My CUCV. (M1009)

[RSOVRanger]

It's my in-town daily driver up here in alaska, plus my off-road toy to boot.

Toys:

Kenwood TM-D700A VHF/UHF Ham rig w/ remote speaker mounting
Garmin 276C GPS unit
Federal Signal siren/PA w/ 100w speaker
Dual amber strobes (rear facing for on-road recovery of stuck vehicles)
Uniden 148 CB
Radio Shack Scanner
White Halogen/Red LED interior dome light
35" BFG-AT tires
6" Skyjacker lift
Rancho 5000 shocks

Converted to 12V, 1 alt and 2 battery set power vehicle, 1 alt and 1 battery power accessories

And yes, I wear a MICH when I go wheeling. I will hit my head on the cab otherwise, and pain distracts from the trail.


Photos:

http://www.skynet-mk2.com/photos/cucv

 

[clinto]

Cooll pics, I like the shots of the off-roading on the glacier

And the ammo cans labeled as such aren't a half bad idea, either:

 

[ojsdna744]

Love the glacier pics, thanks for the pictures! I used to love it when I was stationed there.

 

[RSOVRanger]

It's ok, Go wave hi to where my other diesel was built ('04 Silverado 2500HD Duramax)

I liked it so much I stayed.. I should modify my profile to state that I'm no longer in... got out in june after 9 years.

 

[maddawg308]

I like the idea of the 20mm cans as well. You might want to see if you can get a set of HMMWV ammo can base mounts, to hold them in place better than the ratchet strap you got. Just an idea.

 

[builder77]

I too like the can idea, but I think I would be after some smaller size cans. What is that fuel filter you replaced the original with?

 

[RSOVRanger]

It's a wix... same kind as what came on em up here in alaska.

Why smaller cans? Aid bag takes up one by itself, 2 30' tow straps, chains, snatch blocks, highlift base, and some other stuff takes up the recovery box... each one is crammed full.

 

[builder77]

Well it looks like they take up all the room back there, but then again that could be tha angle too. I assume some come out depending on the usage at the time too. I guess if they are full though then you need the size. 20MM cans were mentioned above. Are those what they are, and how do they compare in size to the 50cal cans that are everywhere?

 

[RSOVRanger]

20mm cannon ammunition cans are at LEAST 2x the size of .50 Linked ammo cans.

What you don't see is the space between the seat and the front of the cans, where a pelican 1650 case will fit nicely, nor the long Hilift strapped down to the rear of the cans, the 5 gallon water can strapped onto the spare tire frame...

Everything that's in the truck stays in the truck, unless it's being cleaned, refilled, repacked or repaired.

If anything needs hauling, that's what the pickup's for. I also am involved with search and rescue up here, so it's a good thing to have emergency supplies when you don't know how long you may be out somewhere.

 

[Recovry4x4]

The 20 MikeMike cans are great cans. I use them for lots of things. There is also a 40 MikeMike can that is overall about the same as the 20 but shorter. SAW cans are good too for smaller cans. SAWs are about the size of a 50 cal can but a couple of inches taller.

 

[steelsoldiers]

Very cool pics, literally! Thanks for sharing. I bet that can be some unforgiving territory up there in AK. Glacier wheeling is pretty amazing. I suprised the greenies aren't following you around in some kind of hybrid looking for oil drops on the ice

Have you considered an arctic kit with aux. engine heaters, hood blankets, etc?

 

[RSOVRanger]

It had one on it at one time, but the whole system was removed when it went to DRMO apparrently.

With the truck being 12 volt only now (I had issues with the 24v, not compatible with the accessories I wanted, starter is entirely too expensive, and I had a nightmare of eletrical issues with my work one with a 12V plow on a 24v system) I don't think I could use a military system anymore anyhow.

Swingfire heaters are overrated, the Espar units that you can buy nowadays are just so much less trouble (And are standard installs on any mil-veh you see in a motor pool here)

Just like plugging your truck in... set the timer IN the rig.. and it'll fire up the diesel burner and pump to circulate the coolant and disperse the heat to the block.

I eventually will have one for the block and one of their in-cab rigs for when I want to stay in the truck camping. That's about 2500$ though. A down-the-road expense, if you will.



Alaska, with all its wilderness, still significantly outnumbers ratio-wise environmentalist wackos to people who actually LIKE to use the outdoors for stuff. The worst environmental legistlation bullcrap comes from out of state goons that decide that although they live in california, have never actually been in alaska, nor seen how nature is up here or what people actually do up here... they think that they can try to set the rules for us.

One good example is the Knik River area. The State is undergoing a planning process for enabling people to be able to use the area in a more controlled manner than the past. The Sierra club just put it up on their website recently, to post comments on the alaska DNR site to the effect of "Foot Only bla bla bla" when 99% of the sierra club doesn't even visit alaska.

PETA got ran off from Anchorage the last time they tried anything. Ever hear of Fur Rondy? Do a search... biggest fur festival in the state, and I think in the world. They were not welcomed with open arms, let's leave it at that..

 

[RSOVRanger]

I like the idea of the 20mm cans as well. You might want to see if you can get a set of HMMWV ammo can base mounts, to hold them in place better than the ratchet strap you got. Just an idea.

I actually have 3 ratchet straps holding that, the water can, and my hi-lift jack down. It works good for now. I'm going to get around to fabbing up a bracket mount system eventually, once I can get some spare dough for the steel.

Actual military surplus, at least vehicular, is a bit harder to get up here than it is for the rest of you guys...

Plus, I just wanted a CUCV as a good base to start on. Grew up driving my moms 85 blazer with pretty much the same interior (commercial version) and I wanted to keep the fleet diesel so I can eventually just get one of the skid mounted fuel tanks and keep a reserve at the house as well as fuel the emergency genset I plan on aquiring eventually.

Now, to get my buddy popping on the transmission so I can get back on the road

 

[builder77]

So are your passengers shorties? One of your pics looks like you have a tow stap being used as a step.

I was curious with you having to deal with the real cold much more then the rest of us. How does the 6.2 start in the cold? Are the glow plugs enough? I see you are using a 12v system now, but I assume they are just as effective.

 

[RSOVRanger]

My wife is 5'5" and I am 6'3".... so yah, I did her a favor.


the only thing on any CUCV that makes it 24 volt, is the starter. Ditch the starter, ditch the mongo resistor, do some rerouting of power, and whala, it's the way the factory sold it otherwise.

I haven't had any issues with either my cucv I had when I was still active duty (Plow truck, I was up at 3 AM plowing so the companies could have PT Formation) or this one. Just plug in at freezing, follow the throttle guideling (half throttle down to 30, full below that) and she will start each and everytime.

Some people end up putting a manual switch on for the glow plugs... the only reason I would do that is because sometimes it seems like waiting for the plugs to go when I just shut down to go grab something from the gas station is a waste of resources...

 

[mangus580]

You shouldnt have to wait if its hot. Unless your temp switch is bad...

 

[RSOVRanger]

Maybe it's just alaska. LOL