My K5 Blazer Story.

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by ryanroo

You will have a super awesome rig when it's done. I love the detail and care going into it. These are my favorite builds to watch!

Larry and I were talking about it tonight. He's not going to let me short cut or half-ass it. Which is why all the cleanup and painting is going on. He's right, if it's cleaned up and painted it makes cleanup after a run that much easier. You can see leaks if they happen and address them before you have a cocoon of crap. It's worth it to put the effort in now than later. Larry's level of detail is second to none.

[Zoomad75]

Nothing monumental for updates today, but did spend some time polishing up the best lens I had for the cluster. I put the cluster back together, just need the LED bulbs to finish it. While I was polishing stuff, I pulled out the underhood light/reel cleaned it and polished the lens too. Larry wants the underhood light to mount on the firewall so the pcm location can be finalized.

Here's some pics of the restored cluster..

[Zoomad75]

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[justcuz]

Did you use plastic polish or just polishing compound on the instrument panel lense?
Are you going to replace the rag joint on your steering shaft with the Chrokee piece? I did it on my 93 and it is a nice improvement.
Honyock! My God, Larry spent too much time in Detroit, the Polacks rubbed off on him.
Next thing you know he will be using dupyosh!

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by justcuz

Did you use plastic polish or just polishing compound on the instrument panel lense?
Are you going to replace the rag joint on your steering shaft with the Chrokee piece? I did it on my 93 and it is a nice improvement.
Honyock! My God, Larry spent too much time in Detroit, the Polacks rubbed off on him.
Next thing you know he will be using dupyosh!

You aren't going to believe what I used on the lense. I actually used turtle wax chrome polish with a Mothers power cone on my cordless drill. I was a little skeptical at first, but I tried it out on the lense for the underhood light first. The chrome polish had just enough "grit" to really work out the imperfections on the underhood light and the use of the power cone saved my fingers. I also tried it out on a second cluster lense just in case before I did the correct one.

I figured out a technique with the power cone that really did the deed best too. I put a dab of polish on the tip of the cone. Press the tip on the lense and work it in before pulling the trigger. Once the polish is worked in, I pulled the trigger and worked a single section at a time. My drill is a giant 19.2v craftsman so it was easier to let the drill sit on the work surface (my s10 tailgate!) and moved the lense with my other hand applying slight pressure. After the polish is worked in well I then used the larger end of the cone (working on the side) to use the dry section of the cone to "buff" off the dried polish. Using this process I did have a couple of deeper scratches I had to work out but by going over those 2 or three times worked out the scratches to the point they were gone.

I'm going to stick with the stock steering shaft for now. Now would be a good time to do it, but the budget needs to be spent carefully to get what I need to make it run. Still have to get the exhaust done too. I got a hookup on it, but it will still cost some dough.

Larry has the tranny and t-case out on the floor now. He cleaned them up and now I need to perform the tv cable mods, converter lockup wiring mods and reseal it up. He's leaving this mess up to me.

[justcuz]

Sounds good on the chrome polish. I heard toothpaste works good too!
The TV cable will be long. Since the throttle pull is from the top, will you mount the TV cable to the bottom of the throttle arm so it can pull forward during acceleration?

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by justcuz

Sounds good on the chrome polish. I heard toothpaste works good too!
The TV cable will be long. Since the throttle pull is from the top, will you mount the TV cable to the bottom of the throttle arm so it can pull forward during acceleration?

I'm using a TV Made EZ kit from bowtie overdrives. It's specific for the 700r4 5.3 LS vortec combo. The kit comes with a cable, bracket for the throttle linkage and a new spring for the tv valve in the trans. We'll see how it goes together.

[Zoomad75]

Have you ever heard the country song "two steps forward, one step back"? That's how today's work session in the Bigassgas Garage went.

Plan of the day was for me to get the TCC wiring and TV spring and cable install done on on the trans and Larry was going to wrap up the fuel lines and get them all tied down to the frame with the filters. Work was going along smooth with a little help on the phone by another work buddy Jesse since he's our resident expert on all things 700r4. He's another square nut too. Thanks Jesse! I owe you Beam N Seven for the knowledge!

