goldneagle's 1985 M1008 recovery and restoration thread...

[goldneagle]

I purchased a M1008 pickup from GL auction at Camp. Shelby in MS on October 24. 2013. Jeff Davis did a quick inspection on it and recommended I get that truck. It was listed as hood latch broken running condition unknown and no key. Standard ignition lock key did not fit. I won the action and was anxious to find out if she ran.

I had Jeff recover the truck for me and take it to his place. He had to dismantle the steering column in order to release the locked steering for flat towing. He had me order new locks for the truck. I found a good deal on Ebay for a complete OEM lock set and had it shipped directly to Jeff's place. $40 for all 3 locks including Priority Mail shipping.

I also got a nice photo of the engine compartment from Jeff that was taken at recovery time. The under-hood looked fairly clean when compared to other CUCV's i've seen. I did notice a melted fusible link next to the GP solenoid. Jeff informed me that there were also some melted wires behind the back battery. Oh oh! Now I am nervous wondering how bad the problem is. Wondering what caused it and how extensive the damage is.

The answer would not come until November 2, 2013 when i drove to Jeff's place to check out my truck. I got there an hour early. So while Jeff was eating his cereal I started to check the damage under the hood.The back battery was already disconnected -so i finished removing the the support frame. Removed the battery in order to access the 24 volt bus on the firewall behind it. There was a 16 ga. and 12 ga fusible links that were melted. There were also 2 more 12 ga. fusible links melted by the 12 volt terminal next to the GP solenoid.

After consulting with jeff i drove into town in search of some replacement fusible links. I went to several locations and could only find the 16 ga. We decided to use some of the abandoned 12 ga. fusible links from the resistor pack to repair the melted ones. We got 1 from my truck and 1 from Jeff's donor truck. I was able to splice a wire into the 3rd fusible link. (there was still some insulated fusible wire left)

After patching the fusible links and cleaning the battery terminals and clamps I started to reassemble the electrical system. Once the positive terminal were connected, Jeff tested the negative terminal to see if we got a spark or worse from the wiring. Luck for us all was well! We connected the negative terminal on the front battery and tightened it up. So far so good! Jeff had replaced the ignition switch and said we had lights in the cab.

I had tested the batteries Dated 2010. One was at 11.75 volts and the other at 11.5 volts. We figured they were still good once they get properly charged. We hooked up the slave cable from Jeff's truck and saw no problems with the wires. I sat in the cab and went through the start-up procedure. A quick turn of the key and she almost caught. Turned the key again and "we have ignition"! She was running great!We let her sit and run for a bit before we disconnected the slave hookup. Then she was running fine on her own.

After a time Jeff put her in gear and she moved backwards with no effort. Same in fwd gear. We have a runner! Now it's time to order some replacement parts.

I ordered a replacement tailgate (current one is cracked and bent in the middle). Ordered Brake peddle pad (missing) New tailgate handle (old one is twisted) New rear-view mirror (missing). Will need to order new windshield (2 cracks) and new seal (cracked). I also ordered new wiper blades and fire extinguisher. I will also order a new turn signal switch and lever (worn).

I am posting some original photos from GL. Will have better photos when I get it home.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Looks good. Interesting step grafted into the bedside!

 

[goldneagle]

Looks good. Interesting step grafted into the bedside!

Good eye there! They are on both sides of the truck. Clean install too.

 

[papabear]

Sounds/looks like you got a winner Bro!! Congrats!!

 

[goldneagle]

Sounds/looks like you got a winner Bro!! Congrats!!

Thanks PB! Gonna paint her CAMO to match he big brother.

 

[Csm Davis]

Good eye there! They are on both sides of the truck. Clean install too.

They are strong also, I tested them 350lbs. The truck was last used for DPW Camp McCain and should be a good one. Here is the proud new owner taking her home.

 

[goldneagle]

Went over to Jeff's place Saturday to recover the M1008. We replaced the Military batteries with Group 31 batteries I brought with me. Took a bit of work to move the support bolts and reinstall them in the new narrow pattern of the Group 31 batteries. Had to replace the front ones with 1/4" all-threads. Once we reattached the battery cables she fired right up. Drove the M1008 closer the back of the M923. Jeff and I installed the new tow bars i got from Jesusgottos and hooked them up to my M923. Towed the M1008 from Jeff's back lot. Picture above taken in front of Jeff's place before I hit the road.

I want to thank Jeff for helping me prepare the M1008 for the tow home. Jeff is a great guy to work with!

All went well on the 90 mile trip home.

 

[goldneagle]

Yesterday I tried to replace the bent/cracked tailgate on the truck with an aftermarket one I bought from J C Whitney. After installing the lock mechanism and custom fitting it to my truck I was able to close the new tailgate. Problem I found was that it was so cheaply made,- that the hinges were thin built in ones instead of the bolt on hinges. I order to lock the tailgate into place i had to slightly lift the right side and push it closed. I am talking normal pressure not a forceful slam. The metal is so thin my palms left dents in the outer sheet-metal.

I called J C Whitney later that night and they are taking the tailgate back at their expense. I told the customer service rep. that there as no way the tailgate would hold up to normal daily use if just the process of closing it puts dents in the metal.

I removed the tailgate this morning and removed the hardware. Repacked it ready for returning to J C Whitney.

I reinstalled the hardware into the old tailgate. Straightened the tailgate a bit and welded the cracks in the metal. I used rust neutralizer and CARC green paint over the tailgate. Reinstalled it and it works fine. I will Bondo the outside a bit when I repaint the outside of the truck.

