CK5
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77 K5 Just had to do it

I know I am late to the party, but what products were you using for the sound and heat? I desperately need to do this.
I forget the brand but it was a gallon can of bedliner from NAPA, think it was about $80.00.
The foil backed jute/carpet padding was a new huge roll I scored from a demo job, one of the benefits/curse of being a hoarder.
 
Have you noticed any issues not having the under cabinet parts? I was trying to figure out just how critical those parts are to supporting the weight of the camper.

If they are not required that would be fantastic, I just wasn't sure if the camper could support its own weight with only the bedside portions as the structure.
 
What size battery / setup did you end up going with on your build?

I am trying to plan a few steps ahead of where I am at in my rebuild and I am a bit overwhelmed with electrical options and planning. I think eventually having solar would be nice. But I am trying to get away with using a 2nd battery in the engine compartment and pretty much rely on the alternator for charging. So far a deep cycle AGM group 78 / 34 seems to be the most obvious choice. The low AH is concerning though.
 
What size battery / setup did you end up going with on your build?

I am trying to plan a few steps ahead of where I am at in my rebuild and I am a bit overwhelmed with electrical options and planning. I think eventually having solar would be nice. But I am trying to get away with using a 2nd battery in the engine compartment and pretty much rely on the alternator for charging. So far a deep cycle AGM group 78 / 34 seems to be the most obvious choice. The low AH is concerning though.
I am pretty sure I used a 3478DT, I know I made sure to get dual terminal batteries to help with the connections.
 
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The Crawlabago is once again back up and running. Between having so many other things going on and the general disgust I felt about missing the desert trip I am ashamed to admit I haven't touched it in 5 months. Zoomad's roadside diagnostics of a bad fuel injection wiring harness was spot on. Larry hooked me up with a new harness and I swear it runs better than it ever has but I might have just forgotten how good a fuel injected big block with a manual transmission runs. To think the rest of the gang is now all running 8.1s makes me wonder about the powerhouses they must have.
:burnout:
 
The Crawlabago is once again back up and running. Between having so many other things going on and the general disgust I felt about missing the desert trip I am ashamed to admit I haven't touched it in 5 months. Zoomad's roadside diagnostics of a bad fuel injection wiring harness was spot on. Larry hooked me up with a new harness and I swear it runs better than it ever has but I might have just forgotten how good a fuel injected big block with a manual transmission runs. To think the rest of the gang is now all running 8.1s makes me wonder about the powerhouses they must have.
:burnout:
The absence of fuel injected big block goodness makes the heart grow fonder. Happy to hear it's back on the road. Now it's time to put it into regular duty to keep testing all those systems to make sure they are tip top for the next run.

I know the more I drive mine, the more I love it. I think I pissed off a Cummins bro today with mine. I might have shown him my tail lights from a stoplight. Heard the spinny thing wound up pretty good too on the Ram.
 
The absence of fuel injected big block goodness makes the heart grow fonder. Happy to hear it's back on the road. Now it's time to put it into regular duty to keep testing all those systems to make sure they are tip top for the next run.

I know the more I drive mine, the more I love it. I think I pissed off a Cummins bro today with mine. I might have shown him my tail lights from a stoplight. Heard the spinny thing wound up pretty good too on the Ram.
His trans was probably slipping too much to catch you! :haha:
 
You killed it Ron!! Such a neat truck! Been a long time since I gave this one a looksie you’ve come a heck of a long way. You’re a damn good fabricator too btw. Clearly you know how to use a welder:waytogo:
 
We had some crappy weather this weekend so not a lot got done. I did get the holes drilled in the front cab wall. I then installed six studs in the cab, lowered the camper some and then rolled down {my driveway is sloped} and back while reaching behind me from the drivers seat aligning the camper into the studs. Easy peasy and all by myself. The camper is all bolted down. Total bolt count... sixteen 5/16 bolts and four 1/4 -20s on the back door panel.





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Necrobump for a few questions. Im about to rip off my camper this week and cut up a stock top. How did you determine the correct amount to cut off the stock top? Simply measuring where the FWC meets the cab at a few places and marking those lengths on the fiberglass top? Or did you pick a single measurement and cut the top equally the whole way? It appears as though the angle of the front wall of the FWC matches the angle of the cab, did yours mate up nicely? Do you have a link to the weatherstrips you used? After it was all bolted on did you seal it with silicone or anything else? How has it been holding up?
 
I’ve got the measurement in my build thread. For the life of me I can’t remember it. But it is a straight cut. Keep the same dimension from side to side.

