1985 M1028 CUCV: Drivetrain Help Please

[Andrewsmith224]

hey yall so I bought a 1985 m1029 site unseen while deployed, I get home and the drive train is no good. owner swore up and down it drove...theres no way. so im here today in hopes to find motivation and guidance on this. I completely broke down the top end of the motor and ive hit some set backs with parts for other things as well. is there a one stop shop for parts?? a website would be great im so tired of parts store employees..... if there it comes down to it where can I get a 6.2 crate motor? I plan on keeping it 24volt. any help would be great

 

[joshuak]

hey yall so I bought a 1985 m1029 site unseen while deployed, I get home and the drive train is no good. owner swore up and down it drove...theres no way. so im here today in hopes to find motivation and guidance on this. I completely broke down the top end of the motor and ive hit some set backs with parts for other things as well. is there a one stop shop for parts?? a website would be great im so tired of parts store employees..... if there it comes down to it where can I get a 6.2 crate motor? I plan on keeping it 24volt. any help would be great

Welcome aboard and Thank you for your service.

What parts are you having a hard time finding? I like Rockauto for price and service, link bellow.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/chevrolet,1984,k30+pickup,6.2l+379cid+v8+diesel,1053021

I think you'll be happy you keep it 24v, mine start with no issues in the middle of winter.

 

[Andrewsmith224]

Welcome aboard and Thank you for your service.

What parts are you having a hard time finding? I like Rockauto for price and service, link bellow.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/chevrolet,1984,k30+pickup,6.2l+379cid+v8+diesel,1053021

I think you'll be happy you keep it 24v, mine start with no issues in the middle of winter.

hey brother thank you for replying I will definitely check them out, I got a whole laundry list of parts. let me check out rock auto and ill get back to this with the parts left over. right off the top of my head Im in need of the trans cooler lines and I heard you have to bend them yourself. not sure how true that is.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

Well, welcome.

The first thing you need to know when sourcing parts is that you do NOT have a 1985 CUCV, no matter what the paperwork or VIN lookup says.

You have a 1984. There is no other option.

See, the Army didn't want to mess with the supply chain nightmares of having new models every year, so CUCVs were built to 1884 specs.

So, when you go searching for parts, you want to ask for 1984 parts, regardless of when your CUCV was built.

And never ask a parts store employee about a CUCV. It's just a 1984 Chevy K-30. Anything else will break their brains.

 

[joshuak]

... right off the top of my head I'm in need of the trans cooler lines and I heard you have to bend them yourself...

Good thread on Oil/Trans cooler lines. Instructions how to make your own and PN if you want to buy them.

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/oil-trans-cooler-lines.130912/

If you have the time and want to, start a build thread that way folks can follow along and help when they can. Lot of knowledgeable members on the site, some have forgotten more than I'll ever know. And we all love pictures.

Check this thread out too, might help with what you're working on. Member cucvrus shows how he went through this vehicles drivetrain, good stuff IMO.

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/cucv-head-gasket-head-or-change-engine-survey.137671/

 

[cucvrus]

I have had great luck using hydraulic lines custom made and run and secured on top of the transmission and over to the cooler. I used these on snow plow trucks and have had great success. What other parts do you need? A word of advice. If you have the heads off get them checked and machined at a competent machine shop. Also have the injection pump rebuilt and change the lift pump. This is a very labor intense hobby working on 36 year old vehicles. Many parts are substandard in comparison to original and getting varied fit parts is becoming the norm. There are compatible parts available and they may be harder to find but in the end doing it right the first time is the only way. Not knowing anything about it I would say you have a lot of work to make it reliable and trust worthy. Most I see for sale are cobbled and rigged. But nice and original is easier to achieve in my opinion. It also helps retain the value and eliminate the diagnosis when something does fail. And it will fail. Good maintenance and replacing parts as they fail has worked for me for 25 years. Not redesigning a simple reliable design. Good Luck. Be Safe and Take Care.

 

[v12venator]

And never ask a parts store employee about a CUCV. It's just a 1984 Chevy K-30. Anything else will break their brains.

Don't forget that "J" code diesel engine, otherwise they'll start looking up parts for a 454.