Hello.
I am a newby on Steel Soldiers.
Long story short.. I just bought a 1986 CUCV M1009.
This is my third Blazer.
Honestly, I just get a vehicle and fix it up until it has no chance of breaking down, get bored with them, sell them, and find another basket case.
I still own the second which is a 1976 K5 with a 400 cu in small block that runs great but the frame is cracked and body rusted.
I bought this 1986 CUCV to be my daily driver.
The 12 bolt and Dana 44 axles are going to be swapped into the CUCV.
They are 3.73 so this will lower my ratio from 3.08.
Also have a Powertrax no slip in the 12b and a Spartan Locker in the D44.
I just put Yukon axles and replaced all the seals and axle bearing in the 12B and replaced Ball joints and axle u-joint in the D44.
The 33 10.5 15 wheels and tires (BFG KM2) from my donor '76 will also end up on the CUCV.
I will retire the 1976, perhaps selling it to someone who doesn't care about rust.
If you know anyone interested in a running 1976 K5 with 400 cu in, turbo 350, NP203, and the 3.08 10 bolt axles (from the CUCV)
let me know. The body and frame are shot but all the glass is there and it runs very well getting 10 mpg and has taken me all the
way to California and back to visit my Dad.
Anyhow, my CUCV is the vehicle that gets the cash as well as the attention now.
Other upgrades I have ordered parts for include;
A Fluidampr harmonic balancer.
A 1330 pinion Yoke for the donor 12 bolt and 1330 to 3R u-joint to match the existing driveshaft.
I put the rifle rack back in behind the drivers seat because I live and work in the national forest where I can grouse and deer hunt this fall.
The radiator has a pinhole leak so I will remove that when I do the harmonic balancer and have Miller Fabrications Radiator shop in lovell Wyo
Boil it out and make the repair.
The injection pump weeps a very small amount around the linkage seal "throttle" arm?
I might have that rebuilt sooner rather than later.
I forgot the best part of the story!
Flew from Billings Montana to Portland the same day I made the deal.
I bought it in Portland, at the airport.
Immediately drove it back towards Wyoming and ended up sleeping in the back seat in Hood river that night.
Drove another 1,200 miles home to Wyoming and that truck and it's 6.2 got 20 miles per gallon on the dot.
I thought the fuel gage was broken.
Nope, just gets amazing mileage.
The previous owner already did a Doghead relay conversion as well as headlight relay upgrades.
The taillights are led conversions.
All the military stuff is still there.
2 new batteries.
He installed a tilt column and windshield wiper delay but no cruise control.
He recently put in a new 24 volt starter.
He installed a spin on fuel/water separator filter on the firewall.
Barry did a lot to this CUCV but he and I agreed it still has a ways to go and that it what attracted me to it.
It was this CUCV or a 2003 Rubicon a local mechanic wanted to sell me for $10,000.
I've had many Jeeps and they were great.
But I live at 9,000 feet and the Jeep just doesn't have the interior space or the capability to tow the occasional garbage trailer off the mountain.
So the M1009 got the nod.
What I have here is the Chevrolet K5 Blazer I always wanted.
With only 93,000 original miles.
The 6.2 Diesel engine is one I have always been interested in and glad to finally own.
I live at 9,000 ft and the climb out of Lovell is about 4,500 elev gain.
No, the 6.2 does not hold a candle to the 400 sbc in my 1976 K5.
Then again, I took it easy on the go pedal since I did not want to blow it up the first time up the mountain.
But it did better than I thought as it rolled coal up the 10% grade.
The 3.73's will help with that even with the jump from 31 to 33" tires.
More to come.
I'll post some pictures.
And I must say Thank You to this site to which I am only now a member.
The information here is one of the deciding factors for me to plunk down $4,800 on a CUCV.
I am a newby on Steel Soldiers.
Long story short.. I just bought a 1986 CUCV M1009.
This is my third Blazer.
Honestly, I just get a vehicle and fix it up until it has no chance of breaking down, get bored with them, sell them, and find another basket case.
I still own the second which is a 1976 K5 with a 400 cu in small block that runs great but the frame is cracked and body rusted.
I bought this 1986 CUCV to be my daily driver.
The 12 bolt and Dana 44 axles are going to be swapped into the CUCV.
They are 3.73 so this will lower my ratio from 3.08.
Also have a Powertrax no slip in the 12b and a Spartan Locker in the D44.
I just put Yukon axles and replaced all the seals and axle bearing in the 12B and replaced Ball joints and axle u-joint in the D44.
The 33 10.5 15 wheels and tires (BFG KM2) from my donor '76 will also end up on the CUCV.
I will retire the 1976, perhaps selling it to someone who doesn't care about rust.
If you know anyone interested in a running 1976 K5 with 400 cu in, turbo 350, NP203, and the 3.08 10 bolt axles (from the CUCV)
let me know. The body and frame are shot but all the glass is there and it runs very well getting 10 mpg and has taken me all the
way to California and back to visit my Dad.
Anyhow, my CUCV is the vehicle that gets the cash as well as the attention now.
Other upgrades I have ordered parts for include;
A Fluidampr harmonic balancer.
A 1330 pinion Yoke for the donor 12 bolt and 1330 to 3R u-joint to match the existing driveshaft.
I put the rifle rack back in behind the drivers seat because I live and work in the national forest where I can grouse and deer hunt this fall.
The radiator has a pinhole leak so I will remove that when I do the harmonic balancer and have Miller Fabrications Radiator shop in lovell Wyo
Boil it out and make the repair.
The injection pump weeps a very small amount around the linkage seal "throttle" arm?
I might have that rebuilt sooner rather than later.
I forgot the best part of the story!
Flew from Billings Montana to Portland the same day I made the deal.
I bought it in Portland, at the airport.
Immediately drove it back towards Wyoming and ended up sleeping in the back seat in Hood river that night.
Drove another 1,200 miles home to Wyoming and that truck and it's 6.2 got 20 miles per gallon on the dot.
I thought the fuel gage was broken.
Nope, just gets amazing mileage.
The previous owner already did a Doghead relay conversion as well as headlight relay upgrades.
The taillights are led conversions.
All the military stuff is still there.
2 new batteries.
He installed a tilt column and windshield wiper delay but no cruise control.
He recently put in a new 24 volt starter.
He installed a spin on fuel/water separator filter on the firewall.
Barry did a lot to this CUCV but he and I agreed it still has a ways to go and that it what attracted me to it.
It was this CUCV or a 2003 Rubicon a local mechanic wanted to sell me for $10,000.
I've had many Jeeps and they were great.
But I live at 9,000 feet and the Jeep just doesn't have the interior space or the capability to tow the occasional garbage trailer off the mountain.
So the M1009 got the nod.
What I have here is the Chevrolet K5 Blazer I always wanted.
With only 93,000 original miles.
The 6.2 Diesel engine is one I have always been interested in and glad to finally own.
I live at 9,000 ft and the climb out of Lovell is about 4,500 elev gain.
No, the 6.2 does not hold a candle to the 400 sbc in my 1976 K5.
Then again, I took it easy on the go pedal since I did not want to blow it up the first time up the mountain.
But it did better than I thought as it rolled coal up the 10% grade.
The 3.73's will help with that even with the jump from 31 to 33" tires.
More to come.
I'll post some pictures.
And I must say Thank You to this site to which I am only now a member.
The information here is one of the deciding factors for me to plunk down $4,800 on a CUCV.
