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73 K20....crossmember time

Overview Gallery Discussion
dremu said:
I called it correctly. Also, jealous :D The carrier, dolly, whatever you call it, is all I have room for, so I dream of the day I have space for a real trailer.

-- A
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Yeah you called it! I never thought i would have pulled the trigger on one of these but a year ago i would have never thought i would own a k5 or be wheeling.

I was hell bent on driving this rig to and from the trail but it relieves a lot of stress to be able to load it up, get in the tow rig and turn on the ac with comfy seats and better gas mileage. I fully intend for the blazer to remain street legal so I can drive it to work now and then but the trailer allows me to make some changes without worrying about overall reliability. To top it off it would be a pain in the ass to get the rig back from Rubicon to home if it broke, could end up costing a lot even with aaa.


At $2400 out the door price it just cant be beat. Ive looked at used ones but they end up around $2000 once you put new tires or re-deck it.
 
dremu said:
:haha: I just realized that my tow rig gets better mileage towing the Blazer, than the Blazer gets on its own :haha: [I haven't actually measured the Blazer's, mind you, but the Ford did 13 pulling her, so, yeah... sheesh...]

-- A
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Exactly i can get 14 with AC flowing and tunes on! Its easier to drive even with the trailer on it. Im looking forward to it!
 
GWeakland620 said:
What's your tow rig specs?
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I should mention before gas mileage war starts that figure was flat land towing. I have an 07 Tundra 5.7l. Ive towed it a few times with it and it feels great. With a smidge under 400hp its not suffering when i get to hills but i get a lovely 9 mpg when that happens. Ive been strongly considering getting into the diesel world because i intend to tow a few times a month.

Maybe 5.9 cr cummins...must be manual though...
 
Well the 14 bolt ff is in, as well as the 56's. I ran into driveshaft issues which means i need to order a new one with a cv up top. Im currently sitting in the 1 inch back setting on the zero rates which oddly enough puts me at stock wheelbase. The driveshaft at the correct pinion angle is binding and too short so hopefully going to the 1.5 inch back setting, getting a longer driveshaft made by sac driveline will fix the problem.

Bad angle...



Looks like i have plenty of room...





Decided id put the spartan locker in this week since i have a few days of down time. I was debating on putting hydro assist on the diff cover but i think im going to put it on the axle tube instead.



I ordered all the hydro stuff from surplus, 6 inch shackles from DIY4X and the HD tie rod from ORD. Hoping to get the drive shaft within a few days.

List of crap to do before the Rubicon:
Weld perches on axle
new rear drive shaft
swap rear shackles out
Get hydro installed
weld already existing sliders on
bleed brakes
Some sort of tow points for the front

Thats all that i can think of at the moment but i know there's more.
 
wetoolowdingbangow said:
Well the 14 bolt ff is in, as well as the 56's. I ran into driveshaft issues which means i need to order a new one with a cv up top. Im currently sitting in the 1 inch back setting on the zero rates which oddly enough puts me at stock wheelbase. The driveshaft at the correct pinion angle is binding and too short so hopefully going to the 1.5 inch back setting, getting a longer driveshaft made by sac driveline will fix the problem.

Bad angle...

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so the plan is to go with a CV and point the pinion at the T-case right?
 
skunked said:
so the plan is to go with a CV and point the pinion at the T-case right?
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Exactly. As well as move the axle back .5" to lessen the angle of the shaft. I think ive got it figured out now! Ive decided to go with the slip yoke on this one because its not permanent and from what ive heard if the yoke is properly set up it should pull out/ push in only about and inch or so when flexing so it wont fall out.

I just ordered 6" UDSR shackles too so im kind of wondering how i can compensate for that when welding the perches. I may luck out and get them before that but im sure someone knows the angle difference?
 
wetoolowdingbangow said:
Exactly. As well as move the axle back .5" to lessen the angle of the shaft. I think ive got it figured out now! Ive decided to go with the slip yoke on this one because its not permanent and from what ive heard if the yoke is properly set up it should pull out/ push in only about and inch or so when flexing so it wont fall out.

I just ordered 6" UDSR shackles too so im kind of wondering how i can compensate for that when welding the perches. I may luck out and get them before that but im sure someone knows the angle difference?
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Take some flat stock and bore some holes in it 6" apart for mock up. Sac driveline recommends 1-2 degrees down to compensate for axle wrap. So point it at the t-case and then go down a degree or two.

The drive shaft plan is what I would do as well.
 
skunked said:
Take some flat stock and bore some holes in it 6" apart for mock up. Sac driveline recommends 1-2 degrees down to compensate for axle wrap. So point it at the t-case and then go down a degree or two.

