Actually I was in my Blazer Truggy this year {your third pic} Rob aka Zoomad was in the K5 camper
CK5
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1986 K5 The over-achieving grocery getter
- Thread starter CriticalAction
- Start date
1986 K5 Chevy Blazer
Thanks for the brief tow while the pump cooled off!
Oof... Sorry guys, I even thought about it before posting it trying to make sure I got the names right. I have always been bad with names. Either way I was happy to see both of you guys again. @Capt Ron @ZooMad75
No problem man, I was more worried about trying to pull you gently! Those couple of times I ended up jerking it kinda hard I felt terrible you were on the other end. I am just glad the pump cooled off a bit and got working. Seeing some of the other obstacles we had to get through even to get to the bypass road would not have been fun to pull someone on a rope through. Do you have an in tank or external pump on that one?
In tank pump, along with a tbi tank.
Interesting, so you think the pump was maybe overheating due to not enough fuel in the tank?
Started everyday with a full tank, once it got to about 10-13 gallons left it had issues. The pump is defienetly getting hot, sunday on hells I bought 6 gallons of water and 8 bags of ice. Every stop it got water poured on the tank and was fine all day.
Dang... Thats rough, hopefully you get the problem figured out.
Ever thought of running your fuel through a cooler? Simple power steering cooler could help.
The fuel setup before was perfectly fine, not sure why this better system ins causing a issue. I want to drop the tank and investigate, because I like in arizona I overcool things...
Lots of people this year had fuel issues with overheated pumps.
It's all good, our trucks get mixed up by many... It was good to see you too. It was a great surprise to see you out there. Sorry we couldn't hang out more. We kinda had our hands full.
Well I keep taking long breaks from this thread but the work continues!
After BB2022 I ran home with the winnings and got to work...
Gas tank skid got installed. Removed the old skid and hitch mointed tire carrier. By the scales this saved some weight as well as increased my departure angle quite a bit. Spare tire rides inside strapped to the floor now.
Frame plates welded in the front. Diy4x cage landing pads ordered/received.
Had my buddy weld a roll cage in for me. Obviously 1.75"x.120 DOM tied to the frame and my DIY4x sliders. It's nothing crazy but feel better having something in there. Swapped the body mounts for new urethane ones at the same time.
Painted with rustoleum hammered black per his suggestion. I think it came out great.
Gunna need to break up the posts a bit...
After BB2022 I ran home with the winnings and got to work...
Gas tank skid got installed. Removed the old skid and hitch mointed tire carrier. By the scales this saved some weight as well as increased my departure angle quite a bit. Spare tire rides inside strapped to the floor now.
Frame plates welded in the front. Diy4x cage landing pads ordered/received.
Had my buddy weld a roll cage in for me. Obviously 1.75"x.120 DOM tied to the frame and my DIY4x sliders. It's nothing crazy but feel better having something in there. Swapped the body mounts for new urethane ones at the same time.
Painted with rustoleum hammered black per his suggestion. I think it came out great.
Gunna need to break up the posts a bit...
I fixed the problem, 2 batteries and 2 30 amp relay legs powering the pump. Not a single issue now.
Its great to see this thread bumped up, looking good!
Continued...
Since the whole interior was out figured I should get to some other things I have been wanting. Ordered a custom aluminum boat hatch in lieu of the plastic ones...
Yes it is like 3 times the cost of the plastic one but now I don't have to worry about putting my knee through it at -40 in the winter up here.
Sealed to the floor with butyl rubber and then put exterior door weather stripping at the bottom of the shoulder for the door lip to seal against. Then stuffed the gap with extra foam I had after rebuilding my rear sliding windows.
Sprayed the floor with Raptor liner in black to seal everything up as well as came out on the door sills a bit for traction and to cover the spots where the paint had been worn through.
Ordered a full Kill mat kit and stuck all of it down with the majority being in the front passenger area.
After putting everything back in I needed someplace to put my spare rear driveshaft since I used to buckle it into the rear seat. Made a quick little bracket that uses one of the seat mounting bolts and an exhaust clamp to hold in place.
Rear tire is ratchet strapped to those posts the rear seat used for clamping on.
Since the whole interior was out figured I should get to some other things I have been wanting. Ordered a custom aluminum boat hatch in lieu of the plastic ones...
Yes it is like 3 times the cost of the plastic one but now I don't have to worry about putting my knee through it at -40 in the winter up here.
Sealed to the floor with butyl rubber and then put exterior door weather stripping at the bottom of the shoulder for the door lip to seal against. Then stuffed the gap with extra foam I had after rebuilding my rear sliding windows.
