kylethompson
Active member
Hello all. I've been reading EXPO for a few years now and gleaning tons of great information. Thanks to all for sharing.
This is my baja rig and I've been working on it, camping out of it, and building some basic mechanical knowledge for just under a year and a half. I know this because I bought the thing the first week of lockdown and had to explain to my neighbors that I hadn't gone full 'prepper' when I rolled up in a crusty camo war wagon. I bought it for a very reasonable price from a fellow on craigslist marketplace after searching for a few months. Here is it how it looked when I got it home.
I am very fortunate to be a lifelong Baja aficionado (my dad worked there and we surfed it all through my childhood together) and my most recent offroad incident down there pushed me over the edge to get a dedicated baja rig. I've always driven my daily driver down there, whether van or station wagon. I've been stuck so many times, but always get out. I just figured if you drive offroad enough, you get stuck. It happens. But the trip prior to the CUCV purchase was particularly bad. A stream had undercut the road and we slid right into the sink hole in the mud. After hours of digging, reinforcement and max tracking I went for a hike to the nearest house and found someone to pull us out.
Packed / Camped / Surfed&Fished Out
...Stuck
It happens. Van didn't turn over and nothing was damaged. As long as patience (and water) last it's all gonna be fine.
So the day after getting home the dedicated baja 4x4 rig search starts... After all the requisite jokes about unimogs and humvees with the wife, I narrowed in on the M1031, a maintenance truck built by GM for the military in the mid 80s. I really like the late 80's and early 90s trucks (wife has an OBS 7.3l F250 CCSB) and the boxy style, sturdy drivetrain and very simple engine of the CUCV series fit the bill. CUCV stand for Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle, by the way. These trucks can be had for 4-10k or so and often come with very low mileage. Mine was 6000 and had 24,000 miles on it. It came with an NP205 transfer case, a kingpin dana 60 with limited slip in the front and a corporate 14 bolt GM axle with detroit locker in the rear. Differentials are geared at 4.56. It has a naturally aspirated 6.2L diesel and a TH400 3 speed as well. So, very sturdy and lots of potential. Plus, all those compartments! I won't lie, that was a big motivator.
First was a trip to my trusted diesel mechanic to change fluids, add shocks (it came with the rear shocks totally missing!) give it a once over and let me know if I've made a mistake before I spend any money. Everything checked out with a clean bill of health and I'm off to the races.
First order of business was to get it painted. I enlisted the whole family and we gave it a good backyard paint job, complete with house paint rollers and 4 year old labor. I did the taping.
I know that some have an affinity for olive drab and camo in general, but it's not my thing. Besides, this vehicle has a very specific new mission - to explore offroad in remote, rural baja california. The very last thing you want when rolling up to a checkpoint, or camping solo in the wilderness in a foreign county is to look like an american military vehicle. Low key, and a good compliment to baja dust were the goals for this color and material choice. I spent $15 on tan spray paint and $25 on a color matched gallon of exterior house paint. I still have a bit leftover and use it for touch up after I accidentally or intentionally run into things.
After that I removed the guts of the maintenance parts in order to open up the box for a buildout. There was a PTO driven generator, an air tank (compressor missing) and a giant inverter and breaker panel. Where I had to cut wires for removal, I labeled each side of the cut with matching numbers so someone could use everything if they wished. I ended up trading these things for a rad toy, which I'll get to later.
Next up was driveability. It's an old crusty truck with bare metal in the cab and one bench seat and I like it that way. No need to change that. But the speed is a REAL issue. No Overdrive, 4.56 gears and little tires meant that the engine and my ears were both very unhappy above 50 mph. Many 6.2L enthusiasts are adamant that the engine won't be damaged by running at or near redline, but the 3000-3500 RPM needed to be barely driveable on the freeway was not going to work. So I bought some hmmv 37" takeoffs with beadlocks. I also had to get some super intense 3" spacers to account for the crazy backspace on the hummer wheels. I could now drive on the freeway, more or less, and the military tires weren't nearly as hard or square as online accounts had me believe.
Along with the 37s, came a suspension lift and some steering parts from Off Road Warehouse. They were very very helpful and I'll definitely buy from them again.
Trying out the new wheels for size:
The pandemic lockdown was bumming us out, so we loaded up the truck with six packs and went to spread some joy around the neighborhood, dropping off gifts and yelling out the window. Here is the wife loading up those handy compartments with beer and avocados. She's 6' and makes the truck look shorter than it is!
to be continued (reached my photo attachment limit!)
