My Four (!) New CUCVs

[AJMBLAZER]

Can't hurt to try. I'd bet the guy would at least be interested that his truck was still around and had the possibility of being restored.

 

[ehuppert]

MP Vehicle wouldn't have been the Cdr's, HQ 3 is the "S3" wheels. Cdr would be HQ6

Nice looking lot though!

 

[nf6x]

Thanks for the info. I don't know what "S3" means, though.

Yesterday, I reattached the MP truck's rear driveshaft and checked fluid levels. Then I tried charging up the batteries, but the lower battery just sucked a lot of current at around 7 volts. I then checked fluids and tried charging batteries on another truck, but it also wouldn't take enough charge to do anything useful. I got my HMMWV up and running (it needed an hour on the chargers, too, because its batteries are due for replacement!) and tried jump-starting both of those trucks... but I just couldn't get enough juice into them to run the starter.

I needed to do some grocery shopping anyway, so I stopped by Pep Boys and bought a pair of group 27 batteries, trading in the little dead batteries from my M38A1. I know that group 31 batteries fit the trays properly, but the only ones that had there were deep-cycle ones with threaded studs on top, and they cost $140 each. So I got the cheaper $80 group 27 batteries, and I'll make some blocking later to make sure that they can't slide around enough for the terminals to short out against the hold-downs.

I bolted them into the MP CUCV last night by flashlight (just couldn't wait!), and then I hooked them up this morning. I crossed my fingers, turned the key... and it started up right away! Woohoo! The paperwork in the truck said that its engine knocks, but I didn't hear anything unusual. I drove the truck around on my property a little bit and then parked it in my new shop building. I'll resume work on it later, after I move my junk out of the old rental house than I'm still paying for. There might still be some disappointments lurking inside that engine or transmission, but I haven't seen any major problems yet. I'm not sure that the funky 12V/24V electrical system is working quite right. I saw around 15V on one battery vs. 12.5 on the other, and I got a brief Gen 2 warning light that went away when I goosed the throttle. I'll leave the batteries unhooked and give them some time on the plug-in charger until I make sure that the two alternators are doing their jobs right.

The 1983 truck has already started donating parts, but so far it's just been easy stuff: front tow shackles, half of its bridge plate numbers, and the fuel filter drain tube.

Woohoo!

 

[CCATLETT1984]

I got a brief Gen 2 warning light that went away when I goosed the throttle.

Most cucv's do that.

 

[nf6x]

Do the CUCV alternators have voltage adjustments like the regular military alternators do, or are they fixed? Yeah, I know, it's in the manual somewhere...

The shift indicator got stuck over on the right side when I fiddled with the shifter. That clip with the wire is still attached to the column (I saw the picture in another thread on the CUCV's shifter). Another one of the trucks showed this stickiness, too. The pointer jiggles when I pull on the little wire, but it doesn't snap back. It seems like they're spring loaded to return counterclockwise, and are pulled clockwise by the clip/wire. I hope that it's just stuck and not broken, so I'll be able to just clean and/or oil it when I get around to digging in there.

I found the missing part of the tailgate crank and its pin inside the truck, and I reinstalled them on the crank. It's still missing the tailgate lock cylinder. The regulator arms appear to move OK, so I bet it's that clutch thingy that broke. I have the access panel off, but I haven't removed the glass to get at the crank innards yet.

 

[CCATLETT1984]

nope, they are fixed. its the stock GM large-frame 100amp alternator, they just have isolated grounds.

 

[nf6x]

The shift indicator turned out to be an easy fix. The sheet metal part with the shift legend was all bent out of shape, so the pointer sled bound up in its track. The only way I can think of that happening is a ham-fisted repair job on the dash at some time in the past. The mechanism looks pretty silly to me. It seems like it should have been pretty easy to design a simpler, stronger and cheaper mechanism that still looked about the same. Anyway, I bent the sheet metal roughly back into shape, cleaned it up, and put some gun oil on the spring to prevent further corrosion. I also washed off most of the instrument panel plastic in the kitchen sink as long as I had it out.

 

[ONTOS66]

The MP truck is interesting. The decals are certainly not a standard item. The bumper number HQ3 might indicate that it was used by the Operations Officer (S3). At least that is the way we numbered them when I was dealing with such things. The bracket on the dash is for various control boxes for the radio system. Check the reference section for the VRC12 series radio manuals. I think I uploaded the installation manual for the M1009 for the SINCGARS radio, which would be similar but not exactly the same as the VRC12. With the concealed light and siren it was probably not a patrol vehicle and would have been correct for a staff weenie like the S3. Just joking folks I was an Operations Sergeant Major and some of the staff weenies could actually read and write. As opposed to the line officers.

