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Three Letters Re: Some Thoughts on the Survival Vehicle
Mr. JWR,
I'm surprised this hasn't been addressed more thoroughly, but the first point
of consideration should be whether the vehicle will be diesel or gasoline
(since most vehicle models don't have a diesel equivalent). I know this topic
has been done before here, and even led me to investing in a diesel, but
apparently it's worth rehashing.
The disadvantages of gasoline are substantial. Gasoline is difficult to store
safely (as it is so combustible). Its useful life generally expires in about
12 months (so should you not have access to your stabilized cache, you can
expect
your
vehicle
to become useless before a year is out). It is more common, which means it
is more likely to be stolen. Gasoline generally gives fewer miles per gallon.
Gasoline engines usually wear faster than diesel engines, and require more
servicing (oil changes at 3,000 miles rather than 6,000, with expected engine
lives also greatly reduced). The only advantages I can see to gasoline is that
you're more likely to find spare parts and mechanics who can work with them,
and that it's less temperature-sensitive. [JWR Adds: Diesels are
also very unforgiving if you ever run one completely out of fuel. Re-priming
can be tricky.]
Meanwhile, the advantages of diesel are substantial, for our purposes. Diesel
is not nearly as combustible, and so safer to store, and will last longer.
It's less likely to be raided (and someone who does steal your diesel supply
won't be getting far if they're foolish enough to use it straight away). The
engines are generally simpler than gasoline engines and more tolerant to abuse.
Most important is the availability of fuel. Sure I can't siphon out of my neighbor's
car (not that I would anyway), but when the gas stations are out, truck and
train depots are more likely to have left over fuel. And when the diesel is
out, I can still run on jet fuel, kerosene, biodiesel (which I can make at
home), waste vegetable oil, waste engine oil, even coal dust.
Assuming even the least crises we might face, such as a localized natural disaster,
the gasoline infrastructure is very fragile, and very quickly that will run
out, with gasoline theft very common. When the gas pump goes dry, however,
I'll still be brewing my own biodiesel out of vegetable oil I can pick up at
the store or even make myself. (And I'm not aware of any [fire] code concerns
regarding storing vegetable oil in the home). Diesel is renewable, gasoline
is not (even
ethanol production is a losing proposition).
The caveat to this is to buy older. Newer vehicles are getting increasingly
temperamental, especially the newest models. Apparently the 2007s and later
fall under new EPA standards,
and in many cases the standards are so stringent that the vehicle will even
bleed fuel into its own oil supply rather than release
oxides into the atmosphere. That means biodiesel will literally eat the inside
out of the vehicle. 2006 and earlier on most models should be fully biodiesel
compatible, with older models working better (although generally less efficient).
Thank you for your fantastic blog. Keep up the good work! - Dieselman
James:
Those were some really good ideas. I've done some of those modifications.
I would add to the list three items:
1. I have three historic vehicles and one ironic thing about old school technology
is that the PSI ratings
for various applications on older machinery is not what it is on modern vehicles.
For example, I once lost a tiny plug (off of
a '58
International
Tractor) that would be impossible to find (or worth it for that matter) so
I crammed a piece of cork into it and its been there for years still doing
a great job. So, I save all cork from my household for emergency leak stoppers.
BTW: cork when burned makes good instant facial camouflage so that's another
reason I keep it stockpiled.
2. I read / subscribe to antique tractor, car, and motorcycle magazines to
pick up DIY information. A tip I picked up but haven't used
was from another old car nut. Keep a tampon handy for radiator leaks. It'll
provide a good temporary fix that will get you home.
3. Road flares. Besides the intended purpose, they also do a great job at starting
fires if the wood you are trying to light isn't exactly seasoned and dry. I
also used them as a law enforcement officer to chase away the bad guy's dog
so I didn't have to shoot the dog. (I have five rescued dogs and numerous other
rescued animals so I try to avoid any unnecessary force against animals.) [JWR
Adds: In my experience, nothing beats a lit 15-minute road flare for
crowd control. Nobody wants to mess with them.]
Good luck, - FLHSPete
Hi Jim,
I wanted to add my two cents to the Bug Out Vehicle (BOV)
thread going on. I’m
sure my thoughts on the subject will appear weak and lazy, but give it a look
see
anyway.
This
comes from the perspective of those that want to continue much as they do now,
and who possess the ability to do many of the repairs that would be necessary
for any truck, no matter how well “prepped” theirs might be via
the aid of auto-mall-ninja pimping.
Plenty of people will chose to keep existing trucks, or SUVs as their BOVs.
The reasons are many, but usually include the lack of funds to keep an extra
vehicle around, and personal preferences. Most will not use a specialized vehicle
as their full time rig, but they might consider modifying them for BOV off-road,
or inclement situation usage. For those that can’t, or won’t buy
/build /modify their way into a full-blown Mad Max vehicle, there remain options
for existing trucks and SUVs.
My personal rig is an F-250, 7.3 turbo diesel, early 2000s vintage.
It is a crew cab, (4 full doors, independently operable, unlike extend cab
units
which require the front doors to be open before the rear can), with an insulated
shell, and factory step bars to aid getting in and out of the cab. (We also
have an older 90s stretch minivan with seven passenger seating and storage,
and a pair of five-passenger SUVs).
