'74 K5 build: Smurf

[dremu]

I wonder if these live longer 'cuz they have shorter duty cycle 'cuz of the different wheels (i.e. I don't use the same grinder for such long periods that it overheats.) I've killed a power cord or two, as they are cheap and nasty, but those are easy enough to replace.

And yeah, as you see I am no tool snob; I have some nice stuff, where it's worthwhile, but also a lot of HF stuff 'cuz I'm cheap

-- A

 

[mpio13]

AWESOME build man!! great to see "start to current" (and be able to show my girlfriend what its like to have a vision and build towards that vision, no matter big step or little step, always building)!!!!

throw up some more wheeling pics brother!! wanna see the flex in action!!

 

[dremu]

AWESOME build man!! great to see "start to current" (and be able to show my girlfriend what its like to have a vision and build towards that vision, no matter big step or little step, always building)!!!!

Thanks! One observation is to try to work said vision out ahead of time. Obviously smaller details will change as you start tearing into the project, but having a well-thought plan ahead of time is amazingly worthwhile.

Not that I've always had a plan, mind you -- this is the voice of experience

throw up some more wheeling pics brother!! wanna see the flex in action!!

You and me both. There's a coupla more stages to my Top Secret Plan®, but soon enough I hope to have proof of Tankie visiting, and moving around under her own power, either or both of the local OHV parks

-- A

 

[dremu]

I got this bright idea, as it were, to add a backup light. I am a big fan of lighting, as previously discussed , and there was a a nice space in the bumper on the one side (the other side having the license plate.)

On a street truck, I'd just hang the backup light under the bumper, but my experience has been that low-hanging lights get broken very quickly under the most peculiar circumstances (like driving up a friend's driveway ... crunch!) I also wanted to make it fairly easy to replace even though it was inside the bumper -- and it takes a fairly low-profile light to fit into a 2" deep space, I discovered.

In any event, I happened to have an extra single white light in my collection of fog and other auxiliary lights. (What, every CK5'er should have a box of extra lighting!) I pulled the bumper off and set about notching it:

Then welded the top up. The two holes have nuts welded in, to hold the top bar that was cut out.

That top strip then has threaded holes for the light bracket, and both can be easily removed without having to fiddle with the bumper.

I figure the bumper is still stupidly strong with the bits welded back in, and is certainly as weatherproof, etc. It's not cosmetically perfect, but I mostly managed to keep the rounded edges of the tube.

And here's an overall shot. Not a lot of space taken up, and tucked away nicely and safe from harm.

Finally, the money shots. The stock backup lights more indicate than illuminate:

That splotch would be my brown camo crewcab, parked about a trucklength back from the K5. Those are aluminum sheds behind it, of "Blazer: 1 Shed: 0" fame.

It's more easily recognized with the new backup light on:

Not quite night and day, but definitely a visible difference, which increases safety ... and gives me an excuse to weld stuff

Even more frightening is that this is with the stock wiring and there's only 9.5, maybe 10 volts actually getting to the lights I have a scheme brewing to replace the lights in the back with LED's, so when I do that I'll also rewire some. The LED's may not need it (I'm looking at units that have current regulation and run on a wide voltage range) but I'll set up one or more relays for any regular light bulbs back there, including this backup light. I betcha at 12V it'll light up the night

-- A

 

[munepit]

I like it! Looks good. Nice work!!!

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Nice.

I was all set to put a set of lights on mine because of how lame the stockers were. You probably remember that debacle of a thread from two years ago.

Anyway, I FINALLY found a set of 50w replacement bulbs for the stock bulbs a year ago and put them in. Night and day difference. Haven't bothered to put the additional lights on.

 

[dremu]

I like it! Looks good. Nice work!!!

Thanks. What can I say, I like lighting

Nice.

I was all set to put a set of lights on mine because of how lame the stockers were. You probably remember that debacle of a thread from two years ago.

Anyway, I FINALLY found a set of 50w replacement bulbs for the stock bulbs a year ago and put them in. Night and day difference. Haven't bothered to put the additional lights on.

Zow ... at 50W, I'm surprised the covers don't melt.

-- A

 

[AJMBLAZER]

A year later no issues. We discussed it on here quite a few times and the usual verdict was since you don't use your reverse lights for terribly long it wouldn't be an issue even IF they were getting full voltage and generating enough heat to be damaging.

Actually, "back in the day" (seemingly up to less than ten years ago) when backup lights were basically an after thought to vehicle designers the 50w replacement bulbs were pretty common. I remember buying a set for three different trucks between 1997 and 2002. Now however they seem to be a vanishing breed.

