Say Hello & Show Off My M1009

[IRWFO]

Hello, I bought my first MV in Oct. A 1985 M1009. Nice condition, runs mint. Had 56K when I picked it up from WI. Drove it home to Long Island, NY. I use it most of the week. I even did a 2 day trip to TN & back to pick up an M116 I bought. It now has 61K & know I could take it to CA & back with no fear of not making it. I have had a few problems with it but nothing let me down. I'll talk more details in the appropriate forums. Here are some pic's.

 

[builder77]

Show off Looks real good. Who did you purchase it from? Also what size tires does that thing have?

Oh welcome to SS.

 

[M1075]

Sweet! Looking good.

 

[mangus580]

thats an Alfa Heaven truck

Hows it run with the big tires?

 

[alphadeltaromeo]

Ya, surely looks just like one and from WI too...good detective work Mangus. Yes, so how do you like it...you said you had a few issues...care to share? Can you share performance thoughts on it?

 

[builder77]

Alfa is what I was thinking too, but I could not remember the name. His site lists 36"Goodyear Wrangler OZ as the tire on a similar M1009. I was thinking they might be Hummer tires, but those are 37", right?

 

[IRWFO]

I got it from Alfa Heaven. The tires are the Goodyear Bias Milirary OZ's. I like the looks of them but the truck still has the stock 3.08's & it's a total dog on take off. It does get near 25 miles to the Gal. & easly cruise at 80+ on the highway. In the next few months I'll be doing a gear swap. 3.73's will bring the engine very close to the original RPM level but I'm still debating if maybe going to 3.90 or 4.10 for the pulling power.

 

[alphadeltaromeo]

I'll be interested to know how your mpg does with the gear change. Other than it being a dog on take off...how does it do once you've taken off...like at shift change. Also, are you pleased with the over all fit and finish?

 

[BigJay]

That's a good looking truck. I drool on the alfa heaven page once or twice a month. I gotta get moved before I buy anything. What type of problems have you had? I know you said nothing serious but I'm curious.

-Jay

 

[steelsoldiers]

Nice looking CUCV! Welcome to the SS family. Alfa sure puts out a sharp looking truck. As for the gear change, I think you will be pleased with the 3.73s. I ran 35"s on mine with 3.73's and I was very pleased with take-off and highway RPMs.

 

[jkelly66]

looks better than the ones my unit had when they were new. Nice truck welcome

 

[IRWFO]

I had several problems and will list each separately.When I picked up the truck the 24volt gauge was on the low side but still in the green. Made it home fine but 2 days later the batteries were dead. The ones in it were cheap Champion brand and about 4 years old. Got 2 new 1000cca high quality batteries. I learned the hard way that there is a wrong way to change the batteries & a proper way. Well next morning it would not start. The glow plugs weren't working. After telling my friend what to jump on the solenoid I was in the truck & he jumped the wrong posts. Long story short I had to replace the Glow plug solenoid and controller card. HD solenoid from local truck parts for $12 & the board from GM for $88. BTW the new board is a REV2 and is simpler looking. This problem was all my own doing & no fault of Alfa Heaven.
Problem 2 was the Volt gauge. After the battery install the gauge was a little higher but still low. (with the new batteries the starter spun much faster then when I took it home.) After about a month I started to notice the gauge was getting on the line between green & yellow & the starter wasn't spinning the engine as fast. Ft battery was in the 12's but the RR was only in the 11's with the truck off. I then tested each Alt. & both were putting out 14.4 volts. I knew then it was a wire or connector. 2 minutes of looking & I found a factory crimp connector on a fusible link corroded & the plastic all burnt. After replacing the connector the gauge went right to where it was suppose to be & has been perfect ever since. I think Alfa should have noticed the gauge before selling the truck. The batteries that came with the truck would have probably been fine also with this fix.
Problem 3. the trany was over filled & puked out the vent the next morning I was coming home from WI. I've had many T400's & know this happens when over filled but was scared at first when I noticed oil all over the place in Ohio. Did make a mess but no more problems with the trany since.
I have things to do right now but I'll give you all the info I have learned about Alfa Heaven & my truck later on today. Glad I came across this forum.

 

[mangus580]

the 3.73's will be great for you, esp if you take the plunge and put a 700R4 tranny in like I did.

How do the tires do for clearence? I worry about that on the 1009's too.


I am a little bummed to hear of the issues you had so rapidly. My conversation with AH gave me the impression you should not have had any issues. After all... he basically said that I got extremely lucky buying mine on ebay and making it home to NY from Kansas.... (I didnt have any troubles on my trip at all)

 

[alphadeltaromeo]

That's just cuz ur a stud mangus... hehe. Hopefully the deuce i pick up...will be the same

 

[ONTOS66]

Nice looking truck, sorry to hear about the issues (of your own making and Alphas). Hopefully all will run smoothly now. Welcome to SS.

