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CUCV Build Thread ver A1

pevrs114

Active member
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32
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Location
Monroe, NC
OK My first attempt at a threa didn't work so well, but I've been squared away with regard to posting pictures so I'll try again. This is a copy of my thread over on AR15.com, so some of the info is basic to you guys, like where I describe what drivetrain is stock in a CUCV, etc. It's not working out so well cutting the text and trying to squeeze it into the picture comment boxes. The text was written to coincide with the pictures, so sorry if it seems a bit disjointed!

Enjoy!


Those of you who enjoyed my CJ-7 buildup may enjoy this build thread as well. My CJ-7 is about where I want it, short of lockers front and rear, a rear tire carrier/bumper, and new seats.

Well, I posted a few weeks ago about trading in my Tacoma. My wife needed a minivan, and we owed too much on the Cherokee to trade it in (No point in being upside down this day and age). So, the '02 4 door TRD with 67K miles went away and the wife got an '05 Honda Oddesy. Part of the deal was that I be able to get an older beater truck to 'pull my CJ with, go to the dump, go to Lowe's, etc'. She agreed, and the search began.


I was looking specifically for an M1008 or M1028 CUCV 5/4T ex-military truck. These are 84-87 Chevrolet K30 1 ton pickups with 6.2L diesel engine, TH400 transmission, NP208 transfer case, Dana 60 front (limited slip for the 1028) and Corporate 14 bolt rear. All the trucks have 4.56:1 axle gears and a Detroit locker in the rear.

I found an ad on Ebay that had one that was somewhat fixed up. They had added a Banks Sidewinder turbocharger, some nice electrical mods (12 volt conversion, dual batteries moved to under the bed, charger/block heater, autometer gauges), 4" lift, and 33" BFG MT's. Here are some of the pics from the auction:

The truck's got some standard chevy cab rust - rockers, cab corners, inner fenderwells. We're considering finding a clean cab, painting it, prepping it with Line-X underneath and on the floor, then adding Dynomat and carpeting. I'm by all means a go before show kind of guy, but if this will be a tow rig (possibly for a few hours at a time, hauling my CJ-7) I'd like the interior to be comfortable. I've got a stereo to toss in, and plenty of electronic gadgets and doo-dads for the interior - Panasonic Toughbook running mapping software and a DeLorme GPS, CB, UHF rescue radio, maybe a HAM, other stuff as I come up with it.

I've got an SM465 and NP205 sitting in my shed to put in the truck. I kicked around the idea of putting it in my CJ-7 but I think it would be better suited in this truck. The PTO plate on the transfer case will come in handy later [;D] I have already found that flywheels to bolt to a 6.2L diesel, and mate to a manual transmission are scarce. If anyone has one laying around, let me know!

We drove my buddy's '01 dually Dodge Cummins 24V with NV4500 to pick the truck up. It was 5 hours away in the center of PA. We took I-81 the whole way and the trip went without incident. I spent about $200 in fuel, including topping his truck off when I returned it to him (the right thing to do, after all). I factored the fuel cost into the purchase price of the truck when I budgeted and bid on the auction.

Some pics of the return trip - the CUCV's curb weight is listed at 6600#, which is actually a bit light, as confirmed at the junkyard a few weeks later - their scale listed it at over 7K #'s! (with tools and supplies in the bed and my 160lb ass driving)

The build up has already begun - my buddy (he posts here SigFan I think is his name) junked an old 10T gasser army 6x6 (1.5mpg gasoline engine) and I snagged some parts. The scrap yard here deals with auto parts in terms of scrap metal weight, not in terms of used parts pricing. I got a killer deal on the 20K capacity front PTO winch and the front bumper from the 6x6. Here's some pics of us pulling it off. The bolts all came off easily by prepping them 2 days ahead of time with PB blaster. They came off with a breaker bar and cheater pipe only - no air tools necessary. But we came prepared anyway. We also brought a set of hydraulic spreaders, which came in handy to push the bumper and winch free from the front of the truck! Work smarter, not harder! Shortly after we got the equipment off, I tripped and dislocated my shoulder DOH! [B)]

Here's some pics of pulling the 6x6 equipment -

The donor truck - 1961 M139 bridging truck, built on 5T chassis

Our support vehicle for this operation - '91 K3500 mini-crash truck equipped with generator, portable hydraulic tools (spreader, cutter, ram), and Warn 10K winch



The winch and bumper are held on with standard 3/4" bolts. Most were very easy to access, and most were held in place with captive nuts. We only broke one weld - not bad for a 50 year old truck!


Here we're pulling all the necessary bolts. Like I said, a cheater pipe, a can of PB Blaster, and some muscle were all that were needed. The air compressor sat there the entire time, unused

Once the bolts were free, rather than wrestle with the bumper and winch, we just pushed them off the front of the truck with the spreaders - we made sure to be above, with all lines out of the way, so that no one would get hurt when the equipment came off the truck. The injury didn't come until later, when we were 'admiring' our work!

