76 k5 Wheeler build-GIT ER DONE

[andyblack]

I think you could find a Dana 60 and a 14 bolt from a CUCV with 4.56 gears and a Detroit in the rear that may not need anything but new bearings and possibly new kingpins bushings for less than that. Maybe. Then you'll be ready for some 38s.

You seem set on the 44 though, so go for it. I think the chromoly axle shaft upgrade will help the most. You already have the rear axle you're going to use too, so at least you have matching gears, right?

 

[gotblazers]

I think you could find a Dana 60 and a 14 bolt from a CUCV with 4.56 gears and a Detroit in the rear that may not need anything but new bearings and possibly new kingpins bushings for less than that. Maybe. Then you'll be ready for some 38s.

You seem set on the 44 though, so go for it. I think the chromoly axle shaft upgrade will help the most. You already have the rear axle you're going to use too, so at least you have matching gears, right?

We'll i was hoping i could get this rebuild done for 500, Im thinking of just going to one tons for that price though. It'd be cool to get a beefed up 44 in the front for the 73 but its at stock height and will probably live out on 31's so its a waste. I think your right and i should just start saving for one tons then ill rebuild the one tons.

p.s Is anyone besides me getting really annoyed by me constantly changing my mind . Thank god im not on pirate with this build or i'd probably be flamed to hell.

 

[max 02]

We'll i was hoping i could get this rebuild done for 500, Im thinking of just going to one tons for that price though. It'd be cool to get a beefed up 44 in the front for the 73 but its at stock height and will probably live out on 31's so its a waste. I think your right and i should just start saving for one tons then ill rebuild the one tons.

p.s Is anyone besides me getting really annoyed by me constantly changing my mind . Thank god im not on pirate with this build or i'd probably be flamed to hell.

NO thats cool! You can`t build a truck with out changing your mind. Wait till you get married or get a girlfreind that will change your mind like you change your gonch.

I change mine evey day, sometimes twice.

 

[andyblack]

NO thats cool! You can`t build a truck with out changing your mind. Wait till you get married or get a girlfreind that will change your mind like you change your gonch.

I change mine evey day, sometimes twice.

Right. You should get all this truck stuff done while you're single. I got my truck about nine months before I got married and had big plans to turn it into some kind of TTC super truck. Well, it's now five years later and the truck is only equipped with 35s and a winch. Oh well.

I say go with the one tons and leave the half ton stuff alone. I've had enough trouble out of the steering on my 10 bolt to drive me insane. I'm just waiting for my tires to wear out so I can justify going to one tons. Maybe one day (sigh).

 

[gotblazers]

NO thats cool! You can`t build a truck with out changing your mind. Wait till you get married or get a girlfreind that will change your mind like you change your gonch.

I change mine evey day, sometimes twice.

Right. You should get all this truck stuff done while you're single. I got my truck about nine months before I got married and had big plans to turn it into some kind of TTC super truck. Well, it's now five years later and the truck is only equipped with 35s and a winch. Oh well.

I say go with the one tons and leave the half ton stuff alone. I've had enough trouble out of the steering on my 10 bolt to drive me insane. I'm just waiting for my tires to wear out so I can justify going to one tons. Maybe one day (sigh).

Thanks guys, I definitely appreciate the support,inspiration,patience knowledge and more importantly willingness to share that knowledge from this on-line brotherhood

Im single and plan to stay that way for a long time for the exact reason you stated, Women cut into my truck time. When people ask me if i have a girlfriend i tell em i got
.a full time job
.Im starting school soon
.I got 5 trucks and a dog
Wheres the time for a women

Anyways on with the project planning...
I talked to my dad since the 73 project is dictated by him and he agrees im better off going to one tons and rebuilding them. We already got rear posi in the 73 and ive done a hell of alot more than he will ever do with open differentials.

Im almost finished paying off the credit card for the set of mt/r kevlars i got before the last wheeling trip even with me working at goodyear tires and getting them for almost wholesale price it still cost me 750 big ones . Once those are paid off with this next paycheck i can start saving for the one tons. Until then im waiting on the gravy train before i can go anywhere on this build at 9.50 an hour and 1000 bucks a month approximate net income things wont go as fast as some of the other builds on here with guys who have real jobs, But on the bright side i have no expenses except for gas and the occassional (every other day ) slurpy.

