'72 K5 - Greg's @MightAsWellK5 Build

[chulisohombre]

Awesome Greg as all have said. Good to see it on all fours again. Being a fellow first gen guy I have been watching what you have Been doing since 2001 so it's awesome to see the transformation. Wish I would have met you guys when I lived in Cali as well but being on he east coast I hope our paths will cross over here at some point to check it out in person.

 

[bp71k5]

Greg, I resonate the previous comments by all the others.
However; those shock tube plates simply don't fit this build (or did I miss something??)...I mean for all the other "just throw it together and drive it" (like mine) builds going on it would be fine; but that corner hanging out over the frame just don't fit in my eyes...RESPECTFULLY....this build demands more!

I think he could tie those two corners together with a nice crossmember and the slight visual issue would be fixed. But in this case I can see the "function before form" in the way it is now. Might even be a good spot to put some threaded holes that can be used to hold down the giant gas tank cover?

 

[kgblazerfive]

I agree a cross member would fit nice there, but I also agree with Zimm almost seems to not fit visually just hanging out there

 

[Greg72]

I didn't want to leave you guys hanging without at least showing you a couple "outdoor" shots now that the truck is fully on all 4 wheels.

Charlie dragged the floor jack back outside so we could lift each other up and down again. He loves that game...

And here he is checking the underbelly clearance at normal ride height. This is what we now refer to as "1 Charlie Big Wheel Height"...

Now.....on to the responses for everyone who's been posting lately!

Looking awesome as always.

Greg, you don't have a lack of motivation but I would now concentrate on installing everything it takes to make the engine run, the transmission shift, and the brakes function properly. This will make certain that you don't overlook anything as far as having room to plumb fuel and brake lines and run electrical wiring. It is also another HUGE motivator to keep moving forward and maybe at an even greater pace once you can hear it run and move it around under its own power.

I think that's a good plan. I've been working on a list of items and will post it up shortly. It's going to need a lot of input from the guys around here.

Incredible! I'm feeling fairly accomplished from the few little things I have done to my crew cab recently. Today I put the disk brakes out back and it felt great! But what you have done makes a disc brake swap feel like stacking two Lego blocks together by comparison of level of complexity. I hope you are wildly proud of yourself. Cause you should be!

Very proud of the results so far, but still humbled by the amount of work still remaining. At least I am confident that with everything I've learned in the previous 7 years there really isn't any part of the remaining build that I'm intimidated to try.

Word. Every Blazer back on the road makes the world a better place.

Agreed. 1st Gens especially.... Here in New England, there really aren't any left on the roads anywhere. Once this truck finally drives down the road through town, people aren't going to know what to make of it.

I am actually impressed it has gotten this far and not turned into a pile of parts that are now for sale.

That IS the more typical outcome with a multi-year build thread. I attribute the success of this one to a few factors.

• It's a cash build - I'm not racking up credit card debt to build it, and I'm not taking out a loan either. Those are dangerous ways to build a truck, and if you end up under water financially... it typically leads to a fire-sale of expensive truck parts! If I have extra money, I spend it on parts. If I don't, I just work on things that don't cost much to do.
• It's only a hobby - I do a LOT of other things with my life besides just working on this truck. Keeping it in perspective is a huge part of being successful as well. If I get tired of working on it, I just walk away from it for a month (or more!) until it feels like it will be fun again.
• I have a plan - The end-point for this build is clearly defined, and I know EXACTLY how I want it to be at the end. If you change your mind mid-way through a build and start chasing "trends" you will never finish, and eventually you will burn-out on a never ending project.

Awesome accomplishment Greg.

Thanks! It feels great.

Well done Greg! That's got to feel fantastic. Cant wait to see it in the daylight

Thanks! (see pics above!)

Greg, I resonate the previous comments by all the others.
However; those shock tube plates simply don't fit this build (or did I miss something??)...I mean for all the other "just throw it together and drive it" (like mine) builds going on it would be fine; but that corner hanging out over the frame just don't fit in my eyes...RESPECTFULLY....this build demands more!

Zim,

Those plates will be supported from underneath with gussets... just haven't gotten around to installing them yet. No worries!

Awesome Greg as all have said. Good to see it on all fours again. Being a fellow first gen guy I have been watching what you have Been doing since 2001 so it's awesome to see the transformation. Wish I would have met you guys when I lived in Cali as well but being on he east coast I hope our paths will cross over here at some point to check it out in person.

