Post Z-Day Vehicles
The day you wake up and realize the world had been over run by the undead, you have one of two choices to make. To stay put or get moving. This hypothetical situation will assume that you have made the second choice. Be it to search for supplies, other survivors, or to go out and squash zombies en masse Grand Theft Auto style. What kinds of vehicles would exhibit the best all around qualities for the kinds of situations you would encounter in a post Z-Day world?
Here are a few things you need to consider:
- Range: How far can your vehicle travel on a single tank of gas?
- Speed: If you needed to haul back to base for some A.S.A.P. medical treatment, could it get you back fast enough?
- Load Capacity: Can your vehicle haul significant amounts of supplies, survivors, pull a trailer, or tow a disabled vehicle back for repair?
- Road Clearing: Does your vehicle have the ability to push another vehicle off the road, or plow through a horde of undead and still be road worthy?
- Ground Clearance: Can your vehicle go off road, hop curbs, and drive over bodies?
- Fuel Type: Will fuel for your vehicle be widely available post Z-Day?
- Armor: How much customizing and up-armoring would your vehicle take to be zombie and attack proof?
Consider all of this and decide what your perfect vehicle would be. List all of the mods you would make to it, and how it fits into each of the above categories. Then, list what you actually drive, and how you would customize it to make it safe for a post Z-Day world.
Stay safe. Stay informed. Stay alive.
NOTE: Special thanks to user Angryvikingman for submitting this article.
Comments (57)
Sharpshooter on 16 Jul 2009 at 12:07 pm #
Well my personal favorite vehicle for z-day would be an 18 wheeler.
3ID on 16 Jul 2009 at 1:02 pm #
my preferred Vehicle would be a Stryker
Crew
2 (driver, commander) + 9 troops for ICV: 3 (driver, commander, gunner) for MGS
Length
275in
Width
107in
Height
104in
Fully Equipped Weight
36,240lb (ICV), 41,300lb (MGS)
ICV
0.50-caliber M2 machine gun, MK19 40 mm grenade launcher or MK240 7.62mm machine gun; 4 x M6 smoke grenade launchers
Mobile Gun System
M68A1E4 105 mm cannon, M2 0.50 calibre machine gun; 2 x M6 smoke grenade launchers
The Stryker is a full-time four-wheel drive, selectively eight-wheel drive, armoured vehicle weighing approximately 19t. The vehicle can attain speeds of 62mph on metalled roads and has a maximum range of 312 miles.
Nick on 16 Jul 2009 at 3:26 pm #
A military APC with a computerized 30 mm machine gun turret.
Tough, armoured, big and no risk of being ripped apart.
preferably in a convoy of them :3.
Dsurion on 16 Jul 2009 at 4:22 pm #
I’d have to go with something a bit more, small-scale. A 8×8 Avenger 750 EFI is pretty nice:
It’s an amphibious 8-wheel ATV, capable of carrying 6 people/1000 lbs and towing an additional 1800 lbs. It runs on gasoline, is fairly slow, only capable of hitting 20 mph, and has a range of about 160 miles. With a formed steel frame and high-weight polyethelyne body, I’m pretty sure it could plow through a tree and keep on going. It is an ATV, so with 10.5″ of clearance it can drive over a lot of stuff, but it’s also an ATV, so it isn’t exactly well armored.
Armoring up would be interesting to say the least. Adding anything worthwhile, such as metal plates, would reduce the number of people it could carry. However, perhaps its small size and maneuverability would be good enough protection when confronting zombies
While this vehicle doesn’t stand out in any particular area, the number of niches it can easily fill make it an ideal choice for a survival situation. Since roads in the zombie apocalypse will be nigh unusable, the ability to go off-road and even off-land is priceless. Plus it comes in camo, and that’s the important part.
Jordan on 16 Jul 2009 at 5:06 pm #
I don’t believe we’ve taken into account maintenance. The aforementioned vehicles are very difficult to maintain even with parts on hand which, do to the nature of their intended use, are difficult to find in the civilian world. If we have to factor in fuel availability then parts and maintenance should as well.
Now then, I own and drive an 87′ Dodge Dakota. It’s av-6 automatic two wheel drive long bed. Offensive/defensive capabilities, next to zero.
My work truck provided by the company I am employed by however is an F-350 ‘one ton’ diesel flat bed 4-wheel drive stick shift. This has plenty of power, and although poor on gas mileage the 40 gallon tank allows extensive run times. Parts are readily available and fuel can be found at any gas or truck station even agriculturally based businesses.
Considering the f-350’s traits I would choose it or even a larger model for my Dream Anti-Zombie vehicle. Some of the larger models used widely by the DOT with road work crews have a massive cab in 4 door configurations and come with large dump beds. The ground clearance of these trucks varies but most have adequate height and their wide body provides a stable base with a relatively low center of gravity. I believe,after slight modification, they would make excellent armored transports well qualified for multiple purposes.
These same vehicles are designed to be equipped with various accessories such as wenches, cranes, spotlights, plows, and even drag kits for loading and unloading those large dumpsters at construction sites. Some slight modifications and you’ve got moble out posts, or fire support bases.
Note:
Although they can easily reach speeds of up to 70 miles an hour, doing so with any vehicle during a crisis such as a zombie invasion would be extremely dangerous.
Angryvikingman on 16 Jul 2009 at 6:10 pm #
Personally, I would choose the M35 Deuce and a half truck.
