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

SSGTUSMC said:

Got some new rubber put on last night!
FALKEN 32/11.5/15 Wildpeak AT3/W
They look so much better than the old tires

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Thought you were selling that thing and getting a mini van?

cucvrus said:

Thought you were selling that thing and getting a mini van?

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Haha definitely not!

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Removed and changed fuel filter. Also i removed that pesky fuel pressure sensor. Next my dad and I tapped the hole and put a small bolt with loctite in.

I put my horn button back on after steering wheel removal for new lock cylinder. Button was off for a while, due to realignment of the steering wheel and the need for getting the wheel in the right splines. I didn't tighten the nut that seats the wheel until I drove the truck for a while and decided the wheel was straight when driving down the road.

I installed my cleaned and greased gear shift indicator . My wife said she didn't know what gear it was in. I told here it only has 5 gears.

I also ordered 2 Kumho Road Venture at51 in 235/85/r16. They cost $125 a piece from Walmarts website and I get them free shipping and in 3 days.

My radio install is working great except for universal antenna I got from Brothers. Poor reception. My dad found a GM original antenna kit. I ordered it and then realized it was in China. Hope I get it soon.

. I didn't tighten the nut that seats the wheel until I drove the truck for a while and decided the wheel was straight when driving down the road.

That wheel has a mark on it as does the steering shaft. They were put there for a reason. The should be aligned so everything else can be properly in alignment. Canceling the turn signals is one and you can adjust the steering wheel with the draglink on the left side. No need to take the steering wheel off and on till it is aligned. Never heard of that before. But if you look you have a line on the shaft and a mark on the steering wheel. Get them as close as possible and get the alignment done. Good as gold. Have a Great Day. I have a lot of work to do today. A lot depends on cooperation from the weather. If that is all I have to depend on then I am golden also. Lots of grass to be cut. And with any luck CUCV progress.

Filled the tank last night on the 86 M1008 and let it sit overnight with a can of cleaner dumped in the tank. Changed the air and fuel filters this morning and now it's purring like an ole 6.2

cucvrus said:

. I didn't tighten the nut that seats the wheel until I drove the truck for a while and decided the wheel was straight when driving down the road.

That wheel has a mark on it as does the steering shaft. They were put there for a reason. The should be aligned so everything else can be properly in alignment. Canceling the turn signals is one and you can adjust the steering wheel with the draglink on the left side. No need to take the steering wheel off and on till it is aligned. Never heard of that before. But if you look you have a line on the shaft and a mark on the steering wheel. Get them as close as possible and get the alignment done. Good as gold. Have a Great Day. I have a lot of work to do today. A lot depends on cooperation from the weather. If that is all I have to depend on then I am golden also. Lots of grass to be cut. And with any luck CUCV progress.

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I aligned the marks but on first try was one spline off , so I moved it one spline clockwise and I am good to go now. My dad said get the wheel as close as you can with the factory marks and then adjust drag link . I'm good now though. Thanks again . Stay cool.

Engine and Transmission Fluid and Filter change.
Mobil1 oils and Wix filters
Zero debris in trans pan.
Clean and reinstall.



New Wix Fuel Filter
New Wix Air Filter

Fixed damage to bed wheel well from tire blowout.
Fixed damage to rear bumper from backing into tree.
Fixed bent Spare tire bracket bolt.
Fixed bent front shackle mounts.
Lots of little things that aren’t difficult but eat up time.

Filled fuel tank and included a can of Seafoam and a quart of two-cycle oil, as per usual.
Trucks still running like a top.


I think it’s time for a drink and cigar.

Cut a piece of old fuel line to guard the knuckles when taking off the fuel cap on my 85 M1008 with a VFD installed flatbed

Since I already had the bed and most of the front off and need to pull the motor I decided to go full frame-off restoration. Will be pulling the cab "soon". Progress is slow. I only have Sundays and Mondays and even then I have to work sometimes.

Today I removed the stock(?) ball hitch, steering column and some excess wiring the previous owner(s) put in there. Also made more reference pictures for when it needs to be put back together. Tomorrow I want to remove anything mounted to the cab so she's ready to be pulled.

Couple of questions: Is there a place to get replacement cowl to fender seals and the rubber around the hood latch?



And what is this for? A wire comes out the other end, but is cut off...

LMC should have the seals. If not I do. That wire is the brake warning wire that runs to the switch on the proportioning valve. I have seen many unhooked. Not sure why. It must be there to pas Pennsylvania DOT inspection. No brake alterations at all are legal. But with that being said I will be gone to rest. I also had a very productive day on my project. mostly cleaning up and preparing for reassembly of what ever pops up. Mowed a lot of grass and cleaned up a lot of equipment. Have a Great Week and enjoy the weather. Your seals look fine to me.

Not sure on fender seals, but that wire looks like the proportion valve brake wire.

