AJ's '72 Cruiser Crawler Build

[AJs72K5]

After window shopping for 2 years, I finally found a 1972 K5 in great condition. I wanted something with a really solid body, so I could focus on the motor and the drivetrain.

Part one of the build is to makeover the suspension, tires, wheels, and axles. I'm not building an extreme rig by any means...no rock crawler here. That'll be the next toy I talk the wife into...eventually .

Started with this:



Tear it down to here:


Accumulate all of this:


Front end gear:


Rear end gear:


Sweet DIY4X Shackle Flip detail:


If all goes as planned, either the 1st or 2nd weekend in February will be an all weekend wrench-a-thon to see how much can get done. The goal is to get the rig back on the road by the end of the February. And so it begins....

[OLD SKOOL K5]

So are you going to one ton axles? Also let me know how you like tha alcan springs as i am planning to buy some soon!

[AJs72K5]

Originally Posted by OLD SKOOL K5

So are you going to one ton axles? Also let me know how you like tha alcan springs as i am planning to buy some soon!

3/4 ton conversion on the D44 front. 1 ton (14FF) in the rear.

[LUV2XCLR8]

I like the personal touch added to the flip, looking good

[Stoney]

The paint scheme looks awesome, nice Blazer......

[Critter]

Have you done the D44 8 lug swap yet? Was it as straight forward as everyone says?

[desertrat]

The Blazer already looks better with the stock front bumper back on it.

How much lift are you going to have when you are done?

[AJs72K5]

Originally Posted by Critter

Have you done the D44 8 lug swap yet? Was it as straight forward as everyone says?

Haven't done anything yet, except tear it down. It looks like the donor axle used pre-1978 parts for it's 3/4 ton conversion, so I should be able to keep my existing spindles and just change everything else out from there: backing plate, rotors, hub, and keep my existing lockouts

Originally Posted by desertrat

The Blazer already looks better with the stock front bumper back on it.

How much lift are you going to have when you are done?

I changed the bumpers out the weekend I got it. Had them sitting in the garage waiting for the truck.

Will end up with 6" of lift from the suspension.

[BLUE THUNDER]

Dude, I'm diggin the Blazer. Let me know when the work weekend is and i'll give you a hand. I've been slowly working on little things like replacing the lock cylinders,outer mirror,washer res,motor mounts,seats,etc.....I hope to have mine on the road by the end of February as well. Give me a shout if you need a hand. 269-8322. Later, Mario.

[72meanmachine]

Hey sweet truck, would you happen to be sellin the old bumper/grill guard that was on it?

[AJs72K5]

The front grill guard? Sold to my barber a while back. Sorry.

[AJs72K5]

We finally got a few hours to work on the truck today. So, we attempted to tackle the rear suspension. Should be easy right? Unfortunately we ran into some fitment issues with the shackle flip and had to do some mods. But, we got it all together. Next week we'll tackle the front suspension and start building the axles.

Me griding off the factory shackle hanger. We ended up using a grinder, a torch, and an air hammer to get these boogers off. You gotta love power tools.


Test fitting the DIY4X Shackle flip. Here's where we ran into issues. The bracket was about an inch off due to the rear gas tank strap. It affected both sides.


Made a quick call to Kert at the office...never expected him to answer on a Saturday. That's great service. He wasn't aware of the issue, but mentioned that the 1st gen flips were designed on a K10, not a Blazer. Here's the solution: we cut about an inch off of the horizontal surface (goes under the frame). Kert said this shouldn't affect the integrity of the flip as we had plenty of material between the cuts and the mounting holes.


Modified passenger side bracket installed.


Modified driver side bracket installed.


Alcan Springs, DIY4X shackle flip, DIY4X shackles, and poly bushings installed


AJ's logo from the back of the truck


More to come next week!

[Rokcrln]

Your logo is a very nice thouch! Did they come that way as an option or did you do it your self?

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[AJs72K5]

Originally Posted by Rokcrln

Your logo is a very nice thouch! Did they come that way as an option or did you do it your self?

Kevin
LFD Inc.

I wish I had the skills to do that kind of stuff myself! Kert @ DIY4X put it in for me instead of the "DIY4X" logo he usually puts in.

[Rokcrln]

Originally Posted by AJs72K5

I wish I had the skills to do that kind of stuff myself! Kert @ DIY4X put it in for me instead of the "DIY4X" logo he usually puts in.

WOW talk about customer service!

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[BLUE THUNDER]

lookin good dude. can't wait to see it. Later, Mario

[72BlckButy]

This is coming together nicely.... can't wait to see it in the end.

Keep us posted!

[Matt72blaze]

hey AJ,
could you post up some pics of your soft top? i'd like to see the framing that supports it and also how it's formed around the door glass.

thanks man!
matt

[AJs72K5]

Haven't made much progress on the truck. I had food poisoning, or something last week and could barely make it to work, much less wrench on the truck. That being said, the Axle Fairy showed up last week and built my 14FF. Seriously. The last time I saw the axle (the week before), it was sitting on a couple of jack stands and was just an empty housing. Actually...I store the truck at an auto shop. It was apparently a slow week, so a couple of the mechanics decided to build the rear end . I'm talking: put in all new bearings and seals everywhere, install the Detroit, and set up the gears. I showed up at the shop and saw this:





All that's left on the rear is to weld up the perches and shock tabs, and set up the brake lines and calipers. The shackle flip moved the rear axle forward about 1.5" - 2" (see the first pic). I can make most of this up with the perches I have from DIY4X. However, I didn't know or didn't realize that I'd need a different set of spring plates to move the axle to a different hole on the perches...the spring plate moves with the axle so the spring pin doesn't sit in the hole on the factory plate now (duh). Needless to say, I've ordered a of plates set from Kert.

[LUV2XCLR8]

Man this thing is going to be huge

[AJs72K5]

Originally Posted by LUV2XCLR8

Man this thing is going to be huge

Funny you say that. It was too huge when I bought it. 10 total inches of lift with 39.5s. When I'm done, it'll be sitting at 6" of lift with 35s and will be a whole lot more streetable.

[Critter]

Lookin great AJ. I can’t wait to crawl under it and admire the work! I am really excited about the rear disc on the 14 bolt AND the D44 8 lug swap. I have ideas of doing both of those eventually. Let us know when it is ready to leave the garage!

[AJs72K5]

I got a kitchen pass tonight, so I went to the garage and spent a couple of hours working on the truck with a mechanic buddy. We made some good progress tonight. It's amazing what having the right parts will do for you! We got the front springs on and the axle under the truck, with tires. At this point, all four tires are on the ground. All of the "heavy lifting" is done, except for taking out the body lift.

[Big J]

Wow!!! Its lookin' good. When you take the body lift out the tires will fill the wheel wells perfectly.... I bet you'll get that done pretty quick....

[Yukon Jack]

A before and after pic will be fun when you are done.