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The holy grail: a running CUCV pickup...how rare and where to find?

AJMBLAZER

AJMBLAZER

Better to be lucky than good.
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I've lately been looking for a bigger, heavier duty truck than my Ranger and man, I keep thinking a CUCV 1-ton would be great. Shoulda picked one up while I was in the Marines 5 or so years ago.:doah:

So how rare are they to find in low mileage, unmolested, "drive hundreds of miles home" condition now? 20 years worth of 18-25 year olds like me when I was wearing green makes me a little nervous now.:crazy:

Where can a guy find them? I see them on Ebay every now and again and there's even one in Milwaukee on AutoTrader. However none near me and I haven't the foggiest where to start. The nearest DRMO office would probably be near Detroit...if there is one in Michigan.
 
Your going to have to travel some possibly. Jus do some google searches for MIl. vehicles, etc. I know there are places in Ga, Tn, NC ,etc. that deal with surplus vehicles.

Mileage wont be the issue, itll be the HOURs. Ive seen 80s model CUCV Blazers with only 30k on them, but they were AF beach patrol vehicles, meaning they were rusted to pieces and sat idling most of its life.
 
There's a place in Wisconsin that buys low mileage,rust free western cucv's, cleans em up, paints em, and goes through them(fix mechanical's) and sells them. here's their website http://www.alfaheaven.com/ just click on the military trucks. They've even got a ultra rare dually CUCV for sale! I talked to the owner at a military show last year and he said alot of the trucks get sold shortly after they get to his shop, so you would probably have to call him and let him know ahead of time what you are looking for.
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Hey thanks guys, keep it coming.

Anybody know what the H7 code means on the govliquidation site? Someone explained it to me years ago but I can't remember now if it's good, bad, or indifferent.:confused:

muddermilitia, man, that's sweet. Gotta give them a call...which brings up my next question:

What would a good shape CUCV 1 ton be worth? Seems like these guys really clean them up and make sure they're in good shape. Takes some of the mystery out of it so to speak.:confused: Would be kinda nice to buy something that's 20 years old and doesn't immediately need all kinds of attention and maintenance just so it starts and goes every time.:p:

Just (re-)found the Boyce Equipment website.
 
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Well I saw ALFA HEAVEN at the military show August last year and he had brought out 4 blazers one chevy truck and two dodge trucks. I have to say they are the nicest trucks I have ever seen. They are seriously brand new when he sells them. Not one molecule of rust! It seems that in excelent condition, blazers are like 5-7 K, and the chevy trucks are 6-8K. But the trucks are harder to get, and he said that because all the fourwheelers are buying em for the axles, prices have gone up.

He also told me that over the last two years all his prices have gone up $1000 because of the increased gas prices. It costs him a lot more to bring the trucks back from the auctions out west, and paint and tires also cost more. He said that he's the guy at the auctions that won't be bought out. He will buy the best trucks no matter the cost.
 
Oh and another thing. The top speed of the CUCV 1-ton truck is either 45 or 55. Go over that for too long and u will blow the motor. Im not sure if u have to take ur cars to emmission testing in michigan or not. But CUCVs are exempt from emmissions testing

Another nice thing about buying from alfaheaven is that they do all the work to get the title. I have heard that if u buy a truck from the gov auction, they don't come with a title. You have to do all the work to get a title in your name, this can take a long time and can be pricey.
 
AJMBLAZER said:
Hey thanks guys, keep it coming.

Anybody know what the H7 code means on the govliquidation site? Someone explained it to me years ago but I can't remember now if it's good, bad, or indifferent.:confused:

muddermilitia, man, that's sweet. Gotta give them a call...which brings up my next question:

What would a good shape CUCV 1 ton be worth? Seems like these guys really clean them up and make sure they're in good shape. Takes some of the mystery out of it so to speak.:confused: Would be kinda nice to buy something that's 20 years old and doesn't immediately need all kinds of attention and maintenance just so it starts and goes every time.:p:

Just (re-)found the Boyce Equipment website.
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If you click on the "H7" on the liquidation site it will give you the definition. That being said, I'd advise looking at the vehicle prior to placing a bid. I bid on a van that looked great in the photos. When I went to pick it up the entire passenger side was trashed. It had been flipped on it's side at high speed. I didn't even take it, just gave up my money. I've bought some things since then, but I always check them out first.

It seems like everything gets the "H7" condition code, but I have seen some trucks start right up and work fine. I had to do some major work to the electrical system on my M1031, but everything else is in good shape. Do watch out for the items that were flooded during the hurricane last year. These items are showing up on the liquidation site lately and I have a feeling that when people find out what problems they have, they will be showing up in the civilian sector too... Nothing like a little salt water and then sitting for a year to screw-up a vehicle.
 
Smitty, derp, I missed the flashing, scrolling "Unserviceable-condemned/repairable" bit at the top of the window that pops up when you click on H7.:D I'm not my swiftest on the weekends.:doah:

Yeah, I noticed how some *look* like they're just waiting for you to walk up and drive them away while others are just horrible. My favorite's the one at Ft. Benning where the rear tire is jammed up under the bed side in the forward section of the wheel well. WTF did they do to do that and I hope they lost some rank for that.:confused:

mudder, no emissions testing or inspections in Michigan so I'm safe from that. Good thing considering some of the cars around here...or maybe not.
I also noticed how all their pickups are wearing the Goodyear RT/II 36x12.5-16.5 HMMWV tires. Wonder if that's to offset the low gearing and give them some highway speed? At any rate I'd be driving it back across the UP of Michigan and well...there aren't 10 miles of road in the UP with a speed limit faster than 55 as far as I know. Still, being able to go highway speeds would be nice.
I really like the idea of a new(sorta) CUCV. I've been out looking at modern trucks and just can't afford a 3/4 ton plus truck with or without a diesel. I looked at a 2001 Super Duty the other day and the payment was half my mortgage! Not to mention I REALLY don't need all that pulling power, just more than I have now and a newer vehicle with lower miles would be nice. A new/old CUCV really seems to fit the bill. Thanks again for giving me that site...the wife even likes the camo.:bow:
 
Oh yeah, anybody know what all the M designators mean?

