What have you done to your CUCV today/lately - Part 2

[emeralcove]

I experienced that same issue on a 1980 K-5 Blazer, the mechanic at the front end shop had to torque the pinch bolt on the Pitman Arm way past the specified torque, he didn't even use a torque wrench, just wailed away with an impact, the "clunk" never came back and that was over 30 years ago.
Today I finally found a vibration rattle that has bugged me for a long time, well since I got my M1009 in 2011. There were lots of rattles that have been resolved but this last one I just couldn't find, although since I have replaced both alternators over the years, I am sure it was my fault. I was crawling around under the front to the engine trying to find the source of an oil leak and saw this. As you can see the flange nut has backed off almost all the way on the drivers side alternator bracket, but since this little truck "likes me" it held on to the nut and rattled annoyingly, like my dog barking at the door to be let in, until I finally saw it and tightened it back up, I get lucky a lot that way, LOL.

 

[antennaclimber]

Finally got a chance to try towing the M101A2 camper behind the modified M1008. Rebuilt engine, transmission, transfer case, new driveshaft parts, new spring bushings, cab mounts, engine mounts, new shocks and a few other new parts. This truck rides much better and handles much better than before the refurbishing. Towed the trailer with ease. Much better than the M1009 did.

Still have a few things to do. Next week it will get a complete new exhaust system installed.

 

[Mainsail]

owed the trailer with ease. Much better than the M1009 did.

I don't think the M1009 was good for towing anything heavier than a B-4 stand around the flightline.

 

[antennaclimber]

I don't think the M1009 was good for towing anything heavier than a B-4 stand around the flightline.

I agree, it does do well down hill.......

 

[Tinstar]

Finally got a chance to try towing the M101A2 camper behind the modified M1008. Rebuilt engine, transmission, transfer case, new driveshaft parts, new spring bushings, cab mounts, engine mounts, new shocks and a few other new parts. This truck rides much better and handles much better than before the refurbishing. Towed the trailer with ease. Much better than the M1009 did.
Still have a few things to do. Next week it will get a complete new exhaust system installed.

That looks great!
Tons of work but well worth it.
I know you don’t do things half-a$$.

I still want that camper trailer!

 

[antennaclimber]

That looks great!
Tons of work but well worth it.
I know you don’t do things halfa$$.

I still want that camper trailer!

Thanks for the compliments.

This truck and camper are scheduled for use on the 2019 MVPA Convoy. So it's not going to be sold anytime soon.
Now do I fix up the 5 ton or rebuild the M1010??

 

[TechnoWeenie]

I finally gathered all the parts I needed to install the big antenna on the CUCV.

I'm not really sure what this was used for, but I think it was a training antenna for triggering or jamming IEDs? Not sure. Anyway, there was a 315MHz whip antenna mounted in a plexiglass strip that is screwed into the lid of the antenna tube. Below the antenna is a 40db attenuator (why?) then a long bit of thin coax down the otherwise empty tube to the PL-259 in the base.

I picked up a Comet SBB-5NMO for a couple reasons- it's the tallest that can fit inside the tube, and and it doesn't need a ground plane. I also got a 10" bulkhead connector and an adapter to make it NMO. This was a bit of a mistake. My plan was to screw a nut underneath, and another inside the tube at the base- but that would have prevented the spring from bending. Instead I have the nuts on each side of the tube base. This will work for now and let the spring move some, but I'll noodle the mount set-up.

Once the antenna was inside the tube, I found another problem; the antenna flexes and will bang around inside the tube- not ideal. Remember that plexiglass piece that's screwed into the tube lid? I put a rubber grommet in the hole (where the whip was mounted) and fed the Comet antenna up through. This keeps the upper part of the antenna centered in the tube and not slapping around.

For giggles I sat the tube on top of the riser- easily gets the whole antenna above the roof-line but between the weight of the antenna assembly and the wind load I expect, I think the bracket will crack over time. I pulled the riser off and bolted the antenna to the bracket and connected the antenna feed line from the radio.

