Why did the army pick GM? With picture

[Cucvnut]

You posted that on the FB cucv page.

 

[Gunzy]

Well let's be clear, the CUCV was very different than the civy Chevys. 1st is the Dana 60 front axle which was not available in a Chevy. There are a lot of other required changes/upgrades that the CUCVs got too. Now, as far as not buying Fords? They did, and a LOT of them. Oh, and the Fords had the same off the shelf drivetrains and equipment as the ones sold at dealers to the public, NOT modified or ugraded. So what does that say? And yes, the CUCV was a "Low bid" contract like everything else the military gets. Now I admit that I am a long time Ford guy and just recently purchased a CUCV(M1031 Contact truck), the CUCV is interesting but I still prefer my Fords, but that's just me being me, your oppinion and mileage may vary.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Respectfully, I will have to disagree on the 60 front statement. All 4x4 1 tons (they started in 77) got the 60 front right up to the body change. The V30 and V3500 got them up to 1991.

 

[welpro222]

All makes had dana 60 in the front ends of there heavy duty 4x4 trucks. Chevy k30, Dodge W250-350, Ford F-350. The chevy dana-60 was the best of those 3. All manufactures did away with the king pins and went to ball joints in the 90s. I believe the chevy and dodge dana 60 were very similar, the ford model was the weakest with smaller brakes, smaller spindle studs, and smaller knuckles.

 

[welpro222]

They did, and a LOT of them. Oh, and the Fords had the same off the shelf drivetrains and equipment as the ones sold at dealers to the public, NOT modified or ugraded

The chevys got down graded, as far as no A/C, no power options, no radio, and no sound proofing The army never bought Fords, only Dodges back in the 70's.

 

[Al Harvey]

Actually there were Fords bought by the Army. They were special, just regular trucks but some got data plates installed. The one that comes to mind was officially called Stake Truck, I believe I saw a mid 70s Ford stake bed. It is interesting that since the Jeeps, Ford never made any special built vehicles for the military. Correct me if I'm wrong on that.

 

[welpro222]

I think if I had a mid 90's Ford ext cab truck body and interior, with a 80's chevy drivetrain (minus engine) and suspensions/axles, with a dodge cummins 6BT in it. This would be mine ideal CUCV custom build.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

I think if I had a mid 90's Ford ext cab truck body and interior, with a 80's chevy drivetrain (minus engine) and suspensions/axles, with a dodge cummins 6BT in it. This would be mine ideal CUCV custom build.

Make mine a crew cab with dualies in the back and I'm good to go!

 

[Keith_J]

Ford was initial contractor for M151 MUTT.

 

[swbradley1]

Made by the lowest bidder

We reminded our pilots of that every time they got pissy with us on the carrier.

 

[Gunzy]

USAF had and has a lot of Ford trucks. Last year I picked up 2 F350 crew cabs at auction that were in pretty good shape. They were both "Off the shelf" F350s, A/C, 351 FI, A/T, and long bed with just a little over 100k on them.

 

[KaiserM109]

A lot of very good back-and-forth and a lot of good points, but you should put all this into perspective.

The old M37 series was really long-in-the-tooth in the late '50s and early '60 and the govt went to Jeep for a version of the Gladiator pickup and they gave them the M715 series. Unfortunately Jeep sold them with a crappy overhead cam in-line 6 that needed a tow truck on call. Jeep gave up on that engine for civilian purposes, but the govt had already bought a pile of them.

When the Army started gearing up for Vietnam, instead of included M715s in the TO&E, they remanufactured M37s which were obsolete in 1960. Very few M715 went to SE Asia.

The govt needed some sort of stop-gap solution until they could resolve the requirements which later resulted in the HMMWV and a modified Blazer is what they decided upon. I have always leaned toward Ford, but I have to admit that the CUCV line was a good solution.

 

[Al Harvey]

I know why. It's because they are biodegradable!!!!!

 

[porkysplace]

I know why. It's because they are biodegradable!!!!!
View attachment 577722

Yep on a quite night you can hear a chevy rust.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Rust is an equal opportunity assailant.

 

[porkysplace]

Rust is an equal opportunity assailant.

Yep here in michigan they rust from the bottom up , down in florida they rust from the top down .

 

[german m1008]

ALL vehicles,, thats not a GM phenomenon

 

[welpro222]

It will interesting to see a 2015 truck in about 30 years from now to see how they are holding up.

 

[german m1008]

Rust will be allways a problem. Trucks from today in 30 years has its own problems (electronics), but thats another topic.

 

[86m1028]

It will interesting to see a 2015 truck in about 30 years from now to see how they are holding up.

I would be willing to bet in 2045 there won't be a single 2015 model truck on the road.

We have had 2 new trucks, an 2008 that lasted just shy of 2 years & then a 2010 that has lasted close to 3 years.
Both have had numerous & I mean NUMEROUS electrical problems (harness rubs & broken wires)
Trucks are driven on unpaved roads mostly (they are maintained roads just not paved).
They flat out can not take the vibration.
We now keep the new trucks home & buy used trucks, put 60-70k on them & sell before they become completely un-drivable.
I can't imagine one of these new ones in 30 years.

The trucks are now just cars with a large open area in the back.