Thought My Jimmy Was Big

[special-K]

I hear other people say it's big. It feels a lot bigger now with 4" lift on 3/4t axles with 315/75-16s. I can't see things real close to me like before. K5s re little big trucks because they're short but as big as pickups,otherwise. See?

[special-K]

It looks pretty big here next to an import SUV,right?

[special-K]

But I dunno,cuz when you look on the other side there's this fat pig that makes it look not so big at all!

[hopped up]

Love that top you have on your blazer. And yes its big
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[68Timber]

I love a K5 with a 2.5 to 3" lift with 33x12.50's but lately I keep thinking of 35's for some reason. I don't know if I'm suffering a bout of 'bigger is better' or if I'm on to something. Love your truck, BTW. The only thing that "bigger" truck is good for to me is resale to buy or build another square.

[special-K]

Well,bigger isn't better in this case,as far as 4wd ability goes. I'd be offering the driver of that Mercedes a pull out of the snow or mud he was stuck in or a ride to comfort in my little old Jimmy

I originally planned to lift mine 2" and run 11.50/32s. I had even powder coated a set of 8 x 15 steelies white. I just wanted it beefier than stock,but not change the stock look. I figured I could do the wheels and tires as is,then as money came along,put the lift on to get it off the tires a bit for a healthier stance. I found that size is becoming limited in selection. My son's '86 M1009 has them on it and it's just right. I would have gone with 12.50/33s but felt I needed the lift first and money was too tight to afford tires and lift. I had all this 3/4t stiff on my ailing '91 Suburban. I had a '90 Blazer I used to look at and think how cool it would be with that stuff under it. Even ordered a black soft top from STC,figuring that to be the first step in the transformation. I got ripped off on that deal. They took my money,never sent the top,and went belly-up. Had to sell that a few years ago. So,this Jimmy became what the Blazer might have been. I had bought that new and it was unique in it's own way.I look for that in my trucks. It was a Silverado and,unlike most in that era,it wasn't all loaded up with all the bells and whistles and had more truck-like features. It had solid (red) paint/not 2-tone,it was a 4spd manual/not auto,manual hubs/not auto,Rallye wheels/not alloys,vinyl seats,and manual windows/door locks.
This was our family car for 18 years. I put dual exhaust,Edelbrock shocks,lifted 1-2" in front by spring shop to level it up,rear sway bar,Auburn Gear posi,Bushwhacker flairs,retro 10 x 15 American Racing wheels,12.50/33 BFG A/Ts,Alpine stereo,and Walnut interior trim. It had 193,000 on it when I sold it (later pics). The 1st picture was right after I bought it. I hd the windows tinted,had a set of Rallyes power coated black,stripped he argent paint around the flange at the lug nuts(to make centers all chrome),black powder coated Ventshades,and 11.50/32 Michelins. It was a great vehicle and I really wanted to do to it what I've done to this '85. Could you see the same truck in red,black top,and wheels?

[Greenlee]

Sweet rigs! The soft top looks great.
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[68Timber]

I like the diesel truck better.

[special-K]

I do,too. But if you saw a solid Fire Red 4spd '90 Blazer with Black soft top (w/smoked windows),Bushwackers,4" lift,and 315/75 Goodyear MTRs mounted on 10" Black D-hole wheels I think you'd like that,too . These tops change everything. I look at Blazers and Jimmys and imagine them with soft tops...and other details to go with

[Boog]

Originally Posted by special-K

It looks pretty big here next to an import SUV,right?

Looks like you could park the little subi in the back of the Jimmy.

The Benz. Now that's a hog for sure. Looks like the back end of a hippo or something. Oh, it's not yours is it?

[gmclowsierra]

Looks like the parking lot isnt level. Still a decent truck
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[KrazyRay]

I like the way you matched the tires with the lift. Big improvement from the pizza cutters.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by gmclowsierra

Looks like the parking lot isnt level. Still a decent truck
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I wasn't looking at the height as much as the overall size. And like what Boog referred to...the berth!! Dang,that Mercedes looks like it eats at the buffet every night and my Jimmy looks like it's on a low-carb diet. The Jimmy's right side is in a dip,so the side against the pig is actually lower. That pig is lower to the ground,yet about as tall. It just struck me as a whole lot of money for worthless. I realize all these 4wd vehicles people drive these days aren't intended as off road vehicles,more for bad road conditions. Well,good tires are all you need in the rain. On ice you're S.O.L. in and on anything. And that leaves snow. That thing looks like maybe a foot is all it can handle. I can do that in a C/20 with weight in the back and snow tires. That little Subaru I think could handle more than that Joba The Hut looking thing. I dunno...whatever that thing costs I'm sure you could buy a nice sports car. To me that thing just screams too much money and not enough sense. Or maybe it's "Please lord,let this thing give me the status I so badly need"

It's funny,just after I took the pictures I see this young guy (who looked like a young and upcoming Washington lawyer) and his lady walking up and they get in it. I was wondering if he saw me taking the pictures. I really wondered if he could read my thoughts,cuz I was thinking pretty loud!

I appreciate the good comments Krazy man.

