Cucvlover's m1008 the green machine.

[CUCVLOVER]

Hello all.
I figured as much as I do to or with my truck why not do a write up on it. I will add to this thread as I do anything important to or with the truck. Also I will be posting about past events and experiences for your reading pleasure. So I hope everyone enjoys this thread and gets some use from it. Feel free to ask any questions you might have about the truck or anything I have done to it.
So I will try to keep everything in the order that is happened.
Thank you

 

[CUCVLOVER]

Me and my dad found this truck on Craig's list. I had been looking at a couple and I wanted to see this one first I had looked at a few civi trucks but they just didn't cut it. Iht took about a week to get time to see the truck. In that time the Craig's list ad was gone and the truck was on eBay. I placed a bid. Someone kept bidding me up, I bid a couple times and up the price went. So I called the owner and he said he would sell for cash. So everything else was dropped and on the road we went. Me dad and mom (she went to drive the vehicle we went in back) since o was 15 dad had to drive the truck back. So we looked at the truck for about 3 hrs. Ended up getting it for 4500 cash. It was less then the Craig's list ad but more than the eBay price.
So we start back the truck is running like a Swiss watch. We made a quick stop for fuel because we didn't know if the gauge worked then back on the interstate. After a few more miles we made a stop to for something. I got out and water was pouring from the Grill. Dad shut it down and we started figuring out where the water was coming from. During this it started raining, ended up the radiator cap was cross threaded. So that was a easy fix, after that not a single problem.
I was not a member of this site at the time but I had been reading a lot on here. So I had a pretty good knowledge of the cucv. My dad however is just fascinated by it. He was driving and I could tell how fast he was going by the rumble of the 6.2. He would try to hit 70 every now and then and I would have to get him to let off it.

It was a great trip. I was a little dazed by the fact I had finally got my first truck.

The truck is complety stock drivetrain and electrical wise expect for a gp resistor bypass and the removal of the locker in the rear. Since the truck was used on blacktop only must be why the locker is gone.
I had pics of the recovery but they are gone.

 

[CUCVLOVER]

So now I finally have a truck and military truck at that.

I drove truck for awhile just as it was until I knew the truck.
I had been reading on this site since I heard about a cucv so that gave me a step up.

First thing I did was add a oil pressure gauge. I used the testing port beside the radiator over flow bottle to take my reading. I also had to buy a gauge install kit with a few fittings. Also I swapped the old non working volt gauge for a new one and since the old circuit was dead I wired up a new one. I used the 24 volt from the fuse box then a simple 12 volt relay powered by a 12 v spot on the fuse box to send power to the gauge.

Than came the tachometer. I didn't know at the time that one alternator has a output so I got a autometer universal tach. It has a prob you hook to the alternator then adjust the gauge to show your idle speed then you are good from there.

Thanks for looking everyone

 

[CUCVLOVER]

I noticed the stock horn was some what inop. So since i was on a tiny budget I went by harbor freight for a cure. I found a simple horn kit it is their version of a trian horm for like 12 bucks so I figured why not. I did have to take the pump apart and remove a disk that opened the air ports. This way it feeds them all at once. I put the button under the floor mat under the fender vent.

 

[CUCVLOVER]

I drove the truck into winter. I had only had it for a couple months and I had my first problem. I went to start the truck and nothing no power.
So charge the batts the back one was way down. These where big truck pro brand batts they filled the entire tray. I got it started and it was on for a few days. I checked every wire on the truck and all where good. After it happened a few more times I bought a new battery and put it on the back tray. That was the problem I guess the battery I took off developed a bad cell.
So now the truck a a pair of interstate batteries. With about 1200 cranking amps and 850 cold amps. These batteries take up half the space. Meaning I could put both on a single tray but it was a little tight so I added some storage.

 

[CUCVLOVER]

So I had always wanted to cover my ride in off road lights.
So come Christmas I got a couple sets of kc lights from my dad.
I had been doing 12 volt electrical for a while so light and fuse boxes where nothing new. I have a small fuse box under the hood. Then the lights on the brush guard has a switch, the 6 up top have one and also 2 extra switches for later use.

