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Alfa Heaven just put up a Sweet M1009

CUCVFAN

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citizensoldier said:
Hmmm ..Well for the extra 24k I could have one hot place of a radio,AC for 3 houses, and replace everything on that 20 year old truck twice.. So thats worth thinking about too. Plus I could do it myself because it was the tail end of being able to fix them yourself. The new ones you can't. Wonder what a new silverado will be lookin like in 20 to 25 years? Oh thats right we trade them in in three.. Sorry for that. Then melt them down and make another temp truck. Not allot of bang for ones buck ahe? Computer chips get brittle with age and dont leave that CD out in the sun or its toast.
I prefer the 50 to 60 year trucks. More metal in the bumper than the front clip of a new Chevy.
Not trying to start a fight either. Just valid lessons I have learned.. I figured what I have spent on new trucks in the last 12 years and it was just under $76,000.00 dollars. This is not including high insurance on a financed vehicle and repairs and oil. I would have done much better driving a beater and putting it in my IRA! Retire earlier, pay off my house and then restore a 1940's Dodge WC with my interest payment every month.. Things that make you go Hmmmm.
I only own 1 house and it has A/C, so I can't speak to that argument, but $24K won't get me an outhouse on an acre anymore, so that is really kinda moot. The mid-80's Chevy's aren't any wonderful example of automotive engineering, and replacing the parts that nobody makes anymore isn't as cheap (or possible) as you think.

With that said: It's all personal preference. The newest vehicle I own is the '88 Crew Cab in my sig, so my preference should be obvious. The reasons for this are precisely what you mention, so you're preaching to the chior. I work on them myself and I love the body style and solid axles. That still doesn't mean that the newer trucks aren't 3 times the truck. But, like I said before: Apples to Oranges.

The only reason these trucks are worth more than a civilian truck of the same vintage in comparable condition is that they are military. That does translate into typically low miles and light use, but it's also a niche market that people are willing to pay for. That's why I said the red & white truck is worth more, since it's more "correct military". Of course, neither one has the shelter tie-downs, so knock off a few bucks for that. Nice trucks, just a little over-priced in my view. Not CRAZY over-priced, but still over-priced.
 

citizensoldier

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I will agree that mid 80's Chevy's are not a wonderful vehicle thats why I said I like the even older stuff. It must be a MI thing but parts for those years are all over the place here and at good prices. The military vehicles do have some options you could not get on a civi truck so that makes them worth more to me anyway. I remember the assembly plant in Flint having a 20 acre field of them trucks sitting around. People I knew worked there and they could not get there hands on any of the Gov issue parts .. Hush hush uncle sam only stuff at that time. Give me a old Scout, or Bronco, or FJ40,or Blazer,or F 250 and I am happy.. It is definately personal preference but it is also a financial drain keeping many looking good on the road only to have nothing for there labors.. Bad investment new trucks are....
 

Armada

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Here is an Alfa customer review by IRWFO. Thanks for being honest about what issues you had IRWFO. It is a nice looking truck you have for sure, but with so many 'little' issues that you found after spending some time with it, I seriously doubt their extensive 'going over' of the trucks they sell is what they claim it is. And a mechanic was even driving yours to make sure it was 'ok' before you bought it. Some of the things you found would have scared me away at the start, but that's just me. Kinda reminds me of what my building buddies joke about, "Drywall covers everything"...lol.
Curb appeal seems to be their only goal.

