'75 K5 Blazer advice build

['75-K5-Blazer]

'75-K5-Blazer submitted a new Build:

'75 K5 Blazer advice build

This is my first build ever and looking for advice/help from the community through the process. I am handy and can some things but looking for what are some key things to do and not do. Apologize now for all the questions and thank you in advance for all the great advice to come.

Desired Finish: A rig to drive around on nice nights with the wife and kid, maybe go to a local car show, just enjoy the ride. Not looking for an offroad or mudding rig. Willing to spend a few extra $ to ensure quality or increase resale value if I sell it in a few years. See attached pic of '73 rig for finished look.

Truck Bio: 1975 K5 Blazer Custom Deluxe. original engine, transmission, quadrajet carb, 3 speed manual, 37" tires, 3" body, 4" suspension lift, always starts and drives fine, drive it about 300-500 miles a year, owned it for 7 years, new clutch, just started leaking a tiny bit from oil pan and transmission. Basically a great truck that runs whenever I want to pull it out of the garage for a drive.

Planned Build Items: (est $12K budget)
1. Rust - repair rusted out floor board on passenger side (to be done by professional), checked frame/body and no visible real rust except surface
2. Seats - replace front seats, recover back original seat and new foam
3. Interior - general costmetics, dash/gauge replace, new carpet & insulator, door pannel paint/refresh
4. Exterior - replace front quarters, exterior and interior paint to match
5. Engine/Transmission - tune up and seal/gasket replacements as recommended, no upgrades planned
6. Suspension - replacing shocks and gear due to age, no change on leaf springs plannedView attachment 340028 View attachment 340029 View attachment 340030 View attachment 340031 View attachment 340032 View attachment 340033 View attachment 340034 View attachment 340028 View attachment 340029 View attachment 340030 View attachment 340031 View attachment 340032 View attachment 340033 View attachment 340034
7. Misc - may replace fuel tank of concerns on 45 year old gunk running into the engine, windshield replacement, soft top to be added

The Questions:
1. Not choosing a frame off resoration because of perceived cost. However concerned that it will look great on top but old underneath the covers. It is worth it to have the frame done and what general costs/time does that take?
2. Engine and tranmission seem to always be in good condition and run great. Should I take this opportunity to rebuild...

Read more about this build here...

 

[Truckman4life]

Ditch the body lift. You have plenty of tire clearance. I'd start off with making sure everything mechanical is up to snuff then move into paint and body work. It is a lot to take on to do the frame and engine bay and the entire body to go straight to the look you are after. You will probably be better off taking it in stages. If the engine and trans are working fine then just keep them for now and start on the other items first then do them later.

 

[centexk5]

Having just finished a show worthy vehicle, triple that estimate.

Yes, it's worth it to clean and paint the frame. Makes it look better and you can check for straightness and fix any cracks you find. But it's a huge undertaking and if everything looks good then prep and paint what you can. Although it doesn't take as much work as you think to lift the body off the frame.

I'd ditch the 3" and go with a 1" body lift. Makes doing work under the truck so nice.

If the engine isn't burning oil or knocking and has solid compression then I'd leave it alone and spend the money on rust and body work.

 

[1300obo]

welcome! great to see another second generation full vert. I'll be watching

 

[bp71k5]

I suspect a lot of your $12k budget will be eaten up in just the rust repair and body work+paint. Better decide now what your plans for it are.

cleaning up the frame and running gear is probably the one thing that’s not so hard for a diy type guy to do without breaking the bank.

 

[Jumppr]

I had/have big visions for mine when it’s finally done. I got it 6yrs ago and tore into it big time. Pulled the drivetrain and sold it. Pulled the body off and relocated it to a friends spare acre. Spent a few months cleaning the frame and building a set of axles for it. The frame was junk. The body was junk. I’ve since bought another a year ago and I just barely started working on it again.

My advice: Take small bites and chew thoroughly before starting another bite.

 

[centexk5]

It's real easy to lose motivation when you can't drive it and enjoy it. I don't like to take mine off the road anymore than I need to but even then it can happen. What was a simple suspension swap on mine (springs, bushings, and shocks) has turned into a 2+ month ordeal because of finding things that need to be fixed I wasn't aware of not to mention life getting in the way. Just take it slow and one piece at a time.

 

[Chief Brody]

Yeah, I got $20,000 in mine and it had much less rust than you are dealing with

https://ck5.com/forums/threads/ryok...and-bodywork-101.283048/page-337#post-3526028

https://ck5.com/forums/threads/ryokens-guide-to-rust-treatment-and-bodywork-101.283048/

 

[19Tim69]

Make sure you are ready to do the work or pay the cash to someone who will.
$12k doesn’t seem like a lot of money to even get that to a nice driver unless you are equipped to do all the work.
Don’t fix anything that you don’t have too. Don’t tear it apart for longer than a weekend or a week maybe.
Life is full of distractions & it’s easy to go down the rabbit hole

 

[ZooMad75]

No joke, double your budget for money and time and you might get close. Going down that road has many forks to turn off on. Around here we call it "might as well". If I'm this far in I might as well fix this and that, then more, and more again. 5-10 years later you are still working on it. That's cool if that's what you want to do but it can also suck the life out a project and you end up bailing on it.

It might be the difference between selling this one and finding a better candidate to build with a better body. That investment in buying something with a better body would save time and money down the road. That money saved from not having to do insane rust repair could be put into other parts of the truck like the interior or upgrading the drivetrain.

 

[Chevy350Ben]

Around here we call it "might as well". If I'm this far in I might as well fix this and that, then more, and more again. 5-10 years later you are still working on it. That's cool if that's what you want to do but it can also suck the life out a project and you end up bailing on it.

This. 1000 times, this.

take small bites. The "might as well" bug hit me HARD! I only planned on putting in one ton axles at the beginning. But then I said "while Im taking out the axles, might as well upgrade the suspension, might as well to crossover steering, might as well get bigger tires...etc...etc... Im at about 200% of my initial budget, and I havent done anything to the engine/tranny/t-case or bodywork.

If it were my project, and had the "weekend cruiser" build like you plan on doing, I would focus on drivability first. Ditch the body lift, move to a more manageable tire size, and start replacing all the body bushings, suspension bushings, tierod ends, drag link, steering gear and all the things that make it ride nice, and comfortable. Most of that stuff can be done on weekends, and enjoy the truck the rest of the time.

While doing that, research what body work needs to be done and get some quotes on the stuff you don't plan to do yourself.