Up too I have two 160 watt 6in KC daylighters, two 6in 100 watt KC daylighters and two 5 in KC Apollo's on the ends.
I mounted them to a piece of angle iron I bolted to the head ache rack.
In the brush guard I used two 100 watt new old stock eagle brand 4x6 light I found at a 4x4 shop.
I will post better pics of the lights soon

 

[CUCVLOVER]

The truck had the stock wheels and a set of 285/75-R16 tires that where bald. So out with old and in with the new. I found a set of Mickey thomson aluminum wheels that where polished aluminum. They where less then a month old and I got a whole set for what one wheel would cost. So I had them powder coated semi gloss/flat black. Then a new set of 285/75-R16 federal mud tires. The wheels a little more outward offset than stock but I like them and the chrome lug nuts make them POP.

 

[CUCVLOVER]

I had plans off putting a stereo in the truck since I got.
So my dad got me a pioneer head unit and some 6x9 speakers for Christmas. Then I got some 2.5 in high output JL audio speakers later on. So I installed the head unit in the correct spot, the cutting of the dash was a little trick but the radio had a large trim piece around the front. I used a small air saw and worn out blad to slowly cut the hole. I just held the bracket for the unit up marked around it cut the hole small then slowly opened it up.

I needs a good way to mount the speakers that would look good, be tough, and cheap. So to my local military surplus I went and I ended up with a few ammo cans. I mounted one becide the 4x4 lever with the 2 small speakers in it.

The 6x9s got a box each on each side just sitting behind the seat. I cut out holes for the sound and welded flat expanded metal to the inside for nice clean look. On the speakers behind the seat I left the wires long enough that I could set them on the flat bed and play music outside the truck.


Thank you all for looking

 

[CUCVLOVER]

When I got the truck it didn't have any tools boxes. I had packed so much junk behind the seat it would not let back. So my dad was putting boxes on one of his shop trucks and we changed the way that some would mount so we happened to have a tool box laying around. The box is usually mounted in a standard pick up bed.
It is not the best but it works for now and it was free to me. One thing I really like is where the box is mounted so that the lid will open I get a nice cubby hole between the tool box and head ache rack. And the pieces on the sides keep stuff from jumping out.

When I tool that picture I had about 2200lbs of steel in that box

Do I have any subscribers to this thread or anyone actually reading it?

 

[101coolcars]

I just read it. Make me wanna go work on my truck.....

 

[CUCVLOVER]

Thanks.
I'm glad someone will get some use from this.
Just bear with me as doing this on a smart phone takes a while.

Thanks everyone

 

[Piper Cub]

I always enjoy reading build threads. Thanks for posting yours!

 

[german m1008]

I always enjoy reading build threads. Thanks for posting yours!

Ditto!
Also a thank you from me !

 

[gottaluvit]

Just read it. Did it come with that bed? I like the green lights on the radio and the ammo can speaker boxes. Nice.

 

[CUCVLOVER]

Just read it. Did it come with that bed? I like the green lights on the radio and the ammo can speaker boxes. Nice.

Thanks.

The bed was on the truck when I got it. The Arkansas state forestry service put it on there. They used the truck to pull a low deck gooseneck trailer with a couple mowers on it. The bed is welded to the frame and they actually added some braces in the common areas that the frames can crack back there.

When I installed the radio I was trying to give out which color to set the screen since have every color there is and the green was it needed to be.
I will update the radio post with better pics as soon as I take them also with more information.

On the ammo can I put a small led strip of greens light on it and that really looked cool. I unhooked them but I will get the going.

Thanks everyone

 

[CUCVLOVER]

The truck had a sucky exhaust when I got it.
It has been redone at some point and not in a nice way. It had 2.25 pipe from the manifolds to the Mufflers then 1 3/4 in diameter pipe on back. So I looked at threads on exhaust and videos on YouTube for straight piped exhaust on a 6.2. I decided that I needed to break out the sawzall and do a custom redneck fix. I cut the pipe off at back of the cab. It was super loud and you could not sit in the truck with it running because you would start to feel sick. So I went to the Muffler shop to get my pipes taken care of. I had a full set of 2 1/2 in straight piped true duals ran all the way back. Then some 4 inch diameter tips that are about 2 ft long on the ends. The entire job was about $300 total which i didnt think was bad as the tips cost over a hundski and they did have to get creative around the T case.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SnWZzq7bWO8
Here is a video of the pipes
Thank you