I went on to the TV spring and cable install next. The plunger and bushing were tight to get out of the valve body but the Bowtie overdrives gave a great tip to use the spring and plunger to "slide hammer" the bushing out by pressing in on the plunger and letting it snap out. It worked like a charm. I will say the Bowtie Overdrive kit so far has been very easy to install and the instructions with it are very clear with great color pics to make it easy to follow.

I buttoned up the trans with a fresh filter, front pump seal and dipstick tube seal. Larry brought out the power washer and gave it another douching on the stand. This is about where the one step backward came in. Larry started prepping the t-case for a clean up and fresh paint he noticed something odd about the output shaft. It wasn't centered in the seal. He spun it by hand and sure enough the output shaft is BENT!

So took some time to blow the extension housing off the case and found more damage. The pump housing is broke at one of the bolt holes and the hilljack previous owner made a lame attempt at gluing it back together with silicone rtv. SOB! Larry had tried to drain the oil earlier and got NOTHING. Well a couple of water drops, but no oil. Not a good sign. I've got to search for another 241c and do some research on replacement parts at work.

On to some pics.

TCC wiring. All that was required was removing the silver two prong sensor and eliminate the connector then splice the brown wire to the black one. Done.


Getting ready to button it up with the pan.


Rattle can rebuild is complete.


Uh-oh. This shouldn't come off this way.


Housing is junk. Notice the wrong bolts and washers below it that I pulled off.


The more I think about it, the more I'm inclined to look for another one. We found signs that bolts were pulled off the input side by the darn things being rounded off. Something tells me there is more wrong inside from some nitwit trying to band-aid it back together.

Even despite the setback it was good to get to work on it. Thinking on a positive note, it's better that the trans was ok and the t-case fubar'd as I have more options than if it was the other way around.

[justcuz]

It would be nice to pull it apart for inspection, it also makes it easier to litter his driveway with the busted parts.
I would definitely go for another t-case, unless just the outside is junk.
Good write up and pictures on the transmission. Thanks.

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by justcuz

It would be nice to pull it apart for inspection, it also makes it easier to litter his driveway with the busted parts.
I would definitely go for another t-case, unless just the outside is junk.
Good write up and pictures on the transmission. Thanks.

Nobody is littering Larry's driveway with anything if I want to keep the build going over there. At least not without cleaning up after myself first. Still with the butchery that happened inside this t-case I'm not trusting anything. I found a couple today and got a couple other places to call tomorrow.

[justcuz]

Oh hell no, not Larrys driveway. Where did you get the t-case from? It needs to be disassembled and taken back to that guy. Nobody sells junk like that without knowing that it's damaged. Free is the only way that t-case is worth anything and that would be just for parts.
Have you ball parked your gear reduction yet? What factor are you giving your torque converter multiplication 1.5, 2 to 1? I know it changes as engine speed increases but say in low gear, low range at 1800 rpm what do you factor the converter at?

[justcuz]

I think, not sure but think, there was an intake tube without a resonator on it. May have been 99 only. Probably have to look in a Chevy parts book. I seem to remember others who have done this conversion that found or used and intake minus the resonator. Or maybe you can find a used Airaid intake cheap.

[Zoomad75]

T-case came from the same nitwit that had the blazer that Larry bought it from. The level of butchery is consistent with other parts of the truck we've had to undue their handiwork.

The crawl ratio isn't far off from my old 75 with the 4-speed with 3.73's and a 205 t-case. If you use a multiplication factor of 1.9 it works out to a better crawl ratio than my old one. I'm not really stressing on the crawl ratio all that much anyway. No it won't be what I'm used too with the granny low in the 465, but what it will be is WAY more driveable. The overdrive is going to knock down the highway rpm with the 4.10's giving a better launch combined with the deep first gear. I'm not going crazy with the rock crawling needing a 100:1 crawl ratio anyway. Just something that can run right down the highway without loosing too much ground to Larry's beast but still wheel off road comfortably. I think we will hit those targets.

