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'71 k502 The Misfit

fishinnutt

1/2 ton status
Joined
Mar 6, 2009
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Location
Littleton CO
Hey I am new here and new to owning a Blazer. I bought a '71 Blazer on 3/7/09 and have a huge pile of parts that were destined for another project to build the K5 with. I have a bunch of questions and the direction of my build is creating it's own complications.

I have:
502RamJet engine
Stage 3 th400 from Phoenix transmissions
Atlas4sp driver side drop (one complication)
'79 Ford D60 Front (second issue)
D70u rear from an '85 Ford F350
4 Fox 2.5" Coilovers 16" (It would seem I now need to learn a thing or two about link suspensions)
39.5" Iroks

The engine will fit no doubt but, what motor mounts to use? I decided to try Diy4x's first gen cradle.

The drivers side drop has me mildly concerned as I can't picture how the steering will work.

The link suspension for the coil overs is mostly voodoo to me. I have no idea what springs to put on the coil overs as far as rates go. I do intend to occasionally drive this vehicle on the street and highway so that would seem to be a whole other challenge.

Your thoughts and opinions are welcome, I probably need a reality check in a few areas.
 
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Sounds like you have some cool options. Personally, I'd get the axles\drivetrain settled before starting any 4-link stuff.

If you're going to the trouble of linked suspension, crossover steering is probably the only option so maybe that'll help. Try www.offroaddesign.com for info on it.
 
Welcome aboard! :waytogo:

You've got plenty of reading to do in this forum, so sit back and grab a cold one and start clicking the threads.

That's an awfully nice list of parts. If I were you, I'd take a careful look at what you want to do with the truck, and then ease your way into it. If you try to stuff all that into the K5 at once, you'll probably be on jackstands for a year (or more!).

BBC in a 1st Gen isn't exactly a slam-dunk. There are a few of us here who have done it (Yukon Jack, Burt4X4, bigblock72, etc)...it won't take long to figure out who to ask, but I'll give you a hint: firewall clearance is an issue.

Gearing selection is going to be another early priority. The tire size determines everything else and if you want a true dual-purpose rig (trail & highway) it will be important to figure out a strategy NOW instead of building yourself into a corner with a truck that can't drive more than 50MPH. This one affects axle gears & tranny selection. I'm assuming that the Atlas is a "must have", but you may want an OD tranny if the axle gears are already too deep.

You can spend a couple hours reading through the "Might As Well" thread (shameless plug) if you have any concerns about rust, etc. I'm working my way through those items, and as you'll discover also...I'm doing a 502BBC/Atlas4 setup too.

I'd stay away from jumping straight into the coilover suspension swap unless you have a lot of experienced friends and/or fabrication skill. That one isn't a trivial change and doing it wrong could leave you with something that at best won't even work as well as the standard leaf-springs, and at worst...will be dangerous enough to kill you. Multi-link suspension design requires a lot of background knowledge, so I suggest taking your time on that part....

Beware of the "Might As Well" syndrome....it's very real, and it can completely ruin your budget and timeline for completion.


:usaflag:
 
I don't mind taking the plasma cutter to the firewall but, I was definitely worried about spending the money on a set of headers and having them not work. Is anyone running a 502 BBC with a set of full headers?
 
I'm running an HP-D60 in mine with cross over & high steer arms, if there's any pics you want to help out just ask.
Or go here for all the pics:
http://s639.photobucket.com/albums/uu115/vtblazer/


Definitely a nice parts list but as mentioned, I could see it up on stands for quite awhile if you tackled it all at once. :eek1:
 
I'm running an HP-D60 in mine with cross over & high steer arms, if there's any pics you want to help out just ask.
Or go here for all the pics:



Definitely a nice parts list but as mentioned, I could see it up on stands for quite awhile if you tackled it all at once. :eek1:

Did you end up using a 2wd steering box or it's aftermarket equivalent?

I definitely need a good build plan. The time it took to accumulate parts, all the while riding in a passenger seat on the trails, has taken it's toll!
 
If you really want help with a plan of attack, I'll give you some suggestions:

0. Start a build thread in this forum - Take some BEFORE photos. Everyone forgets to do this, and the first photos we usually see are of a dismantled truck. It's going to be good to see how far you've come since Day 1, so take the photos NOW and get them online. Post photos of the various aspects of the build, and if we see mistakes we can help you get back on track... if we know of faster ways to do things we'll chime in with ideas.