 

[superburban]

Is the slave receptacle on he inside of the cabin on HMMWVs?

 

[nf6x]

Yes. The battery box is under the passenger/commander seat. Well, actually it is the passenger/commander seat. The slave receptacle is on the front of the seat box, at the lower outside corner. Since it's not easily visible like on most other MVs, there's a plate on the outside that says "slave receptacle inside", or something along those lines.

As long as I'm posting, it's time for a status update! The MP truck is in my barn now, and I have the tailgate disassembled. I'll need a new window regulator, window channels, and outer/inner weatherstripping. I did get the crank working (I think!) using parts from two different trucks! The donor truck (the other 1986 M1009) will also need a new window regulator and rails, but its weatherstripping might be OK. It needs the metal piece along the bottom of the window replaced, though. And it'll need a lock cylinder, a spring for the pawl, and a C clip. The cost of these parts adds up fast!

I decided to take a look at the 1983 M1009 today. Even though it's my least favorite and my primary parts donor, it does have the advantage of having all three belts present. I checked fluid levels, reattached the rear driveshaft, put in a pair of new batteries and started it up. It took a bit of cranking before it caught. I haven't diagnosed that yet; it might be glow plugs, air in the fuel line, or whatever. Brakes work, steering feels normal, and it moves in both directions. Paperwork in that truck indicated a slipping transmission, and the truck has "transmissions" written on the inside of the driver's door. It did feel a bit slippy going in reverse, but it moved. I was dreading the cost of either having the transmission repaired or just selling the truck at a loss, but as I was reading about CUCV transmissions on the forum I saw that vacuum system problems could make the transmission misbehave... and remembered seeing an open end of a white plastic hose tee at the back of the engine compartment. Hmmm... I started the truck back up, found that the tee was sucking air, and deduced that it must be part of the vacuum system. Seeing a vacuum cap on one branch of the tee on another one of my trucks, I looked and found the decomposed remains of the missing cap stuck behind the shroud covering the big resistors. I cobbled together a temporary cap for the tee and tried moving the truck again. It could be my imagination, but the truck seemed to drive normally then! Man, if that slipping transmission just needs a cheap rubber cap, I'll be very happy! The TM makes it looks like most transmission-related tasks are beyond me at the moment, but checking the pressure with my STE-ICE/R looks like it might not be that hard. I guess I'll give the vacuum system a bit more of a look, and maybe check the fluid pressure. Crossing my fingers....

I still like the MP truck the best, and think I'll keep that one. I don't know if I'll keep the M1008 or not. Its paperwork indicates a leaking head gasket, so I bought a block check kit at NAPA and I guess I'll pull the glow plugs out before I crank it for the first time. I do want to get rid of the other two extra M1009's. I might even be talked into selling one or both for the money I have sunk into them, if that'll make them go away quickly! The longer I have them, the more likely that I'll fix them up and then want real money for them! I'm still waiting on the SF97s, so I think I'll at least need to wait until I get them titled before I sell off any.

Thanks for all of the past and future help that y'all have given me. This board is great!

 

[tourdog]

i would be interested in buying the tuck from you as it sit blow head gastkit or not here is a change to make your tow money back and a little more pm me let me know

 

[nf6x]

I took the 1983 truck for a little spin on the dirt roads today. I didn't head out to the paved roads because it's not registered yet, and the lighting has some issues. I only got up to around 30MPH on the downhill plummets. It had no trouble clawing its way up the fairly steep hills, even though it's missing the front propeller shaft. I even spun the back wheels making a left turn from a stop on loose ground. It made the round trip without a single hickup.

So, the "transmission slips" truck looks like a runner that just needed a pair of batteries and a vacuum line cap! Yeah, it's missing a propeller shaft, the rear window mechanism is hosed as is usual, it needs some electrical work for the lighting and glow plugs, and I won't fully trust the transmission until I see how it shifts at regular road speeds... but it's a running truck instead of the heap of parts that I was worried about!



Tourdog: PM sent. If you're in Maine like your profile says, I think you'd be a lot better off buying a truck that's a couple thousand miles closer to you! I'm in southern California.

P.S.: I started the truck with a 73Y2.