 

[CUCVLOVER]

I have a funny mistake to tell. I changed the oil right after i got the truck because who knows when it was last changed. So i bought the oil, the filter, and oil catch pan to drain the oil into. The 6.2 holds about eight quarts of oil and dummy me bought a eight quart pan. Well the eight quart pan hold eight quarts right before the oil runs over the top and on the ground. So as I am doing my first oil change I start draining the oil and as the pan keeps getting fuller and the oil just keeps coming, so i had to learn how move the pan and get a couple large drink cups under the stream of oil with out getting it all over me. I couldn't put the plug back in because i had accidently dropped it in the catch pan, so that was learning experience for me. Then the filter would not fit, when the guy brought out the filter at napa and it was tiny. So i had him get me the biggest filter they had that would fit. Now i know why you cant use a huge filter, because the trans cooler lines run by the filter and longer filter had to push them over then it rubbed them, so when the guy gets you the correct filter just go ahead and buy it, and buy a 12 quart catch pan.

 

[CUCVLOVER]

Hello.

Another post about the truck.
The head light had been working fine since I got the truck but one day they said up yours. (Is that OK?)
I got in the truck one night I cranked it up and turned on the lights and they where working fine, then the magic smoke came from under the dash.
So the next day I started working on it. I figured out that when I tuned the head light switch on the fuse would turn red. So something inside the switch burned out. I changed the head light switch, the dimmer switch, and the blinker switch. Running the wires down the column was not easy but not as bad as pulling the wheel without a wheel puller. I made a thing to push the steering lock disk down to pull the snap ring.
Then came getting the wheel off. I ended up using plenty of wd40 and a rubber dead blow hammer and POP it came off. So once everything was changed I still had a problem something was still shorted out. So I just ran a new power wire and all was good.
Also I was in a major rush to get this done as I had to get it going to take my drivers test, that post is coming up.

Thanks everyone for reading this

 

[CUCVLOVER]

It's time for another installment everyone.

So I'm sure most of you remember going to get your drivers license. Well finally it was time for me to get mine. I was determined to take my truck to take the driving test, so after much scrambling I had it ready. (See above post)
Well it was the middle of July and for air conditioning in my truck is a big cold drink open windows and peddle to the metel.
So as we are heading to the DMV my dad gets a call from a buddy about my truck. The guy says that truck doesn't have any brake lights. So we make a quick stop and I could not make them work. Well its all back roads there and back so we just went there anyway. I had to pass the test because my permit was about to expire.
So we get there truck runs great. We take care of the paper work then its time to drive. The first thing that lady did was walk up behind that truck and says hit your brakes. Well the first time I hit the brakes no lights. She said your light don't work. Well after a quick fake inspection and adjustment of the switch I tried it again. When she said hit the brakes I pulled the head light switch. She let off of the peddle I pushed the switch in. She checked the front blinkers and off we went.
So I aced my text and got my license. So the moral of this story is always remember where your head light switch is.

 

[BnaditCorps]

It's time for another installment everyone.

So I'm sure most of you remember going to get your drivers license. Well finally it was time for me to get mine. I was determined to take my truck to take the driving test, so after much scrambling I had it ready. (See above post)
Well it was the middle of July and for air conditioning in my truck is a big cold drink open windows and peddle to the metel.
So as we are heading to the DMV my dad gets a call from a buddy about my truck. The guy says that truck doesn't have any brake lights. So we make a quick stop and I could not make them work. Well its all back roads there and back so we just went there anyway. I had to pass the test because my permit was about to expire.
So we get there truck runs great. We take care of the paper work then its time to drive. The first thing that lady did was walk up behind that truck and says hit your brakes. Well the first time I hit the brakes no lights. She said your light don't work. Well after a quick fake inspection and adjustment of the switch I tried it again. When she said hit the brakes I pulled the head light switch. She let off of the peddle I pushed the switch in. She checked the front blinkers and off we went.
So I aced my text and got my license. So the moral of this story is always remember where your head light switch is.

lol