It's only about an 8-hour drive from PA to NH.....

I think he could tie those two corners together with a nice crossmember and the slight visual issue would be fixed. But in this case I can see the "function before form" in the way it is now. Might even be a good spot to put some threaded holes that can be used to hold down the giant gas tank cover?

Probably not a crossmember, but I will at least brace them from the underside as I've mentioned in previous posts (and to Dave a couple responses above this).....



Thanks for all the supportive feedback and "prouds"... I dig it.


-G

 

[FRIZZLEFRY]

Greg, I resonate the previous comments by all the others.
However; those shock tube plates simply don't fit this build (or did I miss something??)...I mean for all the other "just throw it together and drive it" (like mine) builds going on it would be fine; but that corner hanging out over the frame just don't fit in my eyes...RESPECTFULLY....this build demands more!

Personally I would have done the same thing.

I would rather have a symmetrical assembly and box or do something where that rear tube landed.

You end up bending four like pieces rather than two pairs,and it will flow better visually once the floor is in.

 

[Greg72]

2015.06.11 - UDPATE!! - BIG TIME RESEARCH Q&A SESSION, EXPERTS CHECK-IN !!!

I did some thinking last night about the next steps for this build, and I kind of like Scotty's idea (and others) that it might be time to fire the 502BBC and get the major systems running.

It's a great motivator, it's great internet for the viewing audience... and it will force me to deal with any "bugs" now rather than later on when everything is painted, chromed and pretty. Nobody wants to weld or grind on a truck that late in the game.


OK, so I've been writing down a bunch of things that need to happen to get this truck running /driving and it's created just about as many questions as answers for me. So if you know the answers, chime in!!!


Here we go:

ENGINE: Needs custom exhaust manifolds. Stainless or Mild-Steel? I've got TIG now so I can do either one. I want a heavy wall tubing since it will resonate less, but I also intend to Jet-Hot coat the final product so it sort of seems like a waste to build with stainless... though it will last longer. What grade of stainless is best, 304? Sources for U-Bends, collectors, and manifold flanges?

Needs a fuel tank. I was thinking aluminum.... I hear stainless is too brittle and can "kill you to death". I don't need that. What grade of aluminum? The tank is going to be MASSIVE!!! I measured it out last night: 48"L x 28"W x 6" deep is 34.9 Gallons... if I go about 1" deeper I can get 40 Gallons. That's about 250 Lbs of fuel weight so I think the tank will need to be internally braced to prevent sagging or rupturing. I was thinking about using one of those Holley Fuel mats to prevent fuel starvation, and external pumps for easy servicing. I've read that the Gerotor-style pumps are super quiet so I don't have any concerns about keeping the pump out of the tank. I wanted to run two pumps in parallel with a Y-splitter effect so that I can have an easy failover if a pump ever goes bad. I'm not sure if fuel pumps are designed to work like that (one pump sits, one pump is working) without having the idle pump leaking fuel out backwards from the pressure???

3rd Members for Axle - Ford 9" centersections. I was going to use a Nodular iron case, and since it's flipped I need to use the pinion oiler (slinger) too. I need to run the 2.47 Ford gearset which is impossible to find NOS... so I'll have to buy them used. Any recommendations for a builder? Currie? Strange? Randy's? Oh, I'll need an ARB too.... 31-spline so I don't have issues with the RD-99 breakage of the 35-spline unit.

Transmission - I've got a 4L80E case, but it's just a core. I figure a quick call to our own Greg Ducato should be all that is necessary here!

Induction - Still thinking that the Holley Dominator is the best choice since it controls the Engine (TBI) and can also run the 4L80E as part of the same integrated solution. It's expensive, but what isn't on this build?



Those are the starter questions.... plenty more will follow behind those I'm sure.


-G

 

[folkenheath]

ENGINE: Needs custom exhaust manifolds. Stainless or Mild-Steel? I've got TIG now so I can do either one. I want a heavy wall tubing since it will resonate less, but I also intend to Jet-Hot coat the final product so it sort of seems like a waste to build with stainless... though it will last longer. What grade of stainless is best, 304? Sources for U-Bends, collectors, and manifold flanges?

