JaxInCalifornia@aol.com wrote:
> Just curious what the system might be to get one of these hummers
> licensed if they are not DOT certified?
Bite your tounge! A Hummer is a civilian vehicle... these are HMMWVs!
:-)
Well, none of the surplus HMMWVs are DOT certified, but I don't think
folks are having much trouble registering them. I only have personal
experience with the trucks that went through Riverside Auto Auction
(which I've been told are now all sold). The auction house took care
of registering many/most/all of them. It's my understanding that they
all had valid Form 97s with no restrictions on the forms, and that was
enough to satisfy the CA DMV. I've heard rumors that other paperwork
involved in their release may have had an off-road-only restriction,
but that none of the paperwork that the CA DMV cared about had any
such restrictions, so registation was not a problem in my own state.
I've only seen a photocopy of the Form 97 that came with my truck (the
original went to the DMV), and nothing on that form indicated any use
restrictions.
Registration requirements vary from state to state. For example,
unmodified HMMWVs are not technically street-legal in CA because they
have neither lighted rear licence plate brackets nor backup lights.
However, CA does not include a compliance or safety inspection in its
registration procedure, and both features are easy to add. There's
even a place to mount a backup light switch in the shift lever
housing, since HMMWV ambulances have backup lights. Both features can
be easily integrated into the blackout light system without cutting
any existing wires, by making "Y" taps and attaching them at
appropriate places (rear marker light for the license plate light, and
the horn for the backup light, are convenient places to tap in). On my
truck, I mounted HMMWV soft-top ambulance backup lights and brackets
on the rear, so that even though they're not technically "correct" on
an M998, at least they're appropriate for some HMMWV versions, and
they don't look out-of-place. I had to drill some holes for the backup
light brackets. I mounted my home-made license plate bracket under the
left rear corner, using existing bolt holes.
My own opinion: As long as the vehicle includes either a valid Form 97
with no restrictions noted plus a set of bills of sale showing the
path of ownership leading back to the entity named on the Form 97, or
a valid unrestricted title or registration from any other state, it
should be easy to register in California. You'll need a VIN inspection
and (probably) a weight certificate. The lighting issues should not be
a hindrance for registration in CA, but I strongly recommend
correcting both issues before driving the truck, both to be legal and
for safety. I can't vouch for any other states.
I am curious whether this particular batch of trucks passed through
the Riverside/Atlanta auctions a few years back, or are from another
release of trucks.
I do not know anything about the particular HMMWVs being sold in this
Ebay auction. Based on my own personal experience and the experiences
of other HMMWV owners that I know who bought Riverside HMMWVs, I would
not be surprised if many, of not most or all of these 57 HMMWVs will
require a fair amount of mechanical work before they're reliable
semi-daily drivers. My own advice to any potential bidders: Be
prepared to spend a lot of time under the hood and chassis swinging a
wrench, and be prepared to spend a significant amount of money (maybe
$5,000-$10,000 or so...) on parts and upgrades (including stuff like
tops, doors, tires, etc.) before the truck is reliable and configured
the way that you like. In other words, if you buy one of these things,
be mentally prepared to spend either a lot of money or a lot of time
(and still quite a few dollars) before you can drive the truck to work
every day without getting stranded.
When picking one out, I suggest looking for one with a good frame and
body, no major leaks, no major missing pieces (count things like
driveshafts and brake calipers to make sure they're all there...
really!), and with an engine that does not show signs of leaking head
gaskets or other cylinder leakage, and fight off anybody wielding a
can of ether with a big stick. Don't be too surprised if the truck
needs an injection pump rebuild (in other words, shop for one that
seems to have a good injection pump, but don't be too disappointed if
you end up rebuilding it anyway), because those seals can go bad after
the truck sits around for years without being run. Be prepared to fix
lots of leaks in the various fluid systems. Don't expect a
no-work-needed daily driver because these trucks are a lot younger
than most of the other MVs out there; my 30ish year old deuces have
required a lot less get-em-running work than my HMMWV; your mileage
may vary. Contact me off-list if you have specific questions about my
own experience, but keep in mind that I'm no expert; I only have
first-hand esperience with my own truck, and varying degrees of
knowledge about the experiences of a few other folks who bought
surplus HMMWVs.
The series of Ebay auctions from this seller might be a good way for a
bunch of folks to add HMMWVs to their green fleets. If any MIL-VEH
members end up buying one of these, I sure hope they'll share their
experiences on the list. You kow, some of the other mailing lists I am
or have been on frown on posting "look what I found on Ebay" notices
(I don't know what the policy is on this list, but it's a moot point
since the list policies are not being enforced here right now), but I
have to admit that I've bought at least one of my trucks, maybe two,
and have unsuccessfully bid on a couple more, based on Ebay tips from
this list!
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