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Jeeperjoe's build thread

Jeeperjoe

Member
242
4
18
Location
Ramsey, MN
So went out and picked up my first MV on friday a 1986 M1008 CUCV. purchased off a guy in annandale mn for the sum of 3000 american pesos, started the truck up and headed for home, it was a hard (55 mile) recovery. anyways on to the good stuff

Day 1. (Friday) Pickup waited until after work to go get the truck from the guy, boss let me out 30 min early so i could get out there with a co pilot to drive my expedition back, get to the guys house and its cold and windy. no truck in sight... he opens his garage where i get my first in person look at this m1008, says let me fire it up and you can check it out. after what felt like 6 minutes of nothing coming from the garage i hear it crank and fire right up. he pulls it out takes whatever personal effects he has in the truck and explains that its been sitting for roughly 1 year since he doesnt really drice it, and that he got it from a dealership in WI who got it from the fire department. says he changed the oil (which is black as night) and has done nothing since, so i inspect the fluids and check it over really good ask if i may take it for a spin, he says sure take it out in the back 40 there hubs are already locked so i can test the 4x4. sweet everything there works as it should. anyways the trucks is Ugly and red smokes a bit on startup but runs and drives well, feels like it may need some u joints in the future, no dash lights and gen 2 light doesnt work as well as the 24 voltmeter on the dash. all other lights function to some extent at this time (dim slow to flash etc) onto a few pics of the truck as i picked it upbig red.jpgbig red 2.jpg

day 2. (saturday) Head down to the DMV first thing in the morning (in my expedition) oh i forgot to mention the tabs have been expired since aug 2015 (never streeted since he bought it) so i head on in to one of the 2 DMV locations in what feels like the state that are open on a saturday and there is literally a line out the door. so after an hour and a half of sitting there they call me up, lady looks over the title and says well there was a correction here and i need a title correction form filled out before i can transfer... well ****! now im looking at a 55 mile drive back out to the guys hobby farm and a 55 mile drive back to get this straight, well long story short got the thing filled out and signed but not going to be able to register the truck this week start digging through posts on electrical and whatnot read the TM's (again) man they sure could make a soldier sleep couldnt they. not much done today, daddy / grandpa daycare for the day wife and grandma could go shopping

day 3. (Sunday) go out to start really looking the truck over to see if there is anything i can fix or replace and start to work on my restore / rebuild to make it better than when it was new... i mean really this truck has 44k miles on it. well head out to the truck and decide well **** im going to rip this dash apart and see whats going on back there, good time to get a parts list together so i can start replacing whats bad and removing whats not needed right? so start small replace all of the fuses and flashers and start tracing all of this dead end wiring under the hood ( did i mention it was a fire rig? ) theres about 7000' of red wiring thats cut taped and zip tied all over the **** truck including in the cab so after i get all of that crap ripped out and removed i start to really work on everything else, after reading all of the posts / faq etc i decided to start removing plugs from the truck / engine cleaning and dialectic greasing liberally remove the dash clean it up remove all of the lights from the printed board and clean all of that up low and behold im missing the light for GEN 2 well that sucks so i pull the 4x4 light (knowing it works) and put it in the hole until i can get a replacement get all of the board connections cleaned and greased check over everything clean lenses etc and i decide i want to get this truck running before nightfall get everything buttoned up plug the batts back in and whalah truck runs and GEN 1 light pops off just like it should (both gen lights were dead) but gen 2 and the volt meter are still dead. enough for sunday i think

Day 4. (Monday) while looking for the title and correction paperwork my $2000 laptop takes a tumble hitting the floor in my apartment and cracking the case (still works thankfully) but wow what a way to star the day! back to the DMV registration goes off without a hitch 30 min in and out. headed for back for napa for the parts they didnt have but ordered for me doghead relay, solenoids under dash 24v test light etc. while there get new wiper blades, PBblaster, misc odds and ends. get home put the plate on the front duck tape the rear (Temporarily) to the back window go wash the pig get the 2 years of muck and dust off the truck take it out for a bit more of an in town shakedown everything works really well wash and reg 2.jpgwash and reg 1.jpg all washed and cleaned inside and out, **** i even sprayed the floor insulation with new car smell air freshener to get out the funk of the mouse nest i found behind the badly cracked and worn dash pad. even vacuumed out the mouse crap from the floor and what looked like 30 years of desert sand out from under the floor liner. thats really it for monday.

