Yukon Men Show and CUCV

[tim292stro]

...It shows a good life behind that drama. Stan

That's what matters

 

[rustystud]

Just watched the latest show today. I liked your trick of using electrical tape and twine to fix the transmission leak ! That is thinking out of the box ! I would also replace all the transmission cooler lines as soon as possible and route them up in the frame rails instead of letting them hang down like that. You can use DOT poly hose to replace the metal lines or go with PTFE stainless steel hoses like I did. I never liked the metal lines as they get damaged too easily and also corrode.

 

[JUNKYARDJOHN]

Hi Stan .. I also was impressed with your bush-repair of the tranny line. I will make sure to put some good tape & some quality string in my toolbox. The engine oil cooler lines are another weak link (just a lousy design). I replaced them with ordinary heavy duty hydraulic lines from a tractor supply company & rerouted them away from the engine fan. simple cheap fix. I enjoy your show because I learn some common-sense type things that I probably wouldn't have thought of. It seems common sense is anything but common anymore . Keep it up. John

 

[stanzuray]

Years ago I had a fuel injected gas engine that had a hole in one of the pressure injector lines. I took a good part of a roll of electrical tape and stretch wrapped it over and over the leak thinking maybe it would last a week or so till I could order a new line. Never ordered a line and many years later it was still going strong. When the camera guys asked about my repair I told them no problem and told them that story. I need to reroute them some day soon. Just got an inspection cover recently as the flywheel was exposed for that whole trip in the show and sticks kept getting ground up in the teeth. Truck came without one. Thanks for all the winch and oil line suggestions. love this site and have used it for so much of the work I've done on the truck. I've said it before elsewhere but this forum has made owning the truck a pleasure. Stan

 

[68t]

I like the show, where they got the old bull dozer running in the woods. But it broke down.

 

[JUNKYARDJOHN]

Stan -- ya know I've spent a little time thinking (being alone with your thoughts seems to be a byproduct of living alone in the mountains. it's a good thing) about why most like minded people really enjoy that YUKON MEN show. I've come to the conclusion that we all live vicariously thru your eyes & actions & all of the other fine residents of Tanana. hmmmm good job.. keep it up. John

 

[silverstate55]

Stan -- ya know I've spent a little time thinking (being alone with your thoughts seems to be a byproduct of living alone in the mountains. it's a good thing) about why most like minded people really enjoy that YUKON MEN show. I've come to the conclusion that we all live vicariously thru your eyes & actions & all of the other fine residents of Tanana. hmmmm good job.. keep it up. John

I'll second that!

Not to mention that in my opinion you are giving your truck the ultimate honor by allowing it to serve the fine folks of Tanana & surrounding areas, once its days of selflessly laboring for the fine men & women of the Armed Forces were over. Now it can embark on a proud second career of public service, and I'm sure that it will pull its weight (and then some) for many more years.

 

[stanzuray]

Fellow MV owners
I'm very happy you get something out of the show and I was looking forward to a truck that many of you like or own being on nationwide (and worldwide) TV so you could see it. I've been lucky enough to have something to do with that. And also showing trapping and hunting and fishing and a hardworking ethical lifestyle in a good light which the producers are into doing. Often much of what gets filmed doesn't make it to TV and so much intricate cool stuff gets left out due to time constraints, but that is the nature of the beast. I'm just a lucky but regular guy to be able to help do this. I often say I'm hardly the best mechanic, trapper, hunter, and on and on despite what the show makes us out to be. Glad you like it and never have problems with those that don't - I know many don't like Reality TV. I do it mainly as a way to get ideas across - It was never the money believe me. Truck should continue to be on the show doing things. Have to put pictures of all the big military vehicles the City of Tanana owns on here someday. They must have about 10 of them. They use them to haul wood for the wood boilers and supplies for the village. Military bulldozers also. Stan

 

[stanzuray]

Long time no post. Been real busy I guess but wanted to let fellow CUCV owners that the truck I have and was aired on the Discovery show Yukon Men last season will be on again starting this Friday night as best I can figure. Totally real what happened to it and dealing with it right now after the cameras all gone. Tell you more after it airs but if you're interested, again - Friday night at 9 PM Eastern and Pacific on Discovery. Stan

 

[rustystud]

I'll be watching Stan ! Thanks for the heads up.

 

[stanzuray]

You should get a kick out of it Rusty having worked on a particular part of the truck so much . Can't say more. Stan

 

[68t]

Thanks Stan, I always watch all the Alaska show,s. My aviation unit had the cucv and blazers for years, Then we got the new hummer,s, which I hated, no room to haul anything. I finally had to turn in the last cucv, The OMS shop said the tran, was going out and the fuel gauge did not work, so that was the end of our cuvc. wendell

 

[stanzuray]

Thought I better post - some of you get a kick out of military trucks getting on the Yukon Men show. This is a Discovery photo ad so looks like my CUCV will be on tonight. This one is real and still living with what happened (can't tell) and even got some help from some on this forum. So tonight Friday 9 pm E+P on Discovery. Also I get a lot of people telling me they don't have cable anymore and on this forum also. Seems that is the getting common nowadays and people are watching individual movies on computer and Smartphones etc. The show is on this thing called DiscoveryGo for those people. https://www.discoverygo.com/yukon-men/

 

[Trailboss]

I loved it!!! Way to get 'er done and think outside the box.