I’m not overly concerned with EMP,
so computer damage from that doesn’t
rank high on my list. While having spare components is part of my plan, the
fact that they cover EMP possibilities is purely coincidental. Spare computer
and sensor parts for the 7.3 International engine run the list of the usual
suspects as they pertain to common repair activities. CPS, ICP, IPR,...
etc. The acronyms are part of the learning curve for do-it-yourself repairs.
Whatever breed of horse is in your stable, you better learn his particulars.
For Ford truck owners, an excellent source for tech, tips, real world repair
stories and cures, go to the
Ford Truck Enthusiasts (FTE) web site. They
have a world of excellent information, and them boys and gals help
members immediately, when there is an issue. All the special parts names (IPR
= Injection
Pressure Regulator etc.) are in there, and descriptions of what they do. All
of these components are available now, from multiple sources, and will fit
in a .30 caliber-size ammo can (which will fit behind the rear seat no problem).
I would encourage people to not be intimidated by the newer setups. Start with
a good, solid rig, such as the 7.3L. Buy the spares, and read up on how to
change them out. It’s not that hard. You’ll be doing monkey work
anyway no matter what the truck, if the poop smacks the blades, so what’s
the difference? These days, there are a whole lot more of the newer
Ford trucks out there. Parts galore! The parts houses have them in stock. If
it gets really
bad, and a little creative acquisition is in order…. well, use your imagination.
The 7.3 [liter] diesel is built by International, and has a minimum expected
life usage of 350,000 miles. A couple of guys on the forum report that some
trucks
have
gone 600,000+ miles before needing any real work. This engine simply keeps
going, and the chassis is very tough to beat.
Diesel fuel is everywhere. It’s in: big rigs, delivery - FedEx and UPS trucks, rental trucks, farm tractors – trucks – agricultural water
pumps – and
fuel tanks, some busses, most service stations, railroad engines, earth movers
and other construction equipment, military bases (who knows, they might go
deserted…),
emergency back up generators for some buildings…. It lasts a heck of
a lot longer than petrol. Doesn’t matter how much gasoline is around
for you, it will all be junk without proper treatment within
a short period of time. [JWR Adds: Don't overlook Home Heating
Oil tanks as another potential source of fuel that can be burned in diesels
in emergencies. (Although it would be a violation of road tax laws to do so
on public roads.) IMHO, every retreat should have at least one diesel
vehicle!]
As for transmissions, a manual is a good idea, but if you have an automatic,
don’t despair. I’ve yet to see a 8,000+ pound truck be push-started
without first parking on a hill. With your automatic, you need to be sure it
has a fluid cooler installed. Change the fluid regularly and according to common
sense. In a TEOTWAWKI world,
requisition [purchase]s are off the cuff, and there are plenty of the common
transmissions currently in service, and readily available.
Air bags used for load leveling really are a blessing. Take this setup, for
instance. A 3⁄4-ton truck that occasionally pulls a heavy load may use “load
levelers” commonly installed for use with travel trailers. These transfer
a good portion of the load to the truck’s front tires, but not all of
it. Air bag load assist units can take up the rest of the extra weight, and
convert your 3⁄4 ton setup into something much more capable. They don’t
get in the way, and are absolutely no liability. These accessories
can level a burdened truck just fine, which is a dead necessity if you want
a truck that
will steer and brake predictably. A truck that sagging in the rear can be deadly
in an emergency stop, especially on grades. The use of air bags allows
you to keep
a good ride when they are idling along. The best of both world there. At the
most, if they fail, you are left with the factory load capability intact.
My truck [body] is two inches higher than stock. I like the increased visibility.
I like the added travel in the suspension for towing off road. I like how it,
just today,
went
over debris on the road that might have caused damage. The guy in front of
me didn’t see it, and bang. I didn’t
have enough warning time so I went over it [, without contacting it]. The guy
behind me sensed something was up, but he
couldn't decide
what to do, so his vehicle went bang, too. Does two
inches help? It can. Today it did.
It also makes servicing the truck in bad terrain easier. With a truck that
has
a little
more uppity to it, you can get under it without the use of jacks, which are
unsafe on sloped ground. I wouldn’t lower a truck for any reason.
For anti theft, one easy to install device is a common switch, rated for the
current in the fuel pump circuit. I use switches to disable the fuel pumps.
They are hidden, and out of the way. Not too many thieves will spend the time
trying to figure out why the engine won’t start… something about
panic and going to jail or getting shot.
In keeping with the current mission of trucks, we like our power windows and
door locks. The window motors might become disabled at some point, but that’s
not a problem, really. If we need them open right now, that’s possible
with the glass breaking tools we carry anyway. In non emergencies, we can fix
such things. Power door locks have never trapped anyone I know inside, since
they all have manual overrides. They are a non-issue, too.
Back to our 'lil F-250 for a moment. They are copious hand bars in it. Four
on each side. Just inside the central pillars, are two very large such bars.
We’ve
found that these are just wonderful anchor points for harness attachments,
which allow for someone to firmly anchor themselves if they need to be sitting
on the window sill, hanging out the window for some reason. (Another opportunity
to use your imagination.) These internal attachment points almost seem
made for special occasions. - Anonymous from Californicatia