With a little inch plating and lexan around the cab, engine compartment, and covering the windows, it’d be bullet proof as it could get. You can convert the bed of the truck into any number of configurations, and armor plate it and turn it into a gun truck like they did in Vietnam. It can easily haul 10,000 pounds of stuff, a lot of them have a winch, can pull a trailer, has ground clearance, 400-500 mile range on its 50 gallon tank, can be outfitted with a “cow catcher” style bumper to plow through zombies and roadblocks, and it can run on ANY type of diesel fuel, jet fuel, kerosene, heating oil or gasoline. Gasoline should only be used in an emergency because it does not properly lubricate the injector pump. While using gasoline, common practice calls for the addition of at least 1 quart of clean motor oil per 15 gallons of gasoline for proper pump lubrication where available. Upkeep is pretty easy, as its pretty much a giant V6 engine. The Deuce and a half was made for rugged use without regular maintenance.
As for my everyday vehicle, I drive a 2001 pontiac bonneville. For those of you who have seen the new deathrace movie, I’d outfit my car much in the same way as that car was. I doubt that I could get a mini-gun to mount on the hood though. I’d add some cross bars over the windshield that would look like a “reverse fastback”. For those of you who saw many sports cars from the 80s, its like the slotted plastic they put over the rear windows. If made from metal it would prevent direct fire on the driver from an elevated position, couple that with some bulletproof lexan, and itd keep bullets and zombies from coming through the windows. My car has a 600+ mile range on a 16 gallon tank, and has 140mph on the spedometer. I’ve personally only had it up to 125mph. I kept running out of road, but it’ll haul some ass. Can hold 5 people in relative comfort, and has enough room in the trunk to hold 2-3 people. (depending on size) So it’d hold lots of ammo, food, ect. If I could mount a good custom “people killer” bumper to the frame, I could use it to push anything smaller than a school bus off the road, assuming it was in neutral. Its a road only vehicle though. I can crawl rough terrain with it, but its slow.
Hope you enjoy my article.
Ryan Elliott on 16 Jul 2009 at 6:51 pm #
I would probably just find a way to steal one of those nice military grade hummers with the metal plating and the mounted gun. Without getting myself killed by infeted military personnel that is. I don’t really know the range one tank can get but fuel wouldn’t be an issue unless I were somewhere that you have to wait 50 miles between gas stations. I would definately get a large tank to put extra fuel in, probably something along the lines of one of those large portable water tanks that you always see when you go to a flea market or a carnival. Also I would probably carry around an ample ammount of spare bullets for the mounted gun as it would be a while before I would be able to get more. As for maintaining it, fuck that I’d rather just take another one, however if i had someone around who knew how I would most cirtainly encourage them to.
Most likely I would find a way to take over the base where I obtain the car so that I would be in a well defended area as well as having ample supplies. However most importantly I would be able to determine from there the safest route to the nearest supply/refuling stations so that I don’t run out of bullets/food/fuel if their asessment proves they are relatively safe. Eventually though I imagine I would have to find or rig up some sort of HPV for reasons of stealth, mobility issues or a general lack of fuel or working cars.
Cross on 16 Jul 2009 at 8:44 pm #
I have a 1996 Ford F-350. It has a 7.3 liter powerstroke v8 diesel so it makes more than enough power to hop curbs/bodies. It was actually built for the Utah state power company so it is factory lifted, this is an advantage over custom lifted trucks because when you lift a truck it looses a lot of horsepower and torque to the wheels, my truck makes the same amount of power as a normal truck truck. It has 4.10 gears in it so maybe it doesn’t have the highest top speed (90) but it has some crazy acceleration. This is topped off with a five speed manual heavy duty transmission. Since this is a diesel truck with a gearbox the maintenance is significantly lower then that of a newer truck with an automatic transmission. I would make sure to weld bars over all the windows to make sure that I didn’t have any unwelcome visitors in the cab. The bed of the truck sits pretty high where you would have a hard time just climbing up into it, I’m 6′ tall and the top of it sits where my shoulders are. Just in case though I have a cap for the bed that can also be outfitted with bars over the windows. I would also make sure that it had some custom heavy duty bumpers and some sort of snow plow on the front. The load capacity and towing capacity on this truck are very high so that’s not something really to worry about. I like this pick-up more than the traditional 5-ton military vehicles or 18-wheelers that a lot of people think are the best choice, but from what I’ve gathered they take a lot of maintenance just to keep in running order. The only disadvantage that I can see with my pickup is that it doesn’t have a very high top speed, but I would relay on it more than any other vehicle.
Jordan on 16 Jul 2009 at 8:59 pm #
What happens when the 2 1/2 grinds a universal or cracks an axle?
What happens when you loose a third tire, *given your fully loaded, if not than the fourth*?
I’m not trying to diss the old warhorse, its just the matter of keeping that type of vehicle going for an extended period of time.
Civilian vehicles are easy, the parts have to be available to the general public. Granted their are quite a few of the M35 available for anyone to own. In fact theirs an add in the local Tractor,Truck,&Trailor. Some one down here in south Florida has been selling them fairly regularly, but is that true for all areas? Even with the parts, is there the man power, know how, and facilities safe enough to do serious repair work on them?
These same problems arise with my suggestion as well, but the parts are at least easier to find, the cabs bigger, and the F-series comes with a cd player, *JK!
Don’t think I’m a Ford fanboy or anything I just know about them cause we use them at work. Any civilian truck will do I’m sure.
