Topic: Every considered buying Military Surplus Chevy Diesels?

[chrisfranklin]

Thinking about picking up one of these D10 Chevy Blazer Diesel 4x4s, 80's era; reasonable mileage, just as a second rig.  They are military surplus, need repair, but run.  Probably do  Bio-Diesel conversion on one for under $1,000 (sorry, actually "$2,000").  Jeep hasn't stepped up to produce  Diesel Wrangler for the states, so I'm looking for something. :roll:  

Technically the Blazers they sell as surplus, that I'm looking at, such as  http://cgi.govliquidation.com/auction/view?id=899835 are held at military bases in California.  I wonder whether this makes these vehicles ok for driving on Ca. public roads, emissions-wise or whether the feds let military-use vehicles side-step hardcore California Emissions regulations. Buying one of these Blazers for $2000 probably means opening up a can of worms that's going to cost you $20,000  

[Jeffy]

They're alright but do lack power.  The rear will have a Detroit, too. The trucks are street legal since they are commercial vehicles.  Emission wise, they are also legal.  CA does not smog Diesel's.  They're 24v so you'll need to run seperate lies for 12v power otherwise get 24v accessories.

I recommend updating the interior with later model parts.  What makes them nice is that many parts are interchangable over the years.  You can update the front ends and what not..

[KS98TJ]

My Dad was Program Manager for the CUCVs at U.S. Army TACOM in the 80s.  GM had some problems at first, but the trucks got pretty good by the mid-80s.

I'd try for one from a Reserve or National Guard unit- much lower usage.  The active duty rigs were ridden pretty hard.

Good luck!

[Erik]

buy one, swap the axles in your wrangler, and git-r-done.......    sell whats left and when you find the right buyer you'll end up with a 14 bolt rear and dana 60 front for under a grand most likely....

[chrisfranklin]

http://cgi.govliquidation.com/auction/view?id=899835.

There's this one over at Vandenberg AFB.  By the time you add in the buyer premium its currently still under $1000.  Auction ends in 18 hours and who knows what the other bidders have down for there Autobid price -- could be upwards of $2000.  

Buying these for under $1000 would sound like a great bargain.   But, it's probably going to need new rubber, transmission probably in questionable shape, anything that can wear out and need replacing probably needs to be replaced; probably looking at $4000-5000+ a ton of personal time just for all that.  You're dealing with 24Volt issues, too. Various issues with licensing etc are going to cost time and money.  Thing runs, but it's 20 years old and only has 65,000 miles on it -- how long has it been sidelined?

On plus side, though:
-Probably running a Detroit in the rear
-Diesel V8, though underpowered, which still apparently runs
*-Potential for a Bio-Diesel conversion
-4x4 (hopefully in order)
-Ton of Room (for me, I pay $1000 for the thing, that's what you pay for a year to use a closet-sized overflow "public storage" space in So Cal.  So, tint the windows, put up a sun-shade, park at your apt. complex and you get an instant 500 cubic feet of storage space and a back up Diesel 4x4 to boot).  Although wouldn't actually want to use it like this though -- just trying to financially "justify the buy"   when I already have a good 4banger!!
-Cool camo paint job
-almost 3 tons, baby !


* The Biodiesel business is the one thing that has me a little concerned and is a big selling point for me.   Frankly, modern diesels with no rubber seals in the fuel delivery system are supposedly the types that can be converted to run on fry grease. You guys know anything about the fuel delivery system in Military D10 Chevy Blazers?

[zeitlerusmc]

NOT EVERY ONE OF THESE CUCV'S HAVE THE DRIVE TRAIN THAT YOU GUYS ARE REFERING TOO. YES THEY ALL RUN THE DIESEL'S BUT SOME OF THEM ARE RUNNING STOCK 1/2 SUSPENSION DANA 44 UP FRONT AND 12 BOLT IN THE REAR NO  LOCKER NO  LOW GEARING. YOU HAVE TO  GET UNDER THE THING AND REALLY LOOK AT THE AXLES. I SEE THESE TRUCKS ON A DAILY BASIS HERE ON CAMP PENDLETON. BUT IM NOT TRYING TO  MAKE THESE THINGS SOUND WAK I WANT ONE REAL BAD TOO!!!  SEMPER FI

[chrisfranklin]

Hey Chris,

I was checking out one of those Blazers.  I don't really know enough about them just yet to make a really informed decision on a purchase.  

