What have you done to your CUCV today/lately? - Part 1

[K9Vic]

Rebuilt my alternators on my M1009 as I was getting flashing Gen 2 light and pulsating headlights. I had a problem before with GEN 1 light staying on and replaced the heater switch and seemed to work for a short time. But driving at night my headlights would flicker/pulse and was really not good. So I swapped my alternators from my M1031 as they were rebuilt a few months ago as I needed my M1009 for a weekend rally. No more headlight issue and GEN 2 light did not flicker. So now my alternators from the M1009 are in the M1031 and rebuilt and working fine.

I have rebuilt these dang CUCV alternators so many times now between all he trucks I have bought & sold it seems like it takes me like 10 minutes. But really take longer as I clean everything well and the case is cleaned up like new. I have two spares now on standby if I ever need one so I do not have to wait for parts to arrive.

Next project, I have to tear down my rear differential cover on my M1009 as I have a new leak after trolling around in the mud at the off road park last weekend. Need to make sure there is no dirt & water in there. I also saw I am missing a bold, guess I did not tighten that one down when I did this 2 years ago. Front looked OK, but I will probably take that down was well.

 

[True Knight]

I just did an alternator too. My alt 1 went out. So I got a brand new one for a 84 Cadi eldorado and took it apart. Put it back together using the insulators from the original and drilled the proper hole for the ground stud. Now I have a brand new isolated ground alternator. As soon as I get the rebuilt kits from CUCV Electric I'll rebuild the alt 2 and the original alt 1 so I have a spare.

 

[shorad93]

Well, where do I start. I'm kinda new to the sight. I've enjoyed your ideas and have done a few mods myself and quite of bit of repairs on my 1009 and 2 x 1038's. So here's my first post to what I've done to my CUCV.

Retrofitted a pair of HMMWV side view mirrors to work on the CUCV. I was tired of not being able to see clearly at traffic coming from behind. If you've ever driven in Southern Florida, you need to have good visibility of traffic 360 degrees.

 

[shorad93]

Repaired lots of rusted panels last summer. Had a new welder, never used and no experience, but asked a lot of questions. At the end, the final product speaks for itself. I love this stuff.

 

[timo247]

dang shorad! that looks really nice when all welded up with new pieces. wish I had the experience like ya'll when it comes to repairing an MV.

 

[Keith_J]

dang shorad! that looks really nice when all welded up with new pieces. wish I had the experience like ya'll when it comes to repairing an MV.

You don't remember the M37 before the restoration, do you? You might learn.

 

[maddawg308]

shorad - great repairs! Also, I'm diggin' the side mirrors. I like the look of trucker's mirrors better than the stock ones...

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

Shorad, those mirrors are sweet! Way better than the stock!


How much did those set you back?

 

[scottladdy]

Well, where do I start. I'm kinda new to the sight. I've enjoyed your ideas and have done a few mods myself and quite of bit of repairs on my 1009 and 2 x 1038's. So here's my first post to what I've done to my CUCV.

Retrofitted a pair of HMMWV side view mirrors to work on the CUCV. I was tired of not being able to see clearly at traffic coming from behind. If you've ever driven in Southern Florida, you need to have good visibility of traffic 360 degrees.

Looks great. Looks like an upgrade I'll take on in the near future.

Are those bucket seats in the rear? And, where did you get the green seat upholstery?

Really nice body work. It's fun and addicting (unless you have to make a living off it, I guess). My father, the tool and die maker, told me I would probably get fired if I had to weld for a living. He told me that my welds were just to darn pretty, and that I didn't work fast enough for a production shop.

IMHO, anyone with the ability to keep one of these trucks running can learn to weld the sheet metal. You don't even need to take a class, but it wouldn't hurt. Take your time, buy a decent MIG welder, and practice on some scrap first. Plenty of Youtube video's on how to patch up sheet metal.

For those not inclined to play with heat, you can also bond the patch panels on in most cases. The auto body adhesives they have these days are very impressive. I guess I am sort of old school. I prefer welding, but will use body filler instead of lead, properly of course. I'll post pics of the before and afters of my M1008A1 GL forklift customizations as soon as I get a chance.

 

[dc9137]

Deconstruction has definitely begun...now time for football and a cold beverage!

 

[epitts]

Nice helper you have there!

 

[twlinks]

Lookin good...well, you know what I mean...lol. Also looks like you've got your best helper there too...that's cool.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Fixing my baby.

What am I doing to my CUCV? After many miles the rear differential died. Tomorrow pulling off the plate and seeing what the damage is. Depending on what I find "Red Dawn" (my trucks name) may have a complete new rear end.

 

[scottladdy]

Electrical System Repairs

Replaced the Gen 2 and Voltmeter relays with the 80 amp units from CUCV electric on both my M1009 and M1008A1. The M1009 was behaving well before the swap. But, the M1008A1 Gen 2 light was low flicker at idle. Relay fixed this issue (although I am going to rebuild all 4 alternators today just to have a fresh start on them).

M1008A1 also has the classic Gen1 light on with blower on high. Cleaned all heater motor contacts, replaced the blower motor switch in the dash with a RockAuto replacement (lever was broken on the old one). Replaced the heater fuse and cleaned the fuse block contacts (again). Gen 1 light is now lit very dimly with blower on high, barely discernible in complete darkness but still there. So, more work to do ...

