UK Newbie factory paint finish question

[CVRTkid]

Hi all,

Having just purchased an ex USAAF M1009, I wondered what the gloss-finish, original factory paint finish was? I can see it on the inside of the bottom of the doors and quite fancy painting the rest of it in that color. I've looked at the manuals and they only mention the in service color schemes and paint codes.

My M1009 is an interesting vehicle in having not been fully militarized; no evidence of ever having had the 24V radio wiring installed (terminal bars on bulkhead are present), nor front grille blackout lamp or inter-start connections having been installed (no evidence of wiring or corresponding holes). It does have the front blackout lamps low down, and has rear ones in the USAAF bumper which also has a NATO socket. The interior is complete with all the original trim, all in good condition but in need of some cleaning and TLC. The front tie down points show no sign of having been installed.

On the road she is lovely and tight, having been owned by a truck mechanic for the last 10 years and was serviced every 12 weeks as it was his daily drive. The chassis is in fine condition, and covered liberally in waxoil. She has a 700R4 transmission which locks the torque converter in 3rd an overdrive. I drove her 200 miles from Yorkshire to Gatwick and when I put my foot down at 65mph to overtake a vehicle on the motorway, she didn't want to stop accelerating!

 

[cucvrus]

My guess is that you have a clone. Not a genuine CUCV. The emblems the under hood is not correct and the bumpers and wheels seem odd. That is my guess. Someone took a civilian K-5 Blazer and added a few parts to attempt to replicate the CUCV M1009. Counterfeit. My opinion only. Nothing looks right or sounds right about what you are showing. A few add on CUCV parts is all I see.

 

[eme411]

best thing I can say on your vehicle is check your vehicles history with the Ministry and post photos of all of your data plates , you should have a U.S. Property plate on the driver's side door post, judging by the colour on the firewall , you may have an original that has gone to the civy side with civy parts added, hope this helps,

 

[rsh4364]

Whether or not a cucv,looks like a nice truck.Congrats on that,would like to see more picts.of it.

 

[CUCVLOVER]

Whether or not a cucv,looks like a nice truck.Congrats on that,would like to see more picts.of it.

Ditto

 

[tim292stro]

Do you have the VIN? We can tell if it's a D10 or a K5 Blazer...

Based on the extra badges that are on the truck that shouldn't be there, and the trippy non-factory bumper on the rear, this looks like a clone build someone did - also missing the second battery tray on the passenger fender (civilian version is one battery each side), NATO slave port, blackout drive light, front and rear tie-down gear (both the shackles and apparently the frame mounts)... 700R4 is also not stock, but is very desirable with the right gearing and tire size changes.

If it's a D10 CUCV Blazer, the vin should read: 1G8ED18J7FF123456

Where:
1 = US Built
G = General Motors
8 = Chevrolet MPV
E = 6001 - 7000lb GVW Brakes
D = Military Truck 4x4
1 = 1/2 Ton Chassis
8 = Blazer
J = 6.2L Diesel, Federal Emissions
7 = Check Digit
F = Year Code, D = '83, E = '84, F = '85, G = '86
F = Flint Michigan Plant
123456 = Production Sequence Number

You can find the VIN decoder cards on GM's service portal: https://service.gm.com/dealerworld/vincards/

Still as others said, it seems like a clean truck

 

[CVRTkid]

Thanks for the info guys, I will check the VIN. We do know that it came from an air base in the UK (I recall Molesworth being mentioned), and that it came through the same scrap dealer as a lot of other UK based ex US military vehicles. The guy I bought it off has a picture of this particular vehicle sitting in a well known UK scrap yard, of which I can't think of the name right now but I have it written down at home; unfortunately he didn't want to part with the picture as it had several other vehicles he has owned in it. A good friend of mine also has a Canadian spec Chevy (crew cab) pickup with a 6.5L V8 turbo and manual transmission that came from the same scrap yard and air base, so it seems not uncommon to find US civvy spec vehicles on USAF bases in the UK.

There are a few identifiable marks on the vehicle (now painted over but I've seen the pictures and seen evidence under the now fading paint) which do show its former military provenance/use. It may well be that it is a civvy model that had the bare minimum carried out to "militarize" it, as the evidence presented seems to suggest. I have also seen one other UK based M1009 that wasn't fully militarized, but again has provenance. They common factor seems to be that both were ex USAF ones and only used in the UK, and likely never left air bases. I do know that there have been a few civvy bits put under the hood by the last owner, and he had fitted a civvy battery tray as the military one had rotted out. He had also carried out the 24V to 12V conversion, showed me all the removed parts, and the removed alternator had been used to replace the other which had eventually failed. I have heard horror stories about botched conversions, but the previous owner is an experienced truck mechanic and his standards of work and maintenance are exemplary. Being an ex truck and bus mechanic and serving rail engineer, I was more interested in the mechanical and electrical condition of the vehicle so wouldn't have touched it if it seemed in any way compromised.

