My K5 Blazer Story.

[lytemup454]

Once Rob and I got off the phone I told my wife the plan and she asked "why does every project always end up NEEDING a frame off restoration and new motor????" LOL

[DirtyLarry]

Originally Posted by lytemup454

Once Rob and I got off the phone I told my wife the plan and she asked "why does every project always end up NEEDING a frame off restoration and new motor????" LOL

Yeah, that would be awfully hard to explain around here too. Rob’s new GSA K5 would still be mine if the boss wouldn’t have started giving me a hard time last summer

[Zoomad75]

That's funny Ian! I've been quizzed over just parts purchases in the past. Why do you need that part? Doesn't your truck already have that? If it does why do you need a new one? On and on and on!

I'm getting excited for all of our builds. I got a hit on the Craigslist ad that sold the top this morning and the guy that bought the front clip got a hold of me about buying the extra doors I have. More dough for the build!

[lytemup454]

Ya my wife pretty awesome, She was just giving me a hard time. It's nice to have an enabler that fully supports my addiction. LOL

Glad to hear you got the top sold so quick, Larry's not going to know what to do With all of the room freed up in his garage. The 8.1 for the burb will be gone, the 5.3 and blazer will be gone.

[DirtyLarry]

Originally Posted by lytemup454

Glad to hear you got the top sold so quick, Larry's not going to know what to do With all of the room freed up in his garage. The 8.1 for the burb will be gone, the 5.3 and blazer will be gone.

For sure! Prolly get that Corvair van engine resealed and get it installed back in the van…or start back on the old yellow truck. It needs front disks and a bunch of little things to make it road worthy but then again, I want a K5 of my own too

[lytemup454]

Bigassgas Garage could install an 8.1 into it's first 2wd????

[DirtyLarry]

Originally Posted by lytemup454

Bigassgas Garage could install an 8.1 into it's first 2wd????

That would be fun but I am all out of 8.1L’s. The last one I have is in pretty bad shape and I’m not sure if it is savable. Although, the kid that bought Rob’s front clip has a 292 I6 from a 1969 C10 that needs a home. Typical young dude yanked it for a 350..no appreciation for straight 6's. I prolly would have done the same thing at that age.

For some reason I’ve always wanted to build something with a 292 and throw TBI on it. They aren’t much for big power but they are torqy little dudes. Would be perfect in some old K5 or beater truck plus it would be something different that no body else is running. The kid wants $350 for it and it took all I had not to just trade Rob’s front clip straight across for it but Rob is too big to beat up when he would have found what I had done and I can only out run him for so far so I thought better of it and just took his cash. Still might grab that 292 once the Burb project is done. 292’s are getting hard to find, especially in good running order.

[Zoomad75]

Yeah dude you can run but can't hide. But I do appreciate your restraint! I'm a fan of big old straight 6's too. One of the guys in our Nomad club had 302 Jimmy 6 in his 55 Nomad. It moved down the road just as good as any small block and had ample torque to pin you in the seat too. Sounded cool too.

We need to keep our eyes out for a 70's step side 4x4 to slap a 292 in. Be a good beater with FI.

[Zoomad75]

Started the teardown of the 75 this afternoon. Got the dash pad, tach, bezel, heater control, wiper and headlight switches pulled. Cluster is loose, but I realized the oil pressure line to the gauge needs to stay hooked up if we want to drive it on the trailer.

Hopefully tomorrow I can get the console, radio and CB out tomorrow.

Sad to dismantle it, but I'm getting really excited to get the 91 running.

[y5mgisi]

Maybe you could just get a $5 oil pressure gauge from the parts store?

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by y5mgisi

Maybe you could just get a $5 oil pressure gauge from the parts store?

It just needs to run long enough to drive on and off the trailer. From there it will take a minute to remove the cluster the rest of the way.

No pics yet.

[MTCK]

Any pics?

[Zoomad75]

Got a load of hardware from Off Road Design today.

Inside the box is a 4" shackle flip, steering box brace and a sway bar relocation/disconnect kit. Plus the 14bolt I picked up is at work for the gearing change. Learned the Carrier break for a 14 bolt is 4.10 and down, 4.56 and up. Putting a 4.10 gear on a 4.56 carrier won't fit! Our buddy Bill has a 4.10 carrier from a coworker that he won't need I'm picking up for $50. Finish putting it together Saturday at work.

Need to order my TV made easy kit so the 700r4 will have the right tv control. A few other odds and ends and should be ready to get rolling when Larry gets back from the desert.

[DirtyLarry]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

Got a load of hardware from Off Road Design today.

Inside the box is a 4" shackle flip, steering box brace and a sway bar relocation/disconnect kit. Plus the 14bolt I picked up is at work for the gearing change. Learned the Carrier break for a 14 bolt is 4.10 and down, 4.56 and up. Putting a 4.10 gear on a 4.56 carrier won't fit! Our buddy Bill has a 4.10 carrier from a coworker that he won't need I'm picking up for $50. Finish putting it together Saturday at work.

Need to order my TV made easy kit so the 700r4 will have the right tv control. A few other odds and ends and should be ready to get rolling when Larry gets back from the desert.

Sweet! We’ll start hitting that K5 hard once I get back from the Desert Trip. We also need to get Ian the old frame soon. He is anxious to get started on his project too.

[lytemup454]

True that! I got bored and pulled the motor on the 68 to reseal it. LOL

[Zoomad75]

Got everything pulled from under the hood today along with the headlights, markers, turn signal lights and tail lights. Would have pulled the spare and mount but I couldn't get the gate open!

I'll pull the console, radio and CB tomorrow and try the gate again. Then it will be ready for Larry to come get it to take to his place for the major de-construction.

