Between Beastly and
the
Chevelle Wagon we need an
entire drive train, and then some.
We also want to swap at least a 3/4 ton running gear into Beastly which
leads us to look for a running 4x4 donor truck.
In our search I met a few guys that have a serious passion for Military
vehicles. We have always wanted a good tow/recovery rig but were not exactly
looking for one at this time, but when we were told this M1028 was going to
be available to us with less than 5,000 original miles for less than it is
worth in parts... we could not refuse.
December 26th, 2009 |
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The ride home...
The heater core did not last 5 minutes, before it blew up. Pouring so
much coolant onto the floor boards that it was running out both of the
doors coating the front of the
el Camino in antifreeze.
We had to stop and bypass the heater core. The next 80 miles went smooth
until it started raining. Fortunately it was the passenger side wiper
blade that was broken, but drivers wiper blade was not much better. The
advantage to the rain was that it washed the antifreeze off of both
vehicles. A quick stop to pick up a set of new wiper blades and the last
120 miles home went smooth,
just slow and cold.
Little did I know.....
|
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4,464.6 Original
Miles! |
The transfer case is
shot...
I discovered this on my way to the DMV, in the process of finishing the
registration. I found myself without the 2-High or 4-High gears, but
4-Low would engage. Engaging the transfer case in 4-Low or having a few
minutes to cool down, either way 2-High was functioning again allowing
me to continue on my way. I stopped at a parts store, checked the fluid
level and started adding ATF. Knowing things were not good as I poured
in the third quart, it turned bad when the fourth quart started pouring
back out on the ground. You can see where the flow of ATF actually
cleaned its way down the transfer case. It turns out the case was also
damaged when the fork lift damaged the driveshaft. The output housing
was partially ripped free from the rear half of the chain case. The
cross member was also bent up a little, and skid plate ripped off during
its forklift abuse. |
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Charging system issues...
Attempting to return home, I found myself in need of a jump start. There
I sat waiting for Kitty watching the puddle of ATF get bigger as the
transfer case continued to drain hoping I could jump it with a 12 volt
source. So I
may also have issues with both of the alternators failing to properly
charge, possibly complaining of bad bearings, and might have brought the
batteries down. With the volt gauge not functioning at this point, there
is not a lot of help there. And the fuel gauge seems to work when it
wants to. A lot of this is most likely dirty and-or loose connections,
but further investigation is needed.
And there are other little things like the heather core
that blew up. Both seat belts are stiff from dry rot, the interior in
general is but safety is a priority. Neither door has any weather striping
beyond the vent windows. The Body work had been started but not finished
as of when I purchased it, leaving some exposed metal that now has surface
rust. The fuel tank supports were bent, and the right side muffler and
exhaust pipe were also damaged by the forklift.
Not that I didn't expect to find problems like this, but
I must consider what I have already invested in this truck and what it
will cost to fix it. The "parts" I was originally looking for to repair
Beastly are all in very good shape and do presently cover all current
expenses, but the
Wagon is in dire need
of attention or a safe place to store it, or it must go. What little I
have driven the Bastard, I like it more every mile. I want to keep it but
we do not have anywhere to store a non-running vehicle.
Decisions had to be made fast!
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January 2010 |
And the gasket is still in there! |
The NP208...
Searching for a NP208 transfer case turned up a few results.
With options ranging from as high as $650 rebuilt to the lowest of $300
used, which upon inspection became $150 as a core. Needless to say these
used options were not any good, and the budget did not permit the
rebuilt option.
Luckily for us, I managed to get back in contact with
the Military Vehicle enthusiasts I had recently met. From them I scored
the NP208 for free, the only expenses incurred were fuel, fluids and the
gasket. This deal is what made the decision to keep the Bastard. Installation went smooth, started the truck under its own power,
and went for a test drive. Everything felt good with the exception of
needing a jump start again due to a dead battery.
While draining the old NP208, I started looking at the
source of the leak again. I could see the gasket was still there, completely
intact and undamaged. Out of curiosity I grabbed the cardboard backing from a blister
pack and easily slipped it in between the gasket and case. |
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The Charging system...
The Number 1 was dying because the Number 1 Alternator
was not charging, the Gen 1 light was out at all times, and the Volt Gauge was not working.
Knowing corrosion can cause phantom electrical problems, I started by swapping
both Gen bulbs then swapped the Gen 2 and volt meter relays to see if that would help.
