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1986 m1008 - CUCV

PatrickH

PatrickH

1/2 ton status
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OK folks, so I havem y '90 Blazer, and I have a 2018 Duramax. Fixin to trade it in on a 2020. I'm not willing to drah either new truck through the woods and toss firewood at it. I want a 3/4 or one ton, square body long bed truck. I found what appears to be a very solid K30 CUCV. Still has the 6.2, still 12/ 24V. The truck itself is perfect for what I want. I'd might rather a gasser, though. Between the 6.2 and the 24V, is this a wise choice for a firewood hauler? It will go deep into the woods up on the mountain to cut about 8 loads a year. It needs to be reliable. Should I hold out for a civilian gasser?
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Get it for a good price and drive it until the diesel gives you problems. Swap a big block in at that point and you get a super tough gasser.
 
civi unit = no detroit locker in the rear & most 4.10 gear or 3.73 gear
cucv = detroit locker in the rear & 4.56 gear for brute force pulling power
brush gaurd a decent unit and your not going to find aftermarket as good in a few hundred buck range like these were made .
ya the 6.2 is underpowered compared to lots of stuff but they just run and sip fuel .
th400 with a 208 or 205 if your super lucky show us a pic of the floor to tell what it has .
bare bones super basic truck for bug out duty like you need for woods and trails .
she will haul the wood no problems .
 
The rust pattern under the hood is very odd, and I've seen a lot of CUCVs. Looks like brake fluid exploded and was never cleaned up, or something. I'd be curious what the frame looks like under there.

Should have an NP205.

Slow as molasses but can't beat the torque in that package.
 
looks like fine red dusty mud from out west unlike the brown we have in the north east .

unless it was a 1028 or other service type truck its a 208 t-case . service trucks got the 205 for the pto port option .
 
Apparently it was with the Forest Service here in NM briefly before it went to the fire department. I think I can get it for $4K or under. Has 51K miles, but who knows how it was treated, or how many hours. Convert to 12V? I don't know anything about the military/ 24V aspects of these
 
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sweetk30 said:
civi unit = no detroit locker in the rear & most 4.10 gear or 3.73 gear
cucv = detroit locker in the rear & 4.56 gear for brute force pulling power
brush gaurd a decent unit and your not going to find aftermarket as good in a few hundred buck range like these were made .
ya the 6.2 is underpowered compared to lots of stuff but they just run and sip fuel .
th400 with a 208 or 205 if your super lucky show us a pic of the floor to tell what it has .
bare bones super basic truck for bug out duty like you need for woods and trails .
she will haul the wood no problems .
Click to expand...
It's a 208
 
GoGoGirl said:
The rust pattern under the hood is very odd, and I've seen a lot of CUCVs. Looks like brake fluid exploded and was never cleaned up, or something. I'd be curious what the frame looks like under there.

Should have an NP205.

Slow as molasses but can't beat the torque in that package.
Click to expand...
I'm sure that's dust/ dirt buildup
 
Floorboards are solid, has one small rust hole drivers cab corner
 
I have not seen it in person yet, it's ~100 miles away. Planning on going down Saturday. Wondering how it'll be for 50 miles on the interstate.:D
 
One advantage to the diesel is there is no carb to flood when you try climbing steep inclines or get it off camber when your off the road..
No plug wires or plugs to get wet and threaten to stall the engine if you go thru deep water or splash thru puddles either..low end torque is similar to a straight six,it peaks around 1800 rpms..

The 6.2 wont feel as weak with 4:56 gears behind it--but highway driving speed will be limited with stock sized tires..
Also if and when the 6.2 expires,its a fairly simple bolt in swap to convert it to gas power..

I have seen a few similar trucks here for sale by local fire departments and environmental police & forestry service ,that they probably get for free from the military ,they are about the only "rust free" square bodies around here,but those who bid at town auctions and pick them up cheap always want at least 4-5 grand for them ,in the same condition they received it in..but in the long run its probably cheaper than flying to AZ and trying to get one hauled back here..
 
Prices of CUCV are going up now that there aren't as many being released from the Government anymore. And when they do, they are usually beat to shit. That is a good price I say.

Starting and charging system is 24 volt. The rest is 12 volt. It really isn't that hard to work on them. I owned my M1009 for like 6 years. I kept it 24 volt. I put about 50,000 miles on it.

With the M1008, you will want to keep your speed below 65. Put 37" hummer tires on it and you will have no problem cruising 70 comfortably.

If the Injector pump hasn't been replaced, be ready to replace it. Most CUCV being released from the government are past their life span for the injector pump. I drove mine for a year before the pump failed and started leaking all over.

The other thing to check or keep an eye on is the glow plugs and glow plug relay. There is a Ford Powerstroke starter relay that can be used for the glow plug relay. It is easy to get at your local part store
 
muddermilitia said:
Prices of CUCV are going up now that there aren't as many being released from the Government anymore. And when they do, they are usually beat to shit. That is a good price I say.

Starting and charging system is 24 volt. The rest is 12 volt. It really isn't that hard to work on them. I owned my M1009 for like 6 years. I kept it 24 volt. I put about 50,000 miles on it.

With the M1008, you will want to keep your speed below 65. Put 37" hummer tires on it and you will have no problem cruising 70 comfortably.

If the Injector pump hasn't been replaced, be ready to replace it. Most CUCV being released from the government are past their life span for the injector pump. I drove mine for a year before the pump failed and started leaking all over.

The other thing to check or keep an eye on is the glow plugs and glow plug relay. There is a Ford Powerstroke starter relay that can be used for the glow plug relay. It is easy to get at your local part store
Click to expand...
I don't know where the glow plug relay is located, but there appears to be a new-ish looking solenoid/ relay near the hydroboost unit on the firewall.
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WHat is that thing on the firewall, passenger side, that has a tin cover held on with wire bails?
 
The only other thing that ever got me about the CUCV was the black out lights. Gotta have the 2 switches in the right position or you may have NO lights, as in no turn signals or brake lights.

Also I know it was true of the blazers, not sure with the pickups, but they all use the same ignition key. So anyone with a CUCV key can use your CUCV.
 
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