Sprayed the floor with Raptor liner in black to seal everything up as well as came out on the door sills a bit for traction and to cover the spots where the paint had been worn through.
Ordered a full Kill mat kit and stuck all of it down with the majority being in the front passenger area.
After putting everything back in I needed someplace to put my spare rear driveshaft since I used to buckle it into the rear seat. Made a quick little bracket that uses one of the seat mounting bolts and an exhaust clamp to hold in place.
Rear tire is ratchet strapped to those posts the rear seat used for clamping on.
Interesting. Glad to hear it's all fixed!
Cont...
Had all the plans in 2023 to return for BB but unfortunately my uncle passed away resulting in a whirlwind end of the year between pulling equipment to auction, ,funeral arrangements, and hundred other things.
That said nothing is currently stopping me for 2024. So... Used 37s! Guy somewhat local was selling very lightly used 37x13.50 Toyo MTs. I was in need of new tires and I had always built it with 37s in mind.
Took a couple hours to mount them and my dad had happened to order some gravel So I could be dumb for a couple minutes. It is by no means flexed completely and I still need to remount my front bump stops, but it looks pretty killer.
Definitely will need to do more trimming in the front. Rear looks like it MIGHT tuck ok. I'll flex it out more and trim as needed.
Girlfriend caught a bunch of pics as I was playing while her dogs were running around helping with the inspection.
Maroon truck in the back is my new DD and tow pig for Butch. Sold my 98 Yukon and bought my uncles pickup after he passed. 2015 dirtymax should pull the K5 just fine.
Used it to pull my GFs 66 VW van back to the farm. Should be an interesting project.
Had all the plans in 2023 to return for BB but unfortunately my uncle passed away resulting in a whirlwind end of the year between pulling equipment to auction, ,funeral arrangements, and hundred other things.
That said nothing is currently stopping me for 2024. So... Used 37s! Guy somewhat local was selling very lightly used 37x13.50 Toyo MTs. I was in need of new tires and I had always built it with 37s in mind.
Took a couple hours to mount them and my dad had happened to order some gravel So I could be dumb for a couple minutes. It is by no means flexed completely and I still need to remount my front bump stops, but it looks pretty killer.
Definitely will need to do more trimming in the front. Rear looks like it MIGHT tuck ok. I'll flex it out more and trim as needed.
Girlfriend caught a bunch of pics as I was playing while her dogs were running around helping with the inspection.
Maroon truck in the back is my new DD and tow pig for Butch. Sold my 98 Yukon and bought my uncles pickup after he passed. 2015 dirtymax should pull the K5 just fine.
Used it to pull my GFs 66 VW van back to the farm. Should be an interesting project.
That more or less brings us up to date. Just been driving it as my summer rig and enjoying it.
My current BB2024 list is:
- Remount front bump stops
- New batteries (Odyssey 34/78)
- Power steering cooler
- Fill gap at the sides of my fan shroud between it and radiator
- Roll cage foam around head area
Longer term plans for winter 2024...
At the end of last year I picked up a 2001 6.0 and 4l80e from a buddy. However they both need a rebuild and about a week ago a 50k mile 2019 L96 popped up... So we ran and got that. Sorry won't have pics until this weekend.
I will sell the 2001 and am going to just change the necessary items on the L96 to put it in with a Holley terminator. Going to rebuild the 4l80e and then build my two 205s into one good one with a magnum in front.
My current BB2024 list is:
- Remount front bump stops
- New batteries (Odyssey 34/78)
- Power steering cooler
- Fill gap at the sides of my fan shroud between it and radiator
- Roll cage foam around head area
Longer term plans for winter 2024...
At the end of last year I picked up a 2001 6.0 and 4l80e from a buddy. However they both need a rebuild and about a week ago a 50k mile 2019 L96 popped up... So we ran and got that. Sorry won't have pics until this weekend.
I will sell the 2001 and am going to just change the necessary items on the L96 to put it in with a Holley terminator. Going to rebuild the 4l80e and then build my two 205s into one good one with a magnum in front.
Bought the L96 as a complete takeout from a 2019 van with 6l90e. My dad wants the transmission for a future project and I wanted to get the engine on a stand for storage. So we split it and pulled some of the misc stuff that I won't be using.
I still wish these factory manifolds worked without modifying in the squarebody frames. I like the shields on them a lot.