Ronin666 on 17 Jul 2009 at 1:52 am #
well, I don’t have a magic wand to suddenly conjure up some exotic military vehicle so I’ll make do with a late 80’s or 90’s Toyota Landcruiser tray back pick up.It runs on diesel, has plenty of ground clearance, is as tuff as nails and basic to repair and easy to find parts.Plenty of room in the back to carry a bike and heaps of supplies, add a long range tank, a decent bull bar, (tho finding one WITHOUT a bull bar in Australia would be odd) and your good to go.I don’t need armour as zombies don’t shoot.If there was more than 2 people in my group I might go for a Lancruiser Troop Carrier with a trailer behind for excess stuff , if I ran into violent looters or gangs I might weld on a bit of armour plate but for zombies , some mesh over the windows is all I need. Remember the more stuff you weld on the more it weighs, the slower it goes and the more fuel it uses. The thing to remember with vehicles is , the later the model, the more electronics to go wrong, keep it simple unless you can fix computers on the road side.
fatloserboi on 17 Jul 2009 at 4:33 am #
I’d get an diesel pick-up truck I could get my hands out.. Dodge Ram 3500 Mega Cab 4×4 , Ford F-350 King Ranch 4×4, or GMC Sierra 3500 Crew Cab 4×4…
must be diesel, so you can make your own once your fuel runs out.. and must be 4×4 so that you can go from 2wd to 4wd, which saves fuel and helps w/ traction issues… any of these guys can tow anything you wants so your set there.
they arent very quick but I’m sure if you hit up a performance store you can unleash the power of the diesel motor at the cost of fuel.. but how fast do you need to be when running from zombies??
the one major mod for these trucks would hafta be a snorkle.. that is a must.. after that you can do anything you want.. better struts and springs for better clearance.. header and exhuast for better flow and more ppower.. i mean imagination is your bf…
I personally drive a sentra se-r spec v which I have modified so working on cars isnt a big del but my car probably wont make it very far if the roads are all f-up.. I do have a pathfinder which i will drive to get my family out of harms way.. but i’d definetly hit up a car dealship and steal one of those pickup’s…
Angryvikingman on 17 Jul 2009 at 9:48 am #
I can drive 30 minutes in about any direction and find a national guard armory. Each armory has at least 2 Deuce and a halfs, and I know where about eight armories are, and there’s and air guard base 20 minutes away as well. They do gun maintenance and tracked vehicle repair there. So, I can pretty much get anything I want, assuming on Z-day no one else as the same Idea. There are APCs, Tanks, and all manner of other armored vehicles. Not to mention, Ft. Campbell is only an hour away. I could hike it in a day and a half at most if I had to. And miracle of miracles, they usually keep several repair manuals handy at those armories as well. When one truck dies, drive another, when it dies, cannibalize them and fix one if you can. Pretty simple.
Jordan on 17 Jul 2009 at 6:54 pm #
That would easily work, if, in the midst of the zombie apocalypse the vehicles haven’t been used. If they were, they are most likely disabled or destroyed and surrounded by particularly large hoards of zombies.
I would imagine the base to be overrun and a hotbed for “dead activity”
-oh the oxymoronick-ness of the “living dead”, damn I did it again!-
During the invasion the vehicles would undoubtedly be used to combat zombies, and when its security is compromised, used to evacuate.Again leading back to them either being destroyed or misplaced.
It seems that their would most definitely be parts and supplies to keep the trucks running, in these bases, legitimizing the 2 1/2 ton so long as you are in possession of one prior to the infection.
As far as Tanks, APCs, and aircraft go, well I don’t think think I could even get them started. then again most people don’t. I also highly doubt that National Guard depots are strung so closely across the United States, though at least one should be within a few hours drive from any major city.
If I’m not mistaken their is only one armory within a half hour drive from Ft. Campbell across the Tennessee state line. Imagine trying to get across the state line when its blocked for quarantine! The handful of recruiting stations in the are are not likely to have anything of use these may have been what you were thinking of.
P.S. say hi to the 86th for me!
jefferystevebob on 17 Jul 2009 at 7:36 pm #
i have a pretty good truck next to my house from the 1950s or something its pretty good on all of this stuffbut i have no idea if it runs
Angryvikingman on 17 Jul 2009 at 9:56 pm #
There is one in columbia, lewsiburg, lawrenceburg, pulaski, murfreesboro, franklin, nashville, and just about every town in tennessee that has a population over 10,000. The Smyrna air guard base isn’t crewed by an insane amount of people like an actual army base. There are very few actual full time personnel. It is mostly used for training classes, and vehicle repair. EVERY national guard armory is equipped with weapons and transport vehicles. Which, unless the guard is called up, they won’t be using the vehicles. They arent just recruiting stations. There aren’t even people at the armories on a daily basis, usually just the weekends except for maybe one person, usually a staff officer. And since I have a few friends in the guard, I’d know when they got called up for anything. Assuming the people I know are anything like the other people in the guard, if something is fishy, like say, zombies roaming the streets, they’d probably hold their ground as long as possible then get in smaller faster vehicles and flee. Not to mention the power companies around here use the deuce and a half as a wire spooling vehicle and have several at their vehicle depot. I’ll probably be one of the first civilians to know that the shit has hit the fan, and I’m not going to sit and wait till stuff dies down to get what I need. If all else fails, I can still steal just about any kind of truck from a dealership. God knows my town is jam packed with them.
Angryvikingman on 17 Jul 2009 at 10:08 pm #
According to http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/arng-tn.htm
The Army Guard maintains 445 buildings including 109 armories and seven training sites in Tennessee.
Angryvikingman on 17 Jul 2009 at 10:18 pm #
Oh, and theres an armored cavalry special troops regiment 20 minutes away in lebanon. The 278th Armored Cavlalry Regiment Yep, each Squadron are each equipped with nine M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks, 13 M3A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles. So, yeah…. Can you hear me cackling and rubbing my hands together feindishly?
Ronin666 on 19 Jul 2009 at 3:25 am #
but who can drive a tank on 5 seconds notice? Those things use massive amounts of fuel as well. And 3rdly, wtf do you need a tank for?
