Braxton Taylor
Hey there! Looking for a new set of wheels? You chose a good time to buy, because there’s a piece of decommissioned military equipment with your name written all over it up for grabs.
It’s called the M1008 Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle — CUCV, for short. GM Defense and Detroit Diesel teamed up to build 70,000 of these mighty trucks from 1983 to 1986. Some of them stayed in service until 2000, so you know they’re built to last.
Never mind all that talk about equipment that’s built by the lowest bidder and abused by service members until it can’t possibly function anymore. This thing is full of amenities, charm and classic Americana.
Let’s get you out on a test drive, shall we?
A Cab Fit for a King
Look at that cab! They just don’t make them like that anymore. No, it doesn’t have airbags (more like coward cushions; am I right?) but it does come with the factory original fire extinguisher. Actually, you might want to keep that handy.
Leather is so passé. Not very nice to the animals, you know? This 1980s pleather was good enough for David Lee Roth’s pants so it’s gotta be good enough for truck seats. Those brackets on either side of the cab will hold an M16A2 with a 20-inch barrel and iron sights. Try finding that on a new truck’s options list.
And how about that infotainment system? You’ve got panoramic windows on all four sides; I’d like to see a touchscreen match that.
There are even variants that are EMP-proof if you’re into doomsday prepping. A CUCV guru named Garrett Robertson gave a great interview on the Merricks Garage YouTube channel where you can learn all the specs and details.
A Bona Fide Rock Crawler
I can tell that you need adventure just by looking at you. You’re not a second lieutenant, are you? Yeah, I can tell because you didn’t show up in a tan 4Runner. This truck is perfect for you because it’s the real deal.
General Motors gave the M1008 chassis upgrades so it’s even stronger than a one-ton Chevy K30 or 3500 of the day.
That Robertson guy had good things to say about this truck’s drivetrain, too (no warranty is expressed or implied, by the way). He said that, compared to the civilian K30, the M1008 got a reinforced frame and stronger suspension. The 14-bolt rear differential is less likely to — give me some help with the terminology, here — explode than the 10-bolt rear ends on most old Chevy trucks if you use tires taller than 33 inches.
According to Motor Trend, the M1008 has a Detroit locking differential out back, a Dana 60 up front, 4.56 gears and a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter Detroit diesel engine. You won’t have to worry about emissions systems, tuning or diesel exhaust fluid on this bad boy — it’s old school. It doesn’t even have a turbo!
And don’t worry if your neck of the woods is too wet for rock crawling. The M1008 is a great mud bogger, too!
Maintenance Is Easy (Because You’ll Get Lots of Practice)
You know how dealerships are. They’re always trying to rip you off or sell you something you don’t need. That’s not a problem with the old M1008, because no dealership’s service department will touch this truck with a 10-foot pole.
When you buy this thing — I say “when” because I can see in your eyes that you already made up your mind — you’ll be the only one who can work on it. I mean, you’ll love working on it so much that you won’t let anyone else near it.
A lot of the parts you need are easy to find at your local auto parts store or RockAuto. Sometimes you’ll have to hit up places such as eBay and Facebook Marketplace.
Are you familiar with the Steel Soldiers forum?
“A M1008 is basically a Chevy K30 with a diesel engine and parts of a 24-volt electrical system grafted onto the stock 12-volt system,” DeadParrot down in Oklahoma said. “Most of your K30 questions you don’t find here are likely answered on a ’73-’87 Chevy Pickup forum.”
Besides, these trucks come from the military so you know they’ve been babied and meticulously maintained. Never smoked in, I bet.
The Diesel Page forum contributor Barraza had good things to say about the M1008 back in 2003, and I bet most of these trucks have been tastefully upgraded since then.
“Of all the ones I have seen, none ran; mine needed an injection pump but the rest of the motor had fresh evidence of a rebuild as did the trans and transfer case,” Barraza said in a post on The Diesel Page. “Most valuable thing about them is the Dana 60 front axle; it’s worth $1,000 to $1,500 depending on miles and condition. Downside is they are definitely bare bones — no options at all, no radio or carpet, idiot lights only, not even a dome light or cig lighter. Also, all come with 4.56 gears so don’t plan on going anywhere fast. They’re easily converted to 12-volt. I love mine.”
Anyway, I’m sure a discerning client like yourself already has a nice set of tools to fix your own car.
Let’s Go Talk to the Financing Department
Looks like another lucky buyer got to this M1008 CUCV before you did. They’re a hot commodity, I tell you. But don’t worry; there will be more.
In addition to sites such as Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, a few dealerships specialize in these old, green trucks. Boyce Equipment in Utah comes to mind. The online aggregator Classic.com is good at sniffing out nicer examples of the M1008 that make it to auction. And, of course, there’s always a chance you can buy a surplus military vehicle with GovPlanet.
These are old trucks so your M1008 will inevitably need a few things (OK, most things) fixed. That’s half the fun, though. If you want a unique off-roader with loads of character, a big green Chevy is worth a look.
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