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70's K5 or 80's K5? Which is the better truck??

Dawson Clawson

Dawson Clawson

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I am between buying a 73 K5 convertible or an 85 K5 Silverado (hard top).

The 73 has a lot of mods done to it, plus it has no top. Looks like they took a lot of care but used it as a fun truck.

The 85 appears to be all original and driven by someone's grandparents. Real good shape inside and out.

Does anyone have any insight as to which would be the better truck to buy?
I'm looking for the truck to cover fun on the weekends and daily driving while not having to invest too much after purchasing.

If I were to go with the convertible, where can I find tops for them? Google isn't helping much and BesTop doesn't seem to have anything for Blazers.

Since this is my first post, I cant use links. I can PM/email them if someone would like to look at them. Otherwise, check my profile.

Thanks for any advice.
 
73 if your looking to change a bunch of stuff (upgrades), that way someone has already layed out the cash for the mods, but be wary of work quality. So many dangerous things have been done to these trucks.

If your looking for a driver go with the 85....if its still pretty much stock it should be reasonably dependable and safe, and cheap to fix what it might need.
 
I would start with a bone stock original any day of the week. Plus I prefer the 1/2 cab vs the full vert to keep the sun from bearing down on my pale Irish skin.
 
I would say go with the '85, sounds like it should have been taken care of and not beaten up, that way you're starting with a "virgin". The full verts are cool, I love the front clips and fenders, plus they came stock with the flat-top knuckled Dana 44s. I have a '75 that was already modded that I bought. Got to working on it and the floor was really rusted out (fiberglass and paint covers up a lot), Suspension was shot, the rear end needs work that I didn't know about, the winch needs rebuilding, and a long list of other stuff. So even though it was "built" I am still having to replace a lot that is worn out. Plus you are more than likely going to want to make it your own in some way, so you might as well take the one that has been taken better care of. Just thought I'd toss my Lincolns in.
 
IMHO, it's always "better" to start out with a nearly stock truck, unless your plans are to gut everything anyway and build up a trail-only truck. The 85 sounds like a nice buy, and one that you could use as a DD as you gradually mod to your needs.

FWIW, finding a factory replacement for the missing '73 top won't necessarily be easy, or cheap. ORD sells the Softopper for '73-'75 K5s for around $800.
 
i agree to go with the 85. who knows what that other truck has been through. frame could be bent or cracked. truck drives sideways. but then again if your sombody who isnt mechanically motivated and wants a lifted truck with out putin the effort into it. the 73 mite be the way to go. i got a handful of buddys who all wanted lifted trucks and they would go buy a stock truck. take it apart or start building it, never finish, sell it, and take a loss......and try again...til they just end up buying somthing already lifted...
 
yeah stock truck for sure. I like the look of the 73 better. and it came factory with marginally better axles. but for what it sounds like you want. the 85 is a way better choice
 
I'd go with the 85, it will have a better drivetrain, 700r4/Np208 set up, the axles will be 10 bolts, parts will be cheaper for them.......especially the rear 10 bolt for brake drums/parts.

The 85 interior will be more comfortable compared to the 73........and as mentioned, the half cab is nice

if the 73 has been modified.....ie..lift kit, different motor/axles...ect......its hard to say how it was used.....previous owners might have beat the hell out of it as a bogger/mud truck.

When you buy a (stock) truck, YOU get to decide what YOU want done to it. Its the #1 reason when I buy old chevy 4x4s that I never buy lifted or modified ones, because I like to start out with a stock rig.......drive it for a time, and then decide whether to modify it mechanically, or leave it as is.
 
Dawson Clawson said:
If I were to go with the convertible, where can I find tops for them?
Click to expand...

Needs a little cleaning or painting but here's one:
http://austin.craigslist.org/pts/2663813972.html

Both of those look really nice. The 73 seems to be over priced but I can't tell how much resto has been done to it. Personally I'd go with the 73 for the fun factor, but for a daily driver maybe the 85 would be better.
 
I say 85 just cuz its a new start.. It would be truly urs.. I got my 89 like that needs work but little by little im making it to my taste.. Like the first post said u dont truly know wat all was done to the 73.. Or how hard they beat on it
 
Yeah, I got to say that is a really nice looking 73. Might be a little too good. But if that paint is as good as it looks, someone really did some good work on it.

Of course, paint don't get you down the road.

One thing I found interesting on the 85. The record that shows up when you click on that autocheck link, shows it passing emissions tests in Fl. for a number of years.
It might be a local thing to south Fl., but Fl. in general has not had emission tests for a really long time .
At least since before about 79.
 
I'd go for the 85. Doesn't look like it has abused judging by the pics. Besides it has the factory cig lighter.:thumb:
 
Wow both of those are expensive, but full vert wins everytime for me. With an 85 it will either be really nice and you won't have to touch it cause its still bone stock, or there could be all sorts of issues just cause its 26 yrs old.

There is a company making a full topper for the 73 but if you want a hard top it will be very very hard to find.

For 9500 bucks man you could find an insanely nice truck, That full vert better be dang near perfect for 9500.

That 85 does look way nice, but man having had both its full vert for me everytime even if it costs me more up front and more in the long run
 
Actually of course, if you want to do some wheeling and modifying, but still have a DD, then the answer is simple......



Buy them both!
 
That was my concern about the 73. My wife was really geeked about it but with those old trucks there is no telling what's inside and I'm not mechanically smart enough to know what the red flags are. ...and they are asking a lot for it.

They are asking a lot for the 85, too. I've decided to go with the 85 because it is mostly original/unmodded. I plan to work on this truck over the years to familiarize myself with auto work and to become real cozy with the personality of the truck. These 80s trucks are still on this lot, have been for over a month, so I'm guessing they are motivated to sell them. I'm going to low-ball the bejeezus out of them and see where we end up. It's not like people are killing each other for a 12MPG daily driver these days.

I eventually want to off-road with it for fun but want to work my way up to rocks and hills. Since I don't have any experience driving an off-road vehicle, or driving over rocks for that matter, it doesn't make sense to jump head-first into a beefed up 4x4. I think the more logical, and cost-effective, thing to do is to start at square one and work my way up to it.

Anyhow - thanks for all of your input, seriously. Forums like these make it much easier to get real information I can use to make an informed decision.
 
With that said, you can have a heck of a lot of off road fun in a stock K5. They wheel very well in stock form.

Drive it, enjoy it, fix the things that pop up (it's an old truck, things are bound to need repairs). Come back and visit CK5 for good repair or upgrade info, there's a whole lot of it here. The $25 member fee will pay for itself with all the info and advice.
 
That 85 looks amazing. If it had to be smogged then it has to be in good mechanical and electrical shape. Its cheaper and you get to build it how YOU want it.

The 73 has already been 'restored' once and who knows what they did. Its way more expensive and you'll still have to spend more on a top and fixing it up to match the rest of the truck.

I vote 85. Its a great starting point to fix it up how you want it.
 
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