Tons of Questions for the Experts

[Demlockian]

Reliability and Dependability
Overall, how reliable is a properly maintained M1009?
What are the weak points on the M1009 that need to replaced upon purchase?

Daily Driving and Performance
From what I hear the 6.2L Detroit really lacks power, what can be done to help remedy this on a budget?
How complex is adding air conditioning to one of these trucks?
I know the truck can run on multiple types of fuels. What are the differences and can they be mixed?

Towing
What can be done to increase towing capacity or is it limited by the M1009s physical size and weight?
If I needed to pull a friend home from an off road trip that weights 6,000 pounds will this vehicle safely handle it?

Off Road Performance
Is it possible to do a spring over axle lift (not sure position from factory)?
At what lift height do I need new drive shafts or steering linkage?
How much suspension travel can a M1009 utilize safely?

Tires
I see you can run a 35" tire with a 3" lift but how much lift is required to run a 37" tire (not afraid to trim metal)?
Do they sell new speedometer gears to calibrate the M1009 for 37" tires and 4.11 gears?
What upgrades will need to be performed on the axle (truss, gusset, shafts, etc...)?
Will I need new ball joints or tie rod ends with 35" or 37" tires?

Price Point
What should I expect to pay for a M1009 in Arizona. It seems most guys here want $6,000 for a M1009 with fuel problems and rust.

Sorry for all the questions and thanks for your help!

-Jeff

 

[HASSON1911]

Your going to get it sooner or later, so I guess I'll be the bear of bad news. You should google search all those questions with "cucv" in the search and will come up with TONS of thread that have detailed all the questions to the "T" on this site.

This I can answer:

DD: many have done it and are still doing it, they get great mileage considering.

Towing: nill to none they weren't made for towing, its a really weak diesel engine in that aspect.

Offroad: I believe it can be one of the best performing offroad vehicle for its price point.

Price: Ive seen mints go for $1500 and junkers go for $4500. It all depends on what its worth to you. Personally on a good runner I would hesitate to drop $1.5

 

[swbradley1]

Don't take this the wrong way.....

Yes, I know I will get dinged for this by someone on the site but did you even try to search first before posting?

Did you look at the forums? Just a guess but I think almost all of your questions have been answered.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/forumdisplay.php?47-CUCV

 

[jw4x4]

You have tons of reading to do. The 6.2 diesel is designed to run only diesel. However, there are some people that run a mix in warmer climates.

 

[Mainsail]

Daily Driving and Performance
From what I hear the 6.2L Detroit really lacks power, what can be done to help remedy this on a budget?
How complex is adding air conditioning to one of these trucks?
I know the truck can run on multiple types of fuels. What are the differences and can they be mixed?

-Jeff

The engine doesn’t lack power- it has all the power it’s supposed to have. The truck weighs almost three tons in standard form (base vehicle, driver, gear, etc) so don’t expect it to shove you back in the seat. Performance is adequate, nothing more. The M1009 isn’t a performer out of the box- if you have money to burn you can a brick fast.

AC- add it if you want, if you have the money.

The truck can run on diesel. It may run on heating oil, WMO, machine oil, and if you have the time and know-how, WVO. I’ll be mixing in WMO to about 25% as soon as I get a filtering set-up.

You might consider something else besides the M1009 given your questions. There’s a cross-over point where it’s easier to make a civilian K5 look like a M1009 than it is to make a M1009 act like a civvie K5. My local craigslist has several K5s pretty cheap, with AC and lifts already. Big Broncos come up when I search as well, so maybe another option.

 

[Demlockian]

If you know of a good reading article please direct me to it. It would be much appreciated.

Trying to determine if a M1009 or Jeep Cherokee is better for me...

You might consider something else besides the M1009 given your questions. There’s a cross-over point where it’s easier to make a civilian K5 look like a M1009 than it is to make a M1009 act like a civvie K5. My local craigslist has several K5s pretty cheap, with AC and lifts already. Big Broncos come up when I search as well, so maybe another option.

I have thought about that to much extent. I decided on the M1009 for the diesel engine, 3/4 ton axles, and pure cool factor. My budget will allow for about $7,500 to be dropped on day one for vehicle, required maintenance, and upgrades.

 

[jw4x4]

1009's do NOT have 3/4 ton axles. They are 1/2 ton. If driven and maintained properly, they are quite adequate. If not, failure is eminent.

 

[Warthog]

Thanks for you service!!!

The M1009 is a stock barebones K5 that has had some very minor upgrades. They are not anything special like a Deuce or 5ton.

And you do not want to tow a 6000lb truck with a 5000lb truck. It doesn't work very well.

They are not 3/4 tons axles they are 1/2 ton ten bolts. Same as the standard K5 axles. If you are wanting to run 37" tires you will be totally underwhelmed with the performance. With the 135hp and 3.08 gears, big tires do not work very well.

The military spec'ed the the M1009s to run around the base, cruise down the highway and get decent fuel mileage. It does that well. It does NOT even come close to todays diesels (6bt, Dmax, PS).

Sounds like you mighty want to spend some time over at www.coloradoK5.com .

Being in the military do you have the time or space to work on a 25+ year old vehicle?

 

[Paycheck]

Do these engines have a normal knock sound to the


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