DIY Military Truck to Camper Van Conversion in 36 Days.
This build took me 36 days and 468 hours of labor from the day it pulled in my driveway to the day I left in it. There were many long nights.
I have had this on my bucket list for a very long time and am looking forward to all the adventures I have coming up.
Cost to build including the vehicle purchase but not accounting for my time: $98,478.54
942 individual items installed from plumbing fittings to solar panels to countertops.
145 Online orders/trips to the store in total.
-Some of the frequently visited stores:
34 Trips to Lowes @ $5,321.76
9 Trips to Home Depot @ $3,741.17
12 Trips to O'Reillys Auto Parts @ $565.64
5 Trips to NAPA @ $662.84
23 Amazon orders @ $5,642.47
The solar system cost $11,625.84. The wiring to connect all the Victron components was $1,602.81 of that total number.
0:00 Intro & Vehicle Type
0:25 Removing Mil Spec Interior
3:18 HVAC Blocking
4:01 Insulation
5:02 Rough-In
5:38 Wall Panels
6:08 Paint
6:36 Shower Install
7:23 In-Floor Heat
7:44 Flooring
8:26 Electrical System
10:41 Lighting
11:11 Bed Lift
13:41 Countertop Install
14:51 Walk Through
You're really working inside the truck, with sun glasses and the hat behind your neck... Style, pure style. Oh, it seems that was only for warming up. You removed it. 😄
Hi friend! We're looking forward in-depth videos about conversion of your truck!
Seeing you struggle with the #2 phillip screws is why I changed to construction screws for all my projects T25.
а с Душем ты это ловко придумал))))
For a second during the shower install I thought you were hammering on a torpedo level 😂
Great video. I hope you post more details of the build and usage.
Great job. That truck will go anywhere.
Thanks for the vid! Great to see your perspective & the build!
I love what you did. I hope to one day do my own build. That husky tool Box is a brilliant idea.
fantastic build, man. anything similarly "rugged" from any dealer (Earthroamer, etc.) would probably cost you well over 10X as much. btw I think we chose exactly the same flooring -- I put the same stuff into the bedroom of my 26' Airstream after I had to cut out the subfloor and put in a new plywood panel, but I added the blue "lego" underlayment. I guess you may not have needed that with how flat the floor of yours is (plus having the radiant heat in it).
Excllent build man! Thank you for sharing
Nice build, thanks. A bike is the way to go!
Super cool build! I hope you have some great adventures!
Yes
snug as a bug with your insulation, fantastic!
Good build!
Where is the washing machine?😂 What a build. Epic. Brilliant ideas and skills.
Been looking for an m1078 with the exact box and recently found one near me for $30,000 CAN which is pretty cheap! I was wondering, is there anything specific with this model I should watch out for when going to look at it in person that may be detrimental? What's the box made of? Will it delaminate over time? Thanks!
ended up looking great
Yep very cool build
you need something like an overlander redtail so the beds on top then cut a sunroof for ladder access to it
Apollo. I just watched the auction end without reserve being met. Super interested in your truck. I was 2nd highest bidder. Let me know if you decide to still sell!
It will be going on Ironplanet in about a month. If you are interested, go to my company website resolutepropertyworks.com and call the phone number listed. Maybe we can make a deal.
Bravo!!🎉
My first time watching your video and I am hook
"ДУШ" ... Повеселило!
Я думал я один это заметил.😀
MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE, REGARDS FROM SPAIN, DOLORES, ALICANTE
Hello Apollo, Curious if you've had any mechanical issues on the lmtv and how many miles have you driven? Would be nice to see more videos as well. Thanks
More videos?? Any updates looks awesome!!!
Super truck....nice.
