Looking at picking up a CUCV

[Kantrol]

I'm looking at an 86 CUCV Blazer but I had some questions/concerns first.

1) Kind of a rough shift from 1-2. Maybe that's how th400s shift. Kind of a thunk.
2) Difficult to get out of 4wd.
3) Rust in both rockers, one rear fender and the bed. The frame looks solid, some surface rust. The current owner offered to weld in some patch panels for me.
4) Interior is rough, to be expected though. No dash padding
5) The gauges kind of flutter around but seem to indicate your approximate speed/fuel level.
6) One of the alternator warning lights remains on after startup. Likely a bad belt but maybe the alternator is dying.
7) You have to cycle the ignition a couple of times to get it to start. The current owner says the glowplug card is likely bad.

It comes with some spares(tcase, starters, ip, tranny, wheels/tires), and it's already locked front/rear. Also, the axles were upgraded to 14bolt rear/12bolt front.

Are any of those things I noticed an absolute deal breaker? I would imagine finding spares for this thing would be easy/cheap since there tons of trucks with everything this has(except for the electrics).

 

[Scarecrow1]

Everything depends on the price and your level of skill in working on these things ....Me personaly it would bother me about the spare parts coming with it ....If he had all the parts why wasn't it already repaired.....But thats just me ....

 

[Shop Rat Fab]

At first I thought you were describing my truck but I didn't know it was for sale. Sounds like a $2500 max truck if you can do the work yourself if not I'd wait and find a nicer one in the $3000-4000 range but thats just me.

 

[dskchevy]

I have mine up for sale ...........No rust...... Texas all its life I got it with 42k now has 68k. Nice in & out all works good I have on my lawn with 4,500 obo on it............Lot of lookers w/ no money but nobody said over priced........hope that helps (That is not a member price)............

 

[319]

Rust is normal. Expect serious electrical issues, and I agree with the above post, "If he had all the parts why wasn't it already repaired".

 

[CycleJay]

Hello,

Maybe the owner did not have time in his life anymore to finish such a project.
Things happen all the time that distract people from working on needed projects.

That is just my $.02 cents...

Have a good day,

CJ

 

[1984M1009]

no such thing as a 12 bolt front

 

[K9Vic]

1) Kind of a rough shift from 1-2. Maybe that's how th400s shift. Kind of a thunk.
2) Difficult to get out of 4wd.
3) Rust in both rockers, one rear fender and the bed. The frame looks solid, some surface rust. The current owner offered to weld in some patch panels for me.
4) Interior is rough, to be expected though. No dash padding
5) The gauges kind of flutter around but seem to indicate your approximate speed/fuel level.
6) One of the alternator warning lights remains on after startup. Likely a bad belt but maybe the alternator is dying.
7) You have to cycle the ignition a couple of times to get it to start. The current owner says the glowplug card is likely bad.

Answer Q#1
Mine does not shift rough from 1-2 or 2-3 unless I am flooring and not all the time, but I rarely take off fast.

Answer Q#2
Probably why he has an extra transfer case as it is going out or already there. They are not that heavy and if you have the know how it can be changed yourself.

Answer Q#3
These older trucks even in area like Texas get some rust issues on the cab and rockers. My M1009 has rusted rockers and it is from Fort Hood. All my other CUCVs have been from there as well and one M1008 had minor issues with a rocker.

Answer Q#4
I have had 5 CUCVs from Fort Hood and the interiors were all in very good condition with replacement gray dash pads. Seats were all OK, some worse then others and one was new. The interior being this old does not mean it should be beat up.

Answer Q#5
My M1009 is/was the only one I had with the speedo fluttering showing the speed. The cable is likely bad and is cheap to replace.

Answer Q#6
Alternator is dying, a bad belt is unlikely. I had both of mine rebuilt for $65 each, but I am in Dallas/Fort Worth and easy to find a place to rebuilt just about anything on these trucks that can be rebuilt. If you are in a small town far from a large city, you may have to ship it out and would cost more.

Answer Q#7
Glow plugs are likely bad and need to be replaced, cost is at least $80 for AC 60G plugs. The relay is about $35 and then from there it can get expensive if the controller it out. Likely just the glow plugs need to be changed out.

To me it is worth no more then $2000 if you can drive it home. I have spent about $800 just fixing up my M1009 that I drove home, not including $700 for good off-road mud tires. So figure in what you may have to fix and what those costs are before you buy it.

 

[motormayhem]

Mine transmission was just rebuilt by a reputable shop and it has a firm 1-2 shift. I would be most concerned about the transmission and 4wd. Mine is hard to get in and out of 4wd if you dont do it the correct way. From 2hi to 4 hi should be easy when moving and the front hubs locked. From 4hi to 4lo you need to come to a complete stop but the truck in neutral and let off the brakes so you can roll VERY slowly, just to get the gears to lineup while you pull it into 4lo. Same thing to go back. It is not a synchronized shift so you cant do it while moving. Check the transmission to see if the fluid smells burnt or if it is black.

 

[akonitony]

With the problems you described, I would not pay more than $1500. There are too many M1009s that have no definite problems for a decent price to waste your time on a fixer-upper that is only a couple or few hundred dollars cheaper, that is, if you want to spend your time in the driver's seat rather than underneath the vehicle. Just IMHO.

 

[BIG_RED]

Were you moving when shifting from 4x4 HI to 4x2 HI? you're supposed to be. Also, make sure the front hubs are locked. My friend thought his truck needed a t-case when he bought it, but he just didn't know what to do. He brought it to me, and I shifted it driving 5 mph. Didn't make a sound. He kept trying with the thing parked and couldn't move the stick without fear of breaking it. Drive forwards, straight line, constant speed. Let off the gas pedal (diesel pedal I guess) and move the transfer case selector stick. If it makes bad noises, undo whatever you just did. I agree with the above about "if you have the parts, why didn't you fix it". $1500 would be okay though, if you are up to the challenge of fixing it up yourself. Mine cost $4000 in Canada. Tiny rust spot on rocker, clean underneath. Drove it home. Took it off road that same night. Did eventually need ALOT of work, but almost everything 24 years old needs work. Now it's a daily driver.

 

[Kantrol]

Thanks to all these posts I figured out we weren't shifting out of 4Hi correctly. We were trying to do it parked and not rolling.

As far as the spare parts go: I think he got them through the guy be bought the truck from. About the only thing officially bad with the truck are glow plugs, weak alt charge and rust issues. He seemed to be much more interested in getting other projects on the road than messing around with this blazer. But, he definitely seems very above the board/stand up type guy. I don't get the impression that he's trying to rip me off. Like I said, he offered to help repair the rust for me and he just needs the money to fund other projects.