All circuits tested good with proper voltage, but Alternator 1 did not
charge. A replacement alternator was going to cost $225 and take a few days.
Fortunately I was able to find a knowledgeable
rebuilder that knew what is was, took it on a Friday afternoon, and had it rebuilt by the end
of the day for only $107. I installed the rebuilt alternator with all
new belts, and replaced the
spade
connector. The Gen 1 light now glows brightly with the ignition on, but
no response from the volt gauge.
It fired right up with a jump start, and both the Gen
lights went out as they should. Shortly after
starting it, Alternator 1 tested at 14.8 with 13.5 volts at Battery 1
with the headlights on. The next day it started easily under its
own power.
Full charging system test results at idle;
Alternator 1 produces 14.8 volts,
Alternator 2 produces 14.6 volts,
in series charge produces 29.2 volts. |
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CUCV Locks and Key...
I replaced the standard issue CUCV locks with a new
lock set. The doors were first as the door panels were only hanging on
the door shell, and the window crank handles not being clipped onto the
regulators. As for the missing weather stripping, I am much more
concerned with the blown heater core and not being able to produce heat
at the moment. Needless to say the ignition lock was next. The horn
button was missing and the inside of the steering wheel is very rusty,
showing evidence of standing water. A little WD-40 allowed to soak in
for a few hours made removing the steering wheel much easier. From there
it was the typical ease of a GM column, with the new lock popping right
in. I will have to pull the steering wheel again as the turn signal
switch barely works and feels like it is ready to break. |
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The Instrument Cluster...
With the need to check the volt gauge and a few bulbs, I
pulled the dash face off of the instrument cluster.
The
Courtesy lights, had a few had dirty sockets.
The "Water in Fuel" light was missing a bulb.
The "Wait" light had damaged wires.
The "Brake" light wire was
not plugged into the switch.
The "High Beam" indicator was due to a sticky switch.
The "4wd" light had broken wires and needs a connector.
The "Temp" light is always dark because it has a broken sender
which seems to be unavailable presently.
Testing the volt gauge I found that the 24 volt source and ground work
through the connector, but there is still no response from the gauge. |
Dry rotted rubber...
During one of the many test drives the
transmission was not shifting properly. Knowing the rig spent most of
its life sitting, I was planning on replacing all the rubber lines in
the truck, but was not at that point yet. I started by looking at the
vacuum lines and found the transmission modulator line was dry rotted
and split by the vacuum pump. After replacing the vacuum lines a quick
test drive around the block, and the transmission was shifting properly again under light
throttle.The Injector Pump drain back lines are just above the exhaust
manifolds, before they could become a problem I replaced them and all
other rubber
fuel lines prior to the next test drive. Cheap insurance. |
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Corrosion strikes again...
Attempting to start the Bastard early one morning, all
was fine, wait light went off and the glow plug relay started to chatter
like it should. When I hit the key to start it, everything went to crap.
Power dropped, dash lights dimmed, and the relays chattered in a weird
way. The Ignition switch had been gummed up from day one, and was
difficult to get into any correct position. It was one of the many
little details I had planned on taking care of, but had not gotten back
to it yet. Testing revealed the glow plug relay with continuity between
the 12 and 24v systems, and the batteries... both tested at 12.3 and
24.7 in series, with battery 1 down to 5v with the headlights on,
and the 24v down to 4 when trying to kick only the starter. Swapped out
the ignition switch and glow plug relay, now the system responds
properly.
New Batteries...
In go a new pair of Optima's. The batteries used by
the Military are physically huge, almost twice the size as an Optima. A
scrap piece of a 2x4 block was split and used to fill the void above the batteries
in order to safely clamp them down. Fabricating a better mounting system
and new cables will be a project for another day. |
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Back into the Steering Column...
I knew the turn signal switch was about to break from when I swapped the
ignition lock. While on a local test drive, I stopped to let an
elderly man cross a driveway I was about to enter. The turn signal kept
disengaging, as I was trying to hold it in the "on" position so the
turn signal would work, the horn started sounding and I could not
stop it. A few days later I find myself honking uncontrollably at a
school bus. Seems to short the horn circuit every time the right turn
signal is activated. Needless to say, the turn signal switch had to be replaced
sooner than later. At this point I had to drop the column for the ignition
switch and the turn signal switch, so it was also the perfect time to
replace the sticky headlight dimmer switch. |
Thanks to the members of
Steel Soldiers
for their wealth of CUCV knowledge and Technical Manuals.
