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468 BB Chevy - What is this worth?

Engine update

Machinist has my block in line for decking and line honing. He seems to think the existing bores are fine so I may stick with .03 over. Targeting lower compression, 9.5 +/- so I can stick with 87 gas. Machinist will select the pistons and a custom roller crank to give me the desired performance (good idle and overall Bulletproof engine).

Heath at Volcano is trying to find heads. They are very scarce now. Either going Dart or Brodix...which ever is available first.

Full roller CompCams steel Rockers.

About to cut out old tailgate support and install new one. That is the first item for body work. I see the tailgate support as the foundation for the entire body.

I'm also welding in a custom homemade "rig" to allow me to install the donor Quarter panels. I'll post photos of that mess on my build page. Stay tuned.
 
sweetk30 said:
make sure to brace the hell out of the body before you cut anything out . . . good luck and have fun .
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Just updated my Build Page with some of my ideas for installing the new quarter panels.... Maybe read it over and let me know your thoughts

77 Blazer - The Beast build

Major work done over past few days. Transfer case out, transmission out and one of the two quarter panels had most of the paint removed. Transfer Case: As originally thought, it is a slip yoke eliminated NP205 with an ORD Twin Stick. Plans include rebuilding case and installing modified...
ck5.com ck5.com
 
Good afternoon everyone. Quick update for this marathon thread.

The last we heard our hero had dropped the engine off at The Machinist to be work over. The new forged crank and rods where also dropped off for balancing. several weeks passed without any notification from The Machinist so I decided to pay him a visit. My first two knocks on the door were not answered and his door was locked. On my third visit I found his assistant inside and received word that The Machinist had passed away. So I was faced with either having to pick up my engine and find somebody else or working with The Machinist assistant to see what could be done. It turns out that all was not lost. It seems that The Machinist passed his knowledge along to both of his sons and one of them was going to actively complete the jobs his father had before he passed. That being said, a couple of months later, the block was finally sent out to be bored at honed.

It seems there was significant wear on the existing bores and the block will now be bored .060 over. I just got my Pistons delivered and will be dropping them off on Monday. I attached some photos of the Pistons I got thru folkenheath. I am still waiting on the brodix heads I ordered, they are incredibly backlogged, and the Lunati Camshaft.

Is slowly coming together. My body work has been placed on hold recently because I had to go to Florida to get married and immediately had to fly to Texas after a friend passed away. It seems everybody's getting married or dying.

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Wow that's an update! Congrats on getting hitched too.
 
I might be finishing the top end rebuild on a friends 500ci caddy engine. He dropped the car off to an old school rebuilder that came highly recommended. Bought the parts he guy said was needed then nothing, No phone calls, emails and the owner even mailed him a letter. I stopped by while driving down the holl'r. Gate was locked, but I was able to get through. On the door was a different phone number. I called it. His wife answered. Turns out, the wife could not get ahold of her husband one night when he was working late. She found him dead, leaning over the fender of the Caddy.

Good excuse for not finishing it.
 
ktmoutfront said:
I might be finishing the top end rebuild on a friends 500ci caddy engine. He dropped the car off to an old school rebuilder that came highly recommended. Bought the parts he guy said was needed then nothing, No phone calls, emails and the owner even mailed him a letter. I stopped by while driving down the holl'r. Gate was locked, but I was able to get through. On the door was a different phone number. I called it. His wife answered. Turns out, the wife could not get ahold of her husband one night when he was working late. She found him dead, leaning over the fender of the Caddy.

Good excuse for not finishing it.
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Ughhhh, hope this isn't catching. Sad my machinist passed but his son seems super cool. He learned from his dad and he works full time as a diesel mechanic and he rebuilds diesels.... Seems qualified.
 
ZombieK5 said:
Ughhhh, hope this isn't catching. Sad my machinist passed but his son seems super cool. He learned from his dad and he works full time as a diesel mechanic and he rebuilds diesels.... Seems qualified.
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There are not many people carrying on the family business anymore.
 
Glad you like the pistons, you are really putting some nice pieces in this engine. Forged crank and pistons, hydraulic roller, brodix heads, EFI. It should run good for a long time!