The results are very good. I'm hitting repeaters loud-&-clear I usually can't hit from my driveway. The signal is getting in and out of the tube just fine. The Sheriffs' and fire freqs are coming in better than the previous as well.

What's the tube made of?

 

[rustystud]

I experienced that same issue on a 1980 K-5 Blazer, the mechanic at the front end shop had to torque the pinch bolt on the Pitman Arm way past the specified torque, he didn't even use a torque wrench, just wailed away with an impact, the "clunk" never came back and that was over 30 years ago.
Today I finally found a vibration rattle that has bugged me for a long time, well since I got my M1009 in 2011. There were lots of rattles that have been resolved but this last one I just couldn't find, although since I have replaced both alternators over the years, I am sure it was my fault. I was crawling around under the front to the engine trying to find the source of an oil leak and saw this.View attachment 741575 As you can see the flange nut has backed off almost all the way on the drivers side alternator bracket, but since this little truck "likes me" it held on to the nut and rattled annoyingly, like my dog barking at the door to be let in, until I finally saw it and tightened it back up, I get lucky a lot that way, LOL.

Another problem area is the power steering pump bracket. Those bolts like to come loose for some reason. They need to be inspected on a regular basis.

 

[cucvrus]

I experienced that same issue on a 1980 K-5 Blazer, the mechanic at the front end shop had to torque the pinch bolt on the Pitman Arm way past the specified torque, he didn't even use a torque wrench, just wailed away with an impact, the "clunk" never came back and that was over 30 years ago.
Today I finally found a vibration rattle that has bugged me for a long time, well since I got my M1009 in 2011. There were lots of rattles that have been resolved but this last one I just couldn't find, although since I have replaced both alternators over the years, I am sure it was my fault. I was crawling around under the front to the engine trying to find the source of an oil leak and saw this.View attachment 741575 As you can see the flange nut has backed off almost all the way on the drivers side alternator bracket, but since this little truck "likes me" it held on to the nut and rattled annoyingly, like my dog barking at the door to be let in, until I finally saw it and tightened it back up, I get lucky a lot that way, LOL.

I think that is the power steering pivot adjustment nut you have pictured. And what about that bolt hole in the water pump. Not sure if that is normal. I would have to look. But if that was vibrating the back side of that bracket will have a hex worn into it. I would remove the bracket and fix the surface via welding/grinding or just put a 3/8" grade 8 flat washer behind the bracket to protect it from further hex head erosion on the back side. Because now you have added force to the area. Take it apart and look you will see what I am talking about. Easy to fix.

 

[cucvrus]

I don't think the M1009 was good for towing anything heavier than a B-4 stand around the flightline.

I beg to differ on the towing capability of the M1009. I used my Crown of Thorns M1009 for 20 years the hard way. I tore down a house with an M1009. It never quit. I sold it a few months ago. That is a very capable vehicle if care and common sense are applied when towing is taking place. And that was a stock M1009 with new leaf springs and properly maintained. Of the pictures I posted the chipper was the heaviest thing I ever towed. I towed several M1010's with it. Have a Great Day. Be safe. This was my flight line. It never left me down.

 

[emeralcove]

Thanks cucvrus, I didn't even notice the bolt hole without a bolt, if it weren't raining like crazy right now I would take a look this morning, hopefully it will let up and I can slide under and take a look and address it today. It has been a very reliable driver for me and since moving to Washington from Southern California it has been even more enjoyable. In SoCal I liked the 4 wheel drive because the roads are so bad, very hard on tires and suspension, in Washington the roads are much better but we get some snow and lots of rain so the 4 wheel drive is very useful. Also the lack of A/C isn't such a big deal here. The K-5 Blazer I have was used for towing all the time, it had a 350 gas engine but originally had 3.08 gears like the M1009 but is a manual transmission.

 

[Mainsail]

What's the tube made of?