Needs a fuel tank. I was thinking aluminum.... I hear stainless is too brittle and can "kill you to death". I don't need that. What grade of aluminum? The tank is going to be MASSIVE!!! I measured it out last night: 48"L x 28"W x 6" deep is 34.9 Gallons... if I go about 1" deeper I can get 40 Gallons. That's about 250 Lbs of fuel weight so I think the tank will need to be internally braced to prevent sagging or rupturing. I was thinking about using one of those Holley Fuel mats to prevent fuel starvation, and external pumps for easy servicing. I've read that the Gerotor-style pumps are super quiet so I don't have any concerns about keeping the pump out of the tank. I wanted to run two pumps in parallel with a Y-splitter effect so that I can have an easy failover if a pump ever goes bad. I'm not sure if fuel pumps are designed to work like that (one pump sits, one pump is working) without having the idle pump leaking fuel out backwards from the pressure???

3rd Members for Axle - Ford 9" centersections. I was going to use a Nodular iron case, and since it's flipped I need to use the pinion oiler (slinger) too. I need to run the 2.47 Ford gearset which is impossible to find NOS... so I'll have to buy them used. Any recommendations for a builder? Currie? Strange? Randy's? Oh, I'll need an ARB too.... 31-spline so I don't have issues with the RD-99 breakage of the 35-spline unit.

Transmission - I've got a 4L80E case, but it's just a core. I figure a quick call to our own Greg Ducato should be all that is necessary here!

Induction - Still thinking that the Holley Dominator is the best choice since it controls the Engine (TBI) and can also run the 4L80E as part of the same integrated solution. It's expensive, but what isn't on this build?

-G

I would go stainless anyway, the ceramic coating is nice but it never lasts a long time before it starts peeling and rusting anyway. If you are going to take the time to build them custom, I wouldn't do it anything but stainless, even if you are going to coat them. And don't make the headers weigh 100 lbs. 18 gauge is fine(and light), 16 gauge plenty, and 14 gauge is overkill. This place will have almost anything you need to make headers.

http://www.coneeng.com/index.html

For the fuel, I would run the pumps in the tank, not just because it's quieter but because the pumps last longer because they run cooler when submerged in the tank. If you want a backup, put them both in the tank. The walbro style high pressure pump is more than adequate, and is supposed to have a check valve built in to prevent backflow. I use 5052 for the tank. If you really want external, Holley makes a new HP series that you can get with dual pumps that have the same inlet/outlet. Then you can either wire the 2nd pump as a backup, or to run over a certain throttle %(built in feature of the dominator ECU). In your case, the backup is probably fine, but having it run over 90% throttle might make it last longer if it runs occasionally instead of just sitting all the time. A simple DPDT switch would change which pump is primary and secondary in an emergency.

https://www.holley.com/products/fue.../carbureted_electric_fuel_pumps/parts/12-1200

For the gears I would seriously consider aluminum center sections. They can be plenty strong and less unsprung weight is a good thing. Strange or Moser is what I would be looking at.

I agree on the Holley Dominator ECU, no question.

 

[Chevy305]

I would go stainless anyway, the ceramic coating is nice but it never lasts a long time before it starts peeling and rusting anyway. If you are going to take the time to build them custom, I wouldn't do it anything but stainless, even if you are going to coat them. And don't make the headers weigh 100 lbs. 18 gauge is fine(and light), 16 gauge plenty, and 14 gauge is overkill. This place will have almost anything you need to make headers.

http://www.coneeng.com/index.html

For the fuel, I would run the pumps in the tank, not just because it's quieter but because the pumps last longer because they run cooler when submerged in the tank. If you want a backup, put them both in the tank. The walbro style high pressure pump is more than adequate, and is supposed to have a check valve built in to prevent backflow. I use 5052 for the tank. If you really want external, Holley makes a new HP series that you can get with dual pumps that have the same inlet/outlet. Then you can either wire the 2nd pump as a backup, or to run over a certain throttle %(built in feature of the dominator ECU). In your case, the backup is probably fine, but having it run over 90% throttle might make it last longer if it runs occasionally instead of just sitting all the time. A simple DPDT switch would change which pump is primary and secondary in an emergency.

https://www.holley.com/products/fue.../carbureted_electric_fuel_pumps/parts/12-1200

For the gears I would seriously consider aluminum center sections. They can be plenty strong and less unsprung weight is a good thing. Strange or Moser is what I would be looking at.

I agree on the Holley Dominator ECU, no question.

