CUCV M-1009 Baja Chase/ pit support and Camping Project.

[tcdent]

Im am currently having a problem that's perplexing me and perhaps some one here can offer some assistance. I drove it to Brenda Az the other day to help a friend with his truck.
When I got out I noticed the entire back of the blazer had a fine coat of tranny fluid on it, I crawled under it and it looked as though my tranny was leaking mostly everywhere, a fine coat over most of it, but I could not tell where from, it dose not leak when parked or driving around town and not on short trips on the freeway, but long trips on the freeway and I got oil on the back of my blazer, fluid levels are good, tranny pan gasket is good, I'm thinking a problem with the vent and pressure building over long trips then seals back up when the pressure vents? any advice, its a th400, and a 208 t-case.

I've just tracked down a similar problem with mine; under load for long periods of time, mostly grades at freeway speed, I get a little smokey and get little drops of oil all over the rear. At first I thought it was the valve covers weeping onto the exhaust manifolds when the oil pressure was high, but I just discovered a thin layer of oil on my fan shroud and fan blades. The oil cooler line running behind the radiator seems to have a little pinhole leak that must drip when the pressure is higher and the oil is thinner.

Might not be anything like your problem at all, but check over your tranny cooler lines for leaks.

 

[Metcalf]

Im am currently having a problem that's perplexing me and perhaps some one here can offer some assistance. I drove it to Brenda Az the other day to help a friend with his truck.
When I got out I noticed the entire back of the blazer had a fine coat of tranny fluid on it, I crawled under it and it looked as though my tranny was leaking mostly everywhere, a fine coat over most of it, but I could not tell where from, it dose not leak when parked or driving around town and not on short trips on the freeway, but long trips on the freeway and I got oil on the back of my blazer, fluid levels are good, tranny pan gasket is good, I'm thinking a problem with the vent and pressure building over long trips then seals back up when the pressure vents? any advice, its a th400, and a 208 t-case.

Check the vent fitting on the transmission for a blockage. ( I think that military blazer has a TH400 that has a factory breather tube in the transmission that has a pressed in fitting if I remember right ) This can cause an over pressure situation that can go out the dipstick, but that may be a tight enough seal to prevent the problem also. The vent could also just be broken causing the trans to blow fluid when hot.

 

[etech]

I'll check that Saturday morning, thanks for the tip, I'm guessing that's whats going on.

 

[etech]

Okay so I'm thinking about doing the interior storage,

I have been through every page of the thread where people have posted pictures of their boxes. While there are tons of great examples, noting that Im really looking for except something that was put in a Subaru car.

I want to build boxes over the wheel tubs and that are full length from the front seats to the tailgate, with access doors on the top to store tool bags and parts, supplies ect. and then have a removable fold out top that lays flat with the bottom of the rear windows to make a deck that I can lay the rear seat down and fold it out and sleep in the back, what Im hoping to hear is how durable are the wood boxes? or should I take the extra time and money, and make a steel or aluminum frame and plate them up with sheet metal, no mater what the build material is, Im thinking about coating them in some sort of material, spray on bed liner, or I was flipping through a cabelas catalog and saw a rubberized water proof coating for boat floors and thought that would be perfect. It comes in a Tan color and black, which are my interior colors.

In the Cabelas catalog there were also a lot of hatch doors for boats that I think would work really well, any input?
I'm really stuck at this point, so any help, suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Tahoe Diesel]

If you go with plywood, get a "green" product that dosn't have formaldehyde or any other nasty chemicals in it. You don't want to be breathing the dust and off-gasing from that stuff in the confined cabin of your Blazer. And go with an AC grade rather than ACX; smoother finish and lays flatter. And avoid MDF as it weighs a ton and doesn't hold up well to moisture from leaks or spills.

 

[tcdent]

Here's what I've been working on (taking forever, but it's getting there) for the rear of mine. My passenger requirements are only my girlfriend and a dog (or two) so I opted to remove the rear seat for more storage and a nice sleeping platform. I'm planning on replacing the front seats with a late model 60/40 bench with a center console/seat to regain a third spot and add some additional storage.

I've already completed the drawers, which I made out of 3/4" MDF. I'd never worked with it before (or much wood for that mater) and had higher hopes for it's quality as a material. I would recommend avoiding it. I've got a bunch of work into cutting, routing, filling, sanding and painting the drawers at this point, so I'm going to use them and see how they last. If I have to build new ones, it's not a major undertaking as far as the rest of the structure is concerned.

