Gas motor.. 12 volt .. & painless wiring harness

[JUNKYARDJOHN]

I Well.. I'm biting the bullet & switching my 1009 & 1031 to gas motors, 12 volt system & a complete painless wiring harness. I'm tired of the feeling I get about the unreliability of the electrical & mechanical nightmare of just driving 15 miles to town, & not knowing if it will just up & quit or if it will start after going into a DR. appointment or a simple grocery shopping trip. I'm tired of the total feeling of helplessness of trying to understand (or guessing) what the heck the great military minds were thinking when they installed some of the silly 1950s technological improvements to make their 25 year old radios & electrical components compatable. It probably made great sense for them at the time... but not to me. I'm not one of those totally helpless, non-mechanical people that needs a road service policy to come to my rescue. I'm 58 years old & have been working on my own stuff for the last 40 some years. I just want to be able to pop the hood & know what everything under there does, where it's located, & what it's called. I've probably built over 40 small blocks & 6 or 8 big blocks in that time, so I'm not exactly un-mechanically inclined. I have a fresh 1969 396 on the stand that I completely rebuilt over 10 years ago. (never even been fired) & just bought two vortec roller motors from JEGS. (I bought one for my towtruck while I was at it) I can't build a roller motor with vortec heads for what they cost me. ($2050 delivered) the complete painless kit will take care of all my electrical gremlins that live under my hoods. I know... I know... there's about a million reasons that people will say this is sacrulage, & they are perfect just the way the military hacked them, but not for me. I figure to own them for the rest of my life, don't really care about the next owner, (I'll be dead & gone if I don't wreck them) & really don't care about the fuel millage. (I drive less than 250 miles a month & have three trucks) I just want a dependable daily driver that will go anywhere, anytime & if it does quit on the side of the road .. I can get out with my little tool bag... & FIX IT. Anyone with any negative comments... please refrain from posting or shareing them. NOBODY want's to hear em & it doesn't make you look more intelligent. thanks & I'll post up some pictures along the way. John

 

[SCSG-G4]

Your trucks, do them the way you want to. But you might consider keeping all the extra diesel/24v stuff, just for giggles.

 

[JUNKYARDJOHN]

No.. I don't think so.. I'm making a clean break. I don't see any reason to keep all this stuff around in case some other poor soul needs it. I have 5 6.2s , (1 with 10,700 original miles & 1 with 55,000 miles out of running driving trucks, & 3 that I've never seen personally run & can't honestly garrentee) three sets of new glow plugs,2 sts of new injectors, 2 new controller cards, extra 24 volt starters, alternators (some new), flex plates, torque converters, doghead starter setups, wiring harnesses and on and on and on. I will peddle all this stuff to recoup some of my investment in making these truck the way they were intended by the g.m. engineers. I worked att flint assy. in 1984 thru 1988 & watched them go down the assembly line. (I was a layout inspector) about every tenth job was a military job, both blazers & pickups.

 

[85CUCVtom]

I'd like to see how that turns out. While I am a little bit of a purist and I love the Chevy diesels, I'm not above throwing a gasser in one to replace a worn or trashed motor.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Your trucks, I say go for it. For some reason, I don't have the same concerns with mine. They always start and get me home. There is some simplicity of the gassers and their ease of starting in sub zero climates.

 

[desertfox]

I have a 454 with M1028 running gear in my 85 M1009. It also has a painless wiring system. My 90 blazer has a cummins 4BT with 700R. The 6.2 just did not have the guts to pull something up the mountain. I am putting a cummins 6BT in my M1028.
I do miss the 24 volt system for my deuces and 5 ton.
I do not miss the 6.2 POS.
So in short, GO FOR IT.

