New poster saying hi

[pevrs114]

Just wanted to introduce myself. I've been reading this board for a few months, but never posted. I own a bunch of 4x4's, and I've driven many different MV's in my time in the military. I'm no stranger to CUCV's, and I think one of them will suit my needs perfectly.

I want a 1 ton truck for occasional pulling duties, I love military things so it'd be cool to have an MV as opposed to a regular truck, I'd like a diesel, and I'd like to put an S250 shelter in it and use it as an occasional camper and base vehicle for ATV and Jeep trips.

I've delved into the details pretty deeply, and I'm almost positive that an M1008 or M1028 is perfect for my needs. This truck wouldn't be restored to .mil condition, but I do respect that side of things (as I'm having a hell of a time with the mods made to my 49 CJ3A), and so any major mods I'd do, I would want them reversible. I have an SM465 4spd mated to an NP205 xfer case in my shed that was bought for another project that fell through. This would go in the truck, and probably some bigger tires (super swamper 34x9.5's, I think - I like the military pizza cutter wheel look). Also, a winch bumper on the front, preferably one that will allow me to keep/modify the front shackle points and retain some semblence of the brush guard.

I'm aware of the limitations of these vehicles, no AC, tall axle gearing makes for slow trips (hopefully offset by the taller tire), noisy, etc etc.

I guess there's no real point to my post, other than to confirm that this is the right vehicle for what I want to do, and to say hello. I've been paying attention to govliquidation and scoured a couple of the internet dealers. I don't want to get ripped off, but I also am a bit leery of buying one at auction, due to not being able to go over it beforehand, etc. I don't have the money set aside yet, but I think I could feasibly budget up to $5K for the purchase of the truck, hopefully without needing much more than that to get it up to snuff for occasional use.

Anyway, greetings and always willing to listen to advice.

 

[CCATLETT1984]

for $5K you can get a mechanically sound vehicle, with very little other issues.

i would recommend getting a load range E tire instead of the swampers, get wrangler MT's or cooper discoverer's

the sm465 would fit up to the truck assuming you can find the correct bellhousing and flywheel/clutch. the np205 would be a strength improvement.

with 34" tires you'll still be limited to going around 60mph, the truck will do it all day long but it will be revving up past the best fuel economy range.
I would recommend that if you are going to put a manual trans in it anyways, find one with an overdrive. you'll be very happy with it.

I drive mine as my daily driver, and love it. these trucks are easy to work on, and for the most part cheap to repair.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

What he said. Without OD and the 4.56 gears aim for at least 35" tires. Luckily since these are 1-tons they aren't flex monsters and you can make them fit fairly easily.

Okay, my usual warning:
Avoid a place in Wisconsin called Alfa Heaven. Bought mine from them...wouldn't do it again. Do a search on these forums for posts about them and you'll see they have a history.
If I had to do it over again I'd try GL auctions and try like hell to consult these guys on every detail of the trucks in question (and often you can find someone on here near the auctions who can personally check them out), aim for eBay, or ask around on here because it seems like someone is ALWAYS selling one or knows of a MV dealer who has some. I also see them on www.ColoradoK5.com frequently. Since I got mine I've seen many that might not be as pretty but are probably in better running condition and definitely better body condition...for a lot less. In fact several times the difference in price was far more than the cost of a plane ticket, gas/lodging/food for the return trip, and several cans of spray paint.

 

[poppop]

Can't answer any questions but welcome to this group of Mv nuts!!

 

[motorolanut]

Hello and Welcome!!

 

[pevrs114]

Thanks guys! What are some of the main areas to watch on an M1008/M1028 in terms of problems, so that I can look there first during an inspection? I.E. What are the msot common failure/problems and how to recognize them?

 

[Croatan_Kid]

Batteries! If you buy one from GL that looks (and most likely is) in great shape, they might list it as not running just because one of the batteries is dead. That's what happened with mine and I drove it on the trailer when I picked it up. 24 volt starter = two 12 volt batteries Making sure the glow plugs work also helps when trying to start one as I'm sure you know. Also, having a primed and ready to go fuel system is awesome; injector pumps hate air.