Didn't know they were running them down at Pendleton or I would've asked you about them.  Was checking out this shop up here east of Hollywood in the Silverlake area called Lovecraft Biofuels, http://www.lovecraftbiofuels.com/who_we_are.php.  They basically do biodiesel conversions -- so you can drive on fry grease or veg oil from Costco  

Yeah, am hearing different things on axles, lockers, electrical, etc on D10 Blazers.  And, probably wouldn't have a chance to see the vehicle before making a purchase.  Probably not a good move at this point...maybe in a few months or so.

But, if anybody knows about them and what to look for, you probably will.  Figured if I asked you, you'd have probably said, "yeah, those D10 Blazers got phased out in '89... we only run Mil. Spec. Hummers now"
Anyway, you gotta tell me what to look for, man!  

[Jeffy]

The M1008's are the 1.25 Ton Tactical Cargo.  They are rated at 1.25T. These are beafed up Chevy K3500's I believe.  The M1009 is the 3/4 Ton Tactical Utility.  Basically a beafed up 1/2 Ton K5 Blazer.  The M1010 is a Tactical Ambulance built on a M1031 chassis.

Then there is a M1028 which is a Tactical Shelter Carrier and a plain Jane M1031 Tactical Chassis. All models should have Corp. 14-bolt rear and Dana 60 front except M1009 which has Corp. 10-bolts front and rear.  All models should have a 20 gallon tank except the M1009 which has a 27 Gallon tank.  All will have heating but only the M1010 will also have A/C.  All models came with 4.56 gear rations except the M1009 that had 3.08 gears.  All models have the 14-bolt Detroit No-Spin except the M1009 which has the 10-bolt Gov-Loc.  The fronts on all models are open except for a rare lot that came out with the Dana 60 TracLoc.  All models will have Hydroboost brakes which are really nice.

Most models will have a 24V 100 amp charge system.  The M1010 will have a 200amp charge system though.  All models will have a TH400, 3 speed, automatic  and a NP208, 2 speed, chain driven transfer case.

I know I'm forgetting something.  It's been some time since I was looking at one.

[chrisfranklin]

It's been some time since I was looking at one.

Hey Jeffy, what held you up with buying one (whatever it is, it'd probably hold me up too)?  

[Jeffy]

Space.  If I was going to get one I'd want a M1008 for the beafy drivetrain and the bed.  Parts are cheap for those trucks.  Body panels are interchangable with GMC and Chevy models up until the mid 90's I believe.  The engine is a dog though.  Very slow.  Not nearly as nice as the 6.5L.  I'd still consider one if I didn't have access to a C10 already.

[chrisfranklin]

http://cgi.govliquidation.com/auction/view?id=899835.

With this one, you're probably not looking at getting a beefy drivetrain -- but, I wouldn't have plans for tires bigger than maybe 33"

The diesel engine, size, 4x4, price (not the drivetrain) are my main draws.
With the 4 Banger, I'm used to the modest power output in return for decent mileage.  So wouldn't cry to badly about a low power 6.2.  running VO.  

What about engine mods, though.  We're talking mid 80's Chevy Diesel -- they make intake, exhaust, chips, etc. for this sort of engine? I'll look in to this...

[chrisfranklin]

Was looking at this some more.  You guys probably know about the www.steelsoldiers.com site.  I crossed that with a couple of articles on the 6.2L to get the torque numbers, also.