Last but not least do really think your gonna just walk into a military base that’s on high alert and drive off in a tank or anything else? That place will be sealed tighter than a fishes ass,anything outside will be a target. So either you wont get in or if the place is deserted they would have left in those same vehicles. The military aren’t known for leaving anything useful behind.
Any common 4wd pick up is all you need.
Jordan on 19 Jul 2009 at 7:08 am #
Holy shit! 109 armories?
I never knew.
Thinking the National guard wont be called up is foolish though, they’ll be in their the minute local law enforcement loses contact after they declare riot acts or any kind of state of emergency. I’m telling you man those places will be ghost towns.
Angryvikingman on 19 Jul 2009 at 11:05 am #
They’re not some sprawling military complex. An armory is like maybe 3 acres of land. Now a real base, like Ft. Campbell is 106,700 acres. I’m pretty sure they couldnt secure the whole base even if they tried. And as far as the national guard being called up, Im sure that if whatever caused z-day spread as fast as in the movies, then unless the guard had a great foothold position, none of the others would bother to show up except to rip off guns and ammo. Because the bunch of guys in the guard may not be the sharpest tools in the shed, but they have enough common sense to know a lost cause when they see one.
Supposing theyre not there, like I said, I can still take one from the power company here in town. As for tanks, if theyre abandoned, out of gas, ect, as long as theyre not disabled I’m taking one. (I can go get some diesel)They’re not hard to drive. There are even places that will teach you to drive one. Like driveatank.com Theres also another place in texas.
Angryvikingman on 19 Jul 2009 at 11:15 am #
Can you imagine taking a sunday drive in your tank and mowing through a huge crowd of zombies? Tear ass through them at 45mph, turn around, make another pass. On a single tank of gas you could rid a midsized town of a good deal of the zombie population. Even an APC could do it. Just have a few beers, and go zombie squashing. LOL!
3ID on 19 Jul 2009 at 5:09 pm #
i live near Fort Benning Home of the 75th Ranger Regiment and Infantry taring (that means LOTS of ammo and some vehicles) there are some national guarded armory’s around i only know of one but i also know of the glock factory in smyrna and there is an HK factory near me as well i wont disclose that location it rather on the DL
Angryvikingman on 20 Jul 2009 at 1:08 am #
Yeah, I know where that HK factory is too. (The town at least).
Luckily, IF I needed to raid a firearms factory, Barrett is a ten minute trip down the road. They manufacture the 6.8, and .50 rifles there as well as ammo for them. They also have a 25mm anti-armor weapon that they dont like to talk about. Supposed to be 2 MOA at 1000 yards like their .50 cal. There are two class 3 shops here too. Although, I don’t know which one I would raid first. One has more guns and ammo, but the other has full autos. Both have supressors. I’d probably raid the one with more guns and ammo first. They have .50 cal and ammo, .40cal and ammo, ARs, AKs, SIGs, just about every kind of pistol, clips, and literally four foot tall pallets of ammo for many different guns. (Tens of thousands of rounds) That shop is on the same road as Barrett and only about 400 yards away.
We need to get people from the area and do a shooting camping trip. That would be fun.
DieAngel on 20 Jul 2009 at 8:31 am #
After all those unrealistic pipe dreams… (tanks, apcs, etc like you will EVER have a chance to put your hands on one of those)
My vehicle of choice would be a trailer truck, diesel if possible:
-heavy enough to plow a bit or nudge things that would block the road.
-with some strong wiremesh riveted on the windows and the weak spots it should be fairly zombie proof (zombies only have nails and teeth, that kind of limit their damage abilities)
-welding/bolting something to reinforce the front for those needed car bumping, it should be okay as long as done carefully.
-diesel means if we raid a supermarket we can top the tank with colza oil, will get us further if we can’t find fuel anymore.
-cabin is big enough for a few persons and has room for sleeping
-not hauling a trailer should reduce a lot the fuel consumption (even if it’s far to be ideal but i rather be in a truck than in a twingo)
-Spare parts shouldn’t be too much of an issue, minor reparations should be easy if we can find a simmilar model and a place to perform repairs/maintenance.
-A lot of truckers have a CB radio, this could prove usefull
3ID on 20 Jul 2009 at 11:16 am #
it would be fun to do a shooting trip i just upgrade my AR
i have two class three dealers one is 5 min. the other one is 40 min but those place would be tighter than all hell i now some of the guys up there they would hold out in them turning the parking lot in to a killing field
Leper on 20 Jul 2009 at 12:57 pm #
Psst. Bicycle.
No, It’s not cool. No, all the other survivors will not marvel at how badass you look. On the other hand, they’re far more likely to be looking at the world through cold, dead eyes after six months when most of the gas has gone ’stale’ and their awesome hummers and SUVs and sports cars are chugging along on gas with half the original octane rating, assuming they move at all.
* Range/Fuel: Not applicable.
* Speed: It falls short initially, compared to gas-powered vehicles, but it’s faster than walking, and much faster than a shamble.
* Load Capacity: Another limit, but ‘trikes’ (which do admittedly look even less awesome) make up for the lack to a point. Or get one of those baskets on the front. Hell, have some fun and put streamers on the handlebars or something.
* Road Clearing/Ground Clearance: So while your buddies are over there winching/towing/pushing/etc. their way around some rough terrain, burning unreplacable fuel, and essentially stalled in place, you pick it up, and walk past the obstacle.
* Armor: If it’s zombie and attack proof, then it’s likely a 40′ cube of reinforced concrete with approximately as much space to move around in as a coffin–which is actually pretty fitting. Armor is a lie that builds confidence, that builds complacency, that builds piles of dead bodies.