I washed out the mud and debris from the bed of the truck as well as the wheel wells. Nasty mud! Took a lot of water to remove! The good news is that the entire truck is cancer free...

Tomorrow I hope to have a new windshield and gasket installed.

 

[goldneagle]

Update: (Tuesday) New windshield and weatherstripping installed.

(Friday) Took her in to my mechanic for a complete checkup and maintenance. Got all the fluids drained and replaced. Radiator hoses and heater hoses replaced. All belts replaced. Ordered replacement oil cooler hoses. (one is leaking over the frame at the back end of the engine) Front brakes are 60% left. New turn signal switch installed. Steering wheel reinstalled. (parts were left out temporarily after replacing the ignition switch by Jeff)

NOTE: Before I took the truck in to the mechanic the transmission was acting up. When cold I had no reverse and it was slamming into gears! We thought we might have to have it rebuilt. The fluid and filter change solved the missing reverse. However it was still slamming the gears. After consulting with Jeff about it, I was instructed to replace the vacuum hoses and the transmission vacuum modulator valve.

Sunday we took off the vacuum hoses and went to Advanced Auto for new hoses. I bought all the replacement hoses and the modulator valve for less than $20. After we replaced the parts we took her out for a test drive. The gears shifted like silk. Now the truck runs like a dream!

Here are some pictures.

 

[goldneagle]

(Monday) I was thinking of getting the bed of the truck professionally done with Rhino Liner or Bullet Liner. The estimates were $550 plus tax for the Rhino and $450 plus tax for the Bullet. Way too expensive! Decided to price out bed liner insert. $139 plus $18 installation. I ordered the Over the Rail version for my truck. Ordered it today. Will be in Tuesday afternoon.

(Tuesday) Got up early and went to Home Depot for supplies. Took the truck to my friend's shop to do some painting of the truck bed before the liner is installed. It was raining out and that was the only dry place to do the work. I dried out the truck bed and used a hook to remove the debris from the seam at the front wall of the bed. Once the debris was removed and blown out with compressed air, I caulked the seam with Polyurethane caulk. I applied Rust Neutralizer to the surface rust in the bed. Once it dried I applied a coat of green CAMO paint. Truck was ready for the bed liner installation. Later in the afternoon I got the bed liner installed. Truck is looking good!



More Pictures tomorrow.

 

[Trailboss]

Very nice looking truck, GE. Congrats! Makes me want one.

 

[M1008BOV]

Looking good. I've been tooling around with the idea of the Duplicolor bed armor do-it-yourself kit. Maybe also using it in the cab and inside the rear fenders, etc. If I buy the spray gun that hooks to my compressor I'm looking around $150-$200 depending on how much 'paint' I need.

 

[goldneagle]

Looking good. I've been tooling around with the idea of the Duplicolor bed armor do-it-yourself kit. Maybe also using it in the cab and inside the rear fenders, etc. If I buy the spray gun that hooks to my compressor I'm looking around $150-$200 depending on how much 'paint' I need.

Don't waste your money on Duplicolor. It scratches easily. Look up Raptor bed liner paint. From what I have read it is the best do-it-yourself bed liner paint out there. $115 on Ebay for a kit that will do a 8 foot bed.

 

[reeddavid]

I got lucky, when I bought my m1008 its bed and interior was completely rhino lined, and painted to match. Would love another military veicle , but money is tight at 16! Good find tho, I got really lucky I only paid 3250, fully working no body damage, fresh paint. The guy just liked me and knew it was my first veicele and gave me a deal.

 

[goldneagle]

Tuesday afternoon the bed liner finally came in. Got it installed by the dealer. Found out they will do wiring in vehicles. $50 for installing the electric brake controller. They provide the wires. I am going to have them install a cigarette lighter receptacle while they are at it.

I spent hours on AMAZON and Ebay looking for a Crossover tool box for my truck. Seemed kinda pricy and i couldn't decide which one to get. Finally i thought of Tractor Supply. I remembered that they carried truck tool boxes and were fairly close to my location. Found out they were having a Pre-Thanksgiving sale the included 25% off truck boxes. I found a really nice one that was $389 on clearance for $299. The took another 25% off- so i paid $224 plus tax.

Here are pictures of the took box and bed-liner:

 

[goldneagle]

The trailer hitch i ordered came in Wednesday night. I didn't get a chance to install it until today. Its a 3 piece unit rated Class IV 16000 lbs. Upon inspection of the rear frame area I noticed that part of the shackle support brace was in the way of the hitch install. So I decided to cut the section out to make room for the hitch support bracket. Here is a picture of the area. The red line is where i cut it on both frames. I also cut the tire carrier bolt.



The good news was that I didn't have to drill any holes in the frame. All 3 holes for each bracket lined up with holes in the frame. Got the hitch bolted-in in short time. Hitch came with the receptacle bracket for the tow lights. Here are pictures of the finished install:

 

[Csm Davis]

Hey Zev show us the reverse angle shot of the last one.

 

[goldneagle]

Hey Zev show us the reverse angle shot of the last one.

I'll try to get a picture tomorrow.

 

[scottladdy]

Nice work!

What brand is that bed liner? Thanks ...

 

[goldneagle]

I am not crazy about the quality (thickness) of this bed liner. I would recommend a PENDALINER brand. I had that brand on one of my pickups and I liked the quality.