New M1009 Owner - My Daughter!

[Grantshire]

I have been a SS member for a while now by way of my M715's; for those of you that know Tom (spicergear) I bought his orange M715 with the 6.2/NV4500/D205 setup. My 16 year old daughter recently got her drivers license and will be driving to school every day this fall. Her first choice for a DD was one of my M715's but since she cannot drive a stick and none of the M715's get very good mileage, they were not an option for a 38 mile one-way daily commute. Next she settled on my 81 scrambler but since it would need beefing up and an engine change to be able to pull her horse trailer the Scrambler wasn't going to work either. She finally settled on this:

It's an 86 M1009 with a little over 70,000 miles on it, delivered last week and I am just getting it checked out. So far it looks to be in very nice shape, much better than any of the ones I have looked at locally. I will be posting pictures and asking advice on how to do things on the 09 until I can get myself up to speed. I have several Jeeps and have driven Suburbans as my DD for years but this is my first Blazer and full military diesel. For now, here are a couple more shots of the "as delivered".

Just a few comments on where this vehicle is headed. First, it will not be wheeled, at least not in the traditional sense, I have several Jeeps for that, including my 69 Commando trail rig. Other than being a DD and needing the fuel mileage of the 6.2, it will pull a lightweight European horse trailer on weekends. The 4x4 duties will be centered around getting in and out of muddy and snowy fields at fox hunts, riding clinics and horse shows.

Secondly, my daughter is somewhere to the right of Oliver North so she insist the M1009 stay with the military color scheme and swears she does not want me to put AC in it, just a radio to listen to country music (her mother and I do not know where all this is coming from).

Third, she has already picked out a set of my 35" tires she want on it so I need to lift it soon (looks to me like the front springs are really sagging). At least I am lucky in that FSJ's and Chevy have the same lug pattern so I can swap tires and rims around.

Needless to say, I don't think there will be any question which vehicle is hers at school this fall!

 

[jay741]

thats a nice looking blazer im 17 an getting a m1008 once the euc comes back

 

[Grantshire]

A couple of more pictures...

The rear tires are 31x10.50 and it looks like there is plenty of room for 33's or even 35's:

However, the front is a different story! These are 235's and they barely stay out of the fender when turning:

Looks to me like there is serious sag in the front spring since they have gone negative arch:

I will need to come up with a lift plan that give me enough clearance for the 35" tires with as little a lift as possible (remember, no wheeling). I have read that using rear springs in front will give a 4" lift but I do not know the details on what else besides shocks need to be changed.

 

[Coal Cracker]

Not shure how high you want to lift, but Rancho makes a nice set of 2.5 in. lift front springs for the blazer, I've used a few sets in my 73-87 chevy plow trucks, and they worked phenomenial. nice ride, while beefing the front up, and they help up to plow truck abuse

 

[Bob H]

That thing has 3.08 gearing, putting 35's on it and towing a horse & trailer is going to put that TH400 to the test for sure.

 

[Chevytruck]

she's one lucky daughter to get that!

its all the reverse with my parents

 

[HueyPilotRet.]

Good

 

[jimm1009]

your CUCV

I replaced my front springs when I purchased my '84 M1009 and in two years they were back where the old ones were. The replacements were OEM non-lifted springs. I also put the OEM quad shock option on it because they want to nose dive on sharp braking.
I put 33 / 12:50 x 15 tires on the original 15 x 8 wheels and have been driving it like that for 14 years now.
I don't do any radical rock crawling but they seem to clear everything just fine.
I think that wit the 3.08 gearing 35's will be too much but that is only my personal opinion. 33's give you about 7 or 8 more miles per hour or drop the RPM just enough at 65 to make the radio audible.
Also an electric tailgate is really really nice in warm climates. It is a very easy add on and there are a lot of them in the salvage yards.
There is a Nasty little piece of tarred cardboard in the tailgate that tends to collect and obsorb water so a lot of the tailgates have a rust spot there.
I jerked my cardboard of my nearly perfect replacement and primed it there and no rust 13 years later here in central Louisiana.
I think that your little girl make give here daddy many hugs for this one.
They are the perfect compromise between an SUV and a pickup truck and are truely Universal.
Let us know how things turn out. And of course you MUST post pictures of the driver of this CUCV as well. It IS a Requirement you know!!
Jim

 

[Grantshire]

Thanks, everyone, I wasn't really looking for another project but this one should since my daughter is so excited about it. Knowing me, it will get more than a few modifications before I am through, already thinking about lift, electric tailgate, 700R4 swap, lower gears, AC (for when Mom goes with her to the horse shows), center console, etc., etc. But first I need to do my homework on the M1009 and K5 Blazer so I can maintain it and know how to avoid issues with its operation and modification. As with all the forums I belong to I try to search issues and read as many old posts/threads as possible to educate myself. That said, I am sure I will ask for input and guidance on topics that many of you consider basic knowledge so please bear with me.

On towing the horse trailer with big tires I know 35" tires with 3.08 gearing is a little high by todays standards but we live in an overdrive world (note that a 700R4 is in the future for this truck). I am a Jeep guy, and old Jeep guy, with both Full-size and CJ's. AMC used 2.72 gearing on their Jeeps in the 80's with everything from a Wagoneer to a CJ (my 81 Scrambler came stock with 2.72 gears and 31x10.50 tires). The Wagoneers with the 360 V8 did not have problems towing some pretty heavy stuff and the early ones had TH400 transmissions. Also, the horse trailer we have is a Brenderup and designed to be pulled by small European cars. I have seen them in Germany behind 300SD's and other small, low hp automobiles that do not have steep gears for towing like we do in the U.S.