I used a chunk of metal landscape edging attached to the blazer top with a bunch of self tapping screws. I backed off the edging the width of the cutoff wheel we used so the final width was where I needed it.

Order of events went this way for installing it. Set the little section of the blazer top in position. Slide the camper in place, butting it up flush to the fiberglass. Use a couple of long wood screws 1 3/4-2” and from the inside of the front wall of the camper sink the screws in to hold the fiberglass section to the camper.

With the fiberglass attached temporarily now pull the camper back far enough from the cab where you can run the correct size drill bit through the fiberglass at the factory mounting holes.

If you have the front panel finished with paint or some type of skin you can permanently attach the fiberglass to the front wall and seal it. I used screws from the front side to hold the fiberglass firm to the front wall. Those screws need to be just a little shallow than the complete thickness of the wall and the fiberglass if you don’t want them poking through to the interior.

I just used silicone to seal the fiberglass to the front wall. I ran a bead right on the edge prior to installing finally and ran a bead on the exterior after securing it. Keep in mind the middle (horizontal) section is harder to get to with the cab over floor in place. You can get to it but it’s a bit more challenging.

The seals for the fiberglass to the cab are standard top seals for a blazer. One goes on the fiberglass and the other goes in the channel on the cab. The one on the fiberglass is a chore because there are no tabs or clips to hold in place. You glue it on with weatherstrip adhesive aka gorilla snot. You’ll need a dozen spring clamps to hold the sob in place until the glue dries.

Once the weatherstripping is in you can marry the camper back to the truck.

I’ve done it twice now and definitely dialed it on my buddy Ian’s Blazer. On his we never even took the camper completely off the truck. We slid it back about a foot, replaced the wood and skinned it with a white shower board smooth side out and installed the top section in a weekend. It went slick.
 
I’ve got the measurement in my build thread. For the life of me I can’t remember it. But it is a straight cut. Keep the same dimension from side to side.

I used a chunk of metal landscape edging attached to the blazer top with a bunch of self tapping screws. I backed off the edging the width of the cutoff wheel we used so the final width was where I needed it.

Order of events went this way for installing it. Set the little section of the blazer top in position. Slide the camper in place, butting it up flush to the fiberglass. Use a couple of long wood screws 1 3/4-2” and from the inside of the front wall of the camper sink the screws in to hold the fiberglass section to the camper.

With the fiberglass attached temporarily now pull the camper back far enough from the cab where you can run the correct size drill bit through the fiberglass at the factory mounting holes.

If you have the front panel finished with paint or some type of skin you can permanently attach the fiberglass to the front wall and seal it. I used screws from the front side to hold the fiberglass firm to the front wall. Those screws need to be just a little shallow than the complete thickness of the wall and the fiberglass if you don’t want them poking through to the interior.

I just used silicone to seal the fiberglass to the front wall. I ran a bead right on the edge prior to installing finally and ran a bead on the exterior after securing it. Keep in mind the middle (horizontal) section is harder to get to with the cab over floor in place. You can get to it but it’s a bit more challenging.

The seals for the fiberglass to the cab are standard top seals for a blazer. One goes on the fiberglass and the other goes in the channel on the cab. The one on the fiberglass is a chore because there are no tabs or clips to hold in place. You glue it on with weatherstrip adhesive aka gorilla snot. You’ll need a dozen spring clamps to hold the sob in place until the glue dries.

Once the weatherstripping is in you can marry the camper back to the truck.

I’ve done it twice now and definitely dialed it on my buddy Ian’s Blazer. On his we never even took the camper completely off the truck. We slid it back about a foot, replaced the wood and skinned it with a white shower board smooth side out and installed the top section in a weekend. It went slick.
Appreciate the detailed insight. Im going to copy this reply over into my thread if thats cool with you.
 
I spent most of the day gluing, screwing, stapling, and drilling. I was not looking forward to cutting the top but it turned out to not be so bad.



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I vacuumed out the back of the K5, I think some of these places have not been vacuumed since 77.


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I started to clean all of the sealant off of the top in preparation to install rubber roofing. This is going to take a while.

View attachment 264056

Necrobump for a few questions. Im about to rip off my camper this week and cut up a stock top. How did you determine the correct amount to cut off the stock top? Simply measuring where the FWC meets the cab at a few places and marking those lengths on the fiberglass top? Or did you pick a single measurement and cut the top equally the whole way? It appears as though the angle of the front wall of the FWC matches the angle of the cab, did yours mate up nicely? Do you have a link to the weatherstrips you used? After it was all bolted on did you seal it with silicone or anything else? How has it been holding up?
1.375
 
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