Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle - General Motors

General Motors

The GM CUCVs were produced in the 1983-86 time period (model years were 1984-87 and mostly 1984) and were powered by 6.2L Detroit Diesel V8 engine. The GM CUCVs were assembled mostly from the heaviest duty bits and pieces from the light commercial truck lines. The CUCVs came in three basic body styles, a pickup, a utility and an ambulance body. A chassis cab fitted with a service body could be called a fourth. The M1008 was the basic cargo truck, the M1010 was the ambulance and the M1009 ¾-ton utility rig, which was a stripped Blazer uprated to 3/4-ton capacity. With the exception of the M1009, the trucks were all rated as 1¼ ton (commonly called a “five-quarter”), even though some of them had payloads in excess of that. In the truck lines there were some heavy duty variants, to include the M1028, M1028A1, M1028A2 and M1028A3 shelter carriers, the shelter being a mobile command, communications or intelligence operations enclosure. The M1031 was the chassis cab which was most commonly found in the two door version. These latter trucks were all rated for heavier 3,600 or 3,900 pound loads, vs. the M1008s 2,900 pound load capacity. The M1028A2 and A3 models had dual rear wheels. Many M1028s were upgraded at the company level to M1028A2 and A3 specs. The Dual wheel rear end was a result of incidents where the M10128 flipped on its side because of the high center of gravity when carrying the equipment shelters.--