This is my baja rig and I've been working on it, camping out of it, and building some basic mechanical knowledge for just under a year and a half. I know this because I bought the thing the first week of lockdown and had to explain to my neighbors that I hadn't gone full 'prepper' when I rolled up in a crusty camo war wagon. I bought it for a very reasonable price from a fellow on craigslist marketplace after searching for a few months. Here is it how it looked when I got it home.
I am very fortunate to be a lifelong Baja aficionado (my dad worked there and we surfed it all through my childhood together) and my most recent offroad incident down there pushed me over the edge to get a dedicated baja rig. I've always driven my daily driver down there, whether van or station wagon. I've been stuck so many times, but always get out. I just figured if you drive offroad enough, you get stuck. It happens. But the trip prior to the CUCV purchase was particularly bad. A stream had undercut the road and we slid right into the sink hole in the mud. After hours of digging, reinforcement and max tracking I went for a hike to the nearest house and found someone to pull us out.
Packed / Camped / Surfed&Fished Out
...Stuck
It happens. Van didn't turn over and nothing was damaged. As long as patience (and water) last it's all gonna be fine.
So the day after getting home the dedicated baja 4x4 rig search starts... After all the requisite jokes about unimogs and humvees with the wife, I narrowed in on the M1031, a maintenance truck built by GM for the military in the mid 80s. I really like the late 80's and early 90s trucks (wife has an OBS 7.3l F250 CCSB) and the boxy style, sturdy drivetrain and very simple engine of the CUCV series fit the bill. CUCV stand for Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle, by the way. These trucks can be had for 4-10k or so and often come with very low mileage. Mine was 6000 and had 24,000 miles on it. It came with an NP205 transfer case, a kingpin dana 60 with limited slip in the front and a corporate 14 bolt GM axle with detroit locker in the rear. Differentials are geared at 4.56. It has a naturally aspirated 6.2L diesel and a TH400 3 speed as well. So, very sturdy and lots of potential. Plus, all those compartments! I won't lie, that was a big motivator.
First was a trip to my trusted diesel mechanic to change fluids, add shocks (it came with the rear shocks totally missing!) give it a once over and let me know if I've made a mistake before I spend any money. Everything checked out with a clean bill of health and I'm off to the races.
First order of business was to get it painted. I enlisted the whole family and we gave it a good backyard paint job, complete with house paint rollers and 4 year old labor. I did the taping.
I know that some have an affinity for olive drab and camo in general, but it's not my thing. Besides, this vehicle has a very specific new mission - to explore offroad in remote, rural baja california. The very last thing you want when rolling up to a checkpoint, or camping solo in the wilderness in a foreign county is to look like an american military vehicle. Low key, and a good compliment to baja dust were the goals for this color and material choice. I spent $15 on tan spray paint and $25 on a color matched gallon of exterior house paint. I still have a bit leftover and use it for touch up after I accidentally or intentionally run into things.
After that I removed the guts of the maintenance parts in order to open up the box for a buildout. There was a PTO driven generator, an air tank (compressor missing) and a giant inverter and breaker panel. Where I had to cut wires for removal, I labeled each side of the cut with matching numbers so someone could use everything if they wished. I ended up trading these things for a rad toy, which I'll get to later.
Next up was driveability. It's an old crusty truck with bare metal in the cab and one bench seat and I like it that way. No need to change that. But the speed is a REAL issue. No Overdrive, 4.56 gears and little tires meant that the engine and my ears were both very unhappy above 50 mph. Many 6.2L enthusiasts are adamant that the engine won't be damaged by running at or near redline, but the 3000-3500 RPM needed to be barely driveable on the freeway was not going to work. So I bought some hmmv 37" takeoffs with beadlocks. I also had to get some super intense 3" spacers to account for the crazy backspace on the hummer wheels. I could now drive on the freeway, more or less, and the military tires weren't nearly as hard or square as online accounts had me believe.
Along with the 37s, came a suspension lift and some steering parts from Off Road Warehouse. They were very very helpful and I'll definitely buy from them again.
Trying out the new wheels for size:
The pandemic lockdown was bumming us out, so we loaded up the truck with six packs and went to spread some joy around the neighborhood, dropping off gifts and yelling out the window. Here is the wife loading up those handy compartments with beer and avocados. She's 6' and makes the truck look shorter than it is!
to be continued (reached my photo attachment limit!)
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