'75 K5 Crawler goes on a diet.

[boz42]

After 5-7 years of beating on my rig I felt it was time for some change. She is fat & heavy, & hard to see out of. I have a pile of tubing in the floor for a customer's cage that backed out, & I really had the itch to mess with the K5. The rig has sat for the last year do to lack of time, & money.

In her current condition with a top & doors, no tools, & no spare she tipped the scale at 6200 lbs. I never ride with the top, but the doors sometimes stay on.

I want to trim some weight out of her. Ideally I would like to get her down to 5000 lbs any more than that would be a bonus. I also want her to still look like a Blazer, not a tube truggy deal.

Here is an old pic of her with the top & doors:

Not much different now except the sheet metal is much more beat.

A while back I sold the bumpers off of it to a member here. I can't remember your name(sorry). I would like to see pics of them on your rig though.

 

[boz42]

I plan to narrow the front cap, & lower the hood. Loose the top, doors & windshield. Narrow the rear bedsides, Loose the dash, cutting brakes, & some other stuff. I plan to list the weight of the things I remove. But I don't plan on going to the trouble of doing every little thing, nor weighing the tubing I add. I will run her back across the scales when I'm done. I hope not to be disappointed.


I started on this a couple of weeks ago but didn't get anything done but front cap removal. I hung the fenders back on to get a feel for how it would look.

It has grown on me, but I can tell I will need to trim the front corners of the cab to get the fenders to lay against the A post. The bare tube you see in the engine compartment is just laying in there. It is a look & see if I like it deal also. I do that a lot. I'll half ass mock up something like this & look at it for a day or 2 while I work on someone else's stuff, to see if I'll like it.

 

[K5 Jess]

 

[boz42]

I borrowed a DIY4x winch cradle from a local board member(2many), & it was too narrow to fit my frame by about a 1/4". It was for a straight cut newer model frame. Does any one know if that is why it wouldn't fit or is my frame tweaked that bad?

 

[yellowK20]

I had to use a porta power to pull my framerails in to get my a-bomb to fit on one of my trucks

 

[blazinzuk]

Nice! While the DIY stuff is cool I prefer to mount everything higher and more out of the way. I pretty much cut everything off and skinned it all much easier that way

 

[boz42]

I was thinking if I used one of Kert's cradles I would have him build me one like Nvrenuf's. It is raised & inset into the grill. I really just wanted something to look at to start & get a feel for how I was going to arrange everything I planned to keep.

 

[boz42]

I went ahead & cut the firewall corners out. This makes the kick panel in front of the door single wall now.

Here is a list of what I removed with weights. I weighed stuff in batches cause a lot of it wasn't heavy enough by itself, so the weights will not help y'all. I used a regular bathroom scale so there is some room for error:

1. Hood Hinges pair - 10 lbs
2. Headlight bezels & radiator brackets - 5 lbs
3. Firewall & door sill pieces - 2 lbs
4. Dash pad & gauge cluster cover - 10 lbs
5. Wiper arms & firewall corners - 5 lbs
6. Heater box inside & out with heater core - 18 lbs
7. Glove box & wiper motor - 10 lbs
8. Radiator support - 60 lbs
9. Left Door - 60 lbs
10. Right door - 57 lbs
11. Fiberglass hard top - 210 lbs
12. Windshield & gasket - 32 lbs
13. Windshield frame - 18 lbs
14. Rivets & old shock mounts that I was too lazy to remove before - 8 lbs

That's a running total of 505 lbs. A decent start I think. I know it will get harder to cut weight as I go. That's the only reason I am half way keeping up with what I loose. Gotta keep a reality check on what's coming off if I plan on loosing right at 1200 lbs.

 

[yellowK20]

Mine is built that way as well, with exception to mine having a 2" body lift built in.

 

[blazinzuk]

Like I said I know you are plenty capable of doing this but having done Horton ( actually a pickup) and a couple blazers if you run into anything don't hesitate to ask.

Oh one thing boatsides. Do them huge advantage in the rocks

 

[boz42]

Like I said I know you are plenty capable of doing this but having done Horton ( actually a pickup) and a couple blazers if you run into anything don't hesitate to ask.

Oh one thing boatsides. Do them huge advantage in the rocks

Thanks,

I am considering the boatsides. I fear if I do I will add to much beef(weight).