OK, to answer the tire questions. The tall tires throw off the Speedo buy just about 10mph. Truck fuel mileage turned into real math to figure out. Funny how a 21hr trip by yourself with no radio gives you plenty of time to work out mileage buy using mile markers on the road. The passenger tire rubs the inner wheel well when they are turned all the way to the right. Alfa Heaven did something I don't like to get the tires to fit. They trimmed the lips off the lower rears of the wheel openings. Now there 2 nice opening where dirt & water can collect & I know I will have rust issues in the near future. I figure about 2 more inches of lift will cure the rubbing issue. Second thing is that the trany is shifting 10mph later then it would with the stock tires. If I am pulling a hill from a stop it won't shift to 3rd till I've crested the hill. Anyone running these tires with stock gears is going to be replacing the trany within a few years. Other then that the trany is tight & shifts very smooth.
Now my feelings about Alfa & my truck. When I first saw it in person I was amazed how clean the truck was. Tom the owner picked me up at the airport with it & drove me back to his shop. The tires weren't balanced & it was vibrating like crazy. As soon as we got to the shop he was upset with the worker that was using the truck all week to make sure everything was good. He had the mechanic bring it to a tire shop and balance all the tires. He had an impressive layout & had about 30+ CUCV's in dessert tan all waiting to be done. I did notice alot of LMC boxes laying around so I know they are one of his suppliers for parts.
My first 60 minutes of driving revealed some things about the truck. First I noticed the volt gauge I talked about earlier. The exhaust was leaking. Not loud just that annoying pist,pist, pist sound that I hate. The tire rub when I had to make a u-turn on a side street. On a side note the tires are LOUD. The passenger window rocks in & out when not fully closed. The key did not work the doors. I'm glad I tried it before locking myself out at the KFC I stopped at for dinner. The passenger side Hi-Beam headlight was out. The red gear position pointer was missing. On the good side the truck looks awesome. Drives straight as a nail down the road. Brakes are powerful & stops straight with no noise. No smoke from the exhaust at all.
Now that I have some time with the truck here are some of the things I noticed. It has a brand new windshield & hood. Leaks water from the passenger side window in the cap. I have some paint bubbling on the passenger door sill & one corner of the rear tailgate. Underneath, the floor is rusting in some areas. All fixable & common in a 22yr old truck. Please note that Alfa had this truck listed as a "Decent Body". I feel that it's better then decent & am in no way disappointed with my purchase. I just now know that I should ask more detailed ?'s about what might be wrong with the condition of the truck.
All the door & window seals are dry & need replacing. I did not like the way they undercoated it. They shot everything. Driveshaft's, the crude on the trany, everything. The blackout headlight doesn't work. When I opened it I found it loaded with what I believe to be that fine dust from Iraq. Tom from Alfa said he believed it was over there in 89-90. The Passenger inner wheel well needs to be replaced. A battery must have leaked on it at one time. His paint is very nice with just a few sags in the browns. Something I did not like was the U-Joints were not greased.
My plans for this year are to keep it looking just the way you see it now except maybe lifting it just enough for tire clearance. Replace all the weather striping, U-Joints, brake hoses. Install radio equipment. Gear swap. Repair the rust spots. I'll be putting it in local shows & enjoy doing parades.
One last thing. I replaced the rusted out mufflers with Flowmasters. I like the sound, very similar to a mustang with flowmasters. There was also a nice noticeable power increase. I just swapped the mufflers the rest of the exhaust is stock. Sorry for being long winded.
The interior is very nice. Most of the metal was repainted with CARC. My dash was re-dyed & has 2 small very cracks in the speaker grill area. The gauge panel is brand new as are both door panels. All the seats have been re-dyed. The rear & passenger seats are near perfect. The drivers seat has a few rips that were repaired (I was told about this before purchasing). The yellow light that lets you know you are in 4wd is out (4wd works perfect, to let you know). The mat w/ sound insulation is of nice quality & fits very well. My only gripes are that it's missing the trim on the end of the seats that cover the fold down mechanism & I think the drivers seat is really a passengers seat. The lever to fold down the seat is on the inside rather then near the door.
It's a nice day today & am going out to wash the truck. I'll take some nice detailed photos of the good & bad so you guys can see what I've been talking about.
 

Desert Deuce

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I am for the most part very happy with my Alfa M1028A1. Here are some of my observations about the truck, Alfa Heaven & Tom. I paid $9500 because it was an A1, Milage was low, 39,000 and was listed as having no rust.

