to I can go into what I've been picking up and why but customizing your truck will come down to what you like!


So, this is where everything currently stands with me. If anyone who has gone further in the process or has more detailed knowledge spots missing/incorrect information could contribute, it would be most appreciated!

HMMWV How-To Tech Links:

• Cutting Down 2 Man Troop Seats To Fit A 4 Man Truck


• Making Soft Half Doors

HMMWV Reference Material:

• HMMWV Operator and Technical Manuals

UPDATED 7/19/2017: State Registration Instructions

Ohio:
As of April 21, 2017 The State Of Ohio Department Of Public Safety, Bureau Of Motor Vehicles, Title Division sent the following Title Broadcast to all state title offices:



This is being used as justification by the BMV to (incorrectly) deny accepting the 3803 forms mentioned previously (to the point of claiming the form no longer exists). There have been conflicting reports of whether the BMV is continuing to accept registration for HMMWVs with valid, on road out of state titles. So far there has been no rescinding of on road titles for currently titled trucks.

THE BELOW IN THE SPOILER BOX FOR THE STATE OF OHIO SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ON THE PREVIOUS PROCESS!


Click To View Spoiler


Georgia: (Thanks to Lawman734)
The Georgia procedures manual states that to register a former military vehicle, it has to have been titled elsewhere (like a FL or MT title) or an SF97 needs to be provided. You'll need a VIN verification regardless (form is available at the tag office).

SF-97 - Even if it's not in your name, a bill of sale is sufficient from the original owner (GovPlanet) to the new owner (you). This works ok, but you're at the mercy of the clerk regarding the "Off-Road Use Only" part. Many are ok, others get a hassle.

Off-Road Florida titles - These don't seem to be an issue, but again - you're at the mercy of clerk on how they want to handle it given the fact its an off-road title and offroad vehicles in GA don't require registration.

Montana titles - These seem to be the easiest to work with and the most hassle free.

Prepare yourself so that it appears you know what you're doing. Bring the Title/SF97 along with your completed (signed by LEO) VIN Verification form and proof of insurance. It's a good idea to bring a photo of the vehicle and the vehicle data plate for good measure, even if not needed. The sales tax you paid will do you no good for the Georgia taxes and fees, but with proof that you paid in Georgia - contact Iron Planet because they say they'll refund your taxes - I'm still waiting on my check after 3 weeks.


Iowa: (Thanks to beef1911)
In Iowa you can get a Bonded title. All you need is a bill of sale or paid invoice. You have to apply to the DOT (2 weeks to respond), sign a form for military vehicles saying it meets FMVSS standards, get a bond for 1.5x the value of the humvee ($113 for $7500 bond for 3 years), wait for the DOT for 2 more weeks, then they say you can go get it registered. Same process for if you bought a car and did not receive a title. All this was done over email. Except for the registration.


Texas: (Thanks to EagleArmsHBAR)
In Texas, vehicles like a military surplus HMMWV can be registered under several categories:

1) normal registration;
2) antique (if over a particular age); and
3) former military vehicle

If registered as an antique or for more military vehicle, they don't have to pass inspection, but they are then limited on road use. If the vehicle passes inspection and is insured, it can be registered as a regular vehicle.

If all else fails in Texas and they won't accept an SF97 for some reason, a title can be obtained by going the bonded title route. Of course there are additional details with any of these registration methods, but that's the basics.


New York: (Thanks to kevin101)
My experience with NY was pretty simple.

1. I called Geico and was able to insure it pretty easily. It's insured as a normal vehicle with full coverage and didn't cost too much.
2. Brought my insurance card, SF97 marked "off road use only", my reassignment letter from GovPlanet, and the paid invoice from GovPlanet.
3. I handed everything over to the motor vehicle clerk who looked everything over. She mentioned the off road use only stamp but didn't seem to give it much thought and it didn't come up again.
4. Due to the truck not having a standard VIN she had to enter the vehicle manually. The only problem she had was having the computer accept the 6 digit ID number. She called a supervisor over who also looked over the paperwork quickly and the supervisor was able to override the system to enter the 6 digits.
5. I had to pay NY sales tax for the purchase price of the truck. I paid a 6% tax for Kentucky but NY doesn't have a tax agreement with that state. I'm hoping to get a refund from GovPLanet for the KY tax I paid.