Oni on 20 Jul 2009 at 12:58 pm #
OK. I’d go with a hardtop jeep wrangler 4×4 with a safari cage. You could easily weld steel mesh to the cage and jeep body to cover all windows. It would keep most Z’s out and you could do a second layer on the inside of the cage for added protection. It won’t add as much weight as steel plate and you could shoot through it in a pinch. The nice thing is if the jeep gets trashed you can transfer the cage to another one.
With a range of over 300 miles, 6 cylinder engine with plenty of parts available, 2000 lb towing capacity and over 10” of ground clearance I think it would be a pretty useful vehicle for someone w/o military / large vehicle experience.
There are a slew of aftermarket parts for it including snorkels, winches, light bars and heavy duty bumpers and plows.
This is not an evac vehicle for a large group of people; but for a small party on a supply raid you could add a trailer or for a scouting mission it would give good maneuverability and decent speed and range. Plus how fast will you be going when the roads are littered with wrecked and abandoned cars. When you are off-road you aren’t going to be flooring it too often either.
death31313 on 20 Jul 2009 at 1:57 pm #
i gota agree with jordan not just because i have the exact same vehicle as him (mine’s an 88) but because i know how much fuel a tank or apc uses. lets just think about this, im guessing the distance between gass stations on the US is about 20 to 30 miles this is a rough estamate it can be diferent depending on where you live. no the average fuel consumption of an M1A1 or M1A2 Abrams is about 2 to 3 gallons per mile depending on how fast its going (and yes i put that in the right order gallons per mile not miles per gallon) now the range is about 289 miles so you could make it. but what if the power is out? gass pumps require power to work and the tank uses about 2 times the average fuel consumption to start so if the fuel stations where down all over theres a good chance you could get stranded in the middle of nowhere with a giant lump of steel. not only that but its top speed is only about 47mph thats an estamate because the real top speed is classified. this means if you’re injured with say a cut artery and the nearest hospital is 100 miles away (hospitals are a great place to go even in a zombie attack because they are stocked with medical suplus) it would take you 2 hours to get to a hospital and depending on what job you have in the tank your tank could lose an important crew member meaning not olny would you probibly die but theres a good chance your tank crew could die because your not there. now im just talking about speed and fuel consumption here a tank also has a million other issues unless you have a highly trained and dedicate crew of not only tank oporators but maintanance people and armorors. all in all a tank is an amazing tool in war but it is only because it has a crew that knows the vehicle insida and out and is ably to repair and oporate it to its fullest potental. when in a zombie attack you need a light weight and effician vehicle that is well built and reliable like the dodge dakota. mine has been in 3 acidents and has been left in the snow and rain throughout is long life and through this entire time it has never needed much more than a battery change and a new windshield change (actualy it has had like 4 windshield changes because it is at just the right height where a semitruck will spit gravel right into the windshield).
Jordan on 20 Jul 2009 at 7:30 pm #
I think we need to get back on the topic; name your dream vehicle, tell us why, then tell us what you actually drive.
Death 31313, does your truck have a carburetor or a throttle body?
Jordan on 20 Jul 2009 at 7:37 pm #
I think the next topic should be about “how strong are zombies really?”
Think about it. How much force can a mob create before it starts to kill the zombies in the front, you know actually against your barricade or wall.
Angryvikingman on 20 Jul 2009 at 11:33 pm #
As for fuel for vehicles, did anyone consider making bio-diesel or ethanol? Just because the world has pretty much ended, doesn’t mean you cant still make a viable fuel. Just because theres no truck bringing you gas, or theres no electricity, doesnt mean jack squat. And don’t say that its impractical due to batch size. Theres no reason you cant set up a huge processing area to make say, 50 or 100 gallon batches at a time. Its not like you have to actually buy the parts or anything. Go to a dang Co-OP and get all the corn you want and large metal tanks, some yeast and brew away. Save some of the pure grain alcohol to drink too. ;) For those of you who didnt grow up around a moonshine still, just look up how to make ethanol. Its not hard, I promise. Also, why do people think its so hard to get your hands on a tank or APC? Have yall not ever seen the video of that guy who stole one from a national guard armory and went on a rampage through the city? The only reason they ever stopped him was because he got stuck on a concrete K rail in the median of the highway. The guy just walked up and took it. These places arent the elaborate fortresses that you all seem to think that they are, they’re just fenced in areas(sometimes), and a lot of them dont even have barbed wire on top of the chainlink fence. Just because you all cant seem to overcome an 8 foot tall fence and turn a handle to open a hatch, doesnt mean that I cant. Pipedream? I think not. Like I said, before there arent even people there most of the time during the day, and definately not at night. Not the ones around here anyway.
3ID on 21 Jul 2009 at 10:17 am #
Angryvikingman they keep them locked you would have to carry bolt cutters but other than the bolt cutters you have it pretty much right even the main army base they arent guarded at all some times the gate is open and you just walk right in cut the locks on the hatch they are just pad locks and then BAM you have your self a Bradly Fighting Vehicle but they arent armed we don’t keep ammo on them that’s at the ASP
Jay on 21 Jul 2009 at 11:28 am #
Do come on who the hell will be thinking about getting a tank or apc! In the envent of a outbreak cos i know i wont id have my mind on other things
Jay on 21 Jul 2009 at 11:35 am #
Id get a bog standard 4×4 weld steel bars across the windows now that should be enough nothing stupid or over the top also nudge bars on the front with a winch that should get you about with no problem
Angryvikingman on 21 Jul 2009 at 11:36 am #
Well, I own a set of bolt cutters, personally, I dont care if I get any rounds for it. I’d just use it as a destructive vehicle/zombie squasher. If I needed a secure place to sleep, itd be good. Wait for it to be surrounded by the undead and just chew them up with the tank tread. Any large, properly armored vehicle could be used for this purpose. That’s why I chose the Deuce and a half. With the proper bumper and grill guard, it could be a somewhat fuel efficient weapon against the undead that could kill for hours on end on only a single tank of gas. I’d still probably raid the Ammo Supply Point (For all you people who don’t know military lingo) for 5.56 ammo, grenades, and anything else I could get my hands on. If I lived near Ft. Bragg, then I’d know where they all were, but alas, I live near Ft. Campbell. Probably wouldnt be hard to get a soldier drunk and get them to divulge the information, but I’m sure I could find one if I needed to. Its not hard to miss a big shed in the middle of nowhere out on the base grounds. I wouldnt even try to get to the ones on the base proper. Screw that. Itd be covered by soldiers who are notoriously trigger happy, and in that situation, I would be too, OR it’d be covered up in zombies.