I think the M1008 is the base truck. How about the M1028, M1031, etc?

Also, I know they all had Detroit lockers in the 14FF's, what about the front? I heard once that the versions with the SM465 manual transmissions got TruTrac LS's in the front? When I was in the Marines I did actually see one with a stick transmission. Couldn't drive a stick then so I didn't sign that one out for the day.:doah:
 
AJMBLAZER said:
Oh yeah, anybody know what all the M designators mean?

I think the M1008 is the base truck. How about the M1028, M1031, etc?

Also, I know they all had Detroit lockers in the 14FF's, what about the front? I heard once that the versions with the SM465 manual transmissions got TruTrac LS's in the front? When I was in the Marines I did actually see one with a stick transmission. Couldn't drive a stick then so I didn't sign that one out for the day.:doah:
Click to expand...
The M designates Military. The only production military vehicle I know of that didn't have the M would be the Ford GPW jeep of WWII. XM designates experimental military. The Chevy truck came in a few different versions, I know there was the pickup, one with a utility box, and an ambulance version. There may be more that I don't know of.
 
AJMBLAZER said:
Oh yeah, anybody know what all the M designators mean?

I think the M1008 is the base truck. How about the M1028, M1031, etc?

Also, I know they all had Detroit lockers in the 14FF's, what about the front? I heard once that the versions with the SM465 manual transmissions got TruTrac LS's in the front? When I was in the Marines I did actually see one with a stick transmission. Couldn't drive a stick then so I didn't sign that one out for the day.:doah:
Click to expand...

M1008 is the base pickup. 1028 is a heavier GVWR version for shelter carriers; 1028A3 is the dually, IIRC.

1031 is cab-n-chassis. 1010 is ambulance ... oh, and M1009 is the Blazer version, but uninteresting drivetrain :D

I believe the 1028's were the ones with the LS's in front.

Now, all that said ... the CUCV's are great and all, but a civilian diesel with comparable specs, might be more ... friendly for a DD: less weird systems, and easier parts availability. The electrical systems, particularly, with their half 12V and half 24V, and floating ground alternators... well, a normal diesel truck might be a better choice.

And the civvy's have AC and carpet :D

That said, I looove my '09, simple though it is ... I couldn't DD it in the summer, but it's a great winter truck.

-- A
 
Well, I've actually got a DD already. Gets 22mpg on 31" mud tires and fits in tiny parking spots...a '96 Geo Tracker 2-dr.:D

This would be the fun/work/weekends truck. It'd probably stay relatively stockish (maybe a radio and speakers) until we moved to another place with a normal sized garage. The Tracker is tight in there.:rolleyes: Honestly it'd probably sit in the garage and just get run once a week during the winter. Road salt iz da debil!:angry1:
 
AJMBLAZER said:
Well, I've actually got a DD already. Gets 22mpg on 31" mud tires and fits in tiny parking spots...a '96 Geo Tracker 2-dr.:D

This would be the fun/work/weekends truck. It'd probably stay relatively stockish (maybe a radio and speakers) until we moved to another place with a normal sized garage. The Tracker is tight in there.:rolleyes: Honestly it'd probably sit in the garage and just get run once a week during the winter. Road salt iz da debil!:angry1:
Click to expand...

Oh, well, in that case ... go for it. Stock, especially with the paint and unit markings, they're great fun :D

-- A
 
I bought my 1009 CUCV from Govliquidation. I got mine from Offut in Omaha NE. Cost me 2850 plus the buyers premium. The title was super easy, they give you a Government bill of sale and you take that into the DMV. They had to get a supervisor to do the paperwork but it still only took about 15 minutes tops to get my title applied for.
Work I had to do once I got it home, mine wouldn't start. It needed new batteries, starter and I converted it to 12volt. The conversion took about 10 minutes and some new battery cables. Mine was a C&C vehicle so it had holes for radio wiring everwhere.
So would I buy from them again? Yes. But the prices have gone up since I bought mine. There are lots of vehicles from the saltbelt on govliquidation but the cherries are usually picked in the midwest by the local governments who get first and free choice before the general public gets a chance at them.
George
 
There's a bunch of them over at Camp Grayling about an hour west of me. However when you get close you see what 20 years in Michigan has started to do to them...even with 30k miles or so.
 
DAYMN! I just looked at that dually!! It's practically a brand new truck. Only 8K miles and it's clean. But, on the flip side, they want $15K for it.
 
Nothing quite like rare stuff.

Anybody purchased one of these from a military surplus vehicle dealer? Boyce, Memphis, Alpha, etc?
 
the times ive been on govliquidations, the auctions up are before they start. They start like a week later. And when look for auctions a week later, its all stuff for the next week...

Do you have to be registered or something to look and by on govliquidations?
 
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