[Zoomad75]

The budget is lighter, but at least I found a 241c t-case locally. We buy a good amount from this local boneyard so I got a better price than they advertised on the web. They wanted a core back. Larry was thinking ahead about keeping the old case as a backup if I managed to smack it on a rock and crack it like an egg. It just so happened one of my techs at work traded me a couple of parts for the old tailgate from my 75. One of those parts was a 207 t-case from a early S10 Blazer. Completely worthless to me but he gave it to me anyway. So I talked to the guys at the boneyard and offered the 207 as the core return. Bingo. They were cool with it. We got spare case now.

It's just in case. I'm going to have to tighten up my driving style now. The 75 was ratty enough I could wheel with reckless abandon. My rear driveshaft and doors showed the results of my size 15 boot.

Work is suspended for the weekend. I'm riding shotgun in Larry's rig for a weekend fishing run with a few buddies. The expected target for a fish antics is over a pass below timberline. It's a new area we've never explored before, but we both have been itching to get some dirt on the tires. We got beers, steak and snacks. Should be a good weekend.

[Zoomad75]

While Larry and I were camping and fishing at 10,000ft last weekend, one of my techs was busy blowing apart my front axle to install the tru-trac. Here's where he stopped:



He pulled the ring gear off of the original carrier and one of the 10 ring gear bolts came out funny. Like missing half the threads funny. So he wisely stopped to consult with me once I got back to work. Keep in mind this axle is from Larry's family wrecker truck he dismantled and was bought new by his Dad. The axle had never been blown apart..ever. So it was kind of odd to have the threads wipe out. Still we both agreed new ring gear bolts should have been on the parts list from the get-go, so we kinda dodged a bullet. I called up the Pueblo brake and clutch and had a set delivered up the next day. I will say I'm proud to have a part of Larry's truck history under my K5.

Not much else to report except Larry's been busy fogging paint on. So much so he ran out of the tan I had mixed up and ran out of his favorite satin black tractor paint too. Lucky for us the local farm store got restocked this week. So I sent Larry this pic:



We had a pretty good time off the grid last weekend. Wasn't a typical wheeling trip as the trail was pretty basic. Just long and rocky, but the views were great over Hagerman pass. We dropped into a secluded valley that was still at 10,000ft and camped on a old railroad bed that splits Ivanhoe lake in two. Kinda trippy to wake up and see water out of both sides of the camper after an afternoon/night of adult beverages.

The cast of characters, Larry's K10 out in the back, his neighbor's Silverado behind it, our Buddy Bill's Dodge behind it. The yellow TJ and red YJ Jeeps are couple of brothers that are our guides to the new area. John has the yellow jeep and his son and my son are best buds. Shane is his brother and has the red jeep. Larry dubbed them, ketchup and mustard.



Looking east off of Hagerman pass at turquoise lake.



The top of the pass. 11,925 ft. For you flatlanders, that's up there.





Something you don't always see. Action from inside Larry's K10. This is looking down the west side of the pass over our target fishing spot, Ivanhoe Lake.



This was hard to tell it was actually an old railroad bed we were on, but once we got up above the lake on the other side it was pretty obvious. The black sand, rusty railroad spikes and rotten rail road timbers were a pretty good giveaway too. The only problem with this spot is it lacked any protection from the wind. Which never really stopped until early in the morning.



Third cast out, Larry nailed a nice rainbow.





My third cast out after restringing my reel I got one too!


Saturday morning, just before sunrise. Butt freaking cold by the way..




All in all, we had a great weekend. More fish were caught, lies told, meat burned over an open fire and beers downed.

Got to finish putting the 44 back together tomorrow after work with my tech and meet up with Larry at the Pueblo res for some local fishing.

[justcuz]

Beautiful country, thanks for posting up the pictures.
Are there any culverts under the railroad right of way for the lake to self level or is there enough run off from either side to keep it even.
I bet you can picture your self and the Blazer up there next trip huh?