1. Prep all new parts - It's going to be a LOT easier to do the work on axles and anything else while they're out of the truck. If the D60 hasn't been rebuilt, now is the time to replace seals, kingpin bushings and any other worn parts. You might as well (ooops, there's that expression again) deal with your steering solution before you install it, so buy the crossover arm (or dual arms if you want hi-steer) and install them now. Then give everything a good once-over with a wire brush and a fresh coat of paint. It feels a lot better to see new parts under your truck when they're freshly painted....and it looks nicer in the photos that we will require you to post. :wink1:

2. Axle swap - I'd probably do that next, since it's a good confidence builder and won't take as long as a driveline swap. You're going to need them in position to measure for new drivelines at some point anyway. Now might be a good time. You can also put the tires on the axles to see what sort of wheelwheel clearance issues you have. Out back you'll probably find that the axle is too forward in the wheelwell, and you'll want to add a zero-rate block or build a custom offset springperch to compensate. Up front, well you're kind of screwed no matter what you do because the front tires need a lot more clearance than the rears....

3. Driveline swap - You'll probably be a lot happier at this point if you put on a set of small tires/wheels or pull the wheels completely and rest the axles on small jackstands. It's not much fun doing an engine swap on a lifted truck, and you'll find that the engine hoist probably won't go high enough to clear the frame unless you take some proactive steps. Pull the front clip off before you start. It's only about a dozen bolts to remove the entire thing as a single unit, and it will be SOOOO much easier to work on that way.

At this point, your biggest issue will be valvecover clearances, and maybe distributor clearance....the header tubes may require gentle clearancing of the upper frame rails too. For the initial install, it will probably be smart to avoid getting too tricky with trying for the "flat bellypan" effect. Just clock the Atlas the best you can: having a HP60 vs. a standard pinion is going to give you much better front driveline angularity, so you can probably clock the Atlas flat without binding the front u-joints on droop.

4. Crossover steering and new driveshafts - Finish up the crossover steering project with a 2WD box (hydro assist too if you want it) and a new draglink. Take your final measurements for driveshaft lengths and call up your favorite vendor for some beefy ones. With all that power and traction, you'll need something a lot better than stock.


Of course the "Might As Well" temptation will sneak in along the way, and you'll need to decide if you want to indulge it. When the engine is out, it sure is a convenient time to repaint the firewall and front framerails with a fresh coat of paint. And with the axles out, it sure would be easy to pull the springs off and give them a quick coat of paint also, and maybe some new poly bushings.... Come to think of it, some of that wiring under the dash isn't looking all that good especially compared to that new fuel injection controller you just installed there :yikes:

The hardest part is realizing that no matter how MUCH extra you try to clean-up as you go, there will still be things you'll change later on. I don't believe there is such a thing as a "FINISHED" truck build.... you can easily address the weak points, and build a solid foundation, but there will always be smaller things that you'll want to modify and change along the way.


:usaflag:
 
Greg's advice is dead-on! Just remember to take it a step at a time so you don't get overwhelmed.
 
Thanks for the great advice. As soon as I get to my first 15 posts I will post up some photos of what I am starting with. I will probably be able to do that by tomorrow. I have someone coming over in a bit to help me push the beast off of the trailer.
 
Without question I would be there for Blazer Bash but, my Lake Powell vacation dates are from September 9th - 20th. I will be doing Moab sometime in October with a little luck. My wife and I have been to Moab a few times and really enjoy ourselves.
 
I was going to say it was a pretty straight truck until I saw the third pic.:eek1:

Like has been said, take lots of pictures and enjoy driving it for a bit while you decide what you really want to do with it.
 
The truck came without an engine, which is both a plus and a minus. That driver floor board is definitely Flintstone material. The truck came with the full floor patch panel for each side. I will go ahead and get the rocker panels and the other panels that go with it when I cut the floor up. The floor is probably my first stage of the project. The body mounts are squashed into oblivion also. The best part about the truck is that the frame is in real good shape and fairly clean over all.
 
I spent a little time with the angle grinder today explorer the depth of my rust situation. It was not as bad as I thought it would be underneath the floor pan. It will still be many hours of work but, that is why I like a good project. Anyone in Colorado know a good media blaster?

P1010038.JPG

P1010039.JPG
 
Is that budweiser? I thought you guys were required by law to only drink Coors up there? ;)

Those flapper discs on an angle grinder do pretty well for the paint and light rust for the areas you can reach.
 
I don't know what it is about the Coors but, I just can't bring myself to do it. Not that Budweiser is good either, I think of Bud or whatever canned beer as lake beer ( the kind of stuff you are required to have at the lake ) When I have some "lake beers" this time of year, it gets me fired up about the warmer months ahead.
 
If you have the top, installing it during the floor patch stage will set those door openings ya. ;)

As for your smashed body mounts, getting a new set installed before the floor patch is welded in will help with final fit too.
 
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