Picked up a $500 m1009 Sh*tbox. No key? Hotwire?

[CrustyM1010]

So this is my first legitimate post! And it’ll be on my second cucv I just picked up. It’s a 1986 M1009. I got a deal I guess? Only $500 but busted brakeline, no key, no batteries, rusted to ****, no back glass, etc. but it’s only $500 and comes with a title!

1. Truck was last running in 2018 before being parked by the previous owner. I want to try and fire it. Is there any pre checks I should perform? I’m going to change the oil and filter, top off radiator fluid, check over wiring. Since i don’t plan on driving it yet, I’m not worried about brakes, tranny or axles yet. Is there anything y’all can think of?

2. My M1010 cucv key opens the doors but does not actuate the ignition. I know the pink wire on the IP is the hot wire. The previous owner put new glow plugs on a toggle switch in the cab so I can manual actuate those. But is there a way I can rip two wires out of the column and touch them together to get this truck to start?

Thanks for the input. I’m trying to get some pictures loaded so y’all can see this crusty beast!

 

[eric67camino]

I'm not very familiar with the cucv, but most gm starters can be jumped by touching the big post on the solenoid with the battery cable to the small post on the solenoid with a screwdriver. This will generally suffice for an emergency scenario or just to test the drivetrain.

And congrats on the new truck.

 

[Monkeyboyarmy]

Keep trying that key in the ignition. If the keys aren't cut perfectly or they are worn out, the ignition switch doesn't like them. I'll bet it will work eventually with some fiddling.

 

[CrustyM1010]

I'm not very familiar with the cucv, but most gm starters can be jumped by touching the big post on the solenoid with the battery cable to the small post on the solenoid with a screwdriver. This will generally suffice for an emergency scenario or just to test the drivetrain.

And congrats on the new truck.

Thanks! I’ll check that out. Just gotta figure out if the IP is 12v or 24v to give that some power as well. I’m almost 99% sure it’s 12v according to the TM.

 

[CrustyM1010]

Keep trying that key in the ignition. If the keys aren't cut perfectly or they are worn out, the ignition switch doesn't like them. I'll bet it will work eventually with some fiddling.

Yea the key isn’t doing it. I’m trying but it just won’t budge.

 

[CrustyM1010]

Some Pictures!

 

[CrustyM1010]

Some more!

 

[eric67camino]

I dig it.

 

[mkcoen]

I've seen worse for more money. I'd say if you can get it started you can easily triple your money.

 

[M1078MAN]

Looks unmolested, Id say you got a smoken deal. Congrats.

And welcome to the best site on the web for MV's, and successfully feeding the addiction

 

[cucvrus]

Put 12 volts to the injection pump and cross the 2 heavy wires at the starter relay under the dash at the radio. Make sure to glow the glow plugs right before you attempt to crank it over. I started them on the floor that way. Good Luck. Report back.

 

[dougco1]

You have a $150.00 brush guard, $50.00 worth of antenna mounts, $300.00 worth of bumpers in the back and $300.00 worth of bumpers on the truck. And that's just for starters.

 

[CrustyM1010]

Alrighty. So I got the glow plugs hot. Put 12v to the IP, and jumped the wires on the relay. Started turning over but no bang. Also I noticed the grounding wire was hot as ****!! Almost looked a little melted. Also originally when I hooked the batteries up I noticed a gen 1 light on the dash. Didn’t pay any mind to it. I figured there was a bad ground somewhere. I’m wondering if this truck had wiring issues before. Because those battery cables were hot. Had to make sure I had the batteries in the right spot. Which I did.

 

[CrustyM1010]

So I’m gonna go ahead and disassemble the steering wheel column and replace the ignition so I can truly turn over the truck. Trying to jump it isn’t working out for me.

 

[cucvrus]

Hot ground can come from low amperage in the batteries. have the batteries load tested and make double sure they are fully charged and able to do the job. Good Luck.

 

[CrustyM1010]

Got around to pulling the Keyed actuator out of steering column. I can tell somebody has been in this column before because of a few tool marks, broken pieces of plastic and a missing lock ring. Anyways, I should be able to grab the piece of metal behind the actuator and move it with pliers. We will see.

 

[CrustyM1010]

I had some left over stock cucv battery cables from when I upgraded my M1010 electrical system. I’m gonna post a few of the roasted M1009 cables first and then a few ones I’ll be replacing them with.

 

[CrustyM1010]

Here are the new wires. (Old ones from M1010)

 

[CrustyM1010]

As I was replacing these wires I noticed the link between the 24v bus and the ground looked pretty cooked? Can I take this off? I’m exactly sure what it does? I was looking at the TM and it listed it as a “suppressor”. Also there is a copper lugged green and black wire on top of it and they are spliced into red wires and then go into the harness on the engine. Here are some pictures. Its weird they have a power and a ground hooked up.

 

[CrustyM1010]

Well I’m out of ideas. I got the wires right, fixed some grounds, put brand new batteries in it, and then turned it over for about 20 seconds. Then, a mini explosion and sparks everywhere! I practically melted down the entire negative post on my rear battery.. and it’s brand new. This $500 ****box is going to cost me a lot of money. I can already feel it haha