And congrats on the marriage!
 
ktmoutfront said:
There are not many people carrying on the family business anymore.
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We've had 2 very good machine shops close with a 3rd that is for sale or he's closing the doors. Old school guys that really know how to fabricate and work outside the box. 1 machine shop up the road had the father pass away and the son took on the family owned and named business. He is not as good in some areas but better in others. I'm just thankful he was around the help me with my rebuild.

It's cheaper to buy brand new than to rework or rebuild or fix what's broken and that is a lot of what is behind driving these types of businesses out. Quality seems to have gone the way of the dodo bird.
 
I believe the disposable nature of today's cars is part of the nation's/world's overall problem. There isn't any pride in buying a car/truck and taking care of it and passing it down. My wife has a 2005 Explorer with 130k miles. While I am NO Ford fan, I have to admit the engine has held up well. I have replaced the transmission and alot of other parts (it is 16yrs old after all) and it is being handed to her soon to be 16yr old son. Of course he doesn't want to drive it (it isn't cool!) but it is a SOLID vehicle, safe and reliable. I am taking care of it and it will be good for his 1st car. Modern engines are made to be used and thrown away. The cars all look like electric razors and the metal folds if you sneeze too hard. Squarebody Chevys are iconic and fun. New Chevy's and Fords have more computers than the Apollo spacecraft. Give me an old school distributor and a QJet carb. It will survive a nuclear war and the Zombie Apocalypse plus you can hit a deer and it won't be totalled. Machinists are going the way of Shoe Repair. We live in a throw away society and it is too sad.

I am excited and proud to be putting this 77 K5 back on the road for another 40 years. Hope they have gas in 40 years....
 
I agree that we live in a throw away society.
However I saw the cylinders in a GM 6.0 with 280K on it, I pulled it out of a truck that I bought and sold it to a friend.
It didn't have much wear at all. He was putting it back together without boring it, just quick hone and new rings, plus bearings. So a twenty year old engine that didn't require machine work. Not good for keeping the machine shop busy. Add in how many people want instant gratification and buy a crate engine from a bigger supplier, even less work going to the local guy.
 
I was talking with the owner of a local machine shop near me a couple of weeks ago. He said he can not find anyone to train and leave the business to. He will just walk away from it some day. He is working 7 days a week and not keeping up. Turning down work. He is tied in heavily to the circle track and drag strip guys locally. A few mud trucks and rock bouncers. He said he has not machined and engine for a daily driver in years. Just racing stuff.
 
ZombieK5 said:
I believe the disposable nature of today's cars is part of the nation's/world's overall problem. There isn't any pride in buying a car/truck and taking care of it and passing it down. My wife has a 2005 Explorer with 130k miles. While I am NO Ford fan, I have to admit the engine has held up well. I have replaced the transmission and alot of other parts (it is 16yrs old after all) and it is being handed to her soon to be 16yr old son. Of course he doesn't want to drive it (it isn't cool!) but it is a SOLID vehicle, safe and reliable. I am taking care of it and it will be good for his 1st car. Modern engines are made to be used and thrown away. The cars all look like electric razors and the metal folds if you sneeze too hard. Squarebody Chevys are iconic and fun. New Chevy's and Fords have more computers than the Apollo spacecraft. Give me an old school distributor and a QJet carb. It will survive a nuclear war and the Zombie Apocalypse plus you can hit a deer and it won't be totalled. Machinists are going the way of Shoe Repair. We live in a throw away society and it is too sad.

I am excited and proud to be putting this 77 K5 back on the road for another 40 years. Hope they have gas in 40 years....
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And you should be proud of bringing a square body back to life. That takes skill, Built not Bought. Any monkey can drop a crapload of money at a dealership and buy a shiny truck. That just takes money and virtually no skill whatsoever. But doing body work, rebuilding and installing an engine with all the wiring, brackets and accessories, rebuilding and resetting a distributor, that all takes skill.

Good for you, the memories of the K5 with you and your family are priceless. I've taken my daughter and my grandaughter to school in the same 77 GMC Jimmy and wouldn't trade those memories for anything.

Joel
norcal
 
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