I Bit The Bullet

[special-K]

Well,I finally did it. I just ordered a Softopper for my '85 Jimmy. Money has been tight for longer than I care to say. I am about to put it on the road after owning it nearly a year. I have only driven it home where it has sat. I bought this thing for a fun-to-drive rig and,by gummit,this soft top will really make it what I want. I had a '90 I bought new and a few years ago,because of money being so tight,I ended up selling it. Before I made that decision I had finally ordered a soft top from Specialty Top Company. Wouldn't it be just my luck,as hard as money money had gotten to come by,that I got burned by them pocketing my money and going under. Thanks a lot you red handed thief!
Plans are to take the 4" EZ-Rides,3/4t 4.10 axles,35" MTRs,4L80E,speedo,tilt column,and sport wheel from my '91 Suburban and install on the Jimmy. I had a soft top on a '71 Blazer back in the '80s and that just made it so much cooler. I've wanted another ever since. My '90 was the family car so the hard top stayed put. I never even removed it once. I was going to do all this to the '90,so now a few years later I'll have the rig I wanted. I can't wait! I need to get up under that Suburban and start pullin' stuff.so I can enjoy this thing this summer.

[N2TRUX]

Glad to see you getting another ride like you want. I assume that means things are easing up in the financial department. I know how you feel about the Blazers too. I still miss my 82 2wd, and swear I will have another one.

Posts pics of please...

[Boog]

You better get started Tim if you're gonna cruise that rig this summer. I wish I had gone ahead with the half top or soft top on one of my blazers.

[special-K]

Thinks are good for now. I'll be gathering nuts for next winter,though. Things are always better spring through fall. It's like night and day.
I'm going to try to borrow a friend's trailer. He just sold the truck he hauls it with and it'll be a little while before his '72 (my old Highlander) restoration done and ready to haul. His focus is on getting his '68 GTO convertible (cloned Lemans) ready for the Cruisin' Ocean City weekend coming up May 20th. He just rebuilt a 455,swapping to 4spd,and changing to a 12-bolt. I'd just pull the Suburban up on it,pull the trans/transfer case,then drop the springs/rears out. It'll be ready to haul off lickity split!

[pmpski_1]

I hear you - I just got another K5 (91 Jimmy) after selling my first one a few years back. I absolutely love it and can't wait until it gets warmer and rains less around here. I bought it with a soft top on it already - an STC at that. I do want to get a 'family cage' in back so I feel better with the little one in back for short trips.

I just wish gas wasn't so darned expensive right now. I would drive it all the time.

[special-K]

Yeah,a cage would be important. Actually,even with the hard top. I've been thinking about that,too. I remember when it first hit me just how cool K/5s were. After being a certified truck junky it just made sense to have something that looks and feels the same looking forward,but turn around and there's a back seat. I guess starting a family had something to do with it,too. It's a shame that STC went under. Other than my own obvious personal reason,I liked the look better and they really were well made. They looked more like the Bestops,the mother of soft tops. That's what my '71 had. I looked at Can-Backs and they are double what the Softoppers cost...close to what I paid for the Jimmy!

[68Timber]

Sorry to hear you got burned, but I do appreciate the warning. I'd planned a tan one of these for my M1009 CUCV.



It does (DID) the safari look really well...



The money hasn't been there for that piece of that project yet, I do hate to hear they went under. The topper appeared to be very well made and the reviews backed it up as a top-notch soft top. Hate to see that option off the table.

[Altec]

Can't wait to see what you do with blazer!

How are you going to power the 4L80E? I got one laying around that if my 465 gives me trouble I might put in my truck. Looking at the Optishift controller, with a factory harness I have.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by BRUISER

Sorry to hear you got burned, but I do appreciate the warning. I'd planned a tan one of these for my M1009 CUCV.
...The money hasn't been there for that piece of that project yet, I do hate to hear they went under. The topper appeared to be very well made and the reviews backed it up as a top-notch soft top. Hate to see that option off the table.

They had great reviews. Heck,CK5 still has them in their product reviews section...which I think is strange and misleading. It does say "out of business" at the end,along with Kayline and a good bit of other products shown.My Jimmy is Doeskin Tan so I ordered a Tan top. It's a pretty basic Jimmy and doesn't look too far off from a desert tan CUCV. I think it was ordered as a park ranger vehicle and never taken. The M1008s look awesome with canvas tops. Too bad no O.D. ones are made. My son has an '86 and I came close to buying his and doing all this to it.

Originally Posted by Altec

Can't wait to see what you do with blazer!

How are you going to power the 4L80E? I got one laying around that if my 465 gives me trouble I might put in my truck. Looking at the Optishift controller, with a factory harness I have.