On how much lift, I only want to lift the truck as high as I need to clear the 35" tires (daughter wants it way up there). If a 2.5" lift will do it, then that is what I will do. I am not a big fan of body lifts but have used them on some of my Jeeps in conjunction with a modest spring lift. From my experience ride gets really harsh when spring lift is more than 4". I prefer not to go over 1.5" on body lifts and have always made my own from boat rollers. It does not look like the rear requires a lift for 35" tire fitment but it will need to sit level with the front. Perhaps short blocks (I hate blocks) could be used in back if lift is needed. I would make those as well but wait until the front is where it needs to be then figure out what is needed to level the back.

As for pictures of the new owner and her M1009 they will come when I get the truck home this weekend. It's at my office right now and I want to swap the front tires out before driving it home, one of them is not holding air so well and the other looks dry rotted. Also have to go to DMV and get the tags.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Looks like you got her an nice Oh-9. 2 1/2" lift and a little fender nip should get the 35s on the front. I have 2 1/2" on my burb and 35" tires but they rubbed on turns with any body lean at all. The 10" wheels had something to do with it as well. Be aware that the front springs were designed with that negative arch and going aftermarket is the only way to avoid it. Here's a pic of the burb with 2 1/2" and 35s. (This truck does have the 6.2 diesel too)

 

[Pawnshop]

The M1009 should have 31's all the way around, I wonder if the spring sag in the front is the reason it has smaller tires at the moment?

 

[Grantshire]

The M1009 should have 31's all the way around, I wonder if the spring sag in the front is the reason it has smaller tires at the moment?

That was the only thing disappointing about the purchase, the pictures all showed 31x10.50's all around but the front had been replaced when it arrived. I will find out this weekend if they fit n front or not. I will put some 33" tires I have on the back and move the 31" tires to the front.

Nice Suburban, Recovry ( I am partial to burbs anyway). I have 33" on my 05 with no lift and just a little plastic trimming in the rear. Do you think 8" rims would fit better?

 

[Recovry4x4]

8" rims would be much better for tire fitment. That extra 2" of rim on the outside seems to be the problem.

 

[pwrwagonfire]

Nice find! Thats a pretty clean looking truck

 

[BobM]

HEY! What happened to the pics of the driver and her big smile as she sits in it?
Looks like a great 09 and you are lucky to have it and such a smart daughter!

 

[NorthPatrol]

I've found that the biggest problem in the tire size on the 33's is the width. I am in the process of getting a set of 33x10.50's for my M1009. They will have the extra height I need without the width. We tried a set and they had no problems with clearance.

Just a thought.

And I made the mistake of putting a sterio in my 09 and now I never see it anymore. Turns out my 17 year old liked the Blazer but didn't drive it because there was no radio. Go figure.

 

[powerhouseduece]

Ill have to check my inventory, I know I have a set of 2.5" BDS springs at my shop but I think I have a set of 4.10 gears for a 10 bolt rear and some 12 bolt stuff as well. Just a tip when buying lift springs, find out where they get there springs/spring steel from. There is alot of stuff out there that is not that good, Thats why I ALWAYS buy BDS springs. The spring steel comes from Canada and some of the springs are made in the USA, the rest are made in Canada. Plus you can not beat the no B.S. warrntie. If even sags you can send it back!

just shoot me a pm. if your looking for any spring and gear sets, chances are I might have them!

 

[Grantshire]

HEY! What happened to the pics of the driver and her big smile as she sits in it?
Looks like a great 09 and you are lucky to have it and such a smart daughter!

The two front tires were small and pretty crappy so I threw some 33x12.50 tires on FSJ Jeep rims into the trailer and we went to my office Saturday morning to swap tires and bring it home. My daughter put the 33's on the back and moved the rear 31's to the front. As it sits there is only about 1" between the springs and the bump stops up front so I guess there is considerable sag in the original springs. I think I will wait until I have the front lift on before trying to fit the 35" tires up front. Two of my 35's are 10" rims and the other two are 8" (the system I run on my Scrambler) so I will put the 8" in front. I am guessing a 2.5" lift will be enough considering it will not be wheeled.

The drive home is about 30 miles with 20 via Interstate. I drove the 09 from the office to almost home, checking out how it ran, feel at highway speeds, etc. She cruises at 70 mph with no problems and has only a slight, intermittent shimmy, not that noisy either. We swapped off driving the last ten miles so my daughter got to drive it home. Here she is, grinning ear-to-ear (she even wore here olive drab shirt) after her first drive in her M1009:

Can you tell she likes it? The antenna was in the back and she had me put it on. She wants to leave it up but I will probably sell it to one of my M715 buddies for there restoration project. Tomorrow I will go to DMV and get it registered and licensed.

Speaking of putting tags on one of these, where do you put it?

Virginia requires a tag light but I don't see a place to put one. Also, I need to put a trailer hitch on this thing. It looks like the rear bumper is set up for a pintle hook. Is the bumper sufficiently braced to support a trailer ball/pintle?

Here is a shot of some of the other goodies found in back:

I am really pleased with the overall condition of the vehicle and I see only some minor rust issues to deal with down the road; rocker under the driver's side is the worst.

 

[Grantshire]

Ill have to check my inventory, I know I have a set of 2.5" BDS springs at my shop but I think I have a set of 4.10 gears for a 10 bolt rear and some 12 bolt stuff as well. Just a tip when buying lift springs, find out where they get there springs/spring steel from. There is alot of stuff out there that is not that good, Thats why I ALWAYS buy BDS springs. The spring steel comes from Canada and some of the springs are made in the USA, the rest are made in Canada. Plus you can not beat the no B.S. warrntie. If even sags you can send it back!

just shoot me a pm. if your looking for any spring and gear sets, chances are I might have them!

Thanks, PM on the way!

 

[BobM]

She sure does look happy! Again congrats to you and her alike. They both look like keepers!