1984 Chevy D30 What did I get myself into?

[Patrick Henrys Protege]

Okay. So, I have a tendency to ramble a bit. So, I am just gonna lay it out and see what comes out. I am a volunteer fire fighter in my local department. We have had a couple trucks donated recently (thank goodness) so we are getting rid of our older ones. One of those is a 1984 Chevrolet D30. It's an old military truck, it belonged to another department for years, then we bought it and used it for many more years. So, it's uh... Well loved. I told chief I wanted it. He agreed to $500 for it. Which I think is a STEAL of a deal. Am I right on that or did I over pay? Okay. So, I am wanting to rebuild the thing (think along to lines of ground up restore) and put it back to a modern version of it's original glory. SO... Obviously I have a TON of questions. It DOES currently run. Although starting needs a little heptane and ether encouragement (starting fluid). It drives, but definitely shakes rattles and rolls. So, here goes.

-How can I tell what it was used for in the military? If it was an M1008, M1010, etc. (This is because I want to look up all the specs and history I can about them, and do an accurate and complete write up about it and the rebuild. Which I want to put on my website AND on here)

-Along the same lines.. How can I tell what axles, transmission, etc are in it? I want to see what's original and what's been replaced after two departments and countless years.

-Where the heck am I gonna find parts for it? I want to maintain it's "five quarter" or 1-1/4 ton rating and not lose that because I put in a different drive line, springs, etc. (I may want to do a spring over conversion, or something along those lines to give a smidgen more ground clearance)

-The motor has been swapped with a different truck. I THINK it's still a Detroit 6.2 just from a different rig. BUT, the point is, I wanna do a swap with the Cummins 6BT (or similar) and possibly move it over to a manual. Like a 5 and 2, or Allision/Eaton 10 speed. Not sure which (I'm open to suggestions) Any pointers? And would it be worth it? I'm looking for basically a truck I can take ANYWHERE and pull ANYTHING with. I wanna be able to climb the mountain next to me, then come home, hook up a trailer/camper and hit the road. A man's truck. One that will chew up and spit out civilian trucks.

Still kicking around ideas on the paint (I've seen some REALLY cool modern takes on classic military paint schemes. Like a digital woodland, etc), interior, etc. I KNOW I wanna do custom bumpers, winch, Off road lights, etc. The original bench in still inside, but it's more duct tape than upholstery. Custom dash is in the plans. Maybe bucket seats... I may just stick with a bench. I dunno. I'm JUST STARTING down this road. I can really see what I want the end result to be... But my question is... How do I get from here to there?

Anyway... So, I've opened a can of worms... Let your opinions, questions, and suggestions fly. I figured I would ask the Military vehicle Gurus before I got myself into a real Charlie-Foxtrot.

 

[trooper632]

Post some pictures of it, we may be able to help you out, see if it has overload springs on it,
(102 , check the drivers door may still have military id plate

 

[Recovry4x4]

You may have opened a bigger can of worms than you think. It may still belong to the Gov't. If it was a lend leasento the other dept, might not be eligible for a sale.

 

[Patrick Henrys Protege]

Chief said it would be title in hand... So, I HOPE that means it's okay? I will take some pictures tonight and put them up when I get home. It's still at the fire house pending the deal being finalized and obviously me giving them the cash. So, How will I be able to tell if it IS still property of the US Gov't?

 

[Recovry4x4]

If he has a title I would think that's proof enough.

 

[cpf240]

Get the VIN number, and then look up the CUCV FAQ in the Stickys section of the CUCV Forum. If they are still there, there should be data plates on the driver's door. That will answer some of your questions.

Oh, and please... DON'T USE ETHER! If any of the glow plugs are working in the least little bit, there is a chance of blowing the top off the engine!

 

[swbradley1]

Get the VIN number, and then look up the CUCV FAQ in the Stickys section of the CUCV Forum. If they are still there, there should be data plates on the driver's door. That will answer some of your questions.

Oh, and please... DON'T USE ETHER! If any of the glow plugs are working in the least little bit, there is a chance of blowing the top off the engine!

Or at the very least have the video rolling if you do.

 

[Patrick Henrys Protege]

Awesome! I'm on my way there to snap some pictures in a sec. I'll check the doors and VIN.

Yeah... I hate using Ether on Diesels... Just bad news all around. (I've owned a couple old Ford Diesels) I think the plugs are shot on it because it doesn't start without Ether anymore. (Makes responding to calls interesting to say the least.) And I'll be sure to have the camera rolling. If nothing else it'll be entertaining.

 

[Skinny]

Ether on a diesel is perfectly OK...as long as it does not have some type of electric assist like glow plugs. The 6.2 will surely explode with the right combination of ether and malfunctioning GP system.

First, congrats on getting a Cuck! Very cool rigs to play with and you will have a fun toy. Now to shatter your dreams You mentioned restoring it but wanting to swap a Cummins and manual trans. These two do not go together. You either are going to restore it to original or modify it. Not that it really matters because you do what you want to it but be careful if you are going to take resale value or ease of resale if you begin doing this type of work. Using parts that no one wants or doing shoddy work will lower the value. Adding a Cummins with add value and function but is not a period correct modification. Again, knowing what you want in the end will allow you to plan and most important BUDGET for a build.