Michigan:
Sorry, but anyone in Michigan seems to be out of luck with any sort of surplus HMMWV. Your state hates you. Not only are they denying on road registration of newly purchased auction vehicles but, if you buy a HMMWV legally titled out of state they will contact the state of origin in an attempt to get the title revoked and still refuse to title it on road. I'm betting you'll still run into some sort of issues even with the clear titled M1123s too due to ignorance but, who knows.

I suggest you all get some legislative action going to fix this!


South Carolina: (Thanks to An51960)
for the registration process, in SC, I would avoid the Greenville (University Ridge) location (that's where the lady told me I needed a title rather than a "certificate to obtain title"--she clearly had never seen an SF-97 and did not know what to do with it). After the one lady made several trips to ask other agents how to proceed, she said, "My boss will have to call headquarters." HQ was also clueless about how to proceed, however, they did get on a high horse about the off-road notation and state that there was no way to convert an off-road vehicle to an on-road vehicle (though they did admit that you could build a dune buggy in your garage and get it on the road). I ended up leaving there and going to Woodruff.

At the other location, I buried them in paperwork. I showed them my email where I won the auction, my invoice from gov planet, my email certifying my payment, my notice that my EUC was approved, my bill of sale, my insurance paperwork, my SF-97, and the notarized form transferring ownership from gov planet to me. The attitude at this office was much more figuring out how to help versus how to shut me down. The lady was very confused, but asked a fellow employee how to do things and pushed everything right on through. They told me I was going to have to pay sales tax all over again and get a refund from gov planet for the tax. They said the policy went into effect on 1 July. I pointed out that I had purchased before this date and they let me out of that even though the computer insisted that I pay it again. They kept my invoice showing the payment of state sales tax in case they needed to defend themselves again their own bureaucracy. The lady who issued my temporary tag works at this office and she knew enough to tell me that I would need my government certificate (SF-97) to get a title, so she clearly would've known what it was if she had been the one behind the desk that day.

I would also avoid the Blythewood location since this is where the Greenville office called.



UPDATED 8/7/2017: Insurance

Here's a list of insurance companies that will insure the trucks. Some more easily than others. You should probably call since these aren't standard trucks.

- State Farm
- Geico
- Liberty Mutual
- USAA
- Progressive
- Hagerty

There are other insurance companies that are out there that may insure these trucks so, if you are able to use one not listed, please let me know and I'll add it to the list.



Reputable Parts Suppliers:
So you've got your new HMMWV and are probably now looking for parts to fix one thing or another. Beware there are a lot of new companies popping up to make a quick buck off all of the new HMMWVs hitting the market and may be selling substandard parts.

If you're looking for OEM HMMWV parts there are a couple good sources sources:

- Mac Motors - They carry a couple handy pre-assembled filter kits. Just search for PM-A, PM-B, or PM-C depending on what you need. Otherwise search for your needed part number
- Hummer Parts Guy - Can search by name or part number.
- AM General Direct - Parts direct from AMG. Some good prices, some decent prices on some hard to find items, and some items priced like they're selling them to Uncle Sam.
- Kascar is a popular HMMWV parts dealer but, a number of buyers including myself, believe we have received out of spec reproductions and non-OEM substituted parts. In some instances, Kascar might be the only option available but they I can't really be recommended them as a primary my first go to source.
UPDATE 8/23/2017: Updating this section as Ron from Kascar contacted me personally today after seeing this post, looked me up by my name and order history, and assured me they always supply OEM parts and, to contact them if there are ever any issues with parts quality. In fairness to Kascar, I'd say after several purchases from them since this was made, my experience could best be classified as a "mixed bag" though I hope any and all future purchases are all positive
UPDATE 2/17/2020: I've made several orders with Kascar since the last update with all going well and everything exactly what it was supposed to be.
- Adventure Accessories is another great OEM option but they're geared more towards civilian H1 parts since they're the former Lynch Hummer group.
- BlueHummer Outfitters also sells OEM parts for both HMMWVs and H1s but also has some in house upgrade parts like upgraded spindle nuts, reusable half shaft bolt kits, and flexible caliper side brake lines. BlueHummer has closed up shop. Their items are now carried by Mod Mafia.

Not generally recommended:
Wolfer Parts/ComTac/MotoFino Truck Parts/Augusta Engine Parts has a combination of surplus OEM parts as well as in house manufactured driveline parts like half shafts and suspension parts like ball joints. It appears their "in house" parts are Chinese manufacture but they don't disclose this.

There are some surplus parts dealers out there that are great to deal with like Equipment Parts Sales. If you don't see it on their site, email them direct about what you're looking for. They've told me they don't always have their full inventory up on the website. They'll also work on prices on bundle purchases.