I hope you know that this is a military expando van and that the walls can actually expand,
nice milage
Глазам не поверила, в душе русскими буквами написано)
В душе слово душ!! 👍😂
Nice but I'd have put in cable-ducts! Why? Well, just like in a house: If you want to add anything later, it is easier to pry open a cable duct, put the new cable in and close it up again! I should know, I moved into an apartment (that I live in rent free as the house belongs to my aunt (who lives downstairs!) and my dad (who doesn't live here luckily - I love my dad, but having him around constantly isn't ideal)) in an older house (built in the 60s!), which does not have cable-ducts! Blergh it is bloody difficult to add new stuff like my home-network! Damned, I had to drill through the walls several times in order to install it...and I could only fit two cables through those holes, so frankly if I want to add something else later on? Yeah, more drilling, more dust etc. :( Also: White? Why? Is this a hospital?...I hate white! It's the other thing I changed about my apartment! I added color! Each room is a different color! White paint is anathema to me! Get it away from me! Over all a great build - still, I don't like the bed, I'd want to have access to my bed all the time so I would probably have put the desk on the opposite of the kitchen counter and forgone the dresser etc.
smart man, if I do a new build of anything my self I'll definitely be putting in conduit. would save a ton of headaches later.
I'm also working on a LMTV build. Where's the video on the bike? I'm considering winching my BMW 1250GS up. I'm using the same winch for my bed lift.
No video on it. I have a standard 10’ aluminum motorcycle ramp that rests on the top of the ladder to enter the box. Hook the winch shown in the video to the handlebars and pull the bike backwards up the ramp and inside the box. Then its secured by a standard wheel chock and tie downs. Simple and uncomplicated. Will work great for your GS.
The only thing I could think of that would one up is to buy and convert a Russian icbm carrier into a mobile single story ranch house
You can buy old missile silos.
@@ligerstripe99 nope I’m talking about the things that act as mobile missile silos
@@brennanlangless8912 Oh, that would be interesting.
Now that sounds like fun
Where did you get the linear actuators that you used for the bed lift? I’ve been having difficulty sourcing adequate ones for my build.
Firgelli Automations.
Thanks for the cool vid Apollo. I’m looking into a setup like this to be able to use as a base camp during hunting season / big road trips. What’s your experience with how the older military vehicles run? Also, assuming you’re in the US, did you get this off govplanet or somewhere else?
Mechanically they are tough enough to do tank jumps. Electrical is the only "weak" spot but still not really an a big issue. The biggest issue with these trucks is they just sit and don't get used. This causes more issues than anything else. And it will be a learning experience about the wonderful world of corrosion. Bought mine from a military surplus dealer. You can get one from an auction also for cheaper, but it will likely require a decent amount of reconditioning.
I love hunting out of mine. I bird hunt and there's no field too muddy for this truck when the guys in 4runners are all turning back you can keep going and have that field to yourself. It also attract the land owner so be ready to chat with em and get the lay of the land if you're hunting PLOTs or WalkIn areas.
Beautiful Build man Big support from Kenya , I'd like to ask on Cost to run the rig and potential upgrades
At current prices it costs about $.60/mile to drive (8 mpg). The other consumables (gas generator) do not amount to much unless something breaks. Potential upgrades some sort of system for tilting my solar panels, more batteries, and a larger fuel tank for my generator.
More motor upgrades increases the problems
A question regarding the electrics. Are you running everything through an inverter or are you using DC power as primary with the inverter as needed (such as cooking)? It was difficult to tell how you had it set up from the video alone.
Using both DC and inverter. Almost everything except the vent fan and water pump is run off the inverter.
@@apollogarin That seems somewhat inefficient in terms of power consumption. Would it not be more efficient to wire up DC lighting and use step up or step down voltage regulators to direct drive your computer and monitors on DC?
everyone who viewed this should subscribe, this is amazing
Did you rewire call electrical? Not able to use what was there?
Where's your ACH and ground-guide?
Great build. Some amount of oil gets through the piston rings in a compressor. Do you have any filtering system to get rid of that?
I do not. I put on a Haldex air dryer to replace the military one. That probably makes no difference though.
May be worth getting an oil-less electric compressor just for that purpose?
I prefer having the small amount of oil in the system to combat corrosion since this vehicle goes through water frequently.
im jealous
I've worked on these trucks, if ya need any help give me a shout.