Angryvikingman on 21 Jul 2009 at 11:54 am #
And I’m not sitting here saying that I CAN get my hands on a tank or APC, but IF I happened across one, I’d definately take it. Everyone is sitting here flipping out over it. “There’s no way in hell you can get a tank Angryvikingman!!” Well, maybe not, BUT I never said that was what I was going after. I said I want a deuce and a half, and the local power company has a few that I’m pretty sure they’re not going to be using after z-day. Wait, wait, wait, re-read that last sentence. I can literally go and put my hands on a deuce and a half.
dib5th on 22 Jul 2009 at 6:53 pm #
i agree with you i wound go after a tank if i find one because a tank is reliable and one great weapon
Angryvikingman on 24 Jul 2009 at 12:54 pm #
The guy that owns the local class 3 shop here in town has one of the best after z-day vehicles I’ve seen.
Its a ford excursion with a lift kit, zombie killer bumper, winch, roofrack, and big ass flood lights. Lots of ground clearance. IF he ever turns to a zombie, that thing is soooo mine. LOL
http://www.crackhedz.com/zombies/truck.jpg
another mike on 24 Jul 2009 at 11:29 pm #
I don’t need armour as zombies don’t shoot.
No, but your fellow survivors do.
I’d be on foot following your noisy machine back to your base to see if you have a tactical advantage and will take new members. The Zs will be following the noise, too, I think.
A less civic minded survivor might observe you to determine your patterns and patrol routes, then ambush you and take your vehicle.
I drive a sport-wagon, lowered, rear sway bar, cat-back; in other words, not really useful after z-day. Now my plumber neighbors, with those nice F-series with all those tools and spare pipes in the back… yeah, them I’d check up on.
Dave on 25 Jul 2009 at 6:03 pm #
Well it’d be great to have an APC but not very likely to be able to get one and I’m not too sure it’d be a good long term vehicle anyway (range, maintenance). More likely I’d be looking for Landrover Defender, Ford Transit or Police riot van
Jason on 26 Jul 2009 at 1:06 am #
2009 Dodge Ram 1500 with brush guard and lights all on it. Lifted 4-5 inches and with 34 inches all terrain tires.
-RANGE: The HEMI powered V8 gets 20-22 MPG which will get you at least 200 miles on one tank. But if you can get a Ram that has the 32 gallon tank, that will get you ALOT further.
-SPEED: HEMI. Enough said.
-LOAD CAPACITY: The bed can hold quite a bit of stuff, and with the tailgate down and extender on it, it can hold longer things. Also, the RamBox feature allows you to organize of carry anything that doesn’t need to get wet or too hot or cold. The crew cab back seats also lift up. Can tow 9100 lbs. Maximum payload is 1850 lbs.
-ROAD CLEARING: With a brush guard attached, it could easily moved a small car, and most truck. It could also tow them with the proper cables.
-GROUND CLEARANCE: If lifted, it can go over almost anything. It would do fine with curbs or hills stock as well.
-FUEL TYPE: Regular gas. This maybe hard to obtain later, but use it while it lasts.
-ARMOR: Brush guard, reinforced windows / windshields, metal plates on sides, back, or front.
My personal choice.
2009 DODGE RAM 1500 -> http://www.dodge.com/en/2009/ram_1500/
Lazarus on 31 Jul 2009 at 6:22 pm #
It would be really hard to find any military hardware laying around and so would be my choice too: Ivan the terra bus! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_Bus …It would be huge for wanted equipment and those chosen survivors. When gasoline runs out it would make quite good base for survival if equipped properly.
bighead on 07 Aug 2009 at 9:05 pm #
i would have to say any of the vehicles at my states armory it is barely 30 mins away and they have i think a freakin 30 or 50 cal gun actually they have several they can surely pierce sevveral zombies and also there is barely 10 people at that armory believe it or not and also they have a hugge freakin closet stocked with tons of food and other long lasting foods
bighead on 07 Aug 2009 at 9:19 pm #
i might even raid a local health helicopter base place i have a book telling how to drive a copter so it wouldnt be too hard
Adam on 08 Aug 2009 at 1:19 pm #
My ideal post-apocalypse vehicle is a retrofitted double decker bus (pretty common around where I live, actually, and there’s a bus station full of them not 5 minutes walk from my house. Running or cycling should get there safely.
The challenge would be getting it into our safe compound, but once it’s there we will cover the windows with sheets of iron, salvaged from the hardware shop that is literally across the road from my primary safe location, and my house is a 30 second run from there.
Once all the windows are covered, up and downstairs, we would cut rectangular slits into the metal sheets to shoot out of, look out of or to poke zombies off the side of the bus. These rectangular holes would have hinged flaps, in case we find we have a need to cover them. The doors would also be covered, and would have those small metal brackets that you can slot things into to quickly and effectively barricade doors.