On another note, I really can't imagine what it takes to start a cold diesel engine when it's -30F. I have a hard enough time in LA starting my Massey Ferguson tractor when the temp dips to +35F.

 

[rustystud]

View attachment 680112Thought I better post - some of you get a kick out of military trucks getting on the Yukon Men show. This is a Discovery photo ad so looks like my CUCV will be on tonight. This one is real and still living with what happened (can't tell) and even got some help from some on this forum. So tonight Friday 9 pm E+P on Discovery. Also I get a lot of people telling me they don't have cable anymore and on this forum also. Seems that is the getting common nowadays and people are watching individual movies on computer and Smartphones etc. The show is on this thing called DiscoveryGo for those people. https://www.discoverygo.com/yukon-men/

Well Stan I watched the show tonight, and all I can say is "way to go thinking out of the box like that ! " . Now about that crack on the transmission housing. It can be caused by a couple of things. One is your engine and transmission support mounts. They can get too loose and allow excessive movement of the power train. Straining the housing. The second major cause is the 'U' joints going bad. If that front 'U' joint on the rear driveline ( or even the front driveline 'U' joints) is going out it can cause sever vibrations which in turn can wreck havoc on the transmission housing.
I do have a question about when you got stuck getting the hay for the dogs. Why didn't you have someone drive the truck when you tried to pull it out with the winch ? You could have gotten it out on the first try that way I'm sure. Or did the show people want a more "dramatic" story ? "He's stuck in the frozen mud ! Temperatures near -100F below !!! What will become of Stan and his dogs ! Tune-in next week to find out !"
Well I'm sure you got the truck fixed by now.
It is nice to see the young men of your town so willing to help though. That is so lacking down here. It's hard to get your nearest neighbor to even lend a hand for something simple now a days.
Take care Stan.

 

[stanzuray]

I loved it!!! Way to get 'er done and think outside the box.

On another note, I really can't imagine what it takes to start a cold diesel engine when it's -30F. I have a hard enough time in LA starting my Massey Ferguson tractor when the temp dips to +35F.

Missed it. We had graduation here in the village tonight. Sounds like they showed it from your post. I can do 35 below if I plug in the 1000 w block heater for say 5 hours and throw an old blanket over the engine. Don't like doing it though and usually try to shut trucks down once the real cold hit. Had gas trucks run at 70 below but again you just heat every thing up and bring the battery in for the night etc etc. Seats are hard as rock - literally. Stan

 

[stanzuray]

Well Stan I watched the show tonight, and all I can say is "way to go thinking out of the box like that ! " . Now about that crack on the transmission housing. It can be caused by a couple of things. One is your engine and transmission support mounts. They can get too loose and allow excessive movement of the power train. Straining the housing. The second major cause is the 'U' joints going bad. If that front 'U' joint on the rear driveline ( or even the front driveline 'U' joints) is going out it can cause sever vibrations which in turn can wreck havoc on the transmission housing.
I do have a question about when you got stuck getting the hay for the dogs. Why didn't you have someone drive the truck when you tried to pull it out with the winch ? You could have gotten it out on the first try that way I'm sure. Or did the show people want a more "dramatic" story ? "He's stuck in the frozen mud ! Temperatures near -100F below !!! What will become of Stan and his dogs ! Tune-in next week to find out !"
Well I'm sure you got the truck fixed by now.
It is nice to see the young men of your town so willing to help though. That is so lacking down here. It's hard to get your nearest neighbor to even lend a hand for something simple now a days.
Take care Stan.

Rusty, The crack happened when the roads were real muck and we had to power through to not get stuck last year. One hole I hit the roof and hurt my head and as soon as I got to the dry road and sped up I had a wicked vibration. Drove to a garage and jacked it up on all fours and ran the drivetrain. Everything was smooth except front of main driveshaft so looked closer and saw the tranny split almost 180 degrees and opening and closing as wheels turned. Hope they showed crack as they filmed it lots.
I didn't want kids running truck as I didn't trust them to be gentle enough because of wooden board repair. Wanted the winch to do it. Also at one point we noticed the tire more than half below the ice ledge and realized I would rip the front end off before it came out so built a ramp of boards. That and more blocks pulled it out finally. They often don't understand or have time to show all that type of stuff so it may not have been in show. Still driving truck but got another empty HD transmission case from another member (Jericho) and plan to swap out my insides and do a rebuild. Gathering up last of parts but just realized I got the wrong transmission to transfer case connector/frame mount. I have a heavy 205 transfer case and the one I got sent is for a 208 unit. Different bolt pattern etc. My original one was cracked also when the tranny case was cracked. So if anyone has one I'd be interested. Junk yards up here are not much help. I'll get with Jericho also. Thanks for tips , Stan