 

[gotblazers]

Quick update on whats goin on here

I got a line on a set of srw 4.10 one tons out of an 84 k30 for 1000 from a guy in the local 4 wheeling club and im just saving up my pennies and working overtime to get money for those.

I've been talking to the guys over at hendrix motor sports which is only a few hours away from me about going straight to a full tubing buggy. As blazinuk has said several times its easier to go straight to a tubing buggy than beat around the bush playing with a fullsize truck. the 76 would be the donor truck for the buggy since the buggy isnt anything but a frame to work on. Im considering getting the X-chassi's out of D.O.M and possibly get the 4 link suspension kit built for it installed when its made. He suggested a 3 inch raise on the roof to fit my tall self in with a helmet since i'd like to compete some day. Their other 2 mass produced chassis are samurai and yota sized so im a little worried about putting fullsize parts on it but he claims to have outfitted several x-chassis with one tons and chevy Sb's so maybe not. The thing i like the most about it is the price since most other tubing chassis i see are a thousand miles away and start at 3500. Can anyone here comment on the quality/durability of their work or equipment. Dont want to buy junk but id also like to avoid spending a fortune for a brand name.

In other news The little dodge may be in need of a new throwout bearing soon, But its worth it the damn thing is averaging 20 mpg around town and 28 or so on the freeway. Im saving a fortune

Besides that ive just been workin alot of overtime so i can get these dam builds movin although at 9.50 an hour ****s just takin time lol . I dont even got my 3 months in yet at this first job and i already bought a suburban and a brand new set of mt/r's with longterm savings growing, I dig it

 

[blazinzuk]

Lol when I read this and saw you wanted to compete in stuff like KOH or something my first thought is just go straight to the end and tell the guy to build a buggy.

I have put one tons and a Chevy motor in a hedrix x chassis. They are good chassis, great start.

I am working towards my perfect world for wheelers which includes one tube buggy, one blazer still all intact and stuff for easier stuff and camping.

Starting with a buggy for what will be in the future a comp rig would be a good idea. I LOVE blazers and stuff but they are just too big. I rockcrawled with one for a very long time. I enjoy it so much more in Horton now that I am only about 3" narrower, it makes a world of difference.

Another bit of advice I may add here. Buy tools lots of them. If you plan on doing this comp stuff and have a shop do everything, your going to need a better job. A much better job. I don't mean hand tools, I mean fab tools.

Don't worry about taking time. I sat out wheeling for nearly two years because I could not afford a $150 rebuild kit for my transmission

 

[gotblazers]

Lol when I read this and saw you wanted to compete in stuff like KOH or something my first thought is just go straight to the end and tell the guy to build a buggy.

I have put one tons and a Chevy motor in a hendrix x chassis. They are good chassis, great start.

I am working towards my perfect world for wheelers which includes one tube buggy, one blazer still all intact and stuff for easier stuff and camping.

Starting with a buggy for what will be in the future a comp rig would be a good idea. I LOVE blazers and stuff but they are just too big. I rockcrawled with one for a very long time. I enjoy it so much more in Horton now that I am only about 3" narrower, it makes a world of difference.

Another bit of advice I may add here. Buy tools lots of them. If you plan on doing this comp stuff and have a shop do everything, your going to need a better job. A much better job. I don't mean hand tools, I mean fab tools.

Don't worry about taking time. I sat out wheeling for nearly two years because I could not afford a $150 rebuild kit for my transmission

Speak of the devil

I try to avoid shops as much as possible but a cage is too integral to my safety.This guy over at hendrix has a college degree and years of experience so when (not if ) i roll i want to be in a chassi's bent,designed and welded by a pro. Not to mention his prices are dirt cheap compared to the shops over on pirate and hes local so ill probably visit him once before i make the purchase.

I feel alot better knowing someone has used his chassi's and done well with it. Did you use his 4 link set up or your own? Any regrets either way? Any advice looking back you could share on setting up the chassi's?

