Military '86 K5 Blazer goes OFF-ROADING!

John bought a super lifted 1986 K5 Blazer, and We're gonna take it for a drive! Big Jake is behind the wheel and taking this beast through the backwoods. #k5blazer #offroad #liftedtrucks

[@SP-wk1en]

Hey, love it. I recommend you add CUCV to the title of the video.

[@CavanalK5]

#M1009 #CUCV
Let me apologize in advance for the long novel. I learned a lot about these after buying one so I try to share what I know when I can to try to help someone….Beautiful truck! Would love an update on it too!
I know you want to call it a K5 because that’s what it really is. However a little marketing tip for when it comes time to sell….i would add the technical specs like “M1009” and “CUCV” and 6.2 Detroit. Because guys looking for them will plug in those words. You can tell me to kick rocks, but I’m not trying to be an asshat, just trying to help. 😊 I bought an ‘85 M1009 in 2021 after I’ve had my ‘88 K5 since my parents bought it when I was 7. Also have a ruff pasture-find but nearly complete ‘79 K5. My ‘88 looks like that white and blue one you have when you pulled out of the garage except mine is white-red-white. Blazers are addictive! 😂
Anyways…these are technically called a M1009 (em-one thousand nine) or most who have them say (em-ten-oh-nine). They are part of a product line or classification called CUCV (commercial utility cargo vehicle) pronounced by saying the letters or most owners say “cuck-vee” I know “he-he-he”.
The CUCV program spanned the 70s through Early 2000s I believe and encompassed the squarebody GM style in the 80s. Some dodges in the 70s and some GM and AM General up through about ‘05 or so. The 80s squarebody GM ones were pretty cool because you had the Blazer and then the truck-M1008 and several other variants of it depending on what bed was on it-generators, ambulances, cab-n-chassis, fire fighting rigs and more. They even had a single cab dually which is totally badass and hard to find. You see a lot of these trucks in small rural fire depts. some time back there was a program where those depts could purchase them cheap for repurposing. Even just the regular M1008 SRW truck. The M-series pickup and bed variations were rated for 1-1/4 ton or 5/4 ton “five-quarter ton”. The Blazers were considered 3/4. They had the same dinky 10-bolt rear end as the K5 but was supposed to have a locker. Luckily yours has already been upgraded to likely 1-ton axles.
The 6.2L Detroit diesel is reliable but can be finicky if the glow plugs or the glow plug relay goes out. There’s a fuel screw that can be turned up to add more fueling to it to give a little more ooommpff. Yours sounded like it may have had that done already. They sound a little stronger, like a tractor with throttle up a bit more instead of sounding like a tractor barely idling. A Banks turbo kit for the 6.5 can really wake these up. They won’t win a drag race but they’ll be a little more joy to drive. You can also pull a factory turbo off a later model 6.5 truck-Hummer, 2-door Blazer(92-95), suburban, chevy or GMC truck, etc. Bunch of videos on here of that.
One thing to really be mindful of for safety sake and sake of your electronics…these trucks were 12v/24v. Hence the dual batteries. 24v was starter and the NATO space receptacle for jump starting purposes. It’s that weird looking twist-capped connector in the front grill and under the dash, and there may be one near the rear footwell. Those are a uniform plug that were in tanks, other military trucks and gave capability for these trucks to jump start a tank, a generator, and any other with the same plug. Also part of the reason for the 24v system. Made it safe for other 24v rigs to jump start one of these with the same cable. Many people convert these to 12v because the 24v starters are expensive and hard to find. Definitely won’t find them at typical auto parts stores. If yours has been converted you probably won’t see a second alternator. Or one may be there but no belt on it. They pull the starter, rewire the batteries to parallel (12v) from being wired in series (24v). Looks like yours may have 2 alternators still but I couldn’t see if there was a belt in both. Looks like there was an aftermarket AC compressor maybe down between the 2 batteries on yours. So just be mindful when adding electronic. You can easily run 12v items from that bus bar at the top of the firewall behind the battery. Wire your positive wire to that and ground to somewhere bare metal. That bus bar is 12v even if your system is still a hybrid 12/24 volt.
CUCVs are nice because they have hydroboost brake systems.
The wheels and tires definitely make this one stand out. To each their own of course lol. I’d like this one with some 15” “bullet-hole” wheels in black or painted to match that tan with some 35s or 38s. Love me some BFG AT3s but some Toyo tires would also ride nicely, and you could go AT or MT tread.
Check out the Black Rhino “Arsenal” in a 16x8 or 16x10. Or Vision Brand 1993 Hummer H1 18" 403 TACTICAL Satin Black Wheel (18" x 9.5", -18 Offset, 8x165.1 Bolt Pattern, 125.2mm Hub more details on - www.carid.com/sf-pl-wheel/mmyid-5318-ofmpnid-3701276913.html?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAp5UIOd_PHtyRPSePd_Fb4OFHPNnb&gclid=Cj0KCQjwj4K5BhDYARIsAD1Ly2qguZcHFJ1bC9IGIWsnX-sqvgeoJbJh_MjnUtdQw-AO2fwr5s_WgL8aAuX_EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
I think these would look sharp, especially in that 8-lug configuration and would complement that military theme (they’re based off the H1 Hummer factory wheel)

[@lannyluckyj3227]

Don't like the shiny paint, I drove these K5's and it didn't look anything like that lol nice😂

[@Joemondaking]

Well off guys fucking around with a cucv is what UA-cam is for 😂