 

[rustystud]

You might have a little problem getting that adapter for the NP205 transfer-case. That is one real rare bird now since the 4X4 community has been buying up all the NP205 stuff and junk yards and scrappers know the value of them. I actually bought the last "round hole pattern" one here in Washington State at the GM dealer in Bellevue. I was friends with the parts manager and he gave me a "heads up" about them being discontinued. They had the actual last one in stock in this state so I paid the $180.00 for it right then and there. Again that was the later round style, not the figure 8 patterned one you need. Unless you actually have a round housing NP205 transfer-case, which are even rarer then the figure 8 pattern since they made them from the 1960's till the 1990's !
About that bump that broke the transmission housing. Usually if the mounts and drivelines are OK something like that will not hurt the transmission. You almost have to roll the truck to damage them. But when they can "move" and twist about due to faulty mounts then you can have problems. I once hit a hole so hard I flew up and hit the ceiling with my back with my head hitting the windshield. Meaning I was curled forward since the bump threw me forward to the windshield and then lifted me up. I even had my seat belt on and adjusted properly ! I think I did break a shock though, besides my body ! All that to say the transmission was fine even with that heavy NP205 hanging off it. So again check those mounts. Actually just replace them if they have never been replaced before since the rubber will have gone bad after all these years. Get the new Polyurethane mounts. You'll love them ! Also if your going with the NP205 transfer-case then think about adding the support bar that mounts to the transmission bellhousing bolts and then mounts to the transfer-case on the right side using those two 5/8" bolt holes. All the early NP205 units had them until about the mid 1970's . Then GM got cheap and only put them on the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. Also get the two rods that go from the motor mounts to the torque converter cover. They really add stability to the transmission.
I'll try and check around for the transfer-case adapter for you down here. You still can find some old trucks in peoples yards that they really don't know what they have.

 

[stanzuray]

You might have a little problem getting that adapter for the NP205 transfer-case. That is one real rare bird now since the 4X4 community has been buying up all the NP205 stuff and junk yards and scrappers know the value of them. I actually bought the last "round hole pattern" one here in Washington State at the GM dealer in Bellevue. I was friends with the parts manager and he gave me a "heads up" about them being discontinued. They had the actual last one in stock in this state so I paid the $180.00 for it right then and there. Again that was the later round style, not the figure 8 patterned one you need. Unless you actually have a round housing NP205 transfer-case, which are even rarer then the figure 8 pattern since they made them from the 1960's till the 1990's !
About that bump that broke the transmission housing. Usually if the mounts and drivelines are OK something like that will not hurt the transmission. You almost have to roll the truck to damage them. But when they can "move" and twist about due to faulty mounts then you can have problems. I once hit a hole so hard I flew up and hit the ceiling with my back with my head hitting the windshield. Meaning I was curled forward since the bump threw me forward to the windshield and then lifted me up. I even had my seat belt on and adjusted properly ! I think I did break a shock though, besides my body ! All that to say the transmission was fine even with that heavy NP205 hanging off it. So again check those mounts. Actually just replace them if they have never been replaced before since the rubber will have gone bad after all these years. Get the new Polyurethane mounts. You'll love them ! Also if your going with the NP205 transfer-case then think about adding the support bar that mounts to the transmission bellhousing bolts and then mounts to the transfer-case on the right side using those two 5/8" bolt holes. All the early NP205 units had them until about the mid 1970's . Then GM got cheap and only put them on the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. Also get the two rods that go from the motor mounts to the torque converter cover. They really add stability to the transmission.
I'll try and check around for the transfer-case adapter for you down here. You still can find some old trucks in peoples yards that they really don't know what they have.

Yes keep an eye out for one. I got the truck without a transfer case support bar and the two inspection cover bars also but have all those now. Question: The transfer-case adapter has some bad cracks where some of the bolts go through but if that steel can be welded I can do it or have an expert do it in town here. Originally when I saw it I wasn't sure if it was some hard to weld cast steel etc and so just figured I'd get a good one. Thanks for help. Stan

 

[rustystud]

Yes keep an eye out for one. I got the truck without a transfer case support bar and the two inspection cover bars also but have all those now. Question: The transfer-case adapter has some bad cracks where some of the bolts go through but if that steel can be welded I can do it or have an expert do it in town here. Originally when I saw it I wasn't sure if it was some hard to weld cast steel etc and so just figured I'd get a good one. Thanks for help. Stan

That adapter is "cast iron" not steel so you might have a hard time welding it up. If it is cracked I would just get a new one.