Having access to the manuals made learning and testing the 12/24 volt
hybrid electrical system relatively easy. |
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February 2010 |
Glow Plug Module...
As I went to start my 1028 one morning....
The wait light went through its cycle, and I tapped the starter for a
split second, did quite catch, so I hit it again and it fired right up.
As I sat there warming it up everything looked and sounded good, the
relay chattered away and stopped like normal, but something just didn't
quite smell right.... I hopped out and opened the hood to see a wisp of
smoke rising off the resistor bank. When turning it off I also noticed a
wisp of smoke from under the dash. Fortunately only smoke and more
importantly, no fires!
I found the GP module was the source of smoke under
the dash. Further testing also revealed the glow plugs that tested good
a few weeks earlier, were now damaged. One
was slightly swollen but came out easy, two were a small struggle to remove,
and five were a total pain in the rear as they were swollen bad.
Fortunately for me, I managed to not break any during the removal
process.
I installed AC Delco's AC 60G glow plugs, and cut the factory terminals off replacing them with spades that fit the AC 60G's.
While swapping the terminals, I found that all 8 glow plug wires
had corrosion within the insulation.
As for the Glow Plug Module, I installed a momentary push button switch
to negate the need for the module. It fired right up and the resistors
were barely warmer than ambient temperature of that morning. |
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Breathing Better...
I picked up a new K&N filter, and removed what very easily could have been the stock air filter. I compared the diameter, width and height,
all being the same I dropped in the K&N filter. When throwing the air cleaner back on, I
discovered it had been partially crushed. At some point in the past
something large and heavy had been put on the hood, kinking the body line
and apparently damaging the air cleaner. By supporting the edges of the
air cleaner base on blocks and weighed down the center, I was able to
recreate the
proper shape. Now the lid and base actually almost seal verse the quarter
inch gap it previously had. The droning sound from the intake is a lot
quieter now too. |
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old dry rotted donor |
almost new Grant GT |
donor replacement |
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I traded the old dry rotted steering wheel as a donor
to a parts truck that only need the function of steering . In return I
received an almost brand new base model Grant GT steering wheel,
complete with the mounting adapter.
The Grant GT was installed in
Beauty,
which
provided its good factory steering wheel complete with a functional horn
button and all contacts. In turn,
Beauty's steering wheel was then installed
in the Bastard, upgrading the old wheel and replacing the missing horn
button and contacts. |
Again with
the Wires...
Again finding more wires in need of repairing, and added some more convoluted
tubing behind the alternators and up to the Injection Pump protecting more of the harness.
It looks a lot cleaner now too. |
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April 2010
License Plate Mounting... |
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The location and mounting of the rear plate was a dilemma on its own. I did not want to drill holes in the tail
gate, cover the Black Out lights, or remove the pintle hitch, legally it
can not be taped in the rear window, and must have a light source.
Using the theme of the Military brush guard, I
fabricated two frames using 1/8x1/2" flat stock,
and added a 1/8x3/4" mounting tab for the mounting of the rear
frame. Yes the color is
all wrong, but it is what I had on hand and eventually they will be
painted the proper color. |
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To avoid drilling any unnecessary holes, I utilized
the lower bolt on the tail gate hinge to mount the rear frame. It does
cover some of the original markings, but they have been painted over
anyways. My main concern of having the plate physically mounted and out
of the rear window is now solved, even if it may be temporary. |
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The rear plate does not have a light source at this
point, however I
already know what I want to use just do not have them yet. |
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May 2010 |
Finally got around to finishing the License plate frames.
Utilizing the idea I originally had, making it a reality with Design Engineering's (DEI) LED Lite' N Boltz. |
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December 2010 |
Injection Pump issues...
It started dumping an excessive amount of smoke from the exhaust. Stopped at
a store and had a warm engine "No Start" issue when trying to leave.
It cranked over fine, but not even the slightest
attempt to fire up.After dragging it home, I
went through the Technical Manual diagnosing the fuel system. Everything
checked out ok except the Injection Pump, no fuel to the injectors. Along
with the various other things it needs, unfortunately the decision was
made to strip the Bastard. However some of the notoriously damaged parts
like the np208 and driveshaft will be saved with the plans for another CUCV!
On the bright side...
The demise of the Bastard is saving four other trucks. Two of which are CUCV's.
The third is a wheeler who unfortunately rolled his rig destroying his
cab and is in need of a new cab. We the fourth and are going back to our original plan...
"Axles for Beastly". |
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