I will tell you that spending money on a restoration or Cummins swap, you will not get most of that back if you sell. You either do it because it's an adventure, you learn, and you like owning something unique. You'll never see that money again so just keep that in mind. I'd love a bigger engine with a manual trans in my lethargic M1031 but for the amount I would spend on doing it, I'd be better off just buying something that does that stock. I just accept that smelly ol' girl for what she is

Another comment was you were not sure what engine it has. This tells me that you have exponentially more reading than working to do at this point. Education is key and will save you a ton of time, frustration, and money. If your truck hasn't been ruined by a gas conversion, it more than likely still has the Detroit 6.2 which isn't a bad thing. It more than likely needs a new IP, fuel pump, GPs, alternators, batteries, belts, hoses, wiring fixed, transmission modulator, all rubber lines replaced, etc etc etc. This alone will take money and time but is still relatively cheap to do and nets you a very useable truck. I highly recommend getting it home, doing some preliminary checks, and take about 2 weeks to read the stickies.

Let us know what you find so we can help out.

I don't want to discourage you. I want all of that to sound like a foot in the right direction and for you to find what you want to do with your truck. A very common thing to occur is for a new owner of any project to start ripping and tearing only to find out they are

-in over there heads
-out of money
-no definitive project direction

Unfortunately that all usually ends up with the owner selling the truck at a great loss on Craigslist in pieces to someone on here who gets a great steal. Don't be that guy!

We also will need pics of your project...old MV's are cool. I personally like seeing how they have been adapted to do different jobs.

Good luck!

 

[Sharecropper]

It may be, could be, helpful if you read my rebuild thread. Like yourself, I was a MV newbie when I purchased my M1028 in early 2010. I've been working on it off-and-on for 4 years and am almost finished. I have learned a lot, and still have a lot to learn. It has been a truly enjoyable experience, and I can say without reservation I could not have gotten through it without the help and encouragement of these folks on SS.

Ditto on what Skinny said. The first thing you should do is to identify your goals and set a realistic budget. You can build a mud truck, daily driver, trailer queen, or highway cruiser like I did. The closer you keep the truck to original, the higher its value will retain.

Welcome aboard.

 

[Patrick Henrys Protege]

I stopped and snapped these photos today. I know they swapped the motor a couple years ago. But the donor rig was probably a CUCV as well (we get a lot of those in the dept. They take a beating and keep coming back for more. Plus they're cheap.) The ultimate goal is a combination of restoration and modification. This is gonna be a truck I'm gonna drive for a while. I want to build it into a rig I can hit the trails, go camping, and climb any mountain, then take it home, hitch the trailer and hit the highway. Anyway, here are the pics. Tell me what y'all think. Also, I have the VIN number... Found one sticky that seemed to help a little bit. Anywhere I can find exactly where this particular truck was used?

 

[Cucvnut]

Welcome to the world of having a nearly indestructible truck save for a few things, do the starter relay mod asap! read the FAQ page and links. Enjoy your truck it might give you problems but we are here to help don't forget if it frustrates you the same issue might have frustrated some one else so ask if you get stuck but search it might be on here already.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Truck is an M1008. Looks reasonably stock. Member mwmules has brand new seat bottom material for ansteal.

 

[Patrick Henrys Protege]

Thanks for all the info so far! Keep it coming!

 

[Skinny]

That's a 6.2 diesel. Looks to be a solid truck, no major rust issues. In typical fashion, it appears that it was either robbed for parts or someone with little knowledge tried fixing it based on the interior shots.

If you read through the stickies and perform all the service and upgrades, it will be a solid reliable rig. Your biggest enemies are going to be the fuel system (IP, fuel filter, lines), the glow plug system (replacing swollen GP's, card functioning correctly, bypassing the resistor), and the charging system (alternator rebuilds and good batteries). These along with the doghead relay, replacing the everything rubber, and cleaning all electrical parts...you probably will spend about $2500 if you do the work yourself and you will really not have much to worry about at that point.

 

[the skull]

Nice truck! I just got one a month ago, M1008, read the stickies here please. You
will learn much, remember to clean electrical connections and replace rubber stuff.
Mine acted badly when shifting, 6 inches of vacuum line completely healed it.
Good luck and have fun!!!

 

[Coffey1]

And get it painted back to of green asap.

 

[the skull]

Any idea how many miles on it? Some of these have silly low miles

 

[Sharecropper]

What is the indicated mileage of the truck?

 

[GPrez]

The axles look original, so they should be a 14-bolt rear with a detroit locker and Dana 60 open front with 4.56 gears. No such thing as a spring over on these as the springs are already over the axles. Lift kits are readily available for these trucks if your looking for some added height. Off road design has a nice website for suspension parts you can use for research. I recommend the HD springs.

As others suggested do the resistor bypass, dog head relay, and new glow plugs and get the engine starting correctly. You also might want to check it and make sure it's still wired for 24v and not converted to 12v.