There are a number of surplus parts dealers also selling on eBay. Of them, the most reputable are beltfed34/Austin Aviation and amtak2/Arrowhead Lake XS Surplus. hdps_corp and militarysurplusparts deal in surplus parts but may have limited HMMWV parts. As mentioned, there are a number of others selling surplus parts. Just make sure if you're buying from them and they're claiming new surplus, they have correct military stickers on the packaging with the NSN or, at the least they have good feedback on the surplus they're selling.

Lastly, for surplus and especially hard to find parts, get in touch with Steel Soldiers and G503 member 86humv.

When in doubt though, post here and ask!

It's been a while since I've posted in this thread, mainly because there was nothing new to report other than the typical maintenance stuff that we all deal with. I still laugh at the vets that talk about how shitty these are (without considering the context) or the folks that think they can be purchased for the opening bid prices on GP, etc.

In the past month, I've decided to go out with the "old" and in with the "new". It's been brutally hot here this summer and the thought of a vehicle with air conditioning has been a siren song for me lately and it didn't take much convincing for me to consider something else when one practically fell in my lap. I suppose that it was my lucky day as I found a guy with a Marine M1151A1 he was letting go of because he had enough projects that didn't seem to be making progress with and he needed the room. I still can't believe how cheap I ended up buying a running vehicle, with minimal mechanical issues for. Most importantly, it was already titled in Georgia and I'm guessing this wasn't a Camp Lejeune vehicle as there isn't a spec of rust on it. So the "old" GMV was sold to a friend and the cash was used to purchase the 1151 while leaving a healthy pile of "project" money to work with if needed.

I took inventory of parts I had on hand or that I knew I could find and decided that I'm going to build this out as an M1165 GMV-Light. I pretty much have everything I need with the exception of a few parts - the armored seats and air compressor mount being the biggest that I've noted so far. I'm still slowly going through it, cleaning it up (man these are filthy for Marine trucks) and fixing/repairing the mechanical things. Fortunately, I have found no surprises so far, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things stay that way. Then it'll be time to break out the paint and slowly start putting things together. I'll post more as things progress.

Here's my "old" truck:


The "new" truck:


And what the finished product will be when I eventually finish it:

Wow, old and new are great looking trucks!

AC isn't really a requirement here in the PNW; if it's hot, zip open the windows, if it's really hot, take the doors off, and if it's really really hot (like 90°) roll up the rear curtain.  But GA?  Yeah, you need AC.

If you're going M1165 with it, you should be able to get some scratch for the sponsons as those are hard to find (like pretty much everything else).  

Good luck and keep posting your progress!

Thanks! Half of the fun with the last truck was building it out to be exactly where I wanted it. I'm more of a purist, so I really didn't do anything non-military with the last truck and I have the same intent here.

The AC thing, or lack thereof, never really bothered me until these newer trucks started coming out. Yeah, I didn't drive it as much in the summer, but I never really paid any attention to not having it until riding around in an 1165 GMV with it. It makes a world of difference to your overall comfort level.

Anyway, it's been slow going blasting and priming some of the smaller stuff to get the rust or multiple layers of paint off but I think it'll pay off in the end. I'm slowly accumulating the fittings for the air compressor also so that will be a neat project to get installed.



I'd like to get the big stuff blasted also, but this hurricane/tropical storm is putting a damper on that for likely the whole weekend.

I like the W front bumpers. Got a lead on another original one?

Unfortunately, I can't say that I do. I know a guy making them, it's styled like the aluminum one (like this one) but made out of steel. He's in NC.

I want this look for mine. I really like how the GMV's look.  My question is will the d-pillars for the bed rails fit the M1097A2 and do you have to have the hardtop to make it work?

The D-Pillars will mount to the truck just fine, you'll need to drill holes for them regardless. For the bed rails/c-pillar setup, you have a couple of options. 2 of the 3 will require a hard top.

- Use the c-pillar designed for use with the slats. This is the type used on my old GMV and the current GMV-light trucks. They're hard to find and designed for holding up a gun roof, so I'm not sure what kind of rigging could be done to make a soft top work with it. Given the scarcity, they're not cheap so I would imagine that if you go this far, you'll probably start putting together the stuff for a gun-roof too.