 

[JUNKYARDJOHN]

I don't have anything against diesel motors in general, & even with my lack of experience working on them, I've learned a little about them & even the lack of power is something I could put up with. Heck.. if they ran anywhere as good as my little 40 horse John Deere .. that would be great. But they just don't & the electrical system is a nightmare. when they do quit on me (& they do approx. 10% of the time) I feel like a 25 year old girl who's never seen the underside of a truck hood. & that's just not me. If I wanted to just let them sit in the barn & drive them a couple of times a year that would be one thing... but that's not the case. I need a vehical that I can jump in anytime & drive anywhere, without any worries about its dependabuility . I've been driving chevy trucks for the last 40 years & in their present condition.... well it's just not getting it. I've got a 1031 with less than 11,000 miles on it that I wouldn't trust to drive across the county. Time for me to make them into something that I have complete understanding of. I think I gave having them in complete military form a fair trial for the last 5 years, but if somethings not working... it's time to make a change. I love my trucks.... when they work. DESERT FOX.... I've got an m1028 whose axels are going under my 1009 along with the smallblock & the 396 is going into my 1031. I've yanked the diesels & bought the 350s, so I'm committed to this change now.

 

[Skinny]

Since I've redone the fuel system and rebuilt both alternators (aside from a single regulator failure which was bad right out of the box), my truck has been turn key driveable with zero failures over the last few years. I've driven her down to NC and back with tons of New England trips. Knock on wood, has never left me stranded once. I'm not sure why you've had such bad luck with yours. I certainly don't think that a gas engine will give you any advantages.

 

[JUNKYARDJOHN]

HI Skinny.. while I'm certainly glad that you've had good luck.. I'm not at all interested in your opinion. (read the first post slowly & completely) a smart old man once told me that it's not what you think that will get you in trouble... it's what you say. QUIT IT. These are my experiances based on real world facts. Why don't you grab a trailer, pony up a big stack of hundreds, & drive one of those fantastic diesel trucks down here and I'll load you up with more diesel 6.2s & accessories than you can shake a stick at. cheaper than you can believe. That my friend would impress the snot out of me & I can pretty well garentee that we'll both be happy. John

 

[Skinny]

A gas motor is going to have the same starting and charging system so I don't think you are gaining anything there. I'm not sure how a carb and spark system is simpler than a fuel system that only requires 1 wire to run. All seems like a lateral move. If you feel that redoing your truck's harness with a painless harness will solve whatever is ruining your reliability issues, why not do that instead of swapping the entire engine assembly?

All of these gas motor posts always seem like the owner's are always convinced that this is the final transition to solving all of the trucks problems yet 99% of the trucks on here are still 6.2 diesels. More of an observation than an opinion. It even says in your signature that you are a newbie still learning. Wise man once told me...read the stickies...

 

[usabamaman]

I Well.. I'm biting the bullet & switching my 1009 & 1031 to gas motors, 12 volt system & a complete painless wiring harness. I'm tired of the feeling I get about the unreliability of the electrical & mechanical nightmare of just driving 15 miles to town, & not knowing if it will just up & quit or if it will start after going into a DR. appointment or a simple grocery shopping trip. I'm tired of the total feeling of helplessness of trying to understand (or guessing) what the heck the great military minds were thinking when they installed some of the silly 1950s technological improvements to make their 25 year old radios & electrical components compatable. It probably made great sense for them at the time... but not to me. I'm not one of those totally helpless, non-mechanical people that needs a road service policy to come to my rescue. I'm 58 years old & have been working on my own stuff for the last 40 some years. I just want to be able to pop the hood & know what everything under there does, where it's located, & what it's called. I've probably built over 40 small blocks & 6 or 8 big blocks in that time, so I'm not exactly un-mechanically inclined. I have a fresh 1969 396 on the stand that I completely rebuilt over 10 years ago. (never even been fired) & just bought two vortec roller motors from JEGS. (I bought one for my towtruck while I was at it) I can't build a roller motor with vortec heads for what they cost me. ($2050 delivered) the complete painless kit will take care of all my electrical gremlins that live under my hoods. I know... I know... there's about a million reasons that people will say this is sacrulage, & they are perfect just the way the military hacked them, but not for me. I figure to own them for the rest of my life, don't really care about the next owner, (I'll be dead & gone if I don't wreck them) & really don't care about the fuel millage. (I drive less than 250 miles a month & have three trucks) I just want a dependable daily driver that will go anywhere, anytime & if it does quit on the side of the road .. I can get out with my little tool bag... & FIX IT. Anyone with any negative comments... please refrain from posting or shareing them. NOBODY want's to hear em & it doesn't make you look more intelligent. thanks & I'll post up some pictures along the way. John

I think about doing the same thing every day for the exactly the same reasons, plus to protect my hearing.