The drive shaft plan is what I would do as well.
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Ah thats a good idea for the axle wrap thing. Somewhere ive seen what the change was when you put the 6 inch shackles on...may have to call in to DIY.

Do you know what wall thickness they use for their shafts?
 
wetoolowdingbangow said:
Ah thats a good idea for the axle wrap thing. Somewhere ive seen what the change was when you put the 6 inch shackles on...may have to call in to DIY.

Do you know what wall thickness they use for their shafts?
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They build whatever you want. Why not give them your drive shaft to work with? It's a temporary thing anyway right?
 
skunked said:
They build whatever you want. Why not give them your drive shaft to work with? It's a temporary thing anyway right?
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I was going to ask them about that since its atleast 1350 on the axle side. I need to call them again. They said 450 to 500 bucks for a 1350 shaft including the slip yoke. Im not sure what wall thickness people run. .25" sounds good to me lol.
 
Trailer

The deck of that trailer is most likely 79-80"! The overall width of the trailer would be 102" (8.5). The legal limit for trailer width in California is 102" as well as in most other states. My trailer is a 14K, that is also 102" wide, but I have removable fenders. A K5 with dana 60 and big tires will make me remove 1 fender!
 
MAXMAN said:
The deck of that trailer is most likely 79-80"! The overall width of the trailer would be 102" (8.5). The legal limit for trailer width in California is 102" as well as in most other states. My trailer is a 14K, that is also 102" wide, but I have removable fenders. A K5 with dana 60 and big tires will make me remove 1 fender!
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Yeah thats just a stock photo. The one im getting is 8.5 ft wide. 84" between wheel wells so itll be a snug fit. I may just add some wood to one side so i can go over without chafing the tires. They'll be wider with less air too.
 
Well i suppose its time for an update. Ive been working on this thing everyday as usual but i can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Im still not up on the wheels yet but ill explain that later. Im getting very close though!

I got my drive shaft in and it works perfect! Very happy with it and the 36 hour turn around time. The paint was still wet when i got it lol! Driveline service of sac was far more helpful than the local selection.





Pinion angle fixed for the new CV drive shaft. Perches have been welded on.



I went with the HD shackles from DIY4X...no regrets!





I also got all my hydro stuff in...









3/8" wall DOM tie rod bar...ORD! Rod ends are coming from partsmike.





Got my mudflap setup going...there removable too! Might cut them down a but and use a bigger flap.



 
1350 shaft on both ends?


I like that cooler with the in & out on one side :waytogo:
 
Time for an update!
Ive been working on this thing like crazy but im making real good progress so far. I found out when I was bolting up my disc adapter kit for the rear end that it is a bastard axle. In other words its different than the normal 14 bolt ff thats used. Its all the same insides just a narrower track width, shorter spindles. My research confirms that it is in fact whats called a 2nd generation 14 bolt. Its still a truck axle but its newer than 1985 which was what I thought it was due to the ring gear stamping. So as usual I had to adapt and over come. I sold my disc adapters being that they didnt fit and got some weld on ones instead. I welded some ruffstuff brackets on and they work great! I then bought some .5" 6061 spacers to bump my WMS measurement up. Seems like itll work just fine.

Ruffstuff weld ons



Got it rigged into place so the slide bolts were able to clear whatever is behind them.







Bought cheap pads and received good ones? Never seen this before but i was happy...



Got my shackles on as well. I ended up removing 2 leafs from each side due to being too stiff and it was riding ass high.



Shes a mess but its crunch time! Brakes are now bled, just need to tuck the lines up and out of the way.



Started preparing for hydro assist. Steering box is done, starting to weld tabs to the axle housing.



Trying to find a good spot for the heatsink. Hesitant to drill near hardlines so i may take the windshield fluid container out temporarily and relocate it.



More prep. axles are back in. Gear fluid in with no leaks.



This guys ready to go on tonight.



Decided i wanted a clamp for the hydro assist. Didnt want to pay for one so i made it. Probably still going to tack it on because it would be crappy if it slipped on the trail...







Got my dirt shovel on...



She lives!



Im attempting to put my locker in the front now, which may not happen due to a seized roll pin. Then ill put the hd diff cover on, finish the hydro, take it for some test drives and start sliders. After that its "done". Ready for the Rubicon!
 
nice progress, looks like it will be driving real soon so you can put a few miles on it.
 
skunked said:
nice progress, looks like it will be driving real soon so you can put a few miles on it.
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Yeah i sure as hell hope so! Sometimes i feel like doing a brake stand until the valves float and im down to the rim lol.

Taking 3 or 4 days off to really hammer it with this thing so i can get some street miles on it.
 
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