What Heath said ^^^

Stainless is the only way to go. I don't even know why they make headers out of mild steel anymore. But JetHot coating is way awesome too. Its so much tougher than anything they coat over the shelf headers in. I sent the stainless headers in my Camaro off to get JetHot coated and while not exactly cheap, it was TOUGH. I ended up getting minor leaks at the slip fit collectors due to the crapy bands so I just figured I'd weld them up. That was easier said than done since you have to strip the coating in order to weld it. Wire brush wouldn't even scratch it, I had to use several 60 grit roloc disks to even scratch the coating. I put about 20k miles on them and the coating still looked as good as it did when I opened the box. JetHot is the way to go.

 

[blazinzuk]

Most of the jet hot stuff I have seen has lasted a long time. So while I might give the nod to normal steel your still gonna have band clamps and flanges and a couple other things not coated. Since that is the case I probably would go stainless too. Almost for the " it makes me feel better " reason.

I agree with Heath get aluminum center sections. They are beefy. Much less prone to breakage.

As far as builders go currie wins for 9" stuff in my book. But seriously it's a 9 inch set it up. They are super easy. I love setting up 9"s cause they go so quick.

In tank pump if at all possible. They simply last longer. Your gonna need baffles in the tank anyway. I would actually get as close to an OEM pump as possible. OEM pumps can flow tons if you find the right ones. In the grand scheme of things it's a built big block not a full race motor. Also stainless or aluminum doesn't really matter in my mind. I would do aluminum for the weight savings. I know it's a heavy truck but still a good idea to think light.

Also I would not do dual pumps. Just plumb it simple. And get a good pump. If it's failing enough to justify a backup pump you need to change something

Oh and on the headers I also agree with Heath no real need to make em thick. Your gonna coat em that helps with noise a bit but I bet you wouldn't know the difference between any of em. Thick flanges helps more than anything. Bends you can get about a million vplaces. I have used exhaust donuts before they are handy for stupid tight stuff

 

[ryoken]

yup, Jet Hot rules..... Greg does ok too....

 

[kgblazerfive]

Third or fourth the Jet-Hot had a set of headers done they started looking a bit dull after a few years had them redone for free.

 

[JDNobodi]

Toms differentials is another source.
http://www.tomsdifferentials.com/

 

[blazinzuk]

Can you even get a new 2.75 gearset?

I know you can get 3.00 and I seem to remember a 2.90. I know 2.75 came factory but not sure if you can still get em

 

[Greg72]

Can you even get a new 2.75 gearset?

I know you can get 3.00 and I seem to remember a 2.90. I know 2.75 came factory but not sure if you can still get em

2.47

It's rare... Basically a salt flats ratio, but yes you can still find them on eBay.


-G

 

[blazinzuk]

2.47

It's rare... Basically a salt flats ratio, but yes you can still find them on eBay.


-G

Dang man. I know a couple LSR guys I will hit em up. Can't be too easy to find

 

[Greg72]

Dang man. I know a couple LSR guys I will hit em up. Can't be too easy to find

Example:


http://www.ebay.com/itm/321772499374?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT


Look how FAT that pinion is!!!


-G

 

[blazinzuk]

That is crazy. Well with the portals no worries about breaking stuff even though I'm not sure you could strip teeth off that thing gotta be 2 or 3 making contact all the time

 

[76zimmer]

Greg, I should have known you had the vision to mold those plates into more than a tack welded piece at this point...I bow down...

Dominator system will be badass Greg... nice choice! I think that is what Mike runs on thumper as well.

 

[chulisohombre]

Nice to see it in the sunlight. Nh is a jump from pa for sure. I deliver to Boston area once in awhile. But not a lot of time that I'm allowed to detour to look at cool trucks. Lol. Still got quite a bit of work to do before mine is even ready for local driving. I have it registered and insured at the moment so I can go get the windshield replaced this week. Then need to get inspected and see what "the man" has to say about how legal my truck is and what I need to do to make it pass. It'll be nice to hear your 502 rumble. All your work is paying off now that you have a rolling chassis again. Baby steps until you complete one task at a time. My adhd gives me good energy but I can't focus and end up with 5 different things going on at once. Haha. The wife always comes out and laughs at my mess I end up with and points out I'm all over the place and I didn't even notice. Looking good either way man.

 

[Rugger187]

Mandrel-bends.com is another good place for building your exhaust. I would also recommend looking around and getting flanges 1/2" thick. A couple places sell them. They use them on motor homes a lot. They do not leak. Ever.