My CUCV M1008 Build

[mrwilecoyote]

I'm gonna redo this . I did all this already but want to document it here as it may answer alot of questions on future upgrades plus it came out really good after alot of mistakes.
I have a 1986 M1008(K30). 6.2/TH400.
It's a useless dog but one tough cookie. We need more power and better highway drivablity. TH400 and 4.56 gears don't work very well. After carefully considering the pros and cons of an auto swap I came to a few conclusions. I don't like TH700s and a 4l80e is expensive to retrofit and I hate electronics. Nope, an NV4500 is the way to go. Bulletproof and simple...But..can it be done ?
The NV4500 for GM was not offered until the GMT400 bodystyle around 92 I think. Anyway for sure it never came in a Squarebody so how do I mate it to a pass side front diff ???
That is Key for this to work.
Well...drum roll.....
it fits the NP208. Bear in mind that GM never mated the NP208 to an NV4500 but the spline was right and the round bolt pattern, while offset, is an exact 180 degree mirror so it is clocked right and all....

[mrwilecoyote]

Of course looking back I chose a 93 NV4500 but wish I had used a 96+ as the bolt pattern on the tranny is universal so a future Cummins swap would have been cake. The 93 Trans which I used has a GM only pattern but It has a lower 1st gear and external Slave which I liked better.
More tomorrow. I'm beat and the tendonitis is really hurtin..:D

[wpdozer]

Cool, Im subcribed

[mrwilecoyote]

OK, so where'd I leave off ?
Next issue was what to do about the flywheel...Use the 6.5 one that came with it ? Buy a 6.2 one ? Well I consulted a few people, Robyn included as well as Peninsular and Heath and no one could see any reason why the 6.5 one would not be fine so I used it. It was an aftermarket Perfection. Was not thrilled about that but it was new and fundsalow...:D
The clutch had about 700 miles on it. The guy I got the whole setup from had just rebuilt the NV and bought everything new and the truck burned. I got the whole kit and kaboodle for 1100$. A steal for sure. He even used the updated top cover. The shift fork and all bushings etc new from GM.
The only issue I ran into oddly enough was flywheel bolts. The ones he gave me were used and I like to replace them but I could not find ones with the heads shallow enough to not hit the center hub on the clutch except the ones he gave me. weird. I tried a clutch disc from another 93 I had and it did not have that issue so maybe those were special bolts that came with the clutch setup ?? It was a Centerforce but the Disc said Luk on it but it was beefed up more.

[mrwilecoyote]

Ok Now with the TH400 out, the next step is to install a drain tube from the valley to the outside of the engine block. Automatics don't come with them but the idea is if there is any fuel or oil leaks etc in the valley, it does not end up over all the clutch. The drain tube is no longer made or available from GM so I had to make one from some steel tubing. I flared one end slightly to make a reasonably snug fit.

[mrwilecoyote]

OK next deal...The crossmember. I have been told the TH700 one works better but I did not have one so mine had to be modified. The holes did not line up so welded up the old holes and re drilled it. I did not have to re drill the frame. Just the crossmember. I chose an Energy Suspension Tranny mount. The NV4500 is the same length so no modification to the driveshafts was nessicary. The only issue I ran into was that the crossmember did not allow for the front driveshaft. The flange or CV joint would hit the crossmember however the engine was at perfect angle. The fan was exactly where it was before so the only solution was to lower the crossmember 2 inches then raise the mount back up to compensate. Hopefully the pics will explain this better.

[mrwilecoyote]

More pictures of the crossmember etc.

[mrwilecoyote]

Here is how I solved the driveshaft problem.

[mrwilecoyote]

Ok. Next up..the Pedal assembly. I thought this was gonna be a whore but it wasn't bad. I chose to swap the steering column as well with a Standard one. On my 86 the dimples in the firewall for the clutch master were there so it was pretty easy to cut the hole with a holesaw and drill the stud holes.

[mrwilecoyote]

2 more pics. I used a piece of black tape over the D123 and just reused the old dash cluster. I had a NOS cluster lens so what better time to install it.

[mrwilecoyote]

So here was the final workup on the crossmember. By using a 2 inch block It put the motor at the right angle as it was before and fixed my front driveshaft problem. I thought the shifter was gonna need some bending because at first it looked like it was gonna hit the seat but after I got the tranny cross member bolted up the shifter fit like it was made for it. The shifter is close to the 4x4 shifter and the factory 4x4 shift cover can no longer be used. Nothing a Hurst boot cant fix.

[mrwilecoyote]

Now go to start it and it sounds like the starter is binding bigtime. It will barely turn over. I'm like now what ???
Well long story short I have a Direct Drive starter and it hits the manual flywheel. I did not see that when I bolted the flywheel up. A gear reduction starter fits but I am 24v so I had to grind out the inside of the starter to make it clear the flywheel. But now I'm thinking, is the flywheel torqued to the motor properly ??
Guess what...Gotta pull the tranny back out. Sure enough it wasn't. Had to re loctite and torque the flywheel bolts.:mad:
For the hydrualic line I had to buy the line for the 93 and then cut it on the steel tube part and use a compression fitting to a stainless custom made flared hyd line to mate the 86 Master with the 93 Slave.

[wpdozer]

The starter looks a little crusty, ya sure it's good?

[mrwilecoyote]

Im a bit crusty too and I still work...:D
Yeah it was fine. The older direct drive starter nose cones were specifi to auto or stick. The GR fits either. I've since swapped to a GR with my 12v conversion.