[Zoomad75]

No culverts that we could see. It's nice to have this right in our backyard to go play in. Mine will be wheeling soon enough. I've pictured it many ways and places in my mind. The goal is a desert run the year after next.

[Zoomad75]

Larry's been a busy dude this week since work is going to have him on the road for the next couple of weeks. He's shot a couple of cell phone pics to show some progress.

Frame has been pruned of the stock rear spring hangers and ready for some black paint.


Paint is on and now ready for the ORD shackle flip brackets.



Flip brackets installed.



Springs got a fresh coat of tractor paint and awaiting the 14 Bolt's arrival.



Axle is in and Larry's q78 swampers installed as rollers. Sitting tall as there is no weight on the rear of the truck, no top, fuel tank or seats.



A shot from the rear.


The 44 awaiting springs to bolt up into it's new home.


Bonus shot. The air intake ductwork solution. We had a UPS truck in the shop a couple of weeks ago for a charging problem. This was a Workhorse W42 chassis running a GM 6.0L engine. The air intake caught my eye as a possible solution to look more stock and less aftermarket. I looked it up in the Workhorse part catalog online and sent the details to Larry. He ordered a new one up and the price was less than even no-name aftermarket options on ebay or amazon.


Larry did have to order some fresh front spring eye bushings for the front springs. So he got some fresh bushings with greaseable bolts coming in from ORD. He did let me know the sway bar end bushings are wiped out and suggested we refresh them and the ones on the frame side. I picked up some from a couple of the local parts places to the shop. Need to drop them off tomorrow.

[MTCK]

Good progress! That 14 bolt looks right at home.

[Zoomad75]

Larry's got the 8Lug 4.10 tru-trac equipped front axle bolted under the Blazer.



It's going to take a little time to get used to the look of 8 lugs on my stuff. Not long, but a little time.




Larry's kicking tail on this for sure.

[Zoomad75]

Not a whole lot going on this week. Larry's been on the road and I've been keeping my nose to the grindstone. I did stop by to drop off some fresh braided steel brake lines for the front, ORD sway bar bushings and a pair of speakers for the dash.

To take some of the load off of Larry for the detail work I brought home the shocks and steering stabilizer to clean up and paint. This is a true budget build as I didn't have extra coin to spend on fresh shocks. They were still riding just fine, not leaking but the paint was blown off over the years. So, we'll clean them up and fog some paint on them.

Here's what I started with, the top one was the test subject to see how the wire wheel on the angle grinder would do. It did awesome. It ripped the paint and rust scale off in a couple of minutes.


After a little more noise, we are left with 4 stripped shocks. I grabbed some more 320 grit sanding pads to replenish Larry's supply and smoothed them out further and followed up with a finishing grit scotch brite pad.


Wiped clean they got hung in one of my trees and fogged with some primer.




After letting the primer dry I hit it with Larry's favorite tractor paint. This time in of all colors, Ford Gray. Which actually is more of a tan color. More fitting we thought.


Got to still hit the stabilizer and clean up the winch to ready it for paint. Stuff to do for Sunday.

[y5mgisi]

Nice! Nothing wrong with using what still works!

[Zoomad75]

Made a run to the farm store to pick up more of the Ford gray. While I was there I picked up some fresh hardware for the shocks. Gotta love grade 8 stuff sold by the pound.

Today after getting back I cleaned up the steering stabilizer and fogged it with primer and paint. I also cleaned up the winch and masked it to be ready for primer.



I let it dry and laid down the satin black.

No pic as the image quality sucked from my phone.

Not much planned for this week. Larry's going to check the rear driveshaft length in prep for me to get it cut down.

[chilliwak]

Good to see the progress going into these old Blazers! Now thats some cool stuff! When can I go fishing, wheeling, and havng fun with you guys! Cheers, Chilli...

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by chilliwak

Good to see the progress going into these old Blazers! Now thats some cool stuff! When can I go fishing, wheeling, and havng fun with you guys! Cheers, Chilli...

Thanks Chilli! You just need to point that big beast to the south and come see us!