New to M715's need some advice

[knoxy]

Hi,
My name is Dan from VT. Im seriously considering buying an m715. Only a few reservations. First off I plan on using the truck around town, mostly on the road, but maybe a little recreational wheeling. I like the trucks because you can put the top down and get your hair in the wind, plus maybe remove the doors and have a seriously fun rig. My plan is to lift it slightly and run 40's or so, custom roll bar and maybe build some soft doors. My questions are: I hear these trucks are really low geared, is there an aftermarket gear set to allow it to cruise at higher speeds,lower rpms? and is it necessary if you plan on driving a lot, maybe even long distances (150 miles or so)? What are some of the major goods and bads about these trucks? Any aftermarket available? Power steering? Any advice would be appreciated since I know nothing about these other than they look mean when done up right. I was going to buy a wrangler, but this is ten times nicer looking and I can still put the top down and cruise. Thanks in advance....Dan

[Flingarrows]

Welcome to the zone.

My understanding is there used to be gear sets available for these axles, but they are hard to come by id still available at all. Unless you plan to drive it at about 45mph, you make want lower gears. You are looking at an axle swap then.

There are a few things available aftermarket: disc brake conversions from uglytruckling.com, floor pans, rocker panels and possibly lockout hubs from BJ's offroad.com, seat uphostery and tops from a few places.

There are also a few nos parts out there on ebay and military surplus stores.

If your goal is a restoration, look for a complete vehicle. If it is to mod it, some things that make have gone missing or broke may not be a big deal.

[e8wing]

Welcome to the zone! Lots of good info here. When you get one post some pictures.

[Barrman]

You might be better off with a baby Jeep or full size Blazer or Bronco to fit your goals. You will be much more money ahead.

However, if you have your heart set on a M715. Axle swaps as mentioned above will probably be a better option than regear. Of course, then you get to buy new rims too.

[knoxy]

Thanks for some insight!! What are the common axle swaps for these vehicles?

[Flingarrows]

Common swaps are GM axles. There is a sticky post on axle swaps at the top of the modified forum