- The setup used on the armored 1165 trucks basically used shortened slats and for all intents and purposes, 2 d-pillars. One butts up against the rear partition and the other is located in the traditional location for the d-pillar. There are reproductions of this setup out there for about $1500 and probably wouldn't look ridiculous with a soft top as you wouldn't have to alter the soft top c-pillar, etc. If you want to really go for it without the full-on expense of a gun roof, partition, etc. This, paired with the fiberglass Blackdog roof would be super sexy. The Blackdog roof is hardly cheap either though.

Blackdog Roof

- The last option gets you close to the look and was actually used very early in GWOT by some units. Cut down a set of troop seats. Somewhere in this thread, I posted a bunch of pics of a buddy doing this with his truck. It was cheap (troop seats are usually cheap), it's practical and gives you the look that you're going for.

This is my buddies soft top with cut down seats.


And cut down seats with a gun roof. I've heard this pic is attributed to DevGru very early in the war.

I designed (and sell) a heavy duty variant push bar and brush guard.

I was never happy with any of the AM General H1 offerings or the HMMWV options.  Their civilian "heavy duty" brushguard would fold in with the slightest pressure, and it would rattle like a leaf in the wind.

The strongest bumper/brushguard has been the Ibis-Tek, but then you lose the approach angle.

The Luverne style is great, but hard to find.  The W is decent, but also has its issues.

Every other HMMWV brushguard, they're basically a glorified clothes hangar.

The vertical uprights for mine are 3/8" steel, and the tubing is 2" OD and 0.250" wall thickness pipe.  It's strong enough that I picked up the front end of the HMMWV with a fork lift by the pushbar.  The pushbar folded in at the bolt locations, but the pushbar itself never deformed.  Exactly as designed where the torque of the bolts allows slippage and almost a "crumple zone" and the truck and pushbar stay intact.  And it is shaped to get out of the way of the hood so you don't have to bother with it when opening the hood, and the bottom is shaped to maintain the factory approach angle.

The uprights and horizontal pieces are also positioned to not block any lighting and to not block any cooling air flow.

Your product looks great but unfortunately isn't doing much to protect the corners of the hood. I find it laughable that you'd say the Ibis-Tek was the strongest considering they were pulled from use pretty quick because of their tendency to fold.

The steel MSG bumper I would contend to be the strongest, but it was heavy as hell. With the steel bumper and hood mounted pioneer kit, I ultimately settled for snowplow springs in my truck as everything else just ended up sagging given enough time. The aluminum one in use now is pretty good and less than half the weight - I haven't seen any dented, let alone folded but I would imagine that it's not gonna be as strong as the steel version either.

The brush guard version of the same one is also available, but not as popular.







I'm sorry to sound so matter-of-fact when I say which one is the strongest, if we were in person I would have explained it differently.  Thank you for the push back.    I've never actually seen the Ibis-Tek or W one in person.  I owned AM General's "heavy duty" version for the H1 and it was pathetic.  I wouldn't argue with any points you made.

At the time I designed mine, all decent strength brushguards were in the $2000 territory.  My pushbar starts at $750, brushguard at $900.  And I should probably update the price.  I also sell build kits to save on freight so people can source the pipe locally, cut it length and weld it all together if they so choose.  Freight can be a killed on the kits.



I try to make useful things that are relatively inexpensive.

Maverick - I'm really digging the work that you've put in here. I'm more of "that purist guy", but I can definitely see where there is a demand for what you have developed as I think that it's tastefully done and not obnoxious at all.

As soon as I get done with this HVAC stuff, going to be time for some engine goodies!

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Figured since I've got the radio tray out, good a time as any to work on the turbo.

Fluidampr and Leroy Diesel billet pulley to eliminate any future issues with those things.

Saw a really nice 6.5 build I wouldn't mind emulating down the road.





(Any replies to responses to this post will have to wait until tomorrow night. I'm saving 46,000. )

Epic thread.
I’m seeing prices on M998s drop. Is there a new batch of more modern HMMWVs hitting the markets?

Govplanet is showing plenty of 11 series trucks going up for auction from the USMC. Those will have turbos and AC's, but as with any auction truck - prepare to put in the work to get them repaired and reliable.

I'm sure it's been asked and I know it varies greatly but what's it usually take to get one of these clean and running after you win an auction? Other question is do people swap modern chevy engines in these things? I know the commercial rigs had 350's as an option at some point. I've seen some custom rigs with crazy stuff I just didn't know if these got LS swapped like everything else.

Jesse can set you up

The M1165 GMV-Light data plates should be done any day now.    We had to investigate the QR code stuff, whether the QR Code shows just the vehicle serial number or if there is serial number and part number or NSN too.

So what does the QR code show?

