New to M1009's and need honest answers

[camojcory]

I would like to buy a m1009, but i am not familiar with diesel engines that much. i want to use it as a daily driver and need to know some honest facts about them.
Like, can you really get up to 23 mpg with them or is that really rare? How hard is it to make one of these suitable for daily driving? Do you have to change the gears in them or can greater highway speeds at lower RPMs be achieved be adding taller tires? And how hard is it to install an A/C, will a standard A/C work with the M1009's 24 volt system?
Any help would be great, as it is apparent, i need alot.

 

[hndrsonj]

M1009's get good gas mileage due to the 3:08 gears. You don't want to get much bigger tires due to the 3:08 gears (it would really be a dog then). OD Iron makes an A/C kit and only the starter is 24V.

 

[mrcucv]

Dont add tires and just check them for rot cause all the ones around me the floors and rockers go. I havent had a problem with the 6.2s for me. I would definatly drive one as a daily driver. When you find one you really like pick it up

 

[Warthog]

With the CUCVs being 25+ years old, they WILL require maintenance and upkeep. They will not be like a new car.

With that being said, you need to be prepared to learn how to do electrical work, engine work, driveline and supension work.

I would say 15-20mpg on the M1009s if you drive 55-60mph. 15 on the 1008s at 50-55mph.

The A/C install requires some mechnical knowledge
http://www.odiron.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=17_120&products_id=647

 

[M1009 Fiend]

I got 22 average on 31s- Doing 65, and now on 33's i get 18-20.

 

[camojcory]

thanks for the input guys. I am capable of working on my own equipment, i'm just not familiar with diesel engines or 24v systems. i once had a '77 blazer with 33's and loved every minute of it.

it looks like an A/C unit will run about $1000 so i will have to figure that into my total purchase price i guess. i need to have one as it is humid in my area and the wife will no doubt have to drive this thing at times.

i am concerned about its top speed though. i'm not a speed demon, but i do alot of highway driving. i would really like to get 70 mph at least. is this a pipe dream with these vehicles? is there a magic combo with gears, tires, and maybe a turbo to get me there? and if so, what would happen to my fuel mileage.

 

[taylordc15]

I use my M1009 as a daily driver, 70 is no problem on the highway. Mine has the OD iron AC in it, the kit is complete with everything you need but it is not a simple bolt on. The kit alone will not cool your truck, these trucks have no insulation and the AC just cant keep up. I have been trying to decide what to do to it for insulation but haven't done anything yet so I can't say how well the AC does with different forms of insulation. I too keep seeing posts about 22 or more MPG but normaly only get 17-18, I suspect that the new low sulfur diesel has something to do with the lower milage.

 

[mikelee]

Did really well with my 84 1009 around 20-21 mpg. a/c is available for these trucks. all around very simple to work on Keep in mind the age and replace all fluids / filters. I replace lift and injector pumps on both mine just for peace of mindGood luck on your search hope you find a clean one

 

[camojcory]

What size tires do you have? I have read that to get the good fuel mileage with diesel engines you have to find the sweet spot between speed and rpm's. do they 09's have a rpm gauge in them?

also you bring up another good thing to think about. i live in South Dakota where sub zero temps are comin in the winter. will the heater and lack of insulation be enough to keep me from freezing? i don't remember being cold in my '77 blazer or '79 sierra. do they all have the same type of heating units?

not sure how hot it gets in corpus, but here it's more the humidity than the heat. usually in the 80' to 90's w/ up to 100% humidity in the worst of summer.

 

[filo]

The heaters are the same as the civilian versions and keep up with our cold climates. (I'm in MN) A search here will show you good glow plugs to put in them, as well as the good advice above and you shouldn't have a problem with our winters.
Another thing to note is due to the lack of insulation (sound deadening) and the diesel, they are pretty loud. But that is part of their appeal to me.

 

[Warthog]

i am concerned about its top speed though. i'm not a speed demon, but i do alot of highway driving. i would really like to get 70 mph at least. is this a pipe dream with these vehicles? is there a magic combo with gears, tires, and maybe a turbo to get me there? and if so, what would happen to my fuel mileage.

Doing more than 70 in a 1009 is possible. I was riding in the back seat when I took this picture. The problem is the engine is reving really high. For short term that is okay, long term.....????