The paint was excellent as was the body. Inside front panel on the bed is dented. Engine runs perfect, transmission shifts perfect as well. There is an issue with the detroit locker and/or alignment of the rear axle to the frame. When I step on the accelerator, the truck shifts to one side, when you let off, the truck shifts back. I've had detroit lockers on 4x4's in the past, they are funny animals. Everything needs to aligned and the tires need to be the same pressure and height. They are tough though, hard to break them. When I asked Tom about this before I left his facility, he said it was the NP205 transfer case that caused this to happen, he even went so far to say that all M1028A1's he's every driven do this. I looked at him like he was nuts, and tried to explain that the transfer case could not be the cause, and tried to explain the alingment of the axle to the frame when you have one of these lockers. He did not listen. My impression of Tom is that he's very knowedgable and knows it.

With regard to the statement that the trucks are serviced and ready to go, none of the fluids had been replaced in mine, the air filter was caked with dirt (I had them replace it before I left, they had to find a clean used one as they had none that were new), The tires were not balanced and the truck shook so bad, I was worried about shaking it apart. I had to stop at a truck stop and pay to have them balanced on the second day of the trip. When I talked with tom about this, he said they are bias ply and should warm up and round out. Pure BS. (for a guy that used to build race cars, he knows that's BS). I do understand bias ply tires, as I used to run Arnstrong Truetracks and 36 inch Grand Prix's. I did find a new set of Military OZ's on ebay from Tiresfast. With regard to the undercoating, they shoot everthing, evan the caked on grease. I asked if the original jack was in the truck. he said it was, It was not, He said he would send it, he has not.

I asked if there were any leaks before I left, the answer was "no way". Well it has a major leak at the rear pinion, I can fix that. Small leak from the transmission, I can fix that.

The interior is excellent. When I got in though the only thing that was not painted was the cieling and rear pillars, when I asked Tom he really wanted to tak about something else. In the add he lists the seat as new, it is not, only the cover. The pad under the cover and maybe the springs need to be fixed on the driver side. I can fix that.

The add said no rust. When I looked under the front battery when I got it home there is significant rust in the panel under there. When I spoke to Tom about this, well he kinda blew this off as well. NO RUST MEANS NO RUST!!! He also lists the M1008's and M1028's as have a Dana 60 in the rear, they clearly have a 14 bolt rear. When I asked Tom why he lists it this way before I left he said, it's because averyone knows what a Dana 60 is. Huh? you've got to be kidding I thought. By this time I getting a pretty good picture of Tom the Salesman.

Oh and the blackout drive head light, it did not work when I tested it at home, he said it worked when I left. So I opened it to replace the bulb and rusty water poored out. This thing had not worked for a very long time. Oh well. And how did it get filled to the top with water?

I also pruchased an LDT-465 from him as well. It was listed at $3000, he gave me $500 off since I bought a truck. It was listed as being an unrebuilt very low hours engine. Well when I looked at the tag on the engine It's an LD-465-1C Not an LDT. It has a D turbo on it. It has no rebuild tag so what the heck. Is this an Alfa built engine? Who knows. I haven't evan call Tom on this one. I was supposed to get some sort of documentation showing me that the hours were truely low, it's been since September, I have not. Also the engine is drained but when I open the oil filler cap I seems like I smell diesel in the engine. Hmmm. Anyway the engine looks very nice, kinda like my truck.

Before anyone reminds that it's a 21 year old truck, I did pay a premium for this truck because of the way it was sold to me. I do love the truck and will keep it for a long time. I am very unhappy about the Multi-Fuel engine, It may be a great engine though. But it's not what I thought I was buying.

Bottom line is: Alfa Heaven puts alot into getting these trucks ready to sell and Tom is in business with people and expenses to pay. My truck overall is very nice. Just be very carefull and check the vehicle out with your own eyes or someone who is qualified. If it doesn't feel right, go with your gut feeling. And remember, Tom is in the sales business, used car sales business.

Would I do it again, maybe.
 

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citizensoldier

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Wow great write ups guys!!! A long read but worth to me on both of them. Desert you sound happy to me but some of the things that were wrong with that truck for that kind of money would have pissed me off a bit. Hmmm . Thanks for the info.. appreciate it..... After reading both I dont think I would buy a truck from him though. Rather do it all myself so I know its done right and know what has been done to it. Now for 6k I may let some of that slide a little, but not for 9K... As long as you are happy is all that matters..
 

Armada

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Glad you guys are happy for the most part. They do look nice.
For me though,
Rather do it all myself so I know its done right and know what has been done to it.
I like to know what's under the drywall.....
 

Desert Deuce

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Yes, overall happy with the Truck, next time I'll do it myself as well. But, it is very nice to have alot of it done right out of the box. Plus, it's got new CARC on it.

The engine is another story, It's my own fault. I should have asked for a picture of the tag and looked at it before I left. I did ask Tom lots of questions about the engine before I bought it, Like "can you please look at the tag and get back to me with what's on it", obviously that did not happen and I bought it anyway on Tom's word. I'll put some pictures of it up soon. I know alot of folks have added Turbos to their N/A Multi-Fuels. Tom does say that he runs and Dyno's all of these engines. When I asked for the data from the Dyno, he said he does not record it. Hmmmmm. Oh well. May be a great engine, don't know yet.

The other thing to consider is how many companys out there do what alfa does? Not many. The main point I'm making is, Know what you're buying.
 

Recovry4x4

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Wow, sounds just like a used car salesman. Did he have a pinstriped suit? Anyway, Kevin, I would have a looksee at the centerpins in the rear leaf springs. The axle may be sliding on the spring. The info about the 205 causing that is pure crap. That statement would have caused me to drive away. Nothing like showing your ignorance.
 

CUCVFAN

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I have not actually tagged mine yet, but from the driving I've done, it does not do that either. You can feel it lock and unlock, but that's about it.
 

IRWFO

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I chatted with Tom about the glow plug saver system a while back when I was reviewing one of his 1009s to potentially purchase. The fundamental is that it has the updated control module to do just what you've referred to.
Did Tom say if the updated contol module was a new GM part? When I fried mine I looked up the part# from the old board on GM parts direct. It came up valid so I went to my local chevy truck dealer & got it. It is simpler then the old one & is a REV2. Just wondering if it's the one he is installing in them now.
 

Desert Deuce

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Yeah Kenny, with regard to the NP205 I really don't know if he figured I was stupid or if he just doesn't understand himself. I suspect it's the later.

I waited along time to post this info, I know there are folks here that are friends with him. But, I thought it was time when this thread started to develop.

Oh, and one more thing, make sure to always look very carefully under the truck, on mine, the crossmember that carries the transfer case was bent. He did give me a straight one to replace it before I left.
 

PHIZLAN

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Wow, there are some good write ups here, to quote some one earlier"that is why I keep coming here". I baught from Tom the salesman myself. I love my cucv but it too has now had some issues. I baught it knowing that it was 20+ years old and not wanting to pay out $$$$ for a new one. Most of my problems have been minor things to fix..... alternators and starter bolts. got them all fixed now and have not had anymore problems..knock on wood. I know now that the shifting late is do to the tire size...thank you armada!! I think I will be down sizeing my tires. DO NOT want to replace the training in a few years. I have some of the same things wrong with mine as have been told of the trucks from Tom. Window weather stripping dry, door locks and such. But I figure if I can get a few good years out of her she will have been worth it. Tom is a true saleman, just trying to make a living. MY advice is to ask questions and look'r over REAL good. if you don't get and keep the warm and fuzzy...walk away and buy another day.
 
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