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Kinda got carried away..... M1028 rebuild

steved454

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Dash and seat looks great, glad you decided to go original. As others have said, your truck is what my truck wants to grow up and be!





:grd:
 

Sharecropper

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Reply to 86m1028 -

In 1985 I ordered a brand new K-30 civi Chevy SRW 6.2 diesel. I raised the truck 5" and had my machine-shop buddy build the 20" rims. I was undecided which type of tire to use, however I had access to some new 11.00/20 NDT military tires, so I decided to mount them and run them a few weeks until I could decide on other tires. The first thing I noticed was how smooth and easy the truck rolled and turned. Then after driving it across town to work and back every day for a couple weeks I realized that I had not purchased any fuel, so my mileage had indeed improved. I kinda got to liking the things and decided to leave them on for a while.

Now fast forward to 1989. After 125,000 miles, I purchased my second set of 11.00/20 NDT tires. These were on the truck when I sold it to my neighbor in 1995. That second set of tires were almost worn out, and the truck had 225,000 miles. 10 years, 225,000 miles, and only 2 sets of tires.

2 years ago I purchased my M1028, which was an Arizona National Guard vehicle with only 12,338 miles. I knew that my neighbor had sold the '85 K-30 years ago, however I did not know any details. I ran into him at the grocery store and told him about my new M1028. I almost fainted when he asked me if I wanted those wheels back! He had lowered the '85 back to stock and installed factory wheels and tires in order to sell it easier. He said the wheels, all 5 of 'em, were stored in his barn and I was welcome to them!

So to try to answer your question, I believe the NDT tread pattern provides outstanding traction, economy and value. At 44" tall, axle ground clearance is far greater than smaller tires. The narrow width (12") and rounded profile allows fender clearance with normal trimming. I am running BalanceMasters behind each wheel, which automatically balances the entire wheel assembly without wheel weights. I am completely happy with the truck, wheels, and tires, and will run the NDT's from now on.

Mike Gresham
 

Iceman3005

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Holt, MI
Just read the all the posts in this thread and looked at all the pics, this is sweet! Just what I would like too do to mine!
 

unaffiliated

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18
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Coosa, Georgia
Very nice truck sir. I am on the fence about the tires but they do make it look very aggressive. I like the black interior, much better than the burgundy. Nice photo essay of the build. Very well documented for our viewing pleasure. I wish I could afford the rear disc, sweet conversion, maybe one day.
 

Sharecropper

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Paris KY
Reply to Cucvnut -

I purchased the CUCV winter front from John Tennis at JATONKA CUCV WINTERFRONT .

The product is outstanding quality and I highly recommend it for any CUCV in cold climates.

As you can see in the photos, there are three snaps on a top flap that folds under the hood lip. The male ends of these snaps replace three of the screws that hold the grille in place. There are also a couple of turn-type fasteners that keep the cover flat against the grille John can furnish used turn fasteners, however I obtained new ones from McMaster, sand-blasted the chrome and painted them 383. These turn fasteners are installed into the plastic grille by simply drilling a pilot hole (this is important) and then screwing them in. The position of the turn fasteners are determined after you shap the top flap on.

Because the NA 6.2 is cold-natured anyway, I believe everybody in cold climates should have one of these to raise engine temperature for better combustion efficiency.

Hope this helps.
 

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Sharecropper

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I have been asked about what I did in regards to the rear brake proportioning valve, so I thought an additional post would be helpful.

Prior to installing the lift kit, I removed the connecting arm between the rear axle housing bracket and the valve arm.. After the lift kit was installed, I produced a new longer arm in the correct length from 1/8" x 1" steel from the hardware store. Really easy to do, however care should be taken to determine the proper length of the new connecting arm. The orientation between the connecting arm and the valve arm should be 90 degrees or close to it, and the little dot on the rotating valve should be pointed straight up. I used nylon bushings in the holes of the new connecting arm and pinch nuts left slightly loose to facilitate movement.

Hope this helps.
 

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Sharecropper

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Reply to Indy4x4fab - Yes the wheels are custom. I built them in 1985 for a K-30 civi SRW and ran them for 10 years. I purchased standard Firestone split rims and had a machine shop produce and install the centers. I turned the split rim to the inside and had the centers mig-welded on the inside. I am glad I built 5 of the things. Here's another photo -
 

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