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/upcomi...workday-chow-run-april-25th-2.html#post373317

I have seen a picture of one truck that had a factury tach. All most all of the CUCVs do not have one.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/cucv/28797-tach-cucv.html

 

[pidgeon]

I use my bone stock 85 as my daily driver. I get around 21-24 depending on highway/city. I do 70 regularly 75 on a rare occasion. As for upkeep, so far, I've found them to be simple as dirt to work on. Nothing particularly surprising that I've seen so far at least on a general maintenance front..

 

[Sgt Hulka]

I use mine daily. 70mph no problem. 22mpg no problem. Love my stock tires but may go to 33s at the most. The only 24 volt component is the starter. Everything else is 12v. You might consider converting to full 12v, but that's just my very humble preference... You'll love the M1009.

 

[topgun217]

I luv my first 1009! Sure there are "little" issues but like WartHog said, hey it's a 25 y/o vehicle and things happen, look at the new Toycrapola's! The great thing about my 1009 is there is no computer system to go bad! If your worried about the a/c & heat issues, go to a local junk yard and see if there are any 84 to 87 civy blazers, get the rear panels from it, paint em' green of course, go to Lowes or Home Depot and buy a roll of the foil insulation and a can of spray adhesive and install everything!

Trust the people on this site when asking for help, they are a wealth of information and knowledge ! You won't go wrong with the right M1009

 

[Braunchitis]

I use mine as a daily driver. Of course, it is now about 24 years old, and has problems occasionally. So expect that. Despite that, I still love my truck and plan on keeping it for a long time. You'll like yours too.

As for the AC, I didn't bother, I get along just fine without one. If you get an M1009, remember, the top comes off the back. Which makes it cooler in both senses of the word.

 

[Sajer]

I picked up a nice m1009 last month and it is sitting as I fix a few minor issues. The speedo cable was not working as were a few lights, but that appears to have been a loose wire harness and all is well. I'm also changing all the fluids from the ground up as well as the filters.
I had been driving a few times a week and normal mpg is 20 with mixed city and highway.
Yes, it gets a bit cold in the winter and is very noisey inside, but like others have said i enjoy the noise. Though a radio is on tap next. I will probably not get air, but i will do a tint to the reaer windows.
Good luck and have fun.

 

[croftonaviation]

I just got mine delivered last weekend. It really is almost as cool as a deuce and a half with way less noise and fuel. I replaced a compact korean car and a mini van and it feels great to have a real truck again. Go for it.

Tom

 

[CARNAC]

I use mine as a daily driver and have used a CUCV since 2005 as one. It was cheap and works for me. I don't have a/c and this will be my first full summer in Atlanta. That;ll probably suck but I don't see myself putting a/c in this thing.

 

[justinwregier]

I have a daily driven 1986 M1009 and the truck rocks! Compared to any other 24 year old truck purchased for what these CUCV's go for it is hard to find an equal. 4x4, diesel, functional bumper hooks/grill guard, removable top and a camo paint scheme is what sold me.

Probably due to what I put the truck though my maintenance bill maybe a bit higher than some but the project is well worth it. Personally I have received amazing feedback from this site troubleshooting and resolving issues with my M1009. That being said I would expect to invest some time and resources into owning a CUCV. In the last year and 13,000 miles I have done a new complete rear axle, brakes all around, new multi gear 24v starter, glow plugs, gp controller, regular rotella oil changes, all gear box fluids changed, two new batteries, a heater fan switch, all the fuses plus plenty of not so appropriate fixes involving spray paint, self taping screws, zip ties and late nights staring at pdfs of the TMs. Overall with purchase price included the bill is around 5k. Not to bad really but I only focus on mechanical expenses again some repairs are due to my own driving on road and off. Total restoration costs would be a lot more and I am sure some of the pros hear could comment on that.

Overall I am proud to say my wife and I drive the M1009 everyday and have a blast. Recently we drove from Napoleon OH to Wichita KS on a 4 day round trip visit of about 1900 miles at 65 mph the whole way. Maybe about 18 mpg with pump diesel for my truck. That trip made me smile since I saw three CUCVs in three seperate places on the side of the I-70 (all in Missouri) and even a duece rolling down the highway too.

Anyway these trucks really are great to have, best of luck hunting for your CUCV!

 

[T_F_E]

I use mine daily. 70mph no problem. 22mpg no problem. Love my stock tires but may go to 33s at the most. The only 24 volt component is the starter. Everything else is 12v. You might consider converting to full 12v, but that's just my very humble preference... You'll love the M1009.

I had 33's for a week but they destroyed my mileage