1983 CUCV m1009 - what to look for

[tequilaiam]

I am doing a massive search on that.. and I am in deep s**t.. besides some minor stuff that can be found here (oil filter, air filter, same grade different name oil) all the rest have to come from the US.. advantages is Euro vs. Dollar exchange rate.. killer will be the transport fee.. have to check what I can find in auto store near military installation.. it is another aspect of this project that is showing up to be very detrimental..

Well if this vehicle is owned by a profesional car guy that's taken care of it, I really don't see what major stuff might be bad. Since these are basically Chevy k5 Blazers, you can find and buy parts on ebay pretty easily. If its not your daily driver, wait for the parts in the mail. That's what I've been doing. I decide which maintenance routine I want to do, read the TMs and make a list of consumables I'll need (gaskets, filters and such) then order them on the internet. Usually get to my house in the same time it would take the local parts-store to get it in. The local stores usually have trouble cross-referencing the old PNs in the manuals anyway.

I take it this will be a project car for enjoyment and the novelty of an old US mil truck in motor valley right? These things are cheap in the states so a lot of us view them as cheap utility vehicles. But if you want it for it's uniqueness, waiting for parts in the mail isn't a big deal. You don't need special tools. Not like the VW. An assortment of wrenches, sockets, pliers and whatnot. A cheap multimeter for the electrical system but nothing fancy. Maybe you can get some used ones cheap from your clients when you make your sales calls.


If you end up buying this truck, you'll have to post pictures of yourself cruising around with the top off picking up Italian hotties with your unique vehicle. One in front of the ferrari plant would be nice

 

[CycleJay]

1983 CUCV M1009 what to look for

Hello everybody
I don't post a lot mainly because I have more to read than to write.
So said, this next Friday I will go and take a look at what will probably be my first Military Vehichle: as per the title it is a 1983 CUCV m1009.
it have been registered for road use here in Italy in 1993, this means that it is street legal.. it also means I cannot do many modding to it..
This car have been sold by the US Army in Italy after the first Gulf war. the owner since then is a professional that restore classic car including many Military vehicle.
So said, what are the most important things to look at?
Please be patient with me since i am a total noob

Thanks

Cris

Hello Cris,

I would suggest looking for a 1985 or younger M1009 CUCV. And not a 1983 or 1984.
I have heard that technically speaking something about the engine and/or its parts are designed better.
As I do not remember the exact details, but I do remember there was something better about them.

I am sure the guys here on SS could enlighten you more on the subject.

Good luck...

 

[CV1073]

I have met with Antonio (the owner of the CUCV) and this man is a real MV lover, he belong to SS way more than me
Anyway, the situation is as follow:

1) CUCV is in very good shape, very little rust in the under body, actualy only in the front wheelwell - driver side.
2) Engine changed with a newer 6.2 in 2000, radiator chandeg 3 years ago, glow plug are 24V, generator/alternator rebuilt in the last two years
3) It runs great, it start well, it has a very deep voice.. I am used to a 1.6lt turbo petrol engine... that things as an almost intimidating growl.. and I fell in love with it..
4) Interiors is amazing, as a daily driver of a man that love his car, this 30 years old almost look better than my 3 and half years old car (and I love my little baby)
5) it is HUGE.. a bit intimidating at first.. but at last the car as a "wide ass" that will match with my wide ass
6) 15" rims.. was sure that the CUCV m1009 has the 16".. maybe I am worng..
7) he has a decent supply of CARC so I will be able to re-paint it in solid green (not it has the camo on)
He will be able to find a PRC-77 for me or an RT-524

Another potential buyer of this car booked a "test drive" just before Christmas but due to various issue it never happened, this man will come to try the CUCV on next monday and then we will see if the car is still available or not.. and on wednesday I will know if I will be "available" or not.. I am waiting to have a "go" on a mid-sized project for a customer.. if this happen I will be going back and forth from Poland for the next six to nine months and, if I have to, I will wait till I am back home to buy the CUCV, mainly because I don't want her to collect dust in my shopfloor while I am abroad.. I am not really happy with that but honestly we need that job (as a company) and the fact that I am the only one that can handle it (no, I am not the best one.. I am the only one that can interact with Customer in English.. this is the only reason) it is a very big boost for me (ego wise and wallet wise).. will see.

one very big problem now, and I am a bit upset with you all: it would have been nice from you all to inform me that CUCV are such beautifull beast.. I fell in love with the baby at first sight.. and now I know there is one for sure in my future.. this one or the other one I saw today or another one, it doesnt matter.

Thanks for all of your suggestion and I will post an update as soon as I have any news

Cris

 

[CV1073]

Hello Cris,

I would suggest looking for a 1985 or younger M1009 CUCV. And not a 1983 or 1984.
I have heard that technically speaking something about the engine and/or its parts are designed better.
As I do not remember the exact details, but I do remember there was something better about them.

I am sure the guys here on SS could enlighten you more on the subject.

Good luck...

Thanks for the suggestion, I will try to see if I can find some younger CUCV to compare to this one. the fact is that, as you can imagine, CUCV (and American cars in general) are not so common down here in Italy.
Add to this that most if not all those available have been imported in an "unofficial" way.. some have been bought directly from Military base here and, to be street legal, they have been labeled as "commercial vehicle" (and there are a lot of limitation for that, like that you can ride it only two people at a time and, no kidding..). also many have been recorded with the Civilian Motor Authorities (the burocratic institution that take care of registering all the specs of a vehicle and then rob you if you change anything.. just consider that we can change rim size only if this is allowed at the initial registration from the maker of the vehicle.. and guess what, no CUCV have been officialy registered by GM so each one is a case on its own.. a mess..) with "non standard" configuration so you end up having a "one off" and if you want to change something you my find yourself with a seized vehicle.. and at the end, many CUCV owners, being the car older than 20 years have registered them as "classical/historical car" because that way they have a very low Circulation Tax and Insurance price (in the case of the CUCV the two amount for something like 200 euro per years while my Peugeot 308 with 1.6lt turbo engine cost me like 1000 euro a year for a full coverage insurance only and another 360 euro for the ownership tax or whatever describe this robbery) so it is not easy to find one and, when you do it is better if you carefuly sellect what to do.. anyway, thanks again for the suggestion

Cris