Military k5 pros and cons?

[stoney126]

hey all, Ive been looking at 73-through 75 blazers but my attention has turned to diesel powered blazers. The big reason is no smog. I know that the militay k5's were diesel, any pro or con's to picking one of these up as opposed to a civi model?
Thanks for any info.

Lol I've driven by Fort Robert's in central cali and see a ton of em just sitting there along with some humvee's. Man it would be nice to pick up some of those

 

[unclematty]

A lot of them were 3/4 ton some where 1 ton (axles anyway).
Some are 24 volt some are 12 volt. Not bad trucks, just built to a different standard, you usually can't go wrong getting one those, but maybe the priceSorry guys I was thinking of the trucks,

 

[Zeus33rd]

None of them were 3/4 or 1 ton. They all had 10 bolts with 3:08 gears. TH400 and NP208. They were all 24v. They're all slow and gutless with ZERO creature comforts. I was surprised they even put padded seats in them. There really is no reason to get one as far as I'm concerned. Just get a civilian model...Much easier to work with.

 

[resurrected_jimmy]

None of them were 3/4 or 1 ton. They all had 10 bolts with 3:08 gears. TH400 and NP208. They were all 24v. They're all slow and gutless with ZERO creature comforts. I was surprised they even put padded seats in them. There really is no reason to get one as far as I'm concerned. Just get a civilian model...Much easier to work with.

You really don't want a truck Pvt. Joe Snuffy as been beating on and repairing to the "good enoug for gov't. work" standard

 

[dieselponyexpress]

Only pro that comes to my mind is the HD engine (J-injection pump, no emission controls, etc.) in the military K5. This you won't find in a civilian 1/2ton. Walter

 

[Inu-Hanyou1776]

If I had plenty of money, I'd get as many military ones as I could get my hands on if nothing else to keep 'em from being crushed and to save the sheetmetal and other parts. The lack of creature comforts (did they even come with heaters?) I think I would actually like too.

 

[dremu]

hey all, Ive been looking at 73-through 75 blazers but my attention has turned to diesel powered blazers. The big reason is no smog. I know that the militay k5's were diesel, any pro or con's to picking one of these up as opposed to a civi model?
Thanks for any info.

Lol I've driven by Fort Robert's in central cali and see a ton of em just sitting there along with some humvee's. Man it would be nice to pick up some of those

The CUCV *pickups* are 1-tons, generally with 4.56:1's, Detroits, etc. Nice drivetrain for buildups. They are 12/24V with few exceptions.

The CUCV *Blazers* (M1009) are basically a civvy diesel. No AC, no carpet. They do have a TH400 instead of a 350 or 700R4, and are that goofy 12/24V as well, and as someone mentioned, have the J-code intake diesel. As Jethro pointed out, the 3.08:1 gearing makes them gutless on flat ground and ... well, you have to be patient on hills.

Otherwise the M1009 is identical to a stripped down, boring, no-options civvy Blazer. If you want diesel, I would recommend a civvy diesel -- you get A/C, a much more normal electrical system, and carpet You see them on Craigslist with some frequency, so you shouldn't have a problem finding one. If you got one with a 700R4 and maybe 3.73:1's you could get decent economy AND go uphill!

OTOH, I own an '09 and love it. It's brutally simple, I don't worry about getting the carpet dirty in this wet weather, and it has a certain quality to it driving in the Bay Area that says "Get the he!! out of my way Toyota Priuses"

One other thing: Because they're federal trucks, the CUCV's are smog exempt *even if smog were required for diesels* ... there's a big sticker under the hood to that effect. Should CA start smogging diesels, there's gonna be a run on CUCV's, I tell ya.

-- A