I know that it shouldn't have the Blazer badges on the front fenders, but the previous owner fitted them when he put new fenders and arches on (due to off-road damage- she's seen some use!) as he had a few in stock. The wheels are from a civvy spec blazer the previous owner had sold a year ago - as he wasn't planning on selling this particular Blazer, he had swapped the wheels between the 2 as he had put new tyres on these wheels. Makes sense to me!

I will say that in the UK its not unknown for the MOD to have written-off Land Rovers (ie uneconomic to repair) and swap all or some of the military fittings onto a newly bought civvy spec model. Could be the case with my machine. I am aware that it is likely not a correct spec CUCV, but it was not sold to me under any pretense, and a very favorable price. The vendor was more that happy to point out all the bits that weren't correct for a true mil-spec vehicle, and part of the joy of ownership is figuring out the differences and why they are there!

Not sure what the gearing is (I was told but forgot) but she kicks into top gear around 45mph (around 1800RPM I was told) and the engine seems to find a sweet spot around 60-65mph. Acceleration from there upwards is surprisingly swift. All in all I'm impressed with the truck, she'll be used as a 2nd vehicle so about 40-50 miles use every other week over (2x20+ mile journeys) and I can take her to military or car shows and I can also put my daughter in it as the 3 point belts will allow fitment of a car seat. Having had 7 Land Rovers of various sorts over the years, I've cured myself of that disease and fancied something a bit more civilized!

Vince

 

[CVRTkid]

BTW, if anyone can shed any light on these markings, I'd be grateful. They were on the rear tail gate.

I also know that the fuel filter is also a modification, that type is fairly standard (and cheap!) in the UK, a modification I approve of.

I've now remembered the UK scrap dealer it came from - Mumbersons. I believe that they had a great deal of US vehicles, most came direct from Air Force bases.

I can also see where the aerial mount was on the passenger side, but it was removed by the last owner and the holes filled in. She did also have a radio tray in the back, but it has been modified (again by the previous owner) to have the spare wheel in the rear. Apparently a few UK based USAF Blazers had the spare mounted externally on the rear of the body.

 

[eme411]

sounds more and more like a OE M-1009,

 

[tim292stro]

As several of us have said, it's a good looking truck. To me personally, I don't worry that it could be a clone of a consumer model (that would be rather hypocritical of me), one way or another it will have taken a good deal of work to keep or restore that truck to the current condition!

There is an entire forum dedicated here to those who are purists, and those who wish to improve on or replicate what the military ordered, so no matter what, that truck and you are welcome here.

To me this is an exercise in identifying the truck, so I'll be interested to hear about the 5th character of the VIN, if it turns out to be a civilian truck that was post-converted to a military by the military, then I'm just as interested to learn about it.

 

[CVRTkid]

Well, the plot thickens. See my VIN code on the left compared to standard M1009 posted by Tim292stro. The code is 1GCGD34JTEFxxxxxx


1 1 = US Built
G G = General Motors
C 8 = Chevrolet MPV
G E = 6001 - 7000lb GVW Brakes
D D = Military Truck 4x4
3 1 = 1/2 Ton Chassis
4 8 = Blazer
J J = 6.2L Diesel, Federal Emissions
T 7 = Check Digit
E F = Year Code, D = '83, E = '84, F = '85, G = '86
F F = Flint Michigan Plant

That translates on mine to Chev Truck, 8001-9000 GVW brakes, 1 ton chassis, 2door cab, 1984. Doesn't seem to be the truck outside my house though! Could it be something the Military have put together from the remains of something else (perhaps following an accident?), or just assembled a bunch of new (and different to as built) body parts on a truck chassis to suit a particular purpose? Anything on the chassis or mechanics that might identify it as a 1 ton?

 

[dmetalmiki]

That particular yard bids on and clears civilian vehicles left/ abandoned after servicemen leave, or finish a tour of duty leaving stuff behind. They pay the vat and taxes due (if any) selling to purchasers to register and M.O.T. if applicable.

 

[tim292stro]

Yeah, I agree with you, that VIN does not match the truck you have - that's a pickup VIN.

The C instead of an 8 classifies this truck as a, well.. truck, not an SUV (MPV)
The 3 instead of the 1 translates to 1-ton instead of 1/2 ton.
But most importantly, the 4 instead of the 8 for the body style indicates this should be a two-door truck cab, not a Blazer.