The deck is 3/4" plywood. Not sure what the technical designation is for it, but its got 7 plys and is sanded nicely on both sides; one side a little nicer than the other. I picked it because it has a nice consistent density and should route well to accept the lids that cover the storage boxes and be sturdy enough to support the three of us sleeping on top, or any gear that gets strapped down to it. The lids aren't shown, but they'll be made of the same material, routed to sit flush and secure with some marine latches. The whole surface will be covered in a low-pile carpet to give the dog something nicer to ride around on.

The vertical supports are 3/4" plywood. Nothing special, 5 plys, relatively smooth and much lighter than the MDF or the deck. I'm going to attach it all with angle brackets, riveted into the truck and screwed with tee-nuts through the wood. The truck will be lined with a spray on bedliner, which should make a nice base for anything in the boxes.

I'm deeming the section in the front where the rear seat passenger's feet would go the "basement". It's a semi-permanent steel structure that brings the floor up to the level of the cargo area. One side will hold auxiliary batteries, an inverter and other power gear. The other will hold a 2.5 gallon air tank, compressor and the infrastructure to support that. Panels on either side will have controls and gauges for the status of the internals.

From the front of the truck:

From the rear:

Hope this gives you some ideas. I'll have to get back to you on the durability, but I'm pretty sure everything (maybe not the MDF) is going to wear just fine.

 

[KLAKEBRONCO]

I had a TH400 in a 2500 years ago that was losing fluid from the vacuum modulator I think it called. I'm not sure if yours would have that being a diesel, but if It doesn't I'm curious how it shifts. Unless it has a small vac pump....

I would swap in a TTB D50/D60 into the blazer.

 

[dieselfuel]

Im a member at steel solders too, however this seems to be the place where I can find info to reach most of my goals, I do frequent steel solders especially when I need tech info on my cucv which is where that forum really shines...

have you heard of or checked out coloradok5.com? mostly rock crawlers but when it comes to these old GM rigs, there isn't a better website out there. i've been a member/moderator there for 10yrs.

 

[Tahoe Diesel]

have you heard of or checked out coloradok5.com? mostly rock crawlers but when it comes to these old GM rigs, there isn't a better website out there. i've been a member/moderator there for 10yrs.

Oh yeah, coloradok5, great resource, they've been online for a long time now. I got a lot of useful info on there for a '73 K2500 that I was using as a donor for a kit Hummer conversion back in 2000.

For the most reliable 6.2 diesel motor info dieselplace is the place. A lot of dependable GM diesel knowledge on that board.

And of course expeditionportal is the gold standard for info specific to the unique sport of vehicle overland exploration, but if you're reading this, you've already discovered that :coffeedrink:

 

[1976K5Chalet]

Etech. Why not put a camper on the K5?

DW

 

[sapper]

it sports 39" bfg projects with bfg run flat inner liners,

What are you talking about and do you have any more information on the run flat liners? I have never seen or heard anything about these unless they are similar to the rubber runflats that are used on military vehicles.

 

[blue dog]

chase

Here is my baja chase/pit/pull/ camping rig. Enjoying your build.

http://s1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa471/leobluedog/?action=view&current=IMG_1204.jpg

 

[etech]

best way I can describe the Inner liners is like a smooth racing slick tires that mounts on the inside of the tire, has a separate valve stem, and you run at a higher pressure, then the tire mounts over it, and runs another valve stem, that you run at a lower pressure, this provides a smooth ride and good traction ( wide foot print), but as the tire compresses then the inner tire takes over that's stiffer, also if the outer tire goes flat you can run on the inner tire for some time. if I find some pictures of just the liners I'll post them up. there rather common on race trucks, and are not available through stores, you have to be on a racing program to get them.

Got a little work done this weekend, I mounted my Lowrance HDS baja GPS on the dash and started cutting cardboard patterns for ideas on the center console, I also mounted 2x hella 4000 compacts to the front bumper, but I have one more, and need to order 1 more, for a total of 4, I'll post some pictures up soon. its going to be a slow progress sorry it takes a long time...

 

[Tahoe Diesel]

Got a little work done this weekend, I mounted my Lowrance HDS baja GPS on the dash

I've read a lot of references to the Lowrance GPS, popular with the Baja racers. From what I can gather, they have better offroad trail mapping and more detailed topo than what a typical city/highway GPS would have, correct?

Surprisingly, my Garmin Nuvi actually does show quite a few forestry roads, and even some vague topo, when you zoom out. Just wondering how much more info you can get from a Lowrance HDS? Are the trail maps pre-loaded, or is that extra? Just wondering if they're worth the $500+

 

[MaverickTRD]

Great build thread so far! Sounds like you have access to all the right tools and equipment! I am a little jealous haha.
anyways, it was nice seeing those 39s fit with such a low height as well, I too like the LCOG look.
Have you determined what suspension you will be going with? Are you gonna link it? I'm pretty excited to see what you come up with for interior storage as well.