Got a link or post a pic of your boatsides.



Here is some of the parts that are leaving:

I built a new radiator support. It is for the radiator only. I plan on pinning the fenders to the cage. It only weighs 8 lbs:

 

[boz42]

After I cut the windshield frame off I had to put her on little rollers so I could keep her in the garage,

I plated the top & sides of the radiator support frame mount, & bent a hoop a little taller than the radiator to sit on it. Slapped a fender back on to have a look.


radiator hoop & plated frame mounts:

Test fit fender to radiator hoop:

I added a couple tubes to tie the hoop to the existing tube in the engine compartment.

I also sold my hydro-assist set-up so I had to bolt an old push pull onto it to move it around the shop.

 

[blazinzuk]

pretty decent pic of em

Kind of shows how high it is. Remember mine was a pickup so not a flat floor This is a brace coming up through the floor

Front brace up through the floor

mocking em up

Those are my fishplates on the frame

The boatsides are one of the best mod I have ever done.

Have talked a couple other guys into something similar on smaller rigs.

One buddy with a Bronco 2 and he credits his boatsides for allowing him to out wheel just about any rig with wheel with that only has a rear locker

 

[boz42]

I like it, I may cut my slider out & move it up. Especially since you claim it to be one of your best mods. That would be easy enough, I like how yours makes the floor board have sides to it. Keep dropped items from rolling out.



I cut the inner guts out of the front fenders & the hood. I did not weigh them, but they are still on the scrap pile so its not too late. That let me get the fenders tucked in tight to the A post.I welded a small piece of flat stock onto the fender to mount it back to the A post. I capped the tube sticking out off of the radiator hoop & welded a nutsert into it to bolt the fender to. I also took a ball peen hammer & beat the fender leading edge back out to fit over the front support.

EDIT: This is my 3000th Post!

 

[NorCal_Chris]

I figured you would at least throw some new sheetmetal at it

 

[boz42]

I took a short piece of cage tubing that was slightly bent & beat that radius into the top of the fender where the fender lays on some pre-exsisting tube work. I triangulated a piece of tube in above my shock mount then plated that opening in with 1/4" plate. I plan to weld my engine cage in, so this will give me a good place to cut it out from if the engine ever needs to come out.

I also got the hood cut down. I cut 16" off of each side. It lays on the cowl, the tube over the engine & the tube hoop in front of the radiator. I plan to pin it on with 4 hood pins. I might weld a thin angle iron frame under it to keep it from being suck a whore to lift on & off.

 

[boz42]

I figured you would at least throw some new sheetmetal at it

Yah, so I can ruin more body panels ,, 2many was going to donate some from an '81 up rig, but they came up gone so I'm rolling with these.


I slapped the regular tires back on to see what it was going to look like:

I'm liking it, I think it looks mean! The small rollers are still on the back in this pic so the K5 is sitting with a major rake to the rear. I believe I lowered the leading edge of the hood about 4". I think I may section 2-3" out of the center of the hood also. It is now too long front to back. I would like to keep the front intact & keep the cowl vents on the back, so that leaves getting the extra length out of the center.

 

[boz42]

I mocked up a winch mount with some cardboard. That's where I stopped. Have to wait a week or so till I can get back on it.

 

[blazinzuk]

I know the 4 hood pins is a good way to go but the hood is still heavy.

So I had left the factory style hinges on (mine was newer body) when I get my new hood on I will do some sort of hinge on it. Just so much easier. Whatever hinge I put on will allow a very quick removal of the hood though.

Yes the boatsides are an awesome mod. Our crawling around here is mostly boulder crawling so it makes a huge difference. So much easier when your rocker is 10" or so above where it usually is. I mean that is like going from 44" tires to well 64" tires huge difference. And it does keep stuff in the floor much nicer than it used to

 

[boz42]

I'm torn on the hood pins. I know that hood is still heavy but I hate to fool with fabbing up some hinges, I plan to cut the cowl out of the cab also & place a tube across there. After I get that in I may look into fabbing some hinges.

I went back & added some better pics from the house 'puter in the earlier posts.


Also gotta figure out some headlights. I had planned on mounting some round 6" driving lights in the grill openeing but I don't think there will be enough room.