On the upstairs floor, the front window would be replaced with a large sheet of metal- no holes. There will be a projector screen that can be pulled down over the metal, and there will be cameras mounted on the bus in various places to check for hitch-hiking zombies. These cameras would be wireless, with a live feed to a laptop which can then project one of more of the images onto the screen. This could also be used to spot obstacles in the peripheries and relay these obstacles to the driver. The side windows will be just like their brothers below, just in case any zombie manage to climb up.
At the back of the top floor, a doorway will be cut from the metal, and a thick (emphasis on thick) metal door with a tiny, round window (kind of like a submarine bulkhead) will be put in. Beyond this door will be a home-made balcony, a perfect place for picking off pursuing zombies, rescuing survivors who have barricaded themselves on the first floor of a building, raiding similar buildings (there’s likely less zombies on the upper floor, and they can’t follow you from the street) as well as many other purposes. A railing will be afffixed around the edges of the roof on the top of the bus, as well as around the balcony, obviously, and a ladder will lead from the balcony to the top of the bus.
The driver’s area will be very, very heavily re-enforced, and the glass will once again be covered in a metal sheet with just a slot cut into it. However, the slot will be somewhat bigger, but still coverable.
Also, the bus will always be stocked with food and water, and ammunition if available. There would also be a toilet (like the portacabins) attached to the corner in the back on the bottom floor.
Obviously, this is not an everyday use vehicle. The amount of fuel it would use would be ridiculous, and it’s top speed would be severely diminished. It would be used for escaping from a compromised location, or simply relocation to a new area. For short range runs, like scouting parties, we would use other vehicles.
However, it is possible that the above might be impossible when the time comes. The vehicles I know for a fact will be available are a minibus, which seats up to 20, in a pinch, and an average 5 seat, 3 doors. These would also be re-enforced, windows covered etc, and would the the vehicles used for scouting runs. The minibus, in particular, could carry large amounts of supplies.
Adam on 08 Aug 2009 at 1:26 pm #
Also, a few details i forgot to mention- On the front would be a cow catcher, in case we need to burst through a large horde of zombies. The balcony on the back would be the perfect place for a mounted machine gun. On the roof we could store large containers full of heavy rocks to pelt clingy zombies with.
The tires would be shielded by metal plates, just in case.
In the event of a large horde following us, we could tip a bucket of marbles or something off the back. Comic, yes, but it should be effective. It would also, hopefully, have an internet connection, for co-ordination across the world, assuming the internet still works.
Oh, and a lot of the seats would be removed to allow for great manouvering inside the bus.
There may also be short-ish metal poles sticking diagonally out the side of the bus pointing at the ground to make it harder to be tipped over.
KillerB on 20 Aug 2009 at 2:43 am #
A 1.5 ton Chevy 4 door 4wd longbed truck with a campershell. I would armor the entire front and cab of the truck. I would also build a cage around the windows. The doors will have to modified for the extra weight and I will use an internal sliding lock. In the bed of the truck I would place as many 100 gallon tanks as possible. Linking them with valves to feed the main gass tank. On top of this would be all my food and water stocks. The truck would be pulling a trailer that has a small crane with a large metal cage attached. It should not be to hard to rig the controls to be worked from the cab of the truck. In the cage I would have a pump and hose to the fuel tanks. When I started running low on fuel one of use would get out of the truck crawl into the cage and be lowered over the top of the fuel caps at the gas stations. I could pump fuel at my leisure without having to waste ammo on Zed. Gotta have gas to make those trucks move fellas. Hell it is not out of the question to get in the cage while the truck is moving. I would use this for refueling even if there were no confirmed Zed in my AO. The remainder if the trailer will be used for other supplys and equipment. Of course it will have a quick disconnect IOT allow us to drop it if needed for quick evasion. No guns on my truck other than what we are carrying. A big truck in a big weapon. Ram them and run them over. Big bumpers will help here. As far as getting turned over………..Unlikley……..If you are driving into a mass that large you deserve to be flipped upside down. Also along the lines of Mad Max I would booby trap the shit out of my truck……….If someone takes it they will become one with my zombie smashing rig. Plus it is a painless way out of getting flipped over. Big Boom and resulting fireball will fix stupidity.
Also if I was just out to kill zombies then a big D7 dozer would be my first choice. It is slow but the weight and power will kill everything in its path. OR a very large front end loader. A little armor plating and I could use the front bucket to mash the zombies. After a day of mashing and killing I could simply park outside my fort and let the people inside shoot the zombies off before I crawled out for the day.
2-22 INF on 07 Sep 2009 at 4:59 pm #
get a old bronco put 2 extra fuel tanks in the back so when ur tank runs low it can take fuel from the other ttanks with that u can drive across the country mount a brush grill and wield some metal across the windows get sum off road tires and ur good u dnt need a tank and as far as combat drive save ur ammo because when zombies come ammo will be the most important thing
macjoel on 05 Oct 2009 at 1:16 am #
18 wheeler with trailer, the cab would have a shovel with spikes in front, at least 4 chain guns goin across the hood, 1 on each door and miniguns by the headlights and their would be a small living space with bed and food/microwave/fridge, in the trailer a storage area for weapons and gear and food, and portholes for miniguns all along the trailer and a flamethrower on the back. all of this would be securely anchored.and seats along the walls for passengers, and there would be a passage in between the trailer and cab.
zach on 21 Oct 2009 at 8:07 pm #
alright get a truck put a steel cage around it and go nuts
Tyler on 05 Nov 2009 at 9:11 am #
i Personaly would like a AT-AT its masive hight and firepower would make it perfect for serviving a outbrake. if and when it runs out of fule it would make a perfect base camp. But unfortunately these do not exist and there for i would settle for a SWAT Bulldog armord truck. beacus of it beaing a little more common than some of the other sugestions and its carrying copasity i think it would be ideal for anything from supply raids to transporting survivors.