 

[CUCVLOVER]

Junkyardjohn
Which engine do you plan to use? The 396 SBC or the vortex with fuel injection? I do like the 6.2 even though it can be a pita sometimes. But I have been lucky I say with mine. Only major issues ive had was a rusted fuel tank, leaking filter base, and my injection pump rebuild last winter. Is it the strongest engine? NO not by a long shot but that's OK. It gets me around and after lots of reading here I can work on it by myself. All that said I'm sure when it dies I'll have either a 350 or a 454 with a carburetor on top under that hood.
I'm not a purest and I believe in the saying: Your money, your truck, your desision.
Good luck with your swap and I will definitely be hanging around to watch.

 

[JUNKYARDJOHN]

Junkyardjohn
Which engine do you plan to use? The 396 SBC or the vortex with fuel injection? I do like the 6.2 even though it can be a pita sometimes. But I have been lucky I say with mine. Only major issues ive had was a rusted fuel tank, leaking filter base, and my injection pump rebuild last winter. Is it the strongest engine? NO not by a long shot but that's OK. It gets me around and after lots of reading here I can work on it by myself. All that said I'm sure when it dies I'll have either a 350 or a 454 with a carburetor on top under that hood.
I'm not a purest and I believe in the saying: Your money, your truck, your desision.
Good luck with your swap and I will definitely be hanging around to watch.

I'm going right back to old school with a naturely aspirated carb, aluminum intake, & headers. This is what I know & have a lifetime of experience working with. I bought a Performer intake 600 cfm carb & a set of hooker headers for the 350. the only other change I'm making to is to replace the timing cover with a aluminum one, as the newer style motors came with a plastic one on it with a hole for a crank sensor .& (Of coarse billet valve covers... just because) should be around 300 hp. (that's for the 1009) In the pickup (1031) I'll put a 69 vintage 396 that I've rebuilt twice now, as I've had it over 25 years now. It'll get the same header & carb treatment, but it's 60 over now with a 520 lift, .280 forged popups & 049 heads with a little work done on them. cam is 520 lift & I'm going to try an 800 cfm carb on it. (I have my doubts about being a little too big, but I already had it on the shelf) if I can't tone it down a little by putting in smaller jets & metering rod's I'll break down & buy a 750. (their all edelbrocks) should make around the 375-400 h.p. range. I feel a whole bunch more comfortable now & actually look forward to working on them both. I should have done this years ago.

 

[JUNKYARDJOHN]

A gas motor is going to have the same starting and charging system so I don't think you are gaining anything there. I'm not sure how a carb and spark system is simpler than a fuel system that only requires 1 wire to run. All seems like a lateral move. If you feel that redoing your truck's harness with a painless harness will solve whatever is ruining your reliability issues, why not do that instead of swapping the entire engine assembly?

All of these gas motor posts always seem like the owner's are always convinced that this is the final transition to solving all of the trucks problems yet 99% of the trucks on here are still 6.2 diesels. More of an observation than an opinion. It even says in your signature that you are a newbie still learning. Wise man once told me...read the stickies...

Skinny -- please quit trolling. I'm not gonna bite & it doesn't make you look more intelligent. It's against the rules, cut it out. Are you trying to force the mod.s to shut this post down or what???

 

[reaper556]

I don't blame you either. When I reach the point of no return with silly nickel and dime problems I have considered dropping a 454 or even the 502 that's set up for towing in my 1028.

 

[Recovry4x4]

The thread will not be closed because of opposing ideas. Healthy debate may help others in the future. I think referring to any member who offers an opposing view as a troll is unjust. Just because a member starts a thread doesn't mean he moderates it. John, by all means, follow your heart and do the swap if you wish. There are plenty of daily driver, stock CUCVs here to illustrate that they are as dependable as any mechanical vehicle. Yes, I am a moderator.