Day 5. (Tuesday) start looking for new tires, worked over the rest of the truck pretty well. i find a guy 60 miles south has a set of what looks like good hankook dynapro tires on AE alloy rims right pattern back space etc. so shoot him a text "hey i want your tires listed for $650 on CL" he responds

Him: "Sure but i cant take any less than $700 for the set"
me: Um okay, you have them listed for $650 but ill pay $700 if you bring them to me and save me the trip and we can meet at the local PD for the transaction
Him: let me think on it for a minute
me: sure thing let me know

*20 minutes later
Him: ive got a guy local said he would give me $700 for the set, if you go $750 ill deliver to you instead
Me: well since thats the case Walmart will sell me 4 BFG AT KO2 for $700 so have a nice day
Him: oh so your not interested anymore?
Me: i was untill you raised the price $100 in 30 minutes
Him: okay

so i start shopping tires from the big shops tires plus, firestone, goodyear etc ( see if i can get a deal anywhere ) no one will pricematch walmart for the price while i think thats strange, look again in my cart oh looky there they are the 235/75r16 whoops im looking for 285 lol

*10 min later
Him: hey my friend really wanted $50 gas money to deliver thats the reason i bumped to $750 if your still interested ill sell them to you for $700
Me: okay, id still make a deal for $700 delivered but i want more information on the wheels whats the backspacing on them?
Him: i dont know they came of my 2004 duramax
Me: okay let me think about it for a minute ( not sure they would fit without rubbing due to not knowing the rims, knowing if they dont i have just over paid for rims and tires)
*10 minutes later
Him: i think they are -12
Me: okay they will fit, when will you be able to deliver?
Him: i could meet you 30 miles from my house
Me: i thought we just discussed delivery meet at a PD or other safe place to do the transaction
Him: well yeah im just trying to save gas
Me: i think ill pass then
Him: okay thanks

well over to firestone to get a set of Destination AT's in 285/75r16 installed they have them in stock and can install today, get them to mount one and check out the potential of rubbing, everything looks great they ask if i want a complimentary alignment check well sure i guess truck wanders a bit and steering wheel is about 45* to the left check it out and get back to me. about 45 minutes later i get a call "hey this is J***** from firestone, your alignment is WAY out want us to do it for you?" i say sure do it up whats another $70 right, well get a call a couple hours later, "trucks finished feel free to pickup" once i get there the guy tells me how bad the alignement was.... Drumroll please R-1.60 L 1.60 so they are perfectly wrong lol, all corrected now and everything is as good as could be!
new tires 1.jpgnew tires.jpg painted the stock wheels black (that was after 1 coat) truck looks good, tires fill the wheel wells rides straight still wanders a bit but way better than it was before, throw another coat on them and im GTG! well anyways been a busy couple days still need to install the doghead relay but all in time... OH YEAH and as for the GEN 2 and Volt meter not working yeah about that... just realized the resistor bank is removed and the batts are wired for 12v so i should be able to remove the second alt and get it tested for a good backup put it in the garage, i need to go through more of the truck to see if everything was done right by the FD for the 12V conversion. oh and after ripping all of that wiring out and getting my GEN 1 light working seems like the lights work better but im not sure ive done so much other stuff with cleaning and greasing the electrical connections on the truck that could have resolved that issue as well...