There is an American saying---"If it is not broken don't fix it." Only fix things you know how to.
Living the dream🤙🏽💪🏻✌🏼
ДУШ !!!
Where did you get the shower enclosure from? I’m looking to do the exact same in my m1079…
I took the measurements, made a drawing, and had a sheet metal shop bend up the two pieces
Great video! I’ve been thinking about converting an LMTV myself but someone on an overlanding forum deterred me after they spent $20k~$30k every year fixing it. Do you have a similar experience?
Wow! Now, that is some valuable information!
@@funkyjones Yea you can buy them for less than $15k on an auction website but these are still $200k+ military issue vehicles when manufactured, so replacement parts still reflect that manufacturing price is what I heard.
There's better more reliable Military trucks you can use, a 5 ton expando van is most likely a way better example, an M35a2 as well, depending on if that's big enough. I haven't put too much money into mines aside from tires and my power steering kit, these are very simple trucks unlike the LMTV with its confusing electrical system
@@hummerguy Ah yes those could be easier maintenance as they are also older trucks. I always thought since the LMTV’s CAT3126 engine is so common in chevy box trucks that it would be easier to find parts. Any experience getting engine parts for the M820 or M35?
@@XcarecaX They're pretty easy to get parts for, if you get a 5 ton, I'll get the 8.3 or 250 cummins because those engines are much more powerful than the multifuels. Either way, the multifuel is pretty reliable if you don't start messing around with it to make more power than it should. I believe the 3126 isn't hard to get parts for either but they're just very expensive
una pregunta por que siempre se pasan los cables entre la madera y el aislante , como vas a reparar un cable pillado por un tornillo cuando estas atornillando cosas, y otra cuando quieras cambiar los cables por que se an degradado por el uso tienes que desmontarlo todo. el mantenimiento que poco se cuida el mantenimiento.
Si administra su disposición de cables, puede mantener un diagrama de dónde pasan sus cables para que los rodee. Con aislamiento de espuma en aerosol, esos cables no se moverán y algunos cables tienen suficiente protección para durar décadas. Tengo una autocaravana sin aislamiento de espuma y los mismos cables me han durado 40 años.
@@XcarecaX mira una cosa aquí en España las instalaciones eléctricas, por reglamento se revisan cada 5 años y cada 10 recomienda cambiarlas , ya sé que es un consumo muy justo pero piensa que algún día tendrás que acceder a ciertas partes y solo podrás hacerlo desmontando todo. Como las baterías, ya quisiera yo que aguantarán 40 años pero creo que entre 5 y 10 tendrás que sustituirlas y no as dejado sitio ni para que respiren, aparte tiene que tener ventilación para que siempre estén a una misma temperatura no suba no bajé demasiado. Gracias por su tiempo y piensa en el mantenimiento.
@@salvadorblascogonga8204 (disculpas por la traducción probablemente mala de Google) ¿realmente crees que necesitarías cambiar el *cableado* cada diez años? No sé, si fuera yo, creo que tener un buen diagrama para llevar un registro de dónde estaban las cosas sería suficiente. obviamente querrás asegurarte de tener fácil acceso a componentes como balanceadores de batería, transformadores, etc. Soy un gran nerd, así que si realmente me preocupara, podría incorporar trazados de cableado y plomería en las decoraciones de la pared para que Sería difícil de olvidar ;)
Очень круто. Столько оригинальных решений 👍👍👍
Спасибо
Can I ask the interior height?
76 inches. 69 under the bed.
Lovey makeover BUT i still personally would not buy anything to travel in where i didn't have access to the drivers seat in an emergency from the sleeping/living area. That's a deal breaker for me.
That's something I been noticing and looking for , in about to embark on finding an RV and I think that may be a deal breaker for me as well. I like the idea of not needing to leave the vehicle to get in the driver seat.
All in time too miss the next rent and disappear!
Word душ in the shower issues russian
DIY only if you know how to.
Nothing you cant learn, especially if you have an internet connection, of which you do. Its all about how much effort you're willing to give to empower yourself.
@@NitroNuggetTV Right