M1078 LMTV expedition vehicle build

getout

Adventurer
Thanks for all the pictures on your blog. Those are some great details. Could I talk you into some pictures of the cab interior? Primarily what the area looks like behind those seats. I curious if there's enough room for a 'second row of seats'...like an extended cab type area. I've got small kids and was wondering if there's room for them to sit back there.

This looks like a blast! I can't wait to see it done.
 

DzlToy

Explorer
The rear "shelf" of an Isuzu FTR, which has a similar cab design, is only 18-20" wide and it is high (up over the engine hump) so there is no room to hang your feet down. A car seat may fit forwards or sideways, but I am not sure if that would be legal. It is designed for storage most likely, though the FTR did have a thin mattress that skinny short people (under 5-9 or so) could sleep on if needed.
 

dlh62c

Explorer
Sounds like a fun project.

Were you able to source vehicle insurance and register it. Or do you plan to wait until the build is completed?
 

tienckb

Adventurer
Sounds like a fun project.

Were you able to source vehicle insurance and register it. Or do you plan to wait until the build is completed?

I also am curious about registering this rig in Cali. Will you have to jump through hoops?


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2002 LX470 expo ready
2008 Ford E350 EB V10 4x4 Sportsmobile PH top
Custom off road trailer
 

Victorian

Approved Vendor : Total Composites
I read somewhere that former military vehicles are not allowed to leave the USA. Is that true? Even if it's converted into a motorhome?
 

DirtWhiskey

Western Dirt Rat
I read somewhere that former military vehicles are not allowed to leave the USA. Is that true? Even if it's converted into a motorhome?

Definitely not true. Thousands of these beasts rolling around the country. Each state, however, has its own quirks.
 

LostInTheWorld

Builder/Traveler
Thanks for all the pictures on your blog. Those are some great details. Could I talk you into some pictures of the cab interior? Primarily what the area looks like behind those seats. I curious if there's enough room for a 'second row of seats'...like an extended cab type area. I've got small kids and was wondering if there's room for them to sit back there.

This looks like a blast! I can't wait to see it done.

We took some photographs for you of the cab seats today. There's not really enough room for a seat facing FWD/AFT. The area behind each seat is about 20 inches deep by 24 inches wide. You could put a seat sideways like the old Nissan pickup trucks. I'm not sure of the legality of that these days.

That being said, the cab of the LMTV is super wide. There is generous room for the "gunner's" seat on top of the engine hump. There is a bunch of head room, and I think there is enough room to seat 2 kids side by side on a bench seat (I'm not sure how wide child seats are these days). It's kind of a cool vantage raised up, too. I'm 6'2" and I can sit there comfortably. The cab really is wide inside.

I think we are going to put a 20" deep bench across the entire back of ours. I think a fit person under 6'6" could sleep back there comfortably. There would be lots of helpful storage under the bench, too.

LMTV Cab Seats.jpg
 

LostInTheWorld

Builder/Traveler
Sounds like a fun project.

Were you able to source vehicle insurance and register it. Or do you plan to wait until the build is completed?

I also am curious about registering this rig in Cali. Will you have to jump through hoops?

We are registering and insuring it as an inoperable commercial truck for the time being. We can't drive it on the street right now, but all the paperwork is squared away. Once it's an RV, we just need to do a vehicle conversion which we hear is pretty easy compared to the initial registration. Insurance and DMV has been pretty cool about it. The DMV lady was actually excited about the whole camper build idea. Like anything, it takes some patience and we've had to make multiple trips to the DMV to get the paperwork right. We also had to have the police and highway patrol come out 3 times to get the VIN verification. There wasn't any problem with the VIN or anything, the DMV just wanted the paperwork a very specific way.
 

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