Since this is a van application it has a remote mounted reservoir and physically smaller pump due to the reduced reservoir. I think this is good since the 2015 truck L96 I put in that suburban had the large reservoir which contacted the frame. We had to bend the c channel down to clear and it still sometimes touched. It also means I can mount whatever sized reservoir with a factory application pump for my hydro assist.
Also did a little trimming to make the 37s clear for daily driving. Need to flex it out and trim more. I tried lifting with a hoist on the left front but the front springs are so stiff compared to the back that it just flexed the rear.
Cut the back half off my diy center skid since it hangs down crazy low and also was starting to bend with the way it was designed. Going to modify the stock crossmember and extend the outer landing feet to go around the outside of the frame. RH c channel was starting to bend. Can kind of see the bulge in this picture.
I still wish these factory manifolds worked without modifying in the squarebody frames. I like the shields on them a lot.
Since this is a van application it has a remote mounted reservoir and physically smaller pump due to the reduced reservoir. I think this is good since the 2015 truck L96 I put in that suburban had the large reservoir which contacted the frame. We had to bend the c channel down to clear and it still sometimes touched. It also means I can mount whatever sized reservoir with a factory application pump for my hydro assist.
Also did a little trimming to make the 37s clear for daily driving. Need to flex it out and trim more. I tried lifting with a hoist on the left front but the front springs are so stiff compared to the back that it just flexed the rear.
Cut the back half off my diy center skid since it hangs down crazy low and also was starting to bend with the way it was designed. Going to modify the stock crossmember and extend the outer landing feet to go around the outside of the frame. RH c channel was starting to bend. Can kind of see the bulge in this picture.
Pulled my 205s out of the shed. Need to pull one or both apart for rebuild and prep for the ORD magnum. Based off what I have I am guessing I will use the older fixed yoke case. Both of them are small bearing so they would need machining anyway... They are both 10 spline Sm465 units.
Received the first of a couple Rockauto boxes and had to hold up the new calipers for comparison.
Was servicing the rear diff and figured instead of going in again for stud replacement I would do it now. Looking pretty good. Used 610-194s which seem to be long enough for both the disc brake conversion as well as aluminum wheels. I have a full set of 610-301s if anybody needs them.
Picked up some new Odyssey batteries since my Walmart batteries were getting old. They are group 34/78s so I have extra connection locations.
And today my new Method 105 beadlocks showed up so I checked fitment. PLENTY of thread engagement with the spline lugnuts and new wheel studs. Just need the brackets from Torq to show up so I can finish the front brakes/new wheel studs and mount my tires on them.
Received the first of a couple Rockauto boxes and had to hold up the new calipers for comparison.
Was servicing the rear diff and figured instead of going in again for stud replacement I would do it now. Looking pretty good. Used 610-194s which seem to be long enough for both the disc brake conversion as well as aluminum wheels. I have a full set of 610-301s if anybody needs them.
Picked up some new Odyssey batteries since my Walmart batteries were getting old. They are group 34/78s so I have extra connection locations.
And today my new Method 105 beadlocks showed up so I checked fitment. PLENTY of thread engagement with the spline lugnuts and new wheel studs. Just need the brackets from Torq to show up so I can finish the front brakes/new wheel studs and mount my tires on them.
Confirmed brake brackets should be shipping this week from Torq so I can finish up the big brake install. Had some time to mount 2 of the tires. Anti seize on all the bolts and first pass at 10 ft-lbs. 2nd pass at 20 ft lbs and kept going around until they weren't moving anymore. Forgot to snag a picture after mounting on the k5 but they stick out a bit more since these are 3.5" backspacing. My steel rims were 4.25" spacing.
In other news some changes to the winter build plans. This early GM NV4500 popped up on marketplace for $500. Figured I'd see what the inside looks like and maybe snag it. Didn't take a picture but I popped the PTO covers off at the guys house. It looks immaculate inside and still had plenty of oil inside. Leaked all over the bed of the pickup on the way home as well as got whipped up onto the rear window...
Obviously a little dirty but plan is to clean it up, Chevy orange rattle can rebuild, and use it with the L96 swap. That being said I'm calling on the NV4500 guys to chime in with their thoughts. @ZooMad75 @Fastereddie and others...