Same process for the winch, although it's significantly heavier. 200' of 1/2" cable wrapped around a massive 10 ton capacity Tulsa PTO winch - probably weighed around 300-400lb


We moved it with the truck's electric winch by putting it on a scrap tailgate and winching it to the lane so the front end loader could put it in the bed of my truck - again, work smarter, not harder!


I plan to ditch the factory pickup bed and fab a custom flatbed on the rear. I'm going to strengthen the rear frame rails (box them, or double frame them, crossmembers, etc haven't figured it all out yet) and then drop the PTO winch in between them. It will face rearward, run off the PTO output on the NP205. Just gotta source a good single-speed, rear facing, correct-rotation PTO box. Anybody got any laying around?

I've had a Warn XD9000i electric winch sitting in my garage for a few years. I intended to put it on my Tacoma, but never got around to buying a mounting system. I've got an M8274 on my CJ-7, so this one has been extra. I scored it for $500 on Ebay a few years ago, and have just been sitting on it. I'd prefer an M12000 or M15000, but for now I'll run what I brung!

Rather than buy a fancy winch bumper I figured I'd adapt the 5 ton front bumper to work. It uses 9" width 3/16" steel C-channel as frame extensions, so I just had them modified to fit the Chevy frame rails. I had them cut down to the correct width, and made a cardboard template of the bolt holes. These are the same holes that held on the factory bumper and shackle tow points, so I know they'll be plenty strong.

5 Ton bumper and frame extensions - I'll be reusing as much of the bracketry as possible, including the tow hook brackets. I need to snag a set of 5 ton tow shackles, as the only one I had was bent, and I had to cut it off to unbind it from the pin


Frame extensions cut down and drilled to fit the Chevy


Brackets mounted to the Chevy frame. I'll be mounting the XD9000i in between these rails very soon, as well as constructing some baskets behind the bumper to hold chains, shackles, snatch blocks, and other recovery equipment. I used Grade 8 hardware to mount the extensions - 4 half inch bolts on each side. Right now I'm just test fitting it all together to finish my measurements - I'll pull it all apart, sandblast, and paint it before reassembling it with red Loctite.



Tomorrow we'll finish mounting the bumper, and mark it to be cut to width, as well as get the measurements to order the steel plate to make the chain baskets. Follow along as we go!
 

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pevrs114

Active member
187
32
28
Location
Monroe, NC
There was a discussion on here a few weeks ago about how to strap down vehicles for transport, I believe.

Anyway, here's how we got the CUCV back to Central VA from Central PA. It was a 6 hour trip via interstate, and I didn't feel comfortable road tripping a vehicle I just bought and didn't trust. We took my buddy's 2001 Dodge Ram with 24V Cummins and NV4500. It towed the truck just fine. The tires on the CUCV however were a bit too wide, and crunched a fender on the trailer. That added about an hour to the trip as we had to hammer/pry the fender back out of the tires so we could drive. Here's some shots during the trip, including showing how I strapped the truck down-
 

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pevrs114

Active member
187
32
28
Location
Monroe, NC
It's actually a 20,000lb Tulsa PTO winch from a 5T, instead of a Deuce winch. Yes, I plan to reinforce the rear frame rails, and drop it in between (leaving clearance for hte rear diff). It'll be rear-facing, and powered from a PTO box on the transfer case. I have an SM465/NP205 to go in the truck. That will give me 4 speeds in, and 1 speed power out on the winch. We'll be building a custom flatbed on the back, so winch clearance shouldn't be a problem. I'm gonna include an access panel in the bed floor to perform PMCS on the winch, as well as a gooseneck hitch and some other goodies.

Once I get this work done, the TH400/NP208, the spare TH400/NP208 that came with the truck, the bumper/shackles/brackets/blackouts, and the shelter brackets will be for sale. The shelter brackets may already be spoken for, per another thread. Hopefully that will offset some of the costs!

Pieces I'm looking for-

Flywheel for 6.2L to SM465 - can need resurfacing OK
PTO box for NP205, rear-facing, 1 speed, cable actuated, with correct rotation to turn the winch
 

pevrs114

Active member
187
32
28
Location
Monroe, NC
I'm a member of CK5 but am having administrative problems posting anything. I've emailed the admins to try to rectify it, still waiting on an answer. I know Kenny from here (and there, too) has some hydro pedals that I could use, just gotta get some $ put together.

I do browse there regularly!
 

K10A

Member
225
5
18
Location
Western Co
ALWAYS TIE DOWN A VEHICLE ON THE AXLES!! iF YOU HIT A BIG ENOUGH BUMP THE SUSPENION WILL COMPRESS, RELEASING YOUR STRAPS !
 
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