Well, that was fun.

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Wicked Wheel and wastegate controller going in/on tomorrow.

Sadly the turbo blanket won't fit.

Sounds like that old saying 10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound area.

That's the best description for the center mount turbo.

Yeah, I'd love to have an M1165 data plate, but my concern is that the truck is registered as an M1151. While I could easily put in the appropriate serial number, I don't want to raise any questions with a model mismatched from what is registered if someone had to look closely. I might get one anyway, just to have but wouldn't be so sure on putting it on the vehicle.

I just stumbled across this 16 year old article by chance. A good bit of technical information on the innards of the 6.5L.

https://www.enginebuildermag.com/2007/06/the-optimizer-6500/

Intrigued.  Tell me more?

16 months in the making for our 1151/65 build

Almost there.

I finally got around to getting up to tractor supply and buying the majority of nuts, bolts, washers and screws for the radiator install and installing the splash shields and prop rod. Now to find the time to install all of the shit so I can do a flush and square away the fluids.

God bless TSC and their Grade 8 by the pound!

Sadly it has gotten more expensive over the last few years, like everything else.

I just grab handfuls whenever I go to get any. Got a storage bin rack I really need to get organized to store them all.

This is on my list of things to do this week. I need to go get a storage bin rack and set it up in the garage, right now, I've just got a ton of washers, nuts and bolts in separate bags. lol I grabbed handfuls of each size I had on my list. Will have to hit up another TS this sunday for what my local one is missing.

The only thing that drives me nuts is they don't carry 7/16 or fine thread Grade 8, at least the ones around here.

Mine is staffed by some 20 something females so the shit is all disorganized. It's annoying.

Odd question.

On the slantback sponson install....you are supposed to use these little sleeves.

Do the sleeves need to fit the hole you drill in the body or do they sit a top of the hole to provide a stand off for the sealing gasket?

The photos in the TM show the sleeve to be squished between the sponson and the body?  I'd think these would go on the top of the sponson hole?

They are called spacers.....





Do I need to drive the hole at the same diameter as the width of the 'sleeve' portion?

No need to drill the hole larger than the bolt as those spacers drop in from the top and act like a washer and protect the gasket from the bolt. They aren't long enough to go though the fender and you don't want them to.

In addition to my 1986 M1009, and the 1992 GMC 2500 that was used by the Navy I just purchased a 2007 M1097R1

It's been two days since that little teaser and no pics yet?

Don’t have the ability to post pics

Just sign up for an account here: https://imgur.com/

2007 M1097R1 6.5 with four speed less than 7,000 miles


https://imgur.com/a/IjxWqrP

Nice! Those helmet tops are probably one of the easiest ways to get a dry ride.

FYI, you can embed pics from Imgur.

If you're on phone, click on the picture, then click on this:

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Then click "Copy Link":

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Then click on the picture icon at the top of the ARFCOM message editor and paste the link in there.

If you're on desktop/browser, after it uploads, click this arrow:

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Then click "Get Share Links":

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Then click "Copy" under BBCode:

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Or, you can go to your gallery, click on the pic and select "BBCode":

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As you all can tell by the pics, the Wicked Wheel is in.

I also coated the rusty exhaust section of the turbo with some Rustoleum ceramic coating. Since the turbo blanket doesn't fit, going to try and wrap it with some exhaust wrap before I put the wastegate controller on and put it back in. Just haven't had time.

Was also going to turn up my IP while I was at it but ran into a bit of a surprise I didn't on my old 6.2. On the old engine, the top cover had regular Phillips screws. I found that this IP has security Torx star screws that you need one of these for. Now that I've got those, once I get a little free time, I'm going to get that taken care of.

https://imgur.com/EMPnvdf

My 1992 GMC 2500, 6.2 4L80 less than 14,000 miles

Fixed for you:



I like it!

Thanks, tried to embed it pic but kept getting a white square

Yes, very nice!

Personally I wouldn't mind having an LSSV.

I still kick myself for passing on a LSSV

Just a note about the image hosting sites; the pictures will not be viewable by anyone behind a .mil firewall.  The best option is to use the Select Image button and put the picture here.

That's only available to team members.

Lol, if someone cannot afford a membership, they cannot afford a HMMWV.

Honestly... this would have been useful information before I bought mine.

I got my membership for free... for telling Feinstein to eat shit.

I've been blasting and priming some of the other big parts. I can't wait to actually get some paint on them.







I'm currently in the middle of sourcing all of the hardware so I can set up this guy.....