Apparently, the 6.2L Diesel makes 135hp, 240lb/ft tq and this is moving around a 5200-5900 pound vehicle.  This power to weight makes the YJ 4Banger power-to-weight seem like a sports car's  

Here's an exerpt :

Designed for a GVW of no more than 10,000 pounds, the first units had very modest power outputs; 135 hp and 240 lbs-ft. Towards the end of production in ’93, the over 8,600 GVW non-emissions units cranked out a bit more (148 hp in certain applications). The 6.2L could deliver high 20s highway fuel economy in some of the lighter 4x4 applications, and 30 mpg is reported in some of the stripped down 4x2s. This wonderful fuel economy is one of the trademark characteristics of the 6.2L, and is reportedly due to its very efficient Ricardo V combustion chamber design. A rare dealer installed turbo option was available from ’89-on in the form of a Banks Sidewinder kit. One thing to remember about the 6.2L is that it’s not a heavy-duty diesel. Because it’s built on a lighter foundation than the industrial engine based Ford and Cummins Dodge, the maximum power output is more limited. If you consider 250 hp and 450 lbs-ft the maximum safe power level, your 6.2L will be a trusty and efficient engine on a long-term basis. That’s about all the reliable power available from the stock DB-2 injection pump anyway.

Could live with 250hp/450lbft tq though

[chrisfranklin]

Yeah, was looking at what Jeffy was talking about with the M1008 vs M1009.  

M1008 :  http://www.steelsoldiers.com/index.php?module=pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=2&pid=1
M1009 :  http://www.steelsoldiers.com/index.php?module=pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=2&pid=0

The one I am looking at under this subject is apparently an M1009.  Looked in to the Gov-Loc diff they use on the M1009 --

"The Gov-Loc is an automatic locker designed for use in government (military) vehicles. This unit is actually a limited slip that acts like a locker. It is the optional Iimited slip/locker available in most GM trucks. It's better suited for wet weather and snow because it usually loses its guts (literally) when confronted with heavy off-road use. It uses springs and centrifugal weights to activate its locking mechanism. If there is too much differentiation between the two wheels (axleshafts) during torque input (throttle), the unit will increase its bias until it reaches full-lock mode. Unfortunately this usually happens with a bang when too much throttle and large tires are involved. For serious off-road use it might be a better idea to use a different locker. We've driven a borrowed Gov-Loc-equipped vehicle on the street and found it to handle no different than an open differential. The truck didn't have a lift and had the stock size tires.

Eaton has recently redesigned this differential to make it stronger and help it look and unlock better. The improved unit is called a Command-Traxx.

The internals of a Gov-Loc are very small and complex. We've found the Gov-Lok to work better than a traditional limited slip, but it can be broken with oversized tires and horsepower."


Looks like the M1009 is lighter by about 700 lbs but doesn't use the Detroit.  Sounds like the Gov Loc is toast when used with big tires.  Probably going to pay a big premium to get an M1008, though, due to likely higher demand.

[zeitlerusmc]

ok even in the corps we don't call them by the nomenclature. we just say the cucv's, truck or blazer.the biggest thing wrong with them are the damn chevy motors. hey i love chevy's but at that time when it came to diesels chevy had no buisness making diesels, but the military always goes with the lowest bidder. personaly i would run the pickup. it seems every pick up i have seen or been in always have the beefy drivetrain, the blazers i have seen running around just look like a regular k5 pretending to be a g.i. joe truck. another strong point of these trucks are the tranny's. they have a highly modified 400turbo. heavy duty clutches and steels, and a shift kit already in them. but if i had one of these vehicles and money was not an issue, scrap the diesel motor and go buy a fresh zz350 high torque crate engine fire that bad boy in there and you good to go.

[Jeffy]

Hmm, if I was going to get one I'd swap in a 6.5L or else turbo the 6.2L.

Like I said the K5's are upped from 1/2T to 3/4 Ton so they aren't exactly stock either.

If you really wanted to you could buy some rebuilt crate M1008 axles and get the lower and stronger stuff.   Still, you could get a M1008 and then put a cap on it.  A canvis top would be really slick.  You can tow your Jeep behind the truck too.