 

[IRWFO]

OK, to answer the tire questions. The tall tires throw off the Speedo buy just about 10mph. Truck fuel mileage turned into real math to figure out. Funny how a 21hr trip by yourself with no radio gives you plenty of time to work out mileage buy using mile markers on the road. The passenger tire rubs the inner wheel well when they are turned all the way to the right. Alfa Heaven did something I don't like to get the tires to fit. They trimmed the lips off the lower rears of the wheel openings. Now there 2 nice opening where dirt & water can collect & I know I will have rust issues in the near future. I figure about 2 more inches of lift will cure the rubbing issue. Second thing is that the trany is shifting 10mph later then it would with the stock tires. If I am pulling a hill from a stop it won't shift to 3rd till I've crested the hill. Anyone running these tires with stock gears is going to be replacing the trany within a few years. Other then that the trany is tight & shifts very smooth.
Now my feelings about Alfa & my truck. When I first saw it in person I was amazed how clean the truck was. Tom the owner picked me up at the airport with it & drove me back to his shop. The tires weren't balanced & it was vibrating like crazy. As soon as we got to the shop he was upset with the worker that was using the truck all week to make sure everything was good. He had the mechanic bring it to a tire shop and balance all the tires. He had an impressive layout & had about 30+ CUCV's in dessert tan all waiting to be done. I did notice alot of LMC boxes laying around so I know they are one of his suppliers for parts.
My first 60 minutes of driving revealed some things about the truck. First I noticed the volt gauge I talked about earlier. The exhaust was leaking. Not loud just that annoying pist,pist, pist sound that I hate. The tire rub when I had to make a u-turn on a side street. On a side note the tires are LOUD. The passenger window rocks in & out when not fully closed. The key did not work the doors. I'm glad I tried it before locking myself out at the KFC I stopped at for dinner. The passenger side Hi-Beam headlight was out. The red gear position pointer was missing. On the good side the truck looks awesome. Drives straight as a nail down the road. Brakes are powerful & stops straight with no noise. No smoke from the exhaust at all.
Now that I have some time with the truck here are some of the things I noticed. It has a brand new windshield & hood. Leaks water from the passenger side window in the cap. I have some paint bubbling on the passenger door sill & one corner of the rear tailgate. Underneath, the floor is rusting in some areas. All fixable & common in a 22yr old truck. Please note that Alfa had this truck listed as a "Decent Body". I feel that it's better then decent & am in no way disappointed with my purchase. I just now know that I should ask more detailed ?'s about what might be wrong with the condition of the truck.
All the door & window seals are dry & need replacing. I did not like the way they undercoated it. They shot everything. Driveshaft's, the crude on the trany, everything. The blackout headlight doesn't work. When I opened it I found it loaded with what I believe to be that fine dust from Iraq. Tom from Alfa said he believed it was over there in 89-90. The Passenger inner wheel well needs to be replaced. A battery must have leaked on it at one time. His paint is very nice with just a few sags in the browns. Something I did not like was the U-Joints were not greased.
My plans for this year are to keep it looking just the way you see it now except maybe lifting it just enough for tire clearance. Replace all the weather striping, U-Joints, brake hoses. Install radio equipment. Gear swap. Repair the rust spots. I'll be putting it in local shows & enjoy doing parades.
One last thing. I replaced the rusted out mufflers with Flowmasters. I like the sound, very similar to a mustang with flowmasters. There was also a nice noticeable power increase. I just swapped the mufflers the rest of the exhaust is stock. Sorry for being long winded.

 

[builder77]

Nothing long winded about that writeup at all, just detailed. It is too bad he is nipping all those fenders to stuff the oversized tires in there. I would rather have more reasonable tires, and change things later if needed. He could at least have closed the openings up before painting to prevent rust later. I have always been interested in how nice the interior pics look on his vehicles. What do you think of the dash, door covers, seats, etc.? Any idea if they were repainted or new? If new any guess on their origin? LMC?

 

[gt1009]

Great lookin' truck. They sure do a nice job with the paint there. It is a bummer that you had those problems so soon, but from the looks of it we all have a little trouble here or there. Good Luck with the ne 1009.

 

[gt1009]

Great lookin' truck. They sure do a nice job with the paint there. It is a bummer that you had those problems so soon, but from the looks of it we all have a little trouble here or there. Good Luck with the new 1009.

 

[IRWFO]

Re: RE: Say Hello & Show Off My M1009

What do you think of the dash, door covers, seats, etc.? Any idea if they were repainted or new? If new any guess on their origin? LMC?

The interior is very nice. Most of the metal was repainted with CARC. My dash was re-dyed & has 2 small very cracks in the speaker grill area. The gauge panel is brand new as are both door panels. All the seats have been re-dyed. The rear & passenger seats are near perfect. The drivers seat has a few rips that were repaired (I was told about this before purchasing). The yellow light that lets you know you are in 4wd is out (4wd works perfect, to let you know). The mat w/ sound insulation is of nice quality & fits very well. My only gripes are that it's missing the trim on the end of the seats that cover the fold down mechanism & I think the drivers seat is really a passengers seat. The lever to fold down the seat is on the inside rather then near the door.
It's a nice day today & am going out to wash the truck. I'll take some nice detailed photos of the good & bad so you guys can see what I've been talking about.
Here are some pic's I took on Vereran's Day in NYC for the Parade I was in.
http://www.ny-tactical.com/Photo Sets/LIMVC_Vets_2006/index.htm