What kind of tools would you recommend? As far as fab tools atm i got
-oxyacetelene torch
-225 lincoln arc welder
-IIRC 6'' cutting wheel
-A few clamps and vice grips, Im sure i need a ton more of those.
-got a regular old miter saw,Unfortunately i sold my dads old 14'' makita metal chopsaw for 90 bucks on craigslist before i got into 4x4'ing .
-mini table saw although i doubt i'd use that and i think it might be for ceramic tiles.

Then my dad was in construction for 30 years and did all of his own work on his vehicles, Although he never got too extreme. Just swapped/rebuilt motors n transmissions as needed, Heavier springs for his truck since his 3/4 ton silverado was almost always over 10,000 pounds . So i got a ****load of random tools as youve seen in the build pics i have everything from 2 feet long crescent wrenches to pulley removers for engine rebuilds.

Edit: just got the reply from hendrix motor sports, Apparently the link set up is a dual triangulated 4 link which i had to google since i had never even heard of that . For the chassis out of D.O.M, 4 link set up with chromoly upgrade and all 4 upper and lower links front and rear we are lookin at just under 5 grand out the door. Really a great price for a well designed link suspension that he claims will handle the desert and rocks ( KOH ). So im thinking im going to get these one tons and build em up the way i like lockers and all but leave steering alone for now since i gotta play that by ear with the buggy and the link set up. And once the one tons are beefed up with chromoly shafts,lockers and maybe some knuckle upgrades i start saving for the chassi's. If i can keep working full time and putting it all into truck shet ill have this build driveable in under 2 years probably :P

Double edit: Im going to pick up the one tons from our own chevysmith on the 16th.

 

[gotblazers]

Disc brake conversion kit from indy4x4 arrived today, Everything included except brake pads and lines. Anyways heres the pics of it all.

I talked to one of the techs at my work and he said he will take care of all the surface rust with a lathe for free if i bring him the rotors . Im unsure though do i need to seperate the rotors any more than they currently are to be used on a lathe or can i leave the hubs/studs in? noob question i know :/

In other news im still going back and forth on what im going to do to keep giving me my annual wheeling dose while im building the ultimate wheeler (race buggy). I keep changing my mind everyday to
-put some of the buggys parts onto the 76 k5 for wheeling while im saving up for buggy parts (slight waste of buggy money)
-wheel the 76 k5 as is and just fix things as they break with oem replacements
-build up the 76 parts a bit and wheel it that way (really not feeling this since it would take alot of buggy money)
-Dont wheel until the buggys ready and get it done a little faster with money/time saved

 

[andyblack]

I always seperate the hubs from the rotors when I take the rotors to the machine shop. I've seen people just drop them off though without seperating the two. Whether the machinists have to break them down to turn them and then put them back together, I don't know. Doubt it though. Some mechanic will chime in shortly...

 

[big dan]

depends on the brake lathe. Some machines will fit the whole hub and for some you have to break them down.

When I worked at OReillys, the machine we had did not have the adapters to make the hubs fit right. We could rig some up to fit the wheel bearings but then the whole assembly was too long so we had to break them down and turn just the rotor.

However, a local shop in town had a lathe that you could put the whole hub on.

 

[andyblack]

I say break them down yourself so you know you won't lose your studs and they won't get the threads on them boogered up. You can sand and spray paint the hubs while you're at it. That's what I usually do.

 

[magik235]

More work and more fun with your new parts.

 

[gotblazers]

as far as axles go im mostly just waiting on money so i can do everything at once. I dont really have a spot in my garage atm where i can tear things down and leave em there for months on end. So its basically just a waiting game while i work for the money to get going.

Been thinking about motor ideas since im not really interested (cant afford) in the regular LS crate motors most racers run and ive been thinkin of swapping my 400SBC over to EFI. I've heard its a legendary desert racing motor so i figure why not use it since a mix of rock crawling and desert racing is my goal. Anyways my idea is when i do the rebuild i swap vortec 350 heads and intake and wiring harness to get full EFI as well as a little extra power. No ideas on crank or cam yet or really anything else in the rebuild stage but just wondering what people think of that idea, A little google search and it seems to be a popular swap so .

