72 K5 Project

[slyguy_22]

Gona need some help for this one! Well im getting married aug 9th 2008 so my old lady said if i get the blazer done i can drive it in the wedding. Shes cool like that. Needless to say its far from being done. It has the east coast rot, Need to replace the rear floors. Windsheild frame (which i have a replacement) New fenders (which i have) Need to find a cowl hood. Grill and tub are decent. I'll have to replace the doors. No motor no trans. rears are good.

What i need:
1. Cowl hood
2. Driver & Passenger doors
3. Figure out what motor trans combo i wana run

I Have access to a late 70's (79?) truck with a pontiac 455 block and sm465 trans 205t-case 1ton rears. I can get it for a $1000.00 Im gona look at it this week but as far as i know everything runs.
Would the pontiac 455 be ok to put in my blazer? or do you think it will be a big issuse and hasle? if so why? Not sure if i really want a manual trans in my 72 either. found a site that makes 700r4's that bolt to the pontiac motors. Thanks for any info

 

[bp71k5]

Well, good luck on both fronts!

That's an ambitious project to finish in under 8 months. What does she consider "finished"? Does that include paint or does it just have to drive from the wedding to the reception without a tow truck?

If it were me, I'd get the drivetrain in and working well and do the body stuff later. This ensures you can drive it even if you don't finish the bodywork.

And you can probably buy a complete motor and running tranny from somewhere on this board for pretty good deal without using pontiac components. If you had several years to work out the problems then maybe it'd be fun, but your just asking for trouble by not using stuff that's proven to work in your combo.

You should be able to find a used parts for ~$1000. A sb350 ($400) with a tranny($300) and 205 x-case ($300) probably isn't that far off for just decent running parts that just bolt right up.

 

[slyguy_22]

Im talking complete show ready condition, custom paint/ interior. I have a 350 block i could use but dont want to. think i wana go with a big block whether its a 455 or 454, if i can find a (cheap) one i doubt it. Body work wont take me long once i put my mind to it. i have a 4" lift for it too. just need to buy the wheels & tires, there gona be expensive (37x12.5x20's) ouch!

 

[bp71k5]

That's a lot of work for 8 months, unless your lady can don some welding goggles and help out. Not trying to take the wind out of your sails, but I don't think it's possible to get a showroom ready truck that soon by yourself. Maybe post some pics of what you got and convince me! You get double points if you post pics of your fiancee welding something on a first-gen truck.

Also, check out Greg72's list of motors for sale. Since I was schooled in California, I have no idea how close Pennsylvania is to New Hampshire, but he always seems to have some bbc's for sale. Here's a link.

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=218939

 

[bigblock72]

The Pontiac swap won't be that hard as long as your donor has ALL of the accessory brackets and pulleys. Finding used Pontiac parts is difficult and expensive. It will require a little bit of fab work to build motor mounts. You'll probably want a 1-2" body lift for clearance on the firewall. I doubt an HEI will clear the firewall so get a small cap type of distributor.
With that being said 1,000 dollars seems kind of expensive if you're only using the motor.
Trans options are use the 465 with the truck (the cheapest and easiest).
A 700r4 with an adapter to work with the Pontiac motor, 700r4s only came in Chevy bolt pattern. Adapters are cheap though, usually 60-80 bucks. The best and most drivable option IMO.
Turbo 350 with correct bellhousing, cheaper than a 700 but no OD.

Transfer case options depend greatly on transmission choice.
SM465: Use existing 205, again cheap and easy
700r4: Use 205 with a Turbo350 adapter and input shaft, also have to change output shaft on trans. np241 from a 88-89 Blazer or Suburban (probably cheaper and easier than a 205 depending on parts in your area)
Turbo 350: Again the 205 with the correct adapter and input shaft or a np208 with the right adpater.

As you can see you need to plan a long ways in advance on your drivetrain choices. A poor choice at this point will cost you a lot of money and maybe the whole project itself, not to mention your future marriage. Decide EXACTLY what you plan to do with this thing, your budget and be realistic.

 

[AJs72K5]

i have a 4" lift for it too. just need to buy the wheels & tires, there gona be expensive (37x12.5x20's) ouch!

WOW. You wanna accomplish all of this yourself and plan a wedding?? Sounds like you're gonna be really busy.

Unless you plan on doing a healthy amount of cutting on your wheel wells, you're gonna have a whole bunch of clearance issues with a 4" lift running 37s.

 

[slyguy_22]

Well im gona use the 455 and the sm465 & np205 t-case. Question is can i use the pedal setup from the 78 pickup? or do i have to find pedals for a 72? Im sure that i can build the 72 in 7months (not gona start till Jan.) I built my 89 in 2 months (its still in primer though.) That truck was an 89 that i had a 79 tub so i put the front clip on the 79 installed an 8" lift and dropped in a 406tbi motor with a sm465 trans and converted my np205 to a twin stick. Plus i cut replaced floors and sheet metal got it all ready for spray. & all that in 2 months. Now we cut some corners and dont do the interior all nice and pretty but then again this is my mud truck.

 

[slyguy_22]

Unless you plan on doing a healthy amount of cutting on your wheel wells, you're gonna have a whole bunch of clearance issues with a 4" lift running 37s.[/quote]

I also have a 3" body lift that i can put on, plus it was recommended to help clear the dist. so with 4" & 3" body i should have plenty of clearance. guess im gona have to build some steps for the wedding day! lol planning the wedding is her project. I just have to show up!

 

[bp71k5]

Question is can i use the pedal setup from the 78 pickup? or do i have to find pedals for a 72?

They aren't the same. I have an auto pedal setup from a 71. PM me if your interested in it.

 

[slyguy_22]

i already have the auto pedal setup in my 72 need to switch to the manual setup. thanks anyway

 

[RGV72BLAZER]

Wow cool wife you got there...she's definitely a keeper. I would say stick to a chevy drivetrain to make it easier & cheaper. I have the doors off my Blazer if you're interested. & I may have some built 1 tons to swap in as well...lol