Up Coming

led lights all around (markers tail signals etc)
Doghead Relay
Patch holes in body
replace doors or pull dents
Paint Job (Behr)
Winch install (havent decided on a bumper or on a winch yet)
possible lift
interior restore
door and window seals (LMC ON ORDER)
turn signal switch and stalk (LMC ON ORDER)
Windshield washer pump (not working)
im sure much much more
tear through the 12v conversion make sure everything is done as well as can be

if you guys have any suggestions or comments please feel free to let me know more pics as work progresses



THE LIST UPDATED 4/13/17 17:23

m1008
tiresdone
registrationdone
alignmentdone
fusesdone
flashersdone
relaysdone
Blackout Switches done
floors temp repaired
paintrims done body / interior remain
door sealsDone
turn signal switchDone
blackout switchesDone
headlight switchDone
heatercore done
dash lenses
roof hole
b pillar hole
Fender Holes
D rings
drivers door
Passenger door
cab corners
windshield mirror
ignition / door locks
U Joints
Marker lights / signals done
wiper motor / switch
marker light wiringdone
floor pans
marker lenses Frontdone
Tail light housing / w lenses done
Push nuts for heater cable spares now on hand
heater core bracketsdone
spare rim / tire got rim, need tire
doghead relay waiting for install
Glowplugs
 
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Merle

Active member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
250
29
28
Location
Salmon, Idaho
Wow! What an ordeal. Always tough trying fixing other peoples mess ups. I assume you have the tm's, take your time fixing the wiring problems. Good luck on the truck.



Note:

All the problems on my truck were human induced by previous owners, still working on it. but it is a labor of love.
 
Last edited:

NDT

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
10,408
6,422
113
Location
Camp Wood/LC, TX
You made a great decision on tires, better to not buy someone else's used crap for the price of new. CUCVs came with Firestone tires when delivered.
 

Jeeperjoe

Member
242
4
18
Location
Ramsey, MN
Looks good for an FD truck. You seem to have things well in hand. Enjoy
Well all i can do is try, this isnt much different from a civy truck and i have gone through some mechanics school just out of high school, hopefully i can figure this thing out

Shouldn't take much to kick those dents out. You're not about to paint it show quality black, are you?
thats exactly my plan once i order some new door panels, not sure these will survive being pulled off and re mounted they are pretty brittle not sure about the paint yet.. semi gloss green or maybe full on 3 color, not really sure yet

Wow! What an ordeal. Always tough trying fixing other peoples mess ups. I assume you have the tm's, take your time fixing the wiring problems. Good luck on the truck.



Note:

All the problems on my truck were human induced by previous owners, still working on it. but it is a labor of love.
yeah as for the TM's ive got them off this site, ive been reading this forum since 09 just slow to act i guess... and yeah human induced issues im very familiar with thankfully they are usually easily solved and or avoided if you know what to look for
Congratulations on your find and your on going project. Looking forward to seeing it. :beer:
soon you shall good sir

You made a great decision on tires, better to not buy someone else's used crap for the price of new. CUCVs came with Firestone tires when delivered.
thanks, yeah i like them. they are aggressive enough but good and quiet on the highway... oh who am i kidding this thing rarely sees highway right now maybe city / rural roads due to the 4.56 gearing and 3 speed
 
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Jeeperjoe

Member
242
4
18
Location
Ramsey, MN
So day 6 (Wednesday) is nearly in the history books, today i decided to dig in and look into the issues i was having with the heater. both heater hoses were warm but not hot, and it was blowing cold air in the truck so i looked further only to find that the heater core housing was detached from the firewall and missing the attachment bolts around the sides, but the one going from the box through the firewall nearest the inlet and outlet was in fact there only tightened about 3 threads though... so i went to the local orileys and picked up the Spectra Premium heater core 94553 yes i know its aluminum but i figured anything would be better than nothing at this point if i found an issue which i did... so i wish i had taken some photos because nopicsbut alas i completely forget to pull out my phone when i get to work and of course it was getting cold and quickly getting darker you know Minnesota winters and i have no garage to do my work... thats where my other toys are stored :D. but anyway after shaking the duct box around i noticed alot of fuzz falling out oh great we all know what that means... MICE GOD **** MICE the bane of my existence, i deal with mice nests all the time at work being as i work for the phone company and those things LOVE to build nests in our cable access pedestals but enough about work im on vacation! so i head over to ace hardware to see if i can find any bolts that fit ended up picking up thread cutter bolts (self tapers for us normal folk) start with clamping and cutting the hoses remove the housing only to find the MANAGER at orileys sold me spectra heater core 94552, head back up there in the good old 2010 expadition to get the right part i swear those parts houses are filled with the most knowledgeable folks these days, the gentleman that helped me had no idea what i was talking about and took him about 50 minutes to get me the part that i had asked for and the part that showed as the correct part for my year make model of truck, the 94553 so anyway head home test fit everything and i realize, the heater core duct housing deal is missing a bracket to hold the heater core in... well thats no good there goes my hot air(well at least the heat for my truck im full of hot air). i start to mount the hoses back to the core and feel the core moving about like its not even attached great, now i need to find the bracket but anyways get everything buttoned back up and at least the truck is functional. i have to say im pretty surprised on how much coolant i lost just from the core truck took an entire gallon... well tomorrow is a bust for working on the truck as i have to work in the middle of my vacation. 6 days off 1 day work 10 days off... oh well i guess its better than nothing.