Semper Cogitant on 15 Nov 2009 at 1:27 pm #
Vehicle would depend on the number of people I’m moving around with. For one a motorcycle would be best I think. However, since this is about a dream vehicle mine’s a fire engine. Easy to obtain, easy to modify, dependable and large. They are everywhere, even remote rural areas have fire stations.
-RANGE: varies, but usually a few hundred miles. Convert the water tank for extra fuel and it becomes thousands.
-SPEED: most can do 80 without trouble, but you really don;t need to be going fast in the Zombie scenario.
-LOAD CAPACITY: varies widely, but usually somewhere between huge and enormous.
-ROAD CLEARING: Can push through most anything.
-GROUND CLEARANCE: usually decent but not super high.
-FUEL TYPE: Diesel
-ARMOR: Made of metal, wouldn’t be worried about additional armor. If I found myself needed an armored vehicle I’d change, or if I had the resources handy bold on some armor.
As for what I drive now, and would be stuck with when the end came: It’s a 1999 F-250 extended cab. Can easily carry my family and maybe a couple extra folks. It’s lifted and has 36″ tires so it can get around off road pretty well. It’s a good survival vehicle vor a small group.
3-15 INF on 07 Dec 2009 at 9:14 am #
Still think a 4 wheeler atv with racks for storage and handlebar mounted rifle scabbard would be best- fast, light, towing capacity for a trailer, can be used to plow, great for swerving through clogged highways and streets, good on gas, great field of view, and a stable platform for shooting. SF uses them in afganistan with good results.
sgtlongo on 22 Dec 2009 at 12:01 am #
i would have to say my dads GMC duelly with a big snow plow on the front of it you know like the ones that make a point out front of it i would make a cage for it in the back so i can put people in it with out them getting hurt i would cage up the cab like they do on the U S border patrol trucks it could hawl a fuck load like a horse trailer full of supplies
it can go 150 miles with out having to refuel and if i wanted to i could make the tank bigger for it taking away some space in the people cage
ol honest jim on 16 Jan 2010 at 6:38 pm #
i already posted this in the weapons section, but this area is more appropriate. thoughts?
i’ll take a semi truck with heavy chainlink fence bolted and welded over the grill and windows, (dunno how i’ll keep the mirrors from getting ripped off), some firing ports, a nice sleeper in the back, shielded undercarriage to keep ‘em from getting underneath and ripping out the delicate stuff, a snowplow for pushing wrecked cars off the road, large fuel tanks, good set of tools, a welder, air compressor, fuel-safe external pump, lots of ammo, beer fridge, and some of those hydraulic crane feet all around to keep a mega-swarm from tipping it all over while i’m working,
by which i mean running this thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZDngpTmpzQ I’ll install a bucket crane on it with a nice cage and remote controls to the cutters up at the top.
play the stereo nice and loud, turn on the lights, and use the crane on the trailer to dangle some bait (sniper, goat, or particularly annoying child) over the cutters, pop a beer and lounge around waiting for them to show up, then take some photos and some potshots at the swarm as they pile up into the grinders. i’ll try and snipe any Z’s that look to be carrying good equipment for salvage purposes.
i’ll clear a town, and if the survivors want to repay me, i’ll take fuel, food, and a toss with their ladies. if not, they get free fertilizer anyway. otherwise i’ll purloin supplies and pump fuel from abandoned vehicles as i clear them from the road.
upgrades to the basic package would be a convoy of support vehicles as survivors join up to drive them, and armor plating over all engine bays, windows and tires to fend off the bloodthirsty motorcycle gangs and urban Rambos. When you intend to make yourself a big noisy target, best to become one that others break themselves against.
ol honest jim on 16 Jan 2010 at 7:18 pm #
i already posted this in the weapons section, but this area is more appropriate. thoughts?
i’ll take a long-haul semi truck with a nice, big sleeper. i’ll weld or bolt heavy chainlink fence over the grill and windows, and steel plate around the tires, engine, cab, and sleeper(dunno how i’ll keep the mirrors from getting ripped off). cut open some firing ports, shield the undercarriage to keep ‘em from getting underneath and ripping out the delicate stuff. Install a snowplow for pushing wrecked cars off the road, some extra large fuel tanks, good set of tools, a welder, air compressor, fuel-safe external pump, beer fridge, and some of those hydraulic crane feet all around to keep a mega-swarm from tipping it all over while i’m working…
by which i mean running this thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZDngpTmpzQ There’s a better look here http://www.ssiworld.com/products/pr4000.htm
I’ll install a bucket crane on it with a nice cage and remote controls to the cutters up at the top. looks like i’d have to install a ramp or stairs on each side too, the top is pretty high up. While i already have a fair amount of this equipment handy from my job, i still haven’t managed to locate a trailer mounted industrial shredder nearby. but i’ll be happy to drive until i do.
just play the stereo nice and loud, turn on the lights, and use the crane on the trailer to dangle some bait (sniper, goat, or particularly annoying child) over the cutters, then pop a beer and lounge around waiting for them to show up, and take some potshots at the swarm as they pile up into the grinders. i’ll try and snipe any Z’s that look to be carrying good equipment for salvage purposes.
i’ll clear a town, and if the survivors want to repay me, i’ll take fuel, food, and a toss with their ladies. if not, they get my free special fertilizer blend anyway. in any case i’ll purloin supplies and pump fuel from abandoned vehicles as i clear them from the road. as a diesel there shouldn’t be too much issue running off of cooking oil in a pinch.
ch003 on 01 Feb 2010 at 7:41 pm #
Since i live near to the place where they store and fuel all of the district school busses, id drive my moms car there and then hot wire one of the busses,then pick up my friends that are still alive