My '91 Suburban is a 6.2 diesel and so is the '85 Jimmy. So,it'll be easy. Just swap the ECM and speedo over with the trans. It'll still think it's running a 3/4t Suburban I had a swap like this planned since the day I bought the Sub,once I was through with it. I was thinking it would end up in one of the '72 K/20s I had. I'm down to one keeper and I plan a 435 swap in that when I swap axles and lift it (hopefully this summer). The Jimmy will be the get-away rig and the '72 the work horse. Not that no o/d ever stopped me from traveling. With 37s and 4.10s it won't be bad on the hiway.
I had a 3" exhaust system made (w/6" round Dynamax mufflers) for the Suburban that I want to cut down and use,too.

[Altec]

Oh, good thinking! I have the controller, and harness from the '95 Vandura I pulled my 6.5/4L80E out of that is a stand alone transmission controller. Figure it is good for a spare. The Optishift uses just a TPS, and has a bunch of adjustments. Even the ability to hook up a pair of micro switches and manual shift. That, with a transbrake... Yum!

I'm running 3.42's in my truck for that very lack-of-OD reason... With 3.42's, and 35" tires it puts me right at the stock size tire with 3.08's. Good side effect is I already had the speedo gears.

[motornut]

that looks great with the soft top
could i get a link to one?
hear ya on the burb coloum I wana do that too
i looked for a jimmy for years very hard to find up here
since i got mine in the fall i've only see (1) 4 eyed jimmy

[special-K]

Softopper is the only company that still makes a reasonable priced top. CanBack makes them but they cost twice as much. I guess they figure their frame is that much better. If I haul anything overhead I will use a 2" receiver mounted rack for the rear and a normal rack on the hard top up front. This is what a Softopper looks like:

[motornut]

thanks......see what you mean about $$
that might be on the Xmas list
kinda got used to gettin wet drivin this lol

[special-K]

^ That car screams fun! Here's a link:

www.softopper.com

[pmpski_1]

Originally Posted by special-K

If I haul anything overhead I will use a 2" receiver mounted rack for the rear and a normal rack on the hard top up front.

GREAT IDEA! I was wondering about that. I don't know if I'll ever need to do that but now I know how if I do!

[special-K]

How about this set-up on a CK5.com member's Blazer?

[motornut]

Originally Posted by special-K

^ That car screams fun! Here's a link:

www.softopper.com

thanks i want one for sure

Originally Posted by special-K

How about this set-up on a CK5.com member's Blazer?

very cool setup i wondered about weight issues
with a boat and the the tan top just says "Safari"

[pmpski_1]

Originally Posted by special-K

How about this set-up on a CK5.com member's Blazer?

Hah, I saw that thread too! I guess it didn't register. I would like a basket on top, but again, I don't think I'll be doing anything where I go to far from home with this thing.

Hopefully I'll get some good weather this weekend and I'll post some pics of mine.

[special-K]

Did you show yours over there? I still have my old name there,Super-K. I am amazed,I ordered on Sunday and it showed up yesterday (Thurs).

[pmpski_1]

Originally Posted by special-K

Did you show yours over there? I still have my old name there,Super-K. I am amazed,I ordered on Sunday and it showed up yesterday (Thurs).

I didn't ... I've only had mine for a few weeks because it came on the truck when I bought it, so I don't have a strong opinion on whether I like it or not yet. And it's an STC isntead of a Softtopper.

I can tell you already that I hate the snaps. The way they're installed on this rig, some of them have pulled out of the top and it's pretty darn hard to get the top stretched enough to get them snapped. Since I'll probably keep the soft top on 365, I'm going to look for a tail gate from a truck and redo the snaps a couple of millimeters off from where they are now.

I'll post some pics today or tomorrow.

[pmpski_1]

Pics.

I took the side steps off about 20 minutes after I shot these. I don't like them, so even though they're slightly useful, off they came.

Big swap meet tomorrow, I'll be looking for trim, a rear bumper, an air cleaner assembly, and a truck tailgate. If I find something, great, if not, oh well, the swap meet is always a good time.

I was driving around today and a guy in a 72 K5 stopped next to me at the light and wanted to know where I got the top. He recognized it as an STC and was disappointed that it came with the truck and that it wasn't "new".

[special-K]

That's nice! I don't care for running boards,either. Mine had the diamond plate ones on it. I think they came off within 24 hours,LOL. Mine definitely was an "old man" Jimmy which,other than the running boards,was a good thing.
When I had a soft top (Bestop) on a '71 I had to put it up or put the sides down before the temperature dropped or leave it open all night. IIRC,there was a better way (sequence) to fasten the snaps to make it easier. Like fasten the front,then pull the rear corner,then do the snaps between. Mine was white,so the sun didn't heat it up as much.

I love this Blazer. Mine will be similar colors,but no full top...and that's an STC: