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CUCV head gasket / head/ or change engine survey

cucvrus

Well-known member
11,473
10,432
113
Location
Jonestown Pennsylvania
It is worth the cost. take my word for it. And what is wrong with a little picture of new under garments. New as never worn. And I have a full wardrobe of Duluth, Carhartt and Under Armour. . Duluth Tougher then an angry beavers teeth. The fire hose pants are indestructible and are nice at the YouPullIT. Never get cut on sharp metal of tear on catching on wire and fencing. So to answer the question Duluth it is worth it. What color on the wheels? I decided Black and be done with them. I was mixing paint to paint the wheels Tan and worked on painting the front bumper and brush guard instead.
 

cucvrus

Well-known member
11,473
10,432
113
Location
Jonestown Pennsylvania
003.jpg002.jpgBrush guard and bumper back on after painting everything yesterday. I got up early and after church I sanded the wheels and painted them. They were 99.9% good but that .01% bothered me when I went this far. I redesigned the B/O marker lamps. 004.jpgLED clearance lamps from a wrecked box truck. 001.jpgPaint on wheels is drying and wanted to check my Email. Back out and at it. I want this Mule out of my barn by tomorrow or maybe today. It is still early.
 

cucvrus

Well-known member
11,473
10,432
113
Location
Jonestown Pennsylvania
006.jpg007.jpg008.jpgThese are my stock size Goodyear 31 10.50 x 15 Kevlar MTR tires. In my opinion they are the best tires for use on the M1009. I have had and have several sets of these tires and use them in all situations. they have never failed me and I have been in severe off road and deep snow and have had no traction problems. they grip so well they snapped my axle on my work M1009 without spinning the wheels. Just by shear traction. I seen them stretch the black top on the road when I was pulling fence with these tires on my M1009009.jpg010.jpgThe Mule has been released from the production area for a test run. .
 

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cucvrus

Well-known member
11,473
10,432
113
Location
Jonestown Pennsylvania
015.jpg016.jpgI am back from a test run. I installed the seat and hooked up my HMMWV horn to a push button on the lower dash. 019.jpgI may have mentioned this in the past. but I installed a set of Red LED clearance lamps in the hinge holes of the M1009 rear body panel. They work with the brake and turn and can be seen when you are following me in little weeny cars. Tomorrow i have another LED idea for the rear bumper B/O holes. Stay tuned for more. Thank you for looking. I have more things I am going to be doing to the Mule. I will keep you posted. 020.jpgI will be running topless for a bit. But for now the Mule is back in the garage. i need the right window run channel and hopefully I will get a GM one tomorrow. The man that made my last top rear cover has passed away. i will be needing to find another person to make one for me. i have the material thanks to a few members on this site. thank you for looking and have a good day.
 

cucvrus

Well-known member
11,473
10,432
113
Location
Jonestown Pennsylvania
022.jpg023.jpg024.jpg025.jpgThe Mule is back on the road again. I have a few more things to do with the exhaust on the left side and get the front end alignment. I have an appointment on Thursday. The 2 vehicles side by side are built 30 years apart. Like night and day.
 

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fitz

Member
268
13
18
Location
Mass
2 trucks built 30 years apart.
I have to ask, if driving 5 miles into town to run errands, which one would you rather drive?
 

cucvrus

Well-known member
11,473
10,432
113
Location
Jonestown Pennsylvania
Depends on the temperature outside. HOT = Silverado. I like them both equally. I must admit I like the comfort of the Silverado also. I just have my Mule as a toy.
 

cucvrus

Well-known member
11,473
10,432
113
Location
Jonestown Pennsylvania
I dropped off the Mule at the exhaust and alignment shop this afternoon. It drives like a new truck. Smooth as a new one. Not as quiet but what can you expect? It was a real head turner when I drove it to the shop. My Son was following in Crown of Thorns M1009. I received several comments at the fuel stop. I noticed the body lines are almost invisible with this CARC tan paint.
 

cucvrus

Well-known member
11,473
10,432
113
Location
Jonestown Pennsylvania
009.jpg I reinstalled the overhead LED dome lamp in the Mule. And imagine that it works. That was easy. 010.jpg 008.jpg011.jpgI installed the new GM door seals it made a huge difference in the way the door closes and the amount of air noise coming in at the doors. This Mule is loud I have all the firewall insulation removed and the floor is just the steel floor with a couple coats of CARC paint.I never painted the lower dash panel and the interior roof. I wanted to keep it as stock for the look to match the other weathered interior parts. I still like the rust in behind the glass on my fuel gauge and speedometer. It makes it look aged. Of course all the lights work and at night I can't see the rust anyway on the gauges. Thanks for looking. I am in the process of designing a winter front for the Mule. i will see what I come up with and pass it along. i want to re-purpose something I have laying around. But still keep it cool. A piece of cardboard would be good but that is not thoughtful enough.
 

