19trax95's 1986 CUCV M1028A1

16069 Views 358 Replies 24 Participants Last post by 19trax95, 3 d ago

19trax95

Discussion Starter · Dec 5, 2021 (Edited)

So I have been looking for a decent square body for some time now. Didn't really have my eyes on anything in particular, but the frame and body needed to be in as good of shape as I could find.

Last week I came across this beast on marketplace up in Massachusetts. It's a 1986 Chevy M1031. Which is the military CUCV service truck.

It is I'm great shape. Frame is rock solid, and the cab has very, very little rust. It is also mechanically sound. A couple little leaks, but that's to be expected.

It has the 6.2 diesel, th400 trans, np205 t case, king pin Dana 60 front axle with a limited slip, 14 BFF rear with locker, and 4.56 gears. The service body is all aluminum. It used to have a PTO driven generator and air compressor, but those have since been removed. The PTO is still on the t case though.

My plans are to keep it fairly original, but add a few creature comforts to suit me better.

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19trax95

Discussion Starter · #61 · Jan 7, 2022 (Edited)

Ended up getting around 4" or so. Took the snowmobile out this morning to test it out. But the plow works great. Did my driveway and a little bit of the parking lot at work. Truck drives pretty good in the snow. Tires seem to bite pretty good for an MT. Can definitely tell the difference with having a real locker in the back and the limited slip up front compared to the G80 out back and a open diff in the front.

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roorancher

· #62 · Jan 7, 2022

The bigger question is how does the heater work, LOL!!!

19trax95

Discussion Starter · #63 · Jan 7, 2022

Heater works incredibly well lol. Will cook me right out of there if I leave it on haha.

GobblerK5

· #64 · Jan 7, 2022

I was by dad's again this morning and...yep I forgot AGAIN to grab pics of those mirrors

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19trax95

Discussion Starter · #65 · Jan 7, 2022

Lol. I'm not in a rush. I still haven't made time to put my led pods on or light bar haha

GobblerK5

· #66 · Jan 10, 2022

Well, looks like I offered something that was incomplete...

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19trax95

Discussion Starter · #67 · Jan 10, 2022

No problem. I'm planning on making a trip to the junk yard so I'm sure they may have something. These bigger mirrors are nice for plowing. Can get good vision around me backing up.

GobblerK5

· #68 · Jan 10, 2022

I can't believe I actually remembered to look this morning! Lol

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19trax95

Discussion Starter · #69 · Jan 10, 2022

Lol. I do that all the time. Plan on doing something, and can even walk right past and completely forget haha. Too much stuff on the mind I suppose lol.

I almost pulled the trigger on a 4l80e trans for it yesterday, but I figured I'd wait and do all the other stuff I want first before doing the swap. Save my money.

My buddy out in Ohio has basically two complete turbo setups off a 6.5 I may pick up though. If I do, I'd likely keep it very conservative at around 5-6 psi and just try and get a little bit of bump on the top end. Don't want to go wild and smoke the motor lol. I already got an animal, so a nice relaxed driver is plenty haha.

Bradley21sanders

· #70 · Jan 10, 2022

Well now what is the fun in having only one animal? Make everything an animal!

Are you wanting the 4sp for the additional running gear?

19trax95

Discussion Starter · #71 · Jan 10, 2022

Yeah just for overdrive. Besides that, the 4l80 is basically just an electronically controlled th400 with overdrive.

It's a pretty straightforward swap. Just need to modify the shift linkage a bit, and then shorten the rear shaft and lengthen the front shaft.

And if I knew the motor could handle more boost, I'd do it, but I know that the 6.2s, and even the 6.5 doesn't like boost. They snap cranks and break the webbing out of the blocks. Plus the N/A motors like mine, have too high of a compression ratio to handle boost reliably.

GobblerK5

· #72 · Jan 10, 2022

Here's some reading for ya...