My guess is that this is a VIN from an M1028, the heavier shelter carrier of the two pickup variants (IIRC the M1008/M1010 = D2(0) and the M1028 = D3(0)). There should be two VIN plates, one just inside the driver's side windshield on the bottom edge, and one in the B-pillar of the driver's side door. If these don't match, I'd be a little concerned but you might find one is more correct than the other, if they do match I'd still be a little concerned, if you look for the stamp on the frame for the VIN and that doesn't match the VIN plates, I'd be more concerned. Can you post up the frame number and engine ID? I'm expecting we're going to find they don't correlate to the body/cab. GLove box often has a built tag in it attached to the inside, which will laso have a VIN (assuming someone hasn't removed it or painted over it).

Here someone has pictures and descriptions of where you can find two of the three locations for the VIN frame stamp: http://bowtieguy.proboards.com/post/3454/thread

 

[CVRTkid]

I'll take a look at the other numbers tonight. At the end of the day she's a tidy truck with a good spec, which will do what I require. She may turn out to be a civilian lash up of a couple of vehicles (seeming to be a very good one if thats the case) but either way, I can't say I'm bothered by it, but certainly curious!

 

[tim292stro]

Indeed, the curiosity has me going here, this would be the first "built from parts" truck I've been directly aware of outside an anecdote. Good opportunity to see something we don't every day.

 

[CVRTkid]

From a couple of people I've spoken to in the UK who know a bit about Blazers, it doesn't seem unusual for vehicles that have come off air bases (and also scrap yards) here to be a bit of a mish-mash.

 

[CVRTkid]

Unfortunately there is no VIN plate anywhere around the drivers door or frame, nor any sign of one in the glove box (which stills seems to be factory-fresh finish). Unless I find a frame number, I don't think I'll ever find out what she truly is/was! The door frames and upper cab structure looks to have had a lot of repair work done due to rust.

What I can ascertain from my brief ownership and inspection is that-
- The dash and front doors appear to be from the same vehicle as the gloss (military-esque shade) green matches. The dash also seems in far better condition than some of the rest of the truck so may have been a replacement. It has "Max speed 45mph" stenciled on it
- The roof and upper cab door frame apertures are matt black and appear to be welded in repair panels
- The passenger door frame has welded in repairs at the top which are definitely from a civy truck as they are shiny blue
- The rear tail gate is from a military truck due to the number of layers of green paint and markings on it
- The bulkhead appears to be of military origin due to the presence of the 24V terminal bar strips
- The engine was 24V and has the pulley and alternator bracket and was converted to 12V by the vendor
- Lifting the carpets reveled shades of green paint and black paint on the floor
- The radiator has military stencils and "USAF reg" scratched on it

I reckon the body and dash come from at least 3 different vehicles, and there is evidence of there having been a lot of rot in the upper cab and door frames. The chassis seems to be in a better state than the body, so maybe the vehicle has been re-framed. I noted at least 6 different types of green paint (which does suggest many repairs and also not untypical of vehicles which have seen military use) and a faded CARC stencil on the bonnet.

The important thing for me is that the VIN number matches all my UK registration documentation, so no issues there. The documentation suggests that she was registered when sold from a scrap yard, so prior to that was in the UK unregistered, which would support what I was told about it coming from an air base where use on public roads was not required (so no prior UK registration). If I find the frame number I will update.

 

[cucvrus]

How about some pictures of the instrument cluster and the gun racks behind the drivers seat. Is the center floor tunnel fitted for a fire extinguisher bracket? Does the back have the floor mounted fuel can hump. Up front the frame is doubled at the lift bracket attachments. These doubled frame pieces are riveted onto the frame with the same rivets that hold the spring mounts. They are the frame reinforcements in the picture at about 11 o clock. It does not matter to me what you have. If it works and drives run it for all its worth. I am just trying to help solve the hodge podge of parts that may be fixed and fitted together to make your machine. Thanks for looking.

 

[M813rc]

I don't see it pointed out earlier - the US Air Force uses a lot of vehicles contracted for solely by them, that are not "standard" military vehicles. They will have off-the-shelf civilian type vehicles modified according to their desire. Yours could very easily be an original USAF vehicle, even if it is not a standard M1009.

Cheers

 

[joshuak]

No matter what it turns out to be, it IS a nice truck CVRTkid, drive with pride.

... this would best the first "built from parts" truck I've been directly aware of outside an anecdote.

How about in a song?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWHniL8MyMM