if anyone has the bracket for the heater core that is closest to the inlet / outlet please let me know im desperate to try and get more heat out of this truck i know its not going to be a civy vehicle amount of heat but 60* sure would be nice when its snowing... **** if anyone has an entire duct they would like to sell or donate let me know!

or even just the bracket nearest the in/out hose fittings
 
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Jeeperjoe

Member
242
4
18
Location
Ramsey, MN
Day 7 (Friday) decided today to take a look at the floors in my rig because of the condition of the passenger inner fender (Pretty rotted and will get ordered for replacement), and it was a bit nice out there today. the rubber floor mat was in pretty rough shape and we all know what mouse piss does to metal over time, well after ripping out the rubber floor and insulation it was a touch rust under there so i grabbed ye old trusty dewalt 18v and my wire cup brush and went to town. after cleaning up the mess left by the mice and grinding away the rust and bad flaking paint got it as clean as possible and sprayed down 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of rustoleum camo green just to get me through till summer when i can really gut the cab and take a grinder to it to get it down to bare metal and really give it a good coat of paint when i decide to paint the rest of the truck, ill get some pics of the floor up tomorrow its starting to snow and pretty dark and cold out now. as for now, time for a cold bubbly beverage and some movie time with the Mrs.

SO here is the list as of now

m1008
tiresdone
registrationdone
alignmentdone
fusesdone
flashersdone
relaysdone
floors temp repaired
paintrims done body / interior remain
door sealsordered
turn signal switchordered
blackout switchesordered
door sealsordered
headlight switchordered
heatercore replaced, need parts for core housing
dash lenses
roof hole
b pillar hole
Fender Holes
D rings
drivers door
Passenger door
cab corners
windshield mirror
ignition / door locks
U Joints

more will be added as time progresses im sure
 
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Isawfrizzy

New member
54
0
0
Location
St. Paul, mn
At first I was thinking you're a little touched in the head for being outside working on this yesterday, it only hit 30 for the high, but after I thought about it I wouldn't want to have done that project in July weather, specially if there were mice involved.

I look forward to seeing your progress at Pete's this summer.
 

Jeeperjoe

Member
242
4
18
Location
Ramsey, MN
At first I was thinking you're a little touched in the head for being outside working on this yesterday, it only hit 30 for the high, but after I thought about it I wouldn't want to have done that project in July weather, specially if there were mice involved.

I look forward to seeing your progress at Pete's this summer.
To be fair I work outside all year round little cold and rain doesn't bother me that much, dedication is what I call it hopefully it'll be at about 80% come June
 

Jeeperjoe

Member
242
4
18
Location
Ramsey, MN
SHIPMENT TIME!!!

Okay so heres the pics of the floors as promised like i said this is temporary in order to just clean up the truck permanent fixes and repairs will be made this summer once i find a good place to paint the entire truck
20170304_112933.jpg20170304_113045.jpg20170304_113048.jpg20170304_113102.jpg20170304_113107.jpg
Shipment of goodies, what could they be?
20170304_111306.jpg20170304_111309.jpg
Oh happy day new door seals, new headlight switch, new turn signal switch and stalk, new blackout light switches (mine were removed), and a new replacement wing window latch thanks LMC
20170304_112915.jpg20170304_111322.jpg20170304_113522.jpg
Update soon
 
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