84 M1009 Chevy K5 Blazer - Page 32

As some of you might know... Its pretty much almost done being built. Heres link to my photobucket folder showing all the pictures of the 3 years it took to get it to this point. http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/chrisjhufstetler/library/My%2084%20Blazerr?src=wap&page=1 Heres a recent...

www.chevyk5blazer.com

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19trax95

Discussion Starter · #73 · Jan 13, 2022 (Edited)

Picked up the last 2 shackles I needed for the truck. These happen to be originals. Found a guy on one of the Facebook groups had some to sell.

Also bought a block heater for the truck. Might install it this weekend if I have time after work. Supposed to go down to the single digits this weekend so it'd be nice to have. Haven't had any issues starting the truck yet, but I'd rather keep it warm rather than let it suffer lol.

Also take the opportunity to change the coolant since I'll have the block basically drained to do the block heater.

Also ordered some parts to put CB radios back in my trucks. Me and some buddies have gotten the itch to get back into it with the CBs again. I still have my old radio out of my 01 and I order a nice cobra 29LX for either this truck or my 15. Haven't decided which radio I want to put in which truck yet though.

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19trax95

Discussion Starter · #74 · Jan 20, 2022

Got shackles painted up after sandblasting them. Ran out of paint so only got like 1 decent coat on them, then a light coat, but it should be sufficient.

I also ordered some headlights for the truck. I was going to get the retro-bright lights, to retain the classic sealed beam look, but have better performance, but decided to try something that I normally am not a fan of for headlights, some cheap Amazon lights.

They were around $90 for the set and are full led. They have turn signals in them too, but I'm not going to be wiring those in.

I installed them real quick tonight and let me tell you, I am more than impressed at this moment. Time will tell how they hold up, but they have an outstandingly clean cutoff and very nice beam pattern. They project very far out and wide, while easily being aimed correctly. I would say they are on par, or better, than the headlights in my 2015.

Highbeams are also excellent and throw exceedingly far. Will grab some pics in the daytime of the lights and then some night shots of the output.

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GobblerK5

· #75 · Jan 20, 2022

I got set of LEDs for daughters XJ...$79 off AMZ and I'm tickled with them.

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19trax95

Discussion Starter · #76 · Jan 23, 2022

Some daylight shots of the headlights.

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19trax95

Discussion Starter · #77 · Jan 24, 2022

Did some preliminary aiming last night since I took the plow off. Will need to adjust them better once I get to a nice wall I can park in front of. But they are at least close as is.

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19trax95

Discussion Starter · #78 · Jan 27, 2022

Still haven't found the time to install my block heater. But the truck has been starting without issue. This morning was the coldest I've started it at around 5⁰. Fired right up with the normal amount of cranking (for an IDI diesel lol).

Also took it on the highway the other day and it actually wasn't bad at all. Tracks like a dream, and I could do 55-60 no problem. Granted that's about as fast as I wanted to go due to the RPM, and not having a tach to see exactly where it was at, but I'd estimate around 3000-3100ish. Maybe a little higher. Definitely screaming, but not crazy enough to be worried. Tires definitely helped bring the rpm down a bit. Not sure I'd want to take it on any long highway trips at that rpm for hours on end, but it boosted my confidence in the truck at least lol.

GobblerK5

· #79 · Jan 27, 2022

Lack of "boosted confidence" is what caused my K5 to become a driveway ornament...

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roorancher

· #80 · Jan 27, 2022

19trax95 said:
Some daylight shots of the headlights.

I had debated getting some lights like that for my "screaming chicken," but I couldn't get past the look, and wanted to keep the car as true to original as possible, so I opted for this combination:

and these bulbs:

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: HELLA H4 100/80WTB High Wattage Bulbs, 12V : Automotive

Buy HELLA H4 100/80WTB High Wattage Bulbs, 12V: Headlight Bulbs - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I'm hoping they'll produce as good a light beam as what you have installed......I like those a lot.....

We'll see soon..............

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