cucvrus

Well-known member
11,473
10,432
113
Location
Jonestown Pennsylvania
001.jpg002.jpgAfter looking at the holes in the rear bumper that at one time housed the B/O lamps I op[ted to install a set of LED clear license lamps. They were handy and I pulled them from a wrecked truck a couple years back. So I decided to bolt them in place of the B/O lamps. Easy to return to B/O in case of war. For now the Clear LED's do the trick.
 

cucvrus

Well-known member
11,473
10,432
113
Location
Jonestown Pennsylvania
I am putting the Mule up for trade. I want to entertain the thought of an M1078 FMTV. I posted in the classifieds. I had an offer of a nice M923 for the Mule but that is to big. I would like a Stewart & Stevenson truck. I am having an idea for another M1009 build in the spring. If I don't find a nice trade I will just keep the Mule and drive it till I find something bigger and better. Thank you for looking.
 

cucvrus

Well-known member
11,473
10,432
113
Location
Jonestown Pennsylvania
NovacaineFix

This is my write up on the M1009 Mule head gasket/overhaul last spring and summer 2015. I hope you find it useful. If not just look and enjoy. I had an extra set of 6.2 heads to send out to the machine shop so when I change head gaskets it is much easier and quicker. Except in this case. I went wild and rebuilt the entire truck. But it paid off.
 

cucvrus

Well-known member
11,473
10,432
113
Location
Jonestown Pennsylvania
This morning I arose bright and early and took my Mule on a trip to the farm. I had discovered a lot of nice rocks while up rooting tree stumps.and did not want them buried again. I laid a rug in the back and loaded the Mule with a full load of nice mountain rocks. I drove real nice and unloaded them on the north side of my property and dry stacked them as a retaining wall/property line. I have been hauling rocks here for 25 years. Sold a few tons several times. I did not take a pictures today the battery was dead in my camera. I had a nice video of the inside of mt coat pocket. Lots of sound and a bit of light here and there. That camera sounded like it was being put thru a car crusher. The Mule is the greatest little pick up I ever owned and I built it. My new truck still sits and I drive it to church. No war machines at the church. Scares the older people when I show up in a noisy CUCV covered in mud.
 

cucvrus

Well-known member
11,473
10,432
113
Location
Jonestown Pennsylvania
NovacaineFix
I brought this thread back up to the top so you could read over it. You do not have a reverse rotation water pump. You have a coolant/Compression leak in the heads or I am guessing head gasket. Read over my thread and it is exactly the same issue I had and several of my customers have had. My Mule had a may 5 1987 engine in it when I bought it. I thought it was the original engine all the years I drove it. But after I did the work on my Mule it runs and drives like a new CUCV. I have no radio just a steering wheel and as stripped as it can get. All stock but the roof and tailgate. Check it out. If you were closer I have new heads in crates. That would cost a fortune to ship. Take care have a great day.
 

cucvrus

Well-known member
11,473
10,432
113
Location
Jonestown Pennsylvania
1974 K5 Blazer..jpgA few weeks back I spotted a 1974 K5 Blazer that was For Sale. The body was rough as most are and I missed the opportunity to buy the vehicle. My friend owns a towing business and had the job of hauling the vehicle home for the buyer. It turns out the man bought it for the 350 4 bolt main 4 barrel engine and 4 speed transmission and axles. He wanted my friend to haul the scrap body away. i did some scouting and was able to get right up to it. I will be getting the body and converting the Mule to a full fledged convertible. I hate to cut the roof off after so much work was done to it. But the existing roof will be surgically removed and stored. The Cool factor of the full convertible out weighs the rest of my desires to have the Mule. I will look forward to this conversion. I do not want to bump it up in line of my other projects but it is very tempting. I know that the prep of the donor parts is going to be extensive. I tried selling the Mule and no body wanted to pay anything so I will keep it and make it unique. Cutting a set of doors and saving the existing doors is what I will be doing. Maybe even tube doors. I will look at the legality of that before I act on it. i don't need Johnny Law on my back every day. Just sharing this to see the general consensus. Have a great day. be nice with your opinion or keep it to yourself. I will cut the 1974 fiberglass roof like the Mules short roof so I can use it is winter. Then again maybe not. I have undecided. I have a roof to store it with my motorcycle that I never ride anymore.
 

nyoffroad

Well-known member
942
690
93
Location
Rochester NY
I just read this whole thread, for me that's really something cause I usually just browse! It's amazing how a simple little project can get big real quick. Been there and still doing it.(shaking my head) I never realized you had put that much time and effort into the mule, one thing you didn't get into is how you closed off the front of the 'bed'. In one pic it looks like you use the front bed panel and welded and sealed it, is that it? Good work on the truck and a great job documenting it! If you do go topless that will be so cool! I'd drive down there just to check it out. BTW the donor blazer is painted just like one of my trucks but mine's a little more yellow.
 
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