Feed side corner of the plastic housing of original 20 amp fuse was slightly melted, indicating an overheating condition sometime in the past. I can't recommend strongly enough cleaning the fuse box contacts and replacing all the fuses with new ones.

On the Gen1 light issue, I am being careful to test after each repair. The one item that made the most difference was the heater fuse, FYI.

 

[chief1983]

Finally installed my winch. Got it from Walmart or Sams a couple years ago, a CPE (Champion Power Equipment) Power Sports 10k 12v electric model. Didn't even notice it came with a winch mounting channel already in the box until I started trying to figure out how to install it a couple weeks ago. Ended up needing the following for my install besides what it came with:

Tools (I didn't already have):
Craftsman 15 1/2" floor drill press from Craigslist $250
1" Milwaukee bi-metal hole saw, pilot bit and arbor (bought a set) $88
1/2" Rigid metal-only drill bit (bought a set) $30

Main parts, besides what came with winch:
(2) Rampage 8610 shackle kits from Amazon $67
(2) 12" long 2" receiver tubes from Harbor Freight $26

Additional Hardware:
(4) 4" Grade 8 1/2" bolts
(4) Grade 8 1/2" nuts
(4) Grade 8 1/2" lockwashers
(3) packs of Grade 8 1/2" washers (sets of 3)
(2) 1 3/16" linchpins (to replace split pins on front D-hook hitch pins)

The neat thing about these Rampage shackles is they come with holes drilled through all 4 sides for a hitch pin, making it possible to mount them within the receiver tubes either way, allowing for personal preference. I drilled three holes in each tube, including a 1/2" one even with the existing 5/8" hitch pin hole in the receiver tube, thinking I was somehow going to put a bolt through one way and the hitch pin the other. I forgot that would mean they'd have to pass through each other somehow inside the tube

So what really is needed to be done is this, given the mounting channel I had (I think it's fairly standard and can be bought on eBay): the channel already had a set of 1/2" holes lining up perfectly with the D-hook mounts on the 09, which are exactly 30" apart from each other. These holes on the channel are 3 7/8" apart. I should have taken and used the existing 5/8" hole in the tube, laid the channel on the tube and marked the spot for the second 1/2" hole to be drilled and saved myself the trouble of drilling a hole I didn't need. But I drilled through the other side even with that hole and wasted some time is all. Then I took and measured 2 1/16" from the back of the receiver tube on the side not having the 1/2" holes, centered between the sides of the tube, and marked for the 1" hole. This will be where the old D-hook hitch pins will go through. This will create a sturdy mount with no play and taking advantage of the original 1" hitch pings, which still look good in my opinion. Bolted it all up, and finally got my winch plugged in and tested tonight. Everything seems to be working. It was almost 10 by the time I got done, so I'll have to do photos in the morning hopefully before work. The Rampage D-hooks get installed in the receiver tube when bolting on the channel, and use the bolt holding the channel to the tube instead of a hitch pins. Also makes it harder for the $33 shackles to grow legs.

Currently I'm looking for a canvas winch cover, seeing if jatonka's bigger truck winch covers might work, or maybe an old halftrack winch cover.

 

[jhyatt7]

Participated in the Hog Eye fest in Elgin Tx with the Lone star MVPA

 

[wayne pick]

Well, back on 10/11 I posted that my transfer case blew up. After further investigation, it turns out it was the transmission. Disgusted with the whole turn of events, I just parked it untill I looked at it today. When I checked the oil level in the transfer case, it was way over full and was red in color. This leads me to believe that when trans let go it was pumping trans oil into the transfer case.
I constantly chime in on 700R4 conversions performed by our members, and the importance of building these transmissions properly. Apperently my tranny guy cut a corner or two. The trans lasted less than a year.
I spoke to Monster transmissions today, and suprisingly, the woman I spoke to asked me specific questions about my aplication. Engine size, of course, estimated HP and torque, gear ratio, tire hight, and if the engine is turbo charged. These are very important factors when doing this conversion, and just slapping in a stock K case 700 is not the way to go. I ordered a super duty 700R4 with a 1600 stall converter. $2009.00.

 

[True Knight]

Wayne, do you know what went in the trans? Was the trans killed by the lack if fluid cause it was pumping it all into the t-case?

That's one reason I went with the 4L80E- too many stories of blown 700R4's.

 

[kingchr]

Did your 700r4 convertion still use the 208 case? If so, isn't it supposed to be ATF in there as it is a chain type T-Case? I understand that the thing was over full, probably from the trans, but did you ever check the level before? I am just wondering, as my 208 in my 1009 has ATF as the lubricant, and it was slightly over the fill plug when I checked it. sorry your trans died, I guess you just needed a reason to upgrade?

Have a good one,
Christopher

 

[wayne pick]

Hea True Knight, I was just cruzin along, doing a little over 60 and all of a sudden I smelled gear oil. I thought a trucker blew an axle seal on front of me. I keep cruzin. Now I hear what sounds like metal going through a pipe, and figure, oh good! The turbo is going out the exhast! Now the smell of gear oil is really strong, and the sound has upgraded or downgraded to nashing gears with a handfull of ball bearings thrown in. I pull into a rest stop, and of course the NYS DOT Troopers are sitting there weighing trucks. Now broiling hot oil is pumping out the breather on the transfer case and I figure the TC went bad. After checking it out today, the pump or rear bushing must have let go in the tranny pumping the red stuff into the case.
I have had to add trans fluid every once and a while and noticed tranny oil on the ground, but could never figure where it was coming from.