 

[CUCVLOVER]

I'm going right back to old school with a naturely aspirated carb, aluminum intake, & headers. This is what I know & have a lifetime of experience working with. I bought a Performer intake 600 cfm carb & a set of hooker headers for the 350. the only other change I'm making to is to replace the timing cover with a aluminum one, as the newer style motors came with a plastic one on it with a hole for a crank sensor .& (Of coarse billet valve covers... just because) should be around 300 hp. (that's for the 1009) In the pickup (1031) I'll put a 69 vintage 396 that I've rebuilt twice now, as I've had it over 25 years now. It'll get the same header & carb treatment, but it's 60 over now with a 520 lift, .280 forged popups & 049 heads with a little work done on them. cam is 520 lift & I'm going to try an 800 cfm carb on it. (I have my doubts about being a little too big, but I already had it on the shelf) if I can't tone it down a little by putting in smaller jets & metering rod's I'll break down & buy a 750. (their all edelbrocks) should make around the 375-400 h.p. range. I feel a whole bunch more comfortable now & actually look forward to working on them both. I should have done this years ago.

That is going to be awesome. I definitely want to see how this goes. Maybe you will be able to make it to GA rally this year with one or both and show off lol.

 

[Skinny]

Not really trolling. I already pointed out that most people on here that have issues with a CUCV have not gone through and addressed the weak points which are well documented in the stickies.

If I wanted to insult you, I would tell you that replacing a mechanically injected diesel (which is well known to be the most reliable internal combustion engine on the planet) with a carb'd gas engine (which lasted up to the late 80's) is probably a step backwards. That is of course IF I wanted to insult you.

 

[JUNKYARDJOHN]

That's alright skinny... heck I wouldn't take that as an insult at all. I live in Kentucky where everything happens 20 years later than everywhere else. shoot.. some of the stores here still carry eight track tapes. heck we just got out of the disco era & are all running around barefoot with mullets. The internet is such an anonomis ??? way to communicate that people tend to say all kinds of things that they wouldn't dream of saying if they were talking to someone face to face & you can't see their facial expressions or hear their voice, so you tend to think the worst. No harm no foul. The mailman just dropped off a box for me & I was pleasantly surprised. I ordered two aluminum timing covers, two billet adjustable water necks, two stainless braided oil dipstick assy.s and two harmonic balancer bolt & washer assy.s for about $100. I was expecting it to be all chineez made junk.... but it's not.. Looks like decent stuff. I need more surprises like that. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post up a web address or not (so email me if you need it). this co. had 12 pages of old fashioned hotrod type stuff listed on ebay. I think I found a replacement for jegs & summit. John

 

[CUCVLOVER]

That's alright skinny... heck I wouldn't take that as an insult at all. I live in Kentucky where everything happens 20 years later than everywhere else. shoot.. some of the stores here still carry eight track tapes. heck we just got out of the disco era & are all running around barefoot with mullets. The internet is such an anonomis ??? way to communicate that people tend to say all kinds of things that they wouldn't dream of saying if they were talking to someone face to face & you can't see their facial expressions or hear their voice, so you tend to think the worst. No harm no foul. The mailman just dropped off a box for me & I was pleasantly surprised. I ordered two aluminum timing covers, two billet adjustable water necks, two stainless braided oil dipstick assy.s and two harmonic balancer bolt & washer assy.s for about $100. I was expecting it to be all chineez made junk.... but it's not.. Looks like decent stuff. I need more surprises like that. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post up a web address or not (so email me if you need it). this co. had 12 pages of old fashioned stuff listed on ebay. I think I found a replacement for jegs & summit. John

Jegs, summit racing, hillbilly wizard, Amazon, eddelbroc performance, Holley performance, autometer, and stuff like that is all ok to post links to. The only links you are not supposed to post is current Craigslist ads or eBay stuff.