The Evil K5

I did a snowball restoration on a K10 that was supposed to be a wheeler truck, except now it's too nice.

So enter this questionable decision of a K5 I picked up at the end of 2024 from a marina up in the thumb if Michigan. It didn't run and the ad mentioned it needed a new gas tank.





It sat around until the summer of 2025 when I finally poked at it a bit. Got it running on a bottle after I replaced the ignition module in the distributor. It runs ok, but it's clearly a basket case. HVAC wiring is destroyed, no evap stuff, the lower radiator shroud is missing and there was just no air cleaner at all.




After really looking at it I think this has been tub swapped before it was parked. This is titled as a 1981 K5. The core support and front bumper appear to support that. But the dash is a 1984+ dash with the column wiper switch and the headlight switch being higher up. And the tub is suspiciously less rusty than the super scaly chassis. My hypothesis on this is that the previous owner saw this tub in a scrap yard and bought it. It looks like it was in a crash of some kind that just kissed the driver kick panel area. The floor is dented into the cabin here and the kick panel has shifted over some. After swapping the tub the original 1981 front fenders, core support and bumpers were used. Then it was painted this crappy camo color. And then for whatever reason it was parked in this marina for many years where it rusted away in the moist air.

My plan as it stands for now is to fix it up enough to wheel it. Then slowly repair, upgrade, and eventually some tractor paint so it isn't such an eye sore.