 

[BlazerFarm]

Subscribed. 76s are one of my favorite years. It could be because I've had mine since 1980. It's time to drag my 76 back in the garage and get it running again. I like the look of what you have done. I may steal some of your ideas.

 

[gotblazers]

Subscribed. 76s are one of my favorite years. It could be because I've had mine since 1980. It's time to drag my 76 back in the garage and get it running again. I like the look of what you have done. I may steal some of your ideas.

Appreciate the support, Im pushing progress ASAP but my job cut my hours down to 20 a week and im barely making anything now so im looking for a new job to keep the progress flowin

 

[shovelbill80]

good start and ambition........do you have a tow rig for the "buggy"?

i'd build the '76 while foolin with girls....it's good for you. pick a thing to address and stick to it. beef up what you break...you'll never get anything done by jumping around with loads of ideas bouncing around in your head. build the '76.....just remember that any dual purpose thing isn't exceptional at ANY one thing.

you just bought new tires, will they fit on one tons?
fix the 44, go chase girls, list and wheel that rig while you save money for a buggy rig. better yet, find a chick that like to off road . that just my opinion

 

[gotblazers]

good start and ambition........do you have a tow rig for the "buggy"?
Check out the 73 k5 build thread, I know what everyones going to say WHEEL BASE. Regardless its got the power with a brand new balanced 350 built to put out an easy 400 horseys and the transmission/t-case are already rebuilt as well as a heavy duty hitch and a 31 gallon tank. According to dad throw a weight distribution set up on it for towing the buggy and keep it under 60 and i shouldnt have a problem.

i'd build the '76 while foolin with girls....it's good for you. pick a thing to address and stick to it. beef up what you break...you'll never get anything done by jumping around with loads of ideas bouncing around in your head. build the '76.....just remember that any dual purpose thing isn't exceptional at ANY one thing.
My short term goals are very precise ATM but i have spent alot of time changing my mind prior to this and i may still do so but the ultimate goal still remains the same to become race ready ASAP. As far as Immediate goals Right now im fully focused on Gears/lockers and kinpin bushings along with highsteer arms on the axle and get em into the k5 so i can get to wheeling.

you just bought new tires, will they fit on one tons?
short answer is yes

fix the 44, go chase girls, list and wheel that rig while you save money for a buggy rig. better yet, find a chick that like to off road . that just my opinion
I'll save my current axles for future projects since they are really strong axles for everything but our full sizes they would work great for a smaller project in the future. As far as the wimmin go they are just not in my plans atm. I've cut down expenses so much as my ''treat'' is a slurpee once every 2 weeks or so that cost about 2.08 .

im looking for a 2nd job to speed this project up .

 

[gotblazers]

Question guys, My reg. is up this month and im trying to decide to green sticker it or not. Whatever option i dont want to have to pay insurance on it since this thing pretty much see's no road time but i can register it as an antique uber cheap if insurance is needed for what little on road use this thing sees . I just wanna be able to leave it in the street in front of my house if need be. Or drive it around the block without any worries. I saw something about dual registration that looked appealing. Im picking up a trailer shortly, Already got the cash just looking for the right deal.

Thoughts on this mess?

 

[imiceman44]

Question guys, My reg. is up this month and im trying to decide to green sticker it or not. Whatever option i dont want to have to pay insurance on it since this thing pretty much see's no road time but i can register it as an antique uber cheap if insurance is needed for what little on road use this thing sees . I just wanna be able to leave it in the street in front of my house if need be. Or drive it around the block without any worries. I saw something about dual registration that looked appealing. Im picking up a trailer shortly, Already got the cash just looking for the right deal.

Thoughts on this mess?

I don't know who your insurance is and what your rate is but I have Allstate and my broker got me a great deal on insurance for my truck that only sees a few days of roads a year, It cost me like $20 for 6 months and all I have to do is call them when I want to drive it and they activate it, and when I am done I call them back and they put it on hold.
For DMV purposes it is insured, and for their end, it's only covered during the days I tell them I am using it.
Works for me.
And for $50 or so per year for registration I'd rather have it registered normal so I have no worries driving it anywhere.