 

[dremu]

A year later no issues. We discussed it on here quite a few times and the usual verdict was since you don't use your reverse lights for terribly long it wouldn't be an issue even IF they were getting full voltage and generating enough heat to be damaging.

Actually, "back in the day" (seemingly up to less than ten years ago) when backup lights were basically an after thought to vehicle designers the 50w replacement bulbs were pretty common. I remember buying a set for three different trucks between 1997 and 2002. Now however they seem to be a vanishing breed.

Hmm, yeah, makes sense. I don't recall any of this, but I'm old and ... who am I again?

I think nowadays you're not supposed to mess with your car at all, and have the dealer do everything

-- A

 

[AJMBLAZER]

I think it's also, to the vehicle makers' credit, that they are designing better backup lighting on cars now. Lights as a whole are light years better than when our trucks were built.

 

[73k5blazer]

Nice work! I put a 75w in my rear, I had Kert built the bumper with the hole in it. Lights up my whole garage (which is the only place it's lit up thus far )

Mine's gonna move under her own power soon too!!!

There's a coupla more stages to my Top Secret Plan®, but soon enough I hope to have proof of Tankie visiting, and moving around under her own power, either or both of the local OHV parks

-- A

Top Secret Plan....Oh....this outta be good.

 

[dremu]

I put a 75w in my rear

Whatever floats your boat

Top Secret Plan....Oh....this outta be good.

I suspect it will actually anger people ... but it'll make me happy, and that's what's important.

-- A

 

[Smokinthehippies]

There's a coupla more stages to my Top Secret Plan®, but soon enough I hope to have proof of Tankie visiting, and moving around under her own power, either or both of the local OHV parks

-- A

hollister trip soon?

 

[dremu]

hollister trip soon?

"Soon" depending on my financial sitch and the behaviour of the transmission

But yeah, I haven't been to Hollister in forever, and the last time I was at Prairie-whatchamacallit, it was a different century

-- A

 

[Smokinthehippies]

Well I'm a bleeding my brakes and mounting my seats from being operational again so keep me posted

 

[magik235]

Your back up light looks good. I am a fan of good back up lights. I installed a set of lights from my collection on my Jimmy.

[/quote]

 

[dremu]

Found a coupla extra pix from the cage work on the camera card.

The driver's side front leg blocks the parking brake pull rather annoyingly -- it'll still pull, but you have to curve your arm the wrong way:

So I pulled the lever rod out and welded on an extension / new handle. Remembering that my press brake is my vise, the bends for the triangle are not wildly inaccurate and mismatched, they "give it character"

Old rod on left, rusty, shiny new stuff is ... well, shiny and new

And there it is test-fit (It was later painted one of the contrasting and loud shades of blue, as appropriate for the truck )

Note the handle is rotated 90* so as to fit with the cage leg better, and it sticks out just enough that you can grab it without really looking. I find that ergonomics become more important as I get older and more inflexible

I was contemplating putting a bushing onto the cage leg somehow, but so far it seems to pull straight on its own. The rod is like 7/32" or some weird size slightly smaller than 1/4", which is surprisingly stiff even with the extension.

-- A

 

[82355]

Don't you have an automatic?

Martin

 

[dremu]

Nice work! I put a 75w in my rear, I had Kert built the bumper with the hole in it. Lights up my whole garage (which is the only place it's lit up thus far )

Your back up light looks good. I am a fan of good back up lights. I installed a set of lights from my collection on my Jimmy.

More usefully and politely, by the by, both are clean installs Magik, yours must be under the flatbed, looks like, to keep them from getting whacked? I've surprised myself over the years with my ability to break lights, as it were

Messr (Fiber) Glassman , yours is of course slick. I was actually thinking about doing a round one in mine much like that, but didn't have one shallow enough to just cut the one side. In retrospect, the way I ended up going, I still had to chop up the bumper up something fierce, so I s'pose it wouldn't have been more work to cut a round hole through both sides, say. 'Course I'd then want to fill in the cylinder created by the two holes ... ugh. Building a bumper itself is easy, it's all the accessories and goodies that take time and thinking

-- A

 

[dremu]

Don't you have an automatic?

Martin

Yep, only two pedals plus the parking brake.

I don't like relying on the parking pawl, however, and I live on a slight incline. That and the Caddy calipers like to get used to stay adjusted ... and lordie knows I've spent enough $$ on them, I may as well use 'em!

-- A