I already have the pics of the interior, but I'm wondering how it looks when the vehicle is fully loaded with gear and crew kit... Particularly the area of the dashboard, around the radio, driver's compartment. Does anything get on the dashboard at all? I'm thinking all the water bottles and maps would get airborne if not secured properly, but there is nothing to secure them on?

Mario

The dashboard is really too small to put anything on it. Unless the vehicle rolls or gets high on two wheels, everything pretty much stays in place. Think of your car, most stuff stays where you put it unless you drive really crazy. Also, some Soldiers build boxes and storage between the front seats. My M998 in OIF 1 had a box built between the front seats that had a closing compartment and a couple open tray-like/cup holder areas, sort of like a center console in a car. We also built a thin box on the roof, over the radios to slide maps into. Sorry, no pics though.

Hi Mario.....I just want to reinforce what Gino has already stated. The 'dashboard' is too narrow for anything to really sit on it. The transmission hump between driver and passenger is mostly kept clear due to needed clearance to operate SINCGARs and adjust speaker settings. Clearance is even more critical with variants that have Blue Force Tracker systems installed.

As Gino mentioned sometimes Soldiers use a field improvised storage box on the transmission hump. Its very common to see coffee cups, personal notebooks, manuals and chewing tobacco containers within reach of the driver/passenger.

Here are a few examples :














H.P.

Thanks for the info Gino and Brent, it helps a lot. I will take your pointers with the Humvee I'm currently working on. Hope to post some pics soon.

Frenchy, thanks for these photos. Some very creative ways to use the space eh?

Mario

One more quick question... How about storing some items on back passenger seats? Backpacks, coolers, etc. Would it be ok, perhaps fastened with seat belts or something?

Cheers,
Mario

There are some inspiring M1151 pics here :

http://www.cybermodeler.com/armor/humvee/m1151_walk.shtml

Looks like you can even remove one of the two back seats...

H.P.

Storing stuff on the backseats/floor is definitely ok. Its very common if Soldiers don't anticipate a need for someone to ride in one of the seats...even then, you take the stuff sitting in the seat and throw it in the back.

^^DITTO^^

My driver and I always put our rucksacks and other gear on the backseat of my command HMMWV. We rarely had rear-seat passengers.

Great, thanks for the info guys! I appreciate it... hope to show my Humvee WIP this weekend.

Mario