I'm totally guessing, but either some type of fiberglass or plastic. Working from memory I recall seeing a spun pattern on the unpainted inside of the tube like I would expect from fiberglass, but then I also remember curls of plastic where the sheet-metal screws attache the lid to the tube so....

Yeah, that's helpful.

It's all coming back apart once I find a shop to drill and tap some holes. I'd try but I don't have the tools to do it as accurately as I want it to be. I basically need to build a bridge off the inside of the tube base to hold the NMO, then a short pigtail down through the spring (so I don't have to dissemble the whole tube to disconnect the antenna).

Right now the spring can flex enough to prevent anything from breaking while driving on-road, but a branch or other immovable object would bend or break the SO-239 bulkhead connector, or break the tube.

EDIT to delete the auction link. Although the linked auction is closed, the auction site redirects to an active auction which is against the rules here.

 

[emeralcove]

Power Steering V-Belt Adjustment

Today, I replaced the bolt missing from the water pump on my M1009 that cucvrus noticed in the photo I posted. To get to the bolt I had to remove the sheave on the water pump which means removing the v-belts........... Oh Joy! I have always had trouble adjusting the tension on the power steering pump v-belt so between rain storms, I was determined to find a way to do so with out prying on the power steering reservoir. The lowest of the 3 bolts that are used for adjusting tension has a square nut welded to the bracket that the adjusting bolt threads into, a 3/4" 8-point socket fits on the "nut" and provides a solid place to put tension on the bracket with out touching the easy to bend/tear reservoir, since I am working alone, I used a wood working clamp between the breaker bar handle and the leaf spring to hold tension while I then proceeded to tighten the adjustment bolts and pivot bolts. After that the alternators are very easy and having proper tension on the power steering pump is required for the drivers side alternator to have enough adjustment. While this may be common knowledge, I wanted to share it for all the people like me that didn't already know this trick.

 

[Rutjes]

A mate came by and he was like "the cab is loose right, let's try and lift it off". It was heavy, but not as heavy as I expected it to be.



We also dropped the transmission/transfer-case and the fuel tank.

 

[Chaski]

Over the weekend I drove my 1008 clone over the highest mountain pass on I5 (4,310’). Took it over the pass to check out if I had fixed my puking gear oil out of the breather problem. Turns out the oil had water in it. Fresh oil and a breather hose up to the engine compartment fixed it.

Got some strange looks at the Mercedes dealership (was looking at vans). Got some lunch and headed home.

 

[german m1008]

...... I probably destroyed living space there



.....LOL

 

[emeralcove]

Probably get better fuel mileage....................

 

[LT67]

Changed oil and filters on both M1008's today. I'm assuming the oil in the 86 hasn't been changed in a while as I had to use the breaker bar to get the drain plug loose....

 

[Evil Dr. Porkchop]

I added a back rack to my plow truck after a little bit of cutting and welding:


Yesterday I removed all the front sheet metal on my other m1028 while it's in the process of some rocker panel work. I'm going to change out the harmonic balancer and probably look at adding the banks turbo kit I have for it. After that's done I'll install NOS GM fenders, new inner fenders, an NOS radiator, and replace the core support, grille, and everything else it needs.

 

[emeralcove]

I swapped out sheaves on the drivers side alternator so they both sheaves on the alternators are approx. 78 mm in diameter. The rebuild alternator originally had a sheave of approx. 68 mm in diameter which is why I had no adjustment left even with a new belt, now it is great. As cucvrus said the, rate of charge did not change at all with the sheave diameter so other than the belt needing to be 1-1/4" shorter, the sheave size has no affect on the rate of charging although I do think the smaller diameter does wear out the belt faster which is something to consider over the long term. I did discover not only was the sheave a different diameter but the fan and spacers are different as well so the solid steel sheave is not a direct replacement for the stamped steel sheave but all the pieces together swapped over with no problem, didn't even have to pull the alternator off the engine.