Rutjes said:

Since I already had the bed and most of the front off and need to pull the motor I decided to go full frame-off restoration. Will be pulling the cab "soon". Progress is slow. I only have Sundays and Mondays and even then I have to work sometimes.

Today I removed the stock(?) ball hitch, steering column and some excess wiring the previous owner(s) put in there. Also made more reference pictures for when it needs to be put back together. Tomorrow I want to remove anything mounted to the cab so she's ready to be pulled.

Couple of questions: Is there a place to get replacement cowl to fender seals and the rubber around the hood latch?

View attachment 735979

And what is this for? A wire comes out the other end, but is cut off...

View attachment 735978

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Installed new ACDELCO 195* thermostat.
Had three Gates fail in as many months. Original Puck style.

Greased the front end and the pintle hitch.

Cleaned a lot of shell casings out from under seat.
A few less rattles at least.

How does a thermostat fail? I never had one fail. I am asking because I hear people say they replaced it because it failed. And my experience has been it got hot and they went and replaced the thermostat and it got hot again and they did the same thing. They brought it to me. I tested the thermostats that failed in a pot of water with a torch with a thermometer and they opened and closed fine. The problems were deeper every time. A few radiators, water pumps, and head gaskets. One was a slipping transmission and burnt fluid that was boiling the radiator coolant. I am seriously just asking how it failed? Did it just stay open or closed? I think Gates has been in business long enough to make a good thermostat. They probably made the ones for GM. As I pointed out many times A C Delco is a trade named. Not connected to Genuine GM in any way. A C Delco sells many things and many are made all over the world. I still laugh. A C Delco CUCV oil cooler lines mane in China (Mainland) in parenthesis behind China. Does that mean not a little fish head village along the coast or a hack shop near Taiwan? And why are shell casings under the seat. You firing from inside the vehicle while hiding under the seat? If you were to hook up a PTO shaft to the Pintle hook and lock it open it becomes a propeller for an amphibious CUCV. I seen it on you tube. It must be true. HA. Have a Great day. But seriously I never seen a failed thermostat least not 3 in a row.

It failed open.
Just like the other ones.
Gates thermostats are made in China now.

Use whatever brand part you want.
I use GM and ACDelco.
Have had excellent luck with them.
Gates also, just not the thermostats.

I have a decent sized ranch.
Keeping coyotes away from cows and turtles/Snakes in the pond thinned out makes a lot of empty .308/22LR brass.
Always have my Springfield Armory M1A and Marlin 60 in the truck at all times.
I shoot from cab all the time. Never hunt game from it.

Tinstar said:

It failed open.
Just like the other ones.
Gates thermostats are made in China now.

Use whatever brand part you want.
I use GM and ACDelco.
Have had excellent luck with them.
Gates also, just not the thermostats.

I have a decent sized ranch.
Keeping coyotes away from cows and turtles/Snakes in the pond thinned out makes a lot of empty .308/22LR brass.
Always have my Springfield Armory M1A and Marlin 60 in the truck at all times.
I shoot from cab all the time. Never hunt game from it.

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Thank you for mentioning that..... my 79 K20 has been running warmer than usual recently and I was wondering if the less than 6mos old thermostat was starting to fail.

Thermostats are designed to fail open. Taking forever to get to temp or running cold is better than overheating.

TechnoWeenie said:

Thermostats are designed to fail open. Taking forever to get to temp or running cold is better than overheating.

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But not always the case, my 6.2 started having an overheating issue, the 190F thermostat was opening real late, like starting at 200, fully open at 220. I would bet it would have eventually failed to open at all.

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Kaiser67M715 said:

But not always the case, my 6.2 started having an overheating issue, the 190F thermostat was opening real late, like starting at 200, fully open at 220. I would bet it would have eventually failed to open at all.

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Of course, but that's usually the exception rather than the rule.

TechnoWeenie said:

Thermostats are designed to fail open. Taking forever to get to temp or running cold is better than overheating.

Click to expand...

Actually thermostats can and will fail in any position including half-way open. There is no such thing as a "fail safe" thermostat.
There is some manufacturers "claiming" their thermostats will only fail in the open position, but the facts disprove them.
If you think about it, most all failures "should" happen in the closed position since the heavy spring would force the valve closed. The fact is that most do fail in the open position as the engine is running and hot at the time of failure. Usually a spring breaking or stem sticking is the most common problem. Now a leak in the stem where the wax is sealed can cause a closed failure, which is rare but happens.

I’ve have used Gates for decades.
Belts, hoses and Thermostats.
The latter is made in China now.
Gates Belts and hoses I installed are still flawless. Almost three years now since install
Radiator Cap too

Don’t know if I encountered a bad lot or their all junk now.
They all died same way.
For the first few weeks, all normal.
Then, watching temp gauge, they started opening sooner/cooler
Finally they stopped working.
Last one showed sighs of failure after three days.
Sure enough, it stopped working and just stayed open like the rest.
Truck still ran great, just not at correct temp.

The ACDELCO has been spot on temp wise so far and working great.
Time will tell.