[DirtyLarry]

The Jimmy looks great Tim! I dig those fares too. When did you sneak those on there? Funny, I used those same exact Harbor Freight dollies when swapping the front axle in the Polar Bear and will be putting them to use again this week for another axle swap.

[special-K]

Thanks Larry. I got those flares this early summer. I had the paint shop mix me some rattle cans with a little dulling agent hoping to match them better. Flares and 10" wheels give a wider look and my Jimmy still looks narrow compared to that Kraut Kan .
When I did that swap I was fretting my slab being tied up with my '67 project and the Suburban was pretty immobile on the gravel. I had this old spring house to rebuild from the walls-up,so I bought the 3/4" plywood in advance and kinda "borrowed" it a while (I put the oil-stained side up since the bottom was exposed). I tried dragging that 1/2t axle and quickly realized it was time for "work smart,not hard" and checked out Harbor Freight's site. I actually went down there to buy these 3-wheeled cast aluminum dollies. When I saw them they were teeny little things,I think for putting under furniture legs...no pianos,though! Those dollies were just the ticket. Work great,don't they Larry? Hmmm...another swap? You have my attention now. I'll be pulling my dollies out this winter again,if I decide to go ahead and swap axles when I put the lift under my '72. I'll just do the lift if it looks like time & money are tight for going through the other axles,first. I have an HO52 w/No-Spin I'd like to fit some disc brakes to and the Dana 60 I know nothing about. I'd like to go through that and also install a Tru-Trac. I'd also LIKE to do a high-steer crossover conversion. Just typing this makes me realize I think I'll just do the lift for now and take my time to do the axles just how I want them.
Here's more plywood pictures:

[special-K]

Here are some fender flare pictures:

[DirtyLarry]

Whoa, what did I miss? How did your blue Burb get rearranged face? Deer?

I dig those flares on the Jimmy. I know you are a fan of those type flares as you have used them on a few trucks over the years. Might have to look at those for my Burb as I want to add flares to it soon.

You mention high steer crossover. I know that is all the rage on the forums but I wouldn’t recommend one for a daily driver/moderate wheeler type of rig. There isn’t a single person I know that has done on driver that doesn’t complain of bump steer along the way or on the trail. I am getting ready to install a D60 in the front of the K10 by the end of this week and not using any type of cross over steering kits. Just the plane ole raised steering arm. The K10 gets a lot of highway miles between home and most of the off-road adventure places we go and I don’t want to deal with bump steer. In all reality, I don't think the crossover steering kits are really necessary on anything other than a full-on rock crawler or dedicated trail rig.

Oh, that spring house is cool!

Those cheap Harbor Freight dollies came in handy this summer! I had axles stacking up like cord wood for a while after I scrapped the ole wrecker (I really hated to do that but it was too far gone to fix up) and scored a NOS D60 for the K10 around the same time. The wreckers axles went in to the Polar Bear Burb. The D60 actually badly cracked both dollies though. The garage was a total mess for a while . I sold that 427 out of the wrecker for $1700! I was pretty happy about that. That money has been helping the projects fund.


Putting the dollies to work stuffing the 14 bolt ff in the Polar Bear Suburban a few weeks ago. I did the front the same way but no pictures. Hopefully by the end of the week I’ll have an update on the D60 into the K10 in the 4x4 section.

[special-K]

Thanks for the info on the high-steer. I'm not big on doing unnecessary things and my whole reason for wanting to do crossover steering was "they say" it eliminates bump-steer. My reason for high steer is because I have bent tie-rods before. I never felt bump steer to be a big issue,honestly,and mostly liked the idea of the tie rod up and out of the way. I guess my usage has changed enough that bending a tie rod isn't a big risk any more.
I had a hunch the '78 was where the dollies were going to be used next. I too have tripped over too many axles in the shop before. I regretfully sold the M1010 axles I had back in '07 when I sold one of the three '72 K/20s I had. I had the 4.10 K/30 set I'm using in my white truck,another Dana60,and a couple No-Spin HO52s. Now that I thinned out I'm considering getting another set of K/30s axles for the Jimmy. Really only need the front axles since I have a full floating axle for it already. But,the set I'm looking at is military,so...locker already in rear.
The Suburban sat for too long waiting for repair after the mishap "we" encountered of the left turn variety. I was the one turning left. I had stopped as the light turned red.I waited and got the green left turn arrow,started moving ahead,and when I had started cutting left I notice the front end of the vehicle across the intersection start to lift. I stopped dead in my tracks and the fool kept on coming. I remember saying out loud as I braced my arms,"Do you see me? Do you see me? DO YOU SEE ME???",then BAMM!!! The fool ran his F150 right into me sitting still with all kinds of room to his right to swerve around. No need for any of that if he just looked where he was going. And,no need for THAT if just sat there at his RED light while I made my turn on MY green arrow. He totalled his truck! Unbelievable,all from a dead stop and not even across the intersection. I backed off of him,dealt with the report,then drove off to work . So now I had some body work needed. Then,a few weeks later I had engine trouble. One day I looked at the temp gauge and it was on hot,pulled it over,let it cool down,put coolant in,and drove home. The next day I headed out,stopped somewhere,went to start,and it was hyda-locked. I had it towed home where it has sat...a victim of the economy (& my divorce). In '10 I found out about the Jimmy and first considered it as a donor for the engine. When I went to look I decided it was too nice and used the Suburban to donate the suspension and axles,etc. I had just put a radiator in the Suburban not too long before it died. My Jimmy's radiator just started leaking,so I swapped that one in. I still want to swap the 4L80E. Then,finally scrap the ole rig

[special-K]

Other things tool my attention away from those dollies. I wouldn't complain about tripping over anything in your shop...er,I mean candy store. Well,not a store,more like treasure trove.
In keeping with the swaying topic nature of this thread,here is my buddy's '85 K1500 gone K3500. The only thing 1500 about it now is the price he bought it for. It was in a picture above (slightly). Here it is now. Just a hard working good Ole GMC:

[KrazyRay]

That's a nice roof on the spring house! Your sheet metals skills are for more than just body and fender work. I use the Harbor Freight wheel dollies to roll axles around, but they are over $20 on sale.

[special-K]

Those dollies sure do the trick. I don't recall how much they were when I got them. Sheet metal work on buildings is easy,at least when it's just straight and square. Getting the framing straight and square on that 200 year old spring house was the challenge. I had just gotten up on the roof and started pulling the old corrugated tin off when we had our earthquake. We never have those,so I thought the roof was bout to implode. I got down,went inside,checked up under the roof,and didn't see any problems. Got back up and went for a while,then heard/felt the same thing again. I was alone there and the thought of some freak (local) earthquake crossed my mind. I wondered if I should report it to USGS. I figured they'd like to know. It wasn't till later that day on my way home when I called my girlfriend and the first thing she said was,"Did you feel that earthquake?",that I knew we actually had one and it was felt on a good bit of the East Coast. Fellow member Tink lives real close to where the epicenter was and her house was damaged pretty badly. Later I noticed the stone wall got damaged on this spring house. There was a crack inside and out under the window and across the sill. Some stones dislodged and tumbled out. They had me fix that and,while I was at it,point up the mortar all over.

[DirtyLarry]

Tim,

Man, that sucks about the Burb with the wreck then the engine shooting craps and everything else. Sounds like you’ve had a rough couple years.

Your buddy’s truck is sweet. When I first saw the picture I thought it was odd it was a 1-ton but with only one fuel tank. Being born a ½ ton would explain that. I would sure love to have that front bumper! Do you know if that is a WARN or Ramsey bumper?

That spring house is neat and I don’t even know what a spring house is? We don’t have those out here.

[dvani]

Spring houses were for before the days of homemmade ice I think. Its awesome to see someone taking care of one of the "minor" outbuildings. Too few are still around.

[special-K]

You guys have hot springs! We have cool springs . The old-timers would decide to build near a good spring. It's where the water just comes out of the ground. They dug out enough rock to make a basin and dip water out. Then came the spring house for cold storage,kinda like the first refrigerators,as dvani said. Behind this one is a wall built into the bank where the spring itself is. There's a pipe that runs underground into the spring house. round threes sides is a trough that holds the water,then the pipe you see where the water flows out. So,it's a constant flow of fresh cool water. They'd set jars in the water to cool them. Outside there's another trough to store more things. Figure,back before electricity a dairy farm needed a way to keep milk cool till it went to market. I love preserving the old stuff. I rebuilt the porch on the house this summer.

To dd insult to injury,that fool who blasted into me tried to sue me. He had lied to the police and even came up with a phoney witness. My insurance company wasn't going to pay once I told them my side,but later,when he filed the suit,I found out my company caved in to his. I was never informed,so wasn't present at that trial. Stupid...it's their money,but that claim should never have been paid. And,the claim should not have been on my record! So,we went to court. I had the lawyer provided by my insurance co. It was a joke. They lied and said I was last in a line of cars (behind a burgundy Malibu) and tried to make it through the light as it changed. Hmmm...And you just drove right into that line because you had a green light? Anyway,their story didn't hold water and my lawyer made fools out of them. I really wanted to find a cherry Suburban 2wd for cheap and do a body swap (seems like lots of travel trailer haulers like that around). I finally gave up and went with the Jimmy because it was easy. But,I love those 3/4t Suburbans. They are the ultimate truck if you can only have one.

I think that's a Ramsey bumper,but I'll see if he knows. s I recall the Warns are a tad narrower and the curve a little tighter at the end. This is my friend who bought my K/20 Highlander. It looks like that will be out of the body shop before long.He said the guy was moving on it,so he needed to snatch the motor/trans/transfer case out to go over. Just seal or whatever on the trans/t-case and going to rebuild the 400. I had totally rebuilt the rest of the drivetrain. So,it's going to be nice. Maybe if it gets out before long this thread can drift into talking checking that out

[special-K]

This thread reminds me of some build threads. Now,what was the original topic? It was more about how bulbous that Mercedes is than my Jimmy,but I like talking about my Jimmy more...or my work...or friend's trucks...or the ole Suburban...or Larry's axle swaps...and out dollies. Here's some more spring house pictures: