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1989 K5 - Gradual Learning

First 4x4 - learning basic maintenance / upkeep and maybe some small mods.
Overview Gallery Discussion
Blue85 said:
What's the backstory here? A previous owner drilled a hole in the tank? A fuel thief? I would think the patch would be more effective with something filling the hole, like a self-tapping bolt or a well nut.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it was a fuel thief. At least I hope they were trying to steal fuel... because the other option is that they just hated me or something. I don't have any enemies that I know of though.

My original plan was to replace the tank entirely, and I think I may still do that. The last putty job lasted a couple of years... I think this time I did a better job. A bolt would be a lot cheaper though, that's for sure!
 
shima said:
Yeah, it was a fuel thief. At least I hope they were trying to steal fuel... because the other option is that they just hated me or something. I don't have any enemies that I know of though.

My original plan was to replace the tank entirely, and I think I may still do that. The last putty job lasted a couple of years... I think this time I did a better job. A bolt would be a lot cheaper though, that's for sure!
Click to expand...
The bolt would be a part of the solution to reduce the hole to just leaks around the bolt, it would give the putty a little more strength.
I also put epoxy and a mesh on top of the putty to protect it.
It was all in the kit I bought.
 
There are videos of plastic gas tanks being repaired with plastic welding (in the vehicle). How dangerous would it be to use sheet metal solder on a tank, assuming you use an electric iron/gun and no flame? My thought is that you'd need a patch and the repair process would be getting solder to wick between the tank and patch, like sweating pipes. Otherwise, the solder may just drip off. Or maybe plug the hole with a screw and solder around that.

I know, I'm too late and the patch isn't coming off unless it leaks.
 
Last night, I worked on the Blazer awhile and took care of some little things:
  • I reconnected all of the EGR stuff. I noticed that the electrical connector for the EGR solenoid was loose, because the clasp had broken off of it. I zip-tied it snug so that it wouldn't back itself out anymore.

  • I noticed that the hose connection here was badly frayed... and upon looking at it closer I noticed it was fuel line. I replaced it with fresh vacuum hose. Here is an old pic of what I'm talking about.

    Frayed Hose.png

  • I tightened all of the exhaust downpipe nuts where the donuts are.

  • I refilled my coolant reservoir and the radiator. I am a little worried because I seem to be losing coolant and I'm not sure where it is leaking. I refilled both the radiator and the reservoir back in June of 2023, and both were low-ish last night. I don't think it is in my oil, because I'm not seeing the brown milkshake when pulling the dipstick... and the Blazer is not overheating. Maybe it's leaking elsewhere and evaporating before it hits the ground. I am going to have to keep looking.
After all that I cleared the bank of trouble codes and went for a long drive. The Blazer did great overall. The EGR code did come on when I was cruising on the highway, but then it turned itself off a few minutes later. On my way home I went through a drive-thru and while sitting there I tried my best to just listen and feel what was going on. It still has a shake to it... but honestly it's not that bad. It shuddered irregularly maybe once.

I haven't bought anything for the shackle flip yet, and I need to just make up my mind to do it. The expense of all that stuff + a new gas tank is daunting but I think it is time to finally get out of the "maintain it cheaply" phase... I think I'm finally ready to get into the mindset of "build something sweet". It's exciting!
 
A few quick questions on the shackle flip + fuel tank stuff:
  • Wes Harden said:
    You'll want a new fuel fill hose, fuel fill vent hose 1/2", hose and clamps
    I know Mrk5 has a good jiffy gun that will make short work of the rivets.
    Are you going to do new bushings?
    Any time the lift changes the pinion angle can be effected.
    Easiest would be to adjust the purchase, as opposed to shims, if you want it done in a weekend. Other wise once together and angles measured you can get the correct shims to adjust the angle.
    Click to expand...
    @Wes Harden I am thinking/guessing it's easiest to purchase that fuel fill hose + vent hose at a parts store vs. online? I might be able to just run to Napa or something day of.

    Where do you think I can get the shims you're talking about for pinion angle adjustment?

  • I am definitely gonna do new bushings. I'm gonna order these from Offroad Design. Anybody know the stock spring eye sizes? If it's safer to just measure, I'll run to HF and get an electronic caliper thingy.

  • Would you guys consider getting new springs in the back? I think that I have been told the stock springs are fine to use and that they're pretty soft, which is what I think I want (i.e. a soft ride).
 
shima said:
A few quick questions on the shackle flip + fuel tank stuff:

  • @Wes Harden I am thinking/guessing it's easiest to purchase that fuel fill hose + vent hose at a parts store vs. online? I might be able to just run to Napa or something day of.

    Where do you think I can get the shims you're talking about for pinion angle adjustment?

  • I am definitely gonna do new bushings. I'm gonna order these from Offroad Design. Anybody know the stock spring eye sizes? If it's safer to just measure, I'll run to HF and get an electronic caliper thingy.

  • Would you guys consider getting new springs in the back? I think that I have been told the stock springs are fine to use and that they're pretty soft, which is what I think I want (i.e. a soft ride).
Click to expand...
On the tank check with your local stores first, most don't carry it in stock.
I have plenty of shims, if you know the angles you need most likely I have them, I can save you money.
 
yep I would measure the metal part of your fill pipe, so you know what size to ask for, then call and double check on fill hose. Also ask about 1/2 fuel line is not that common any more.
Unfortunately the new lift with the shackle flip will change the angles from what you have now. You need to put the flip kit in springs and loosely install u bolts, set the truck on level on the ground. measure pinion and drive shaft angle. then decide what shim angle is needed. For your drive shaft config.
cv drive shaft angles.jpgpinion_angle_bad_angles.PNG
 
Something to watch out for with the flip with a slip yoke T-case. It’s pretty common with a 208 or 241 with a shackle flip that it will need a cv style rear shaft. Unfortunately the angles with the 4”flip and slip yoke may not be overcome. It was t in my case at least. Though mine was made worse by the 14bff axle with the pinion flange being further forward than the 10 bolt it replaced. Meaning the driveshaft had to be shorter than stock for that reason. The short overall length made the u joint angles be off by a lot. Shimming with wedges didn’t get me enough. Had to put a cv shaft in.

Something to think about. We can do a sye to the 241 or you have the driveshaft shop I used to build both for mine. But if you go with a cv shaft we will have to shim the pinion to match the shaft angle. That way the cv can do its job.
 
:thinking:

I was sort of struggling to figure out whether I could buy the shims in advance or whether I should just wait until it's all installed. I called ORD and talked to someone there. The guy was really nice and just said that he would get everything installed and then order the shims afterward. I didn't tell him that I would be 55 miles from home, but he said that in his own experience he got everything put together and then was able to drive cruise speeds (55-60) even though his angles looked a little off.

RE: CV vs. SYE... since I'm keeping the 10-bolt, do we think there's a chance I can retain my rear driveshaft as-is or is it going to be CV or SYE one way or another? @ZooMad75 I remember chatting with you about this in your garage but what I'm not fully clear on is how much the 14bff was to blame. The SYE is probably the long-term answer, but it's just expensive to add-in. I plan to keep this Blazer as long as I possibly can, so maybe it's foolish to be so stingy right now since this is a clear time to do the work.
 
@K5Devil has a slip yoke cv shaft built for his 208, he is using a 14bff like Zoo, but keeping the 10 bolt will only make your angles better.


Remember the rule "One Good Mod Deserves Another"
 
I’ve got a slip yoke shaft for my 14b and 208. Tom woods built it. Did a cv and sye at the same time. Angles aren’t great but no loud ass vibration. Only way I’m correcting my angles is by cutting the perches and rotating the axle though.
 
wait a SYE and slip yoke ? The shaft k5devil did was a 208 tail shaft slip yoke. Not a slip yoke in the middle of the shaft.
 
shima said:
:thinking:

I was sort of struggling to figure out whether I could buy the shims in advance or whether I should just wait until it's all installed. I called ORD and talked to someone there. The guy was really nice and just said that he would get everything installed and then order the shims afterward. I didn't tell him that I would be 55 miles from home, but he said that in his own experience he got everything put together and then was able to drive cruise speeds (55-60) even though his angles looked a little off.

RE: CV vs. SYE... since I'm keeping the 10-bolt, do we think there's a chance I can retain my rear driveshaft as-is or is it going to be CV or SYE one way or another? @ZooMad75 I remember chatting with you about this in your garage but what I'm not fully clear on is how much the 14bff was to blame. The SYE is probably the long-term answer, but it's just expensive to add-in. I plan to keep this Blazer as long as I possibly can, so maybe it's foolish to be so stingy right now since this is a clear time to do the work.
Click to expand...
So until you set it up it’s hard to predict. But if you dig around here you’ll see many with 10 bolts and a 4” flip needed to mess with driveshaft angles. Did they all need a cv shaft? Nope.

To add to the confusion my ‘75 k5 we did a shackle flip on ended up fixing the driveline vibration the truck had. But that truck had a fixed yoke 205 and a 12b. We did end up taking out a broken add a leaf that could have an impact on it too.

One thing you see with a shackle flip is without adding any shims the pinion angle is going to increase. Look at it this way if you take the rear spring eye and drop it almost 8 inches (rotating the shackle from pointing up to pointing down) as that rear spring eye drops the nose of the pinion is going to rise up a certain amount. It minimum you adjust than angle with shims to keep your operating angles within 2 degrees of each joint.

Having a little longer driveshaft helps as the angles soften over a longer driveline.

Nobody can predict what you will need. You can plan ahead and get a couple of shims ahead of time. Worst case you need to get a cv shaft built for the slip yoke. Front range driveline built mine and it was dead nuts on when I put it in. Though my pnion angle was crazy to match the shaft angle.

Keep in mind I’m not trying to spook you or make you back off from doing a flip. Just info to put on your radar to be prepared to adapt when it comes up.
 
ZooMad75 said:
if you take the rear spring eye and drop it almost 8 inches (rotating the shackle from pointing up to pointing down) as that rear spring eye drops the nose of the pinion is going to rise up a certain amount.
Click to expand...
If these are 52" springs with a little arch left, let's call them 50" eye-to-eye. Moving one end 8" changes the pinion angle 9.2 degrees. It will be different based on the exact shackle angle and length of the spring, but that's ball park.
 
I definitely still want to do all of this work, but the plan was for me to drive up north to @mrk5... work on it during the day... and hopefully drive it home that evening.

The main goal is obviously to get the shackle flip done. I just need to figure out what gives me the best chance of getting all of the work done in one day. Once there becomes a need to change the rear driveshaft, I start to worry a bit.

Here's my understanding so far, does this sound right?
  • Installing the shackle flip might cause my driveshaft angles to be tipped "over the edge" to where the existing slip-yoke u-joint rear driveshaft can no longer be used.
    • If this happens, I have two options:
      • Replace the slip-yoke u-joint style shaft with a slip-yoke CV shaft.
      • Install SYE.
        • In this scenario, can I retain my existing rear driveshaft (just remove the slip portion), or is it common to have to replace the rear driveshaft here as well?
 
shima said:
I definitely still want to do all of this work, but the plan was for me to drive up north to @mrk5... work on it during the day... and hopefully drive it home that evening.

The main goal is obviously to get the shackle flip done. I just need to figure out what gives me the best chance of getting all of the work done in one day. Once there becomes a need to change the rear driveshaft, I start to worry a bit.

Here's my understanding so far, does this sound right?
  • Installing the shackle flip might cause my driveshaft angles to be tipped "over the edge" to where the existing slip-yoke u-joint rear driveshaft can no longer be used.
    • If this happens, I have two options:
      • Replace the slip-yoke u-joint style shaft with a slip-yoke CV shaft.
      • Install SYE.
        • In this scenario, can I retain my existing rear driveshaft (just remove the slip portion), or is it common to have to replace the rear driveshaft here as well?
Click to expand...
The cv adds length to your shaft so yes you need to change the shaft.
Unless you have unlimited funds and can buy all possible parts for any scenario, good luck getting it done the same day.
 
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