Advanced adapters obviously has a bellhousing for the early ones but after talking with them on the phone I'm not enthused about their options. If I use their bellhousing I also have to use their custom $400 flywheel since the friction surface has to be spaced out .4". I also have to use a pilot bearing extension to space it out the same amount. I then use the additional bracket/hardware to bolt a factory squarebody slave in for clutch releasing.
www.advanceadapters.com
However, QuickDraw has an early NV4500 to LS swap kit. It utilizes a Mopar external slave and allows the use of factory 2006 GM clutch components/flywheel. Since it's meant for LS engines it also has the full bolt circle for bolting to the oil pan.
quickdrawbrand.com
I am heavily leaning towards the Quick Draw kit since it uses factory components and also comes in cheaper than AA. They have a specific external slave they sell for their kits as well but say any late model Mopar will work. However, looking at pictures on RockAuto it appears like 97 Jeep Wrangler or 97 Dodge Ram 2500 slaves are same bolt pattern but provide different bore sizes.
Their slave just has a bubble flare(?) To 3AN fitting adapter in the end and is listed as .75" bore.
quickdrawbrand.com
I'm figuring use of factory manual squarebody pedals, factory 1987 clutch master, and 97 Wrangler slave. According to the bore sizes on RockAuto this is very close to factory bore size proportions.
- Factory Squarebody = .699" (master) to .810" (slave)
- 97 Wrangler = .709" (master) to .827" (slave)
I know that ideally I would use a later model NV4500 with internal throwout bearing and factory bell housing. But those fetch a big premium up here and often still don't have a bellhousing with it. I figured even if I end up needing to go into this one I can rebuild it, upgrade to synchronized reverse and end up with a nice tranny. Deeper first gear, synchronized reverse, hydraulic clutch using factory components, etc.
In other news some changes to the winter build plans. This early GM NV4500 popped up on marketplace for $500. Figured I'd see what the inside looks like and maybe snag it. Didn't take a picture but I popped the PTO covers off at the guys house. It looks immaculate inside and still had plenty of oil inside. Leaked all over the bed of the pickup on the way home as well as got whipped up onto the rear window...
Obviously a little dirty but plan is to clean it up, Chevy orange rattle can rebuild, and use it with the L96 swap. That being said I'm calling on the NV4500 guys to chime in with their thoughts. @ZooMad75 @Fastereddie and others...
Advanced adapters obviously has a bellhousing for the early ones but after talking with them on the phone I'm not enthused about their options. If I use their bellhousing I also have to use their custom $400 flywheel since the friction surface has to be spaced out .4". I also have to use a pilot bearing extension to space it out the same amount. I then use the additional bracket/hardware to bolt a factory squarebody slave in for clutch releasing.
GEN-3 VORTEC MANUAL TRANS KIT LUK CLUTCH
buy GEN-3 VORTEC MANUAL TRANS KIT LUK CLUTCH online
www.advanceadapters.com
However, QuickDraw has an early NV4500 to LS swap kit. It utilizes a Mopar external slave and allows the use of factory 2006 GM clutch components/flywheel. Since it's meant for LS engines it also has the full bolt circle for bolting to the oil pan.
Adapter Kit - GM LS Engines to Early NV4500 (1993-95)
Bolt your early NV4500 5 speed to a GM LS v8 Engine using this bell housing adapter kit
quickdrawbrand.com
I am heavily leaning towards the Quick Draw kit since it uses factory components and also comes in cheaper than AA. They have a specific external slave they sell for their kits as well but say any late model Mopar will work. However, looking at pictures on RockAuto it appears like 97 Jeep Wrangler or 97 Dodge Ram 2500 slaves are same bolt pattern but provide different bore sizes.
Their slave just has a bubble flare(?) To 3AN fitting adapter in the end and is listed as .75" bore.
Slave Cylinder - .75" bore external w/ 3AN fitting
This external hydraulic slave cylinder with a .75" bore works will all Quick Draw Brand adapter kits
quickdrawbrand.com
I'm figuring use of factory manual squarebody pedals, factory 1987 clutch master, and 97 Wrangler slave. According to the bore sizes on RockAuto this is very close to factory bore size proportions.
- Factory Squarebody = .699" (master) to .810" (slave)
- 97 Wrangler = .709" (master) to .827" (slave)
I know that ideally I would use a later model NV4500 with internal throwout bearing and factory bell housing. But those fetch a big premium up here and often still don't have a bellhousing with it. I figured even if I end up needing to go into this one I can rebuild it, upgrade to synchronized reverse and end up with a nice tranny. Deeper first gear, synchronized reverse, hydraulic clutch using factory components, etc.
I’d avoid the overpriced AA stuff. Just going off what close friends have dealt with on them. No experience with the other brand but it sounds like a good option.
Don’t forget you can get away with using an early gmt400 bellhousing with the pass side slave if you have enough lift. That is if you can find one.
Don’t forget you can get away with using an early gmt400 bellhousing with the pass side slave if you have enough lift. That is if you can find one.