[DirtyLarry]

Sweet! Let me know. Pick up can happen Monday or Tuesday. If not then it will have to be the week of the 27th. Did you get the carrier from Bill today?

[Zoomad75]

Yep. Met up with Bill this afternoon. Made short work of it with electric impact. Yanked the carrier and bolted the axles and cover back on. Bill talked to Branden and said he needed the 4.56 carrier anyway since the axle he swapping the parts from has a 4.88 spool. He don't want to run the spool so rather than me buying the carrier we are just swapping straight across. I'll get the carrier up to work this week. Harlan will swap the ring gear across since the pinion is already set up with the right preload. All we have to do then is set the pattern and backlash.

Then you and I can finish with the brakes. I'll be ready to swing the iron by on the way home once we have it done. GI cleanup day is next saturday so I need to get it out of the shop.

I've got to call Jesse about the TCC lockup on the 700r4 too. I've got a question out to Bowtie overdrives about the TV kit. Waiting to find out if the kit comes with a specific TV valve spring they reference in the instructions to change out. They don't list that spring separately so I'm confused. (really it isn't that hard to do!)

I'm getting pumped up though.

[DirtyLarry]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

Yep. Met up with Bill this afternoon. Made short work of it with electric impact. Yanked the carrier and bolted the axles and cover back on. Bill talked to Branden and said he needed the 4.56 carrier anyway since the axle he swapping the parts from has a 4.88 spool. He don't want to run the spool so rather than me buying the carrier we are just swapping straight across. I'll get the carrier up to work this week. Harlan will swap the ring gear across since the pinion is already set up with the right preload. All we have to do then is set the pattern and backlash.

Then you and I can finish with the brakes. I'll be ready to swing the iron by on the way home once we have it done. GI cleanup day is next saturday so I need to get it out of the shop.

I've got to call Jesse about the TCC lockup on the 700r4 too. I've got a question out to Bowtie overdrives about the TV kit. Waiting to find out if the kit comes with a specific TV valve spring they reference in the instructions to change out. They don't list that spring separately so I'm confused. (really it isn't that hard to do!)

I'm getting pumped up though.

[Zoomad75]

Every now and then I have a idea that makes me wonder why I didn't do that before. Yesterday after getting back from picking up the carrier, I backed the S10 into the driveway in front of the Blazer. I got out and went to walk between them and it hit me. If I backed up the S10 another foot or so I could drop the tailgate and use it as a platform to work from. So that's what I did. It worked great. I wasn't laying my belly across the radiator support to reach what I needed on the firewall.

I'm sure it looked odd, but at least one guy walking by stopped to comment on my genius.

[Zoomad75]

As they say, Elvis- Er The K5 has left the driveway. For the last time. Larry and Bill swung by this morning to pick it up with the trailer. No pics. Last time it was on the same trailer when Larry brought it from Bill's place to his over a decade ago.

As usual, nothing went smooth. In my dismantling of stuff, I some how have incapacitated the starting circuit. Battery is charged, but no crank with the key. Got power to the junction block on the firewall, but no switched power in crank. Been trying for the last 3 frigging days. Larry was supposed to get it while I was at work, but that meant the truck needed to drive on the trailer under it's own power. Nope! So the night before last I cranked it up by turning the key on and reaching down to the starter solenoid with a big screwdriver. Yes, quite the hack technique, but it would work. I got tired for two nights chasing circuits while getting eaten alive by mosquitos. All the rain we've had has us living in a bumper crop of those winged little vampires! So came out this morning early and got it fired up in time that the carb would be happy and warm and not stall out as soon as I tried to crawl on the trailer.

Keep in mind my neighbors must love seeing this. I'm standing on the gate of the S10, leaned all the way into the engine compartment while I kick the starter with my left hand and work the throttle with my right. Who says guys can't multi-task? I'm sure from the street it probably looked like the K5 was trying to eat me whole as it coughed to life for the last time.

I thought I would feel more sad, but I wasn't. I don't let cars go all that often, but today I really thought the 75 had served it's purpose. I got more than $500 out of it in value for everything I did with it. The body is beyond rotten by our dry standards out here in the west. I'm sure you folks back in the rust belt wouldn't think so, but financially it's beyond worth putting money into. So it's soul will live on in another couple of K5's and that makes me feel good.

I'm excited to move onto the next chapter. Get into the build, shakedown and new wheeling adventures. Plus another buddy of mine that I'm helping sell a '56 Chevy for picked up a kick ass TJ Wrangler that is built up nice for another guy to run with on are adventures. Plus he knows the Leadville area like the back of his hand so we can hit up some new ground too!

[DarkMonohue]

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[lytemup454]

The calm before the storm!!

[DirtyLarry]

Originally Posted by lytemup454

The calm before the storm!!

HA! Not around here

I’ve been chopping at it little by slow since it arrived. It’s starting to look more and more like a Flintstone mobile with each passing hour. Tomorrow afternoon some guy that Rob sold the full-vert roof too is supposed to come by and pick up the roof, A-pillar and doors then I’ll move it inside the shop and start unbolting the body…..well, hopefully unbolting the body. I envision most bolts breaking as this thing has more rust than the friggen Titanic. Not sure where this K5 originated but it sure the hell isn’t a Colorado native with this amount of severe rust. After I take the body to the scrapper we’ll yank the engine and trans/tcase and deliver the rolling frame to you this weekend or early next week. The frame will be fully power washed and cleaned up when you get it.

Believe it or not, it still runs. You just have to start it by jumping the starter direct with a screw driver because some hack disabled the ignition switch somehow

[lytemup454]

Your the man!!! next years desert trip will see an invasion of fuel injected k5's