'81 K5, "BlaZeus"- How to NOT build the ultimate budget K5; 3 & 4 link build

[Blazooki]

When you jump that truck at speed, intentional or not, be it in the desert or the dunes at Glamis and bottom out the rear suspension. If you leave it like it is at some point on one landing, you will fold that cage in half at the upper shock mounts and kill whoever is in the rear seats. It may not happen the very first time, but it will happen. As far as the cantilever thing...think of it like this..right now all the forces generated by the rear suspension travel, combined with the total mass of the vehicle behind the B pillar, + 50 gallons of gas, + two passengers, + any other stuff you throw in back...All that mass is hanging out past and pivoting on the cage cross bar that your passengers put their feet on. When you cut the frame out you removed the support that held all that in check and changed the pivot point of the suspension to where it is now. The whole truck frame was the pivot point before. The vehicle mass was spread out along the whole frame and the frame absorbed the forces from the suspension travelling . You need to fix that in other ways since you cant put the frame back on. Several people who I respect the hell out of and are virtual gods in the field of fabrication have already posted ideas on the way to correct it. No one wants to see you or anyone you care about get hurt or killed.


One simple thing I would do that would help, its easy and cheap is lose the hard top. thats a lot of weight gone at zero cost.

 

[Evan Miller]

Man this is a good read.

Bought to also dive in over my head on my k5

 

[Mr.Clean]

Holy chit. Please take the advise already given. The enthusiasm is excellent just needs to be channeled in the right direction, and these dudes are trying to help you with that direction.

 

[Mr.Clean]

By no means is my truck the be all end all. Mine is backhalfed and I built new rails out of tube and plate. This picture it is still not done I have a lot more support tubes to put in yet. But a back half by time you get fuel cell, spare tires, and equipment back on it without proper support it's going to fold like a taco on the first few big hits.

 

[truck-oholic]

I see the difference. Still not sure how the cage can't support the body....or is it the push/pull compression characteristics of the cage tube? oh wait...why am i asking an apprentice electrician about engineering stuff?...silly me. After skimming your build thread, wow, talk about over engineering....how much does your truck weigh after adding about 2 tons of steel to it? good luck going anywhere fast...lol I'm just messing with you man...good on you for taking time to build a toy with 3 kids to care of...#respect.

Wow, just wow. You really got me pegged buddy. Joking or not I can't believe you would make a personal attack like that.

Just to set the record straight . . .

I have a BS in Chemistry, minors in math and physics. Graduated magna cum laude with honors in chemistry and an overall gpa of 3.72. I had a full tuition academic scholorship.

I am also a US DOL certified Journeyman Inside Wireman with the IBEW and an EPRI Instrumentation and Controls Tech.

I have been fabricating my own stuff ever since I started this hobby 13 years ago.

You looked at my build, did you see any instance where my design risked my life or the life of my wife and 3 kids who I all provide for with my shitty $35 an hour union electrical job? No!

Translation: I am ****ing smarter than you asshole, get a clue.

 

[blazinzuk]

The actual cage still needs a bunch of work.

It has almost no triangulation.

I have seen cages like that in slow speed rollovers shift several inches.

 

[sreidmx]

That translation.. ROFLMAO @truck-oholic

 

[truck-oholic]

That translation.. ROFLMAO @truck-oholic

I'm sure everyone can agree dude had it coming

 

[BlaZeus]

First off, I would like humbly apologize to everyone here for what was said last night. I did have it coming and I definitely deserved it. I let my pride get in the way of my character last night and there is no excuse for my actions. I am asking for forgiveness and I am hoping we can move on from here with a fresh slate of ck5 brotherhood.

I am sure everyone can agree that it can be really discouraging, to say the least, to hear all the negatives about something that you have so much pride in and put so much hard work into. I mean, here I was thinking I had done something pretty cool, unique and badass only to hear crap about my workmanship and skills; and do not get me wrong, I am no pro truck builder what-so-ever and do not claim to be. But, as a young adult just building what he can with what he has and seeing kids everywhere with trucks that their daddy bought them and they don't know a ball joint from a u joint, I AM proud that I can build something that 99.99% of people would have no idea how to begin. And with that comes the failure, of hurt and pain that actually, the stuff you build is crap and that I am stupid for doing things the way I have. The failure of character in lashing out on someone who was just trying to help. I know that this is not the way these things were intended as, but just put yourself in my shoes for a moment. I am not asking you to forget or excuse anything that I said, because I take responsibility for my actions and deal with the consequences, no matter what they might be...(black-listed from ck5 ). Thank you for your responses and feedback. Again, I know I need help and will be more open to suggestions. Thank you for your time. God bless.

 

[truck-oholic]

Dude, water under the bridge. Thanks for apologizing. I have a pretty thick skin and am a bit brash at times myself. It's never anything personal when I critique, it is simply for the benefit of the build and individual. Sometimes tough love hurts, but it's only temporary, and you come out on the other end stronger for it.

I have been doing this quite a while but I am always open to learn new things and take direction from people who may know more than I do. This is a trait that comes with age and maturity.

 

[blazinzuk]

@BlaZeus

Thing that is different about this site is we want to see you succeed. And come out with something that will not only be admired by yourself but by pretty much everyone who sees it.

Sometimes it sucks to take a step back and say OK there is a better way to accomplish this.

When that happens your end product is gonna end up awesome.

Just remember as far as fab goes the difference between good enough and great is usually about 5 minutes

 

[jekquistk5]

Sometimes it sucks to take a step back and say OK there is a better way to accomplish this.

This is what some refer to as tuition. Hell I think @Greg72 's tuition pile could have built 5 trucks by now. You have great ideas, you just need to slow down and execute them better. That's why some builds take years. It's really hard to accomplish a build in a weekend and not sacrifice quality and the end goal. Keep on keepin on

 

[ryoken]

how many times has this happened? we've turned out some good young guns.... Ben, Avery, the slut, where'd our burb college boy go lately!!?????!



anyway...


OP... love the enthusiasm...



the cumulative knowledge of this membership is stoooooooopid.....




benefit from it..... some guys here can build some schtuff and junk...









and for the peanut gallery, when in doubt, MOO!!!





.

 

[campfire]

First off, I would like humbly apologize to everyone here for what was said last night. I did have it coming and I definitely deserved it. I let my pride get in the way of my character last night and there is no excuse for my actions. I am asking for forgiveness and I am hoping we can move on from here with a fresh slate of ck5 brotherhood.

I am sure everyone can agree that it can be really discouraging, to say the least, to hear all the negatives about something that you have so much pride in and put so much hard work into. I mean, here I was thinking I had done something pretty cool, unique and badass only to hear crap about my workmanship and skills; and do not get me wrong, I am no pro truck builder what-so-ever and do not claim to be. But, as a young adult just building what he can with what he has and seeing kids everywhere with trucks that their daddy bought them and they don't know a ball joint from a u joint, I AM proud that I can build something that 99.99% of people would have no idea how to begin. And with that comes the failure, of hurt and pain that actually, the stuff you build is crap and that I am stupid for doing things the way I have. The failure of character in lashing out on someone who was just trying to help. I know that this is not the way these things were intended as, but just put yourself in my shoes for a moment. I am not asking you to forget or excuse anything that I said, because I take responsibility for my actions and deal with the consequences, no matter what they might be...(black-listed from ck5 ). Thank you for your responses and feedback. Again, I know I need help and will be more open to suggestions. Thank you for your time. God bless.

Cool. I think you will be just fine. Eric took the words out of my mouth...the folks that are chiming up here are sharing the passion they have for this hobby. Not to tear you down, but so that there will be more awesome rigs out there in the future. So, so many people build faster than they learn...and a bunch of crummy trucks are out there as proof of that. We want yours to be one of the awesome ones.

If you're open to input from some of the knowledgeable guys (not me, in this area), I'm confident your truck will be awesome.

Now for the other perspective, I think what you're doing is really neat. Tearing into a truck like that is not trivial and it does look like you're learning as you go. Good on ya for that. As someone who also started out this way, I appreciate the learning style. I tore 3 trucks apart and stitched the pieces into this:

Which became this:

Which I am very proud of. These mods look kinda tame to me now, but I didn't have any friends into fab work, and I did have a number of folks tell me that my desires were impossible (wasn't hanging around CK5 at that time). So instead of listening to everybody, I decided to build the truck anyways. I did chicken out from one desired mod (stick-shift swap), and I am still regretting that 5 1/2 years later. Tuition-wise, there are at least 1/2 a dozen things I would have done differently if I could go back to 2010. Hence build #2 (which is slowly ongoing) to implement a bunch of the ideas that I've had since then.

I definitely understand what you're hearing when folks say your idea won't work. It hurts, and you should be open to learning from those who have experience. But don't let folks talk you out of doing awesome things. Just take their ideas/input and incorporate them into even more awesomeness!

Also, apologies go far. Really, really far. I know a lot of folks who would not have been willing to fess up like that, and you did a pretty thorough job. Good on ya again.

Now get some awesome plan and tie that stuff all together! You can do it!

 

[campfire]

But, as a young adult just building what he can with what he has and seeing kids everywhere with trucks that their daddy bought them and they don't know a ball joint from a u joint, I AM proud that I can build something that 99.99% of people would have no idea how to begin.

Oh yeah...with this attitude I think you'll fit right in on here.

That is the club motto, after all...

 

[sreidmx]

Good on you dude for maning up! See that's the difference here than over at pirate.. Well jump your but when you get outa line. But we'll give you truthful constructive criticism. Don't take it personal we aren't here to attack. Because let's face it you started with best truck evar!
P.S. Here is a shitty weld of mine today.. I'm no pro either..

 

[truck-oholic]

Two things I have learned about vertical welding that make a huge difference. Pull it from top to bottom, don't push it bottom to top unless you absolutely have to. Bump your wire speed up a little above the normal horizontal setting recommended/used. Also I always use an overhand cursive e motion now regardless of orientation. Much easier to keep consistent @sreidmx

 

[Greg72]

First off, I would like humbly apologize to everyone here for what was said last night. I did have it coming and I definitely deserved it. I let my pride get in the way of my character last night and there is no excuse for my actions. I am asking for forgiveness and I am hoping we can move on from here with a fresh slate of ck5 brotherhood.

I am sure everyone can agree that it can be really discouraging, to say the least, to hear all the negatives about something that you have so much pride in and put so much hard work into. I mean, here I was thinking I had done something pretty cool, unique and badass only to hear crap about my workmanship and skills; and do not get me wrong, I am no pro truck builder what-so-ever and do not claim to be. But, as a young adult just building what he can with what he has and seeing kids everywhere with trucks that their daddy bought them and they don't know a ball joint from a u joint, I AM proud that I can build something that 99.99% of people would have no idea how to begin. And with that comes the failure, of hurt and pain that actually, the stuff you build is crap and that I am stupid for doing things the way I have. The failure of character in lashing out on someone who was just trying to help. I know that this is not the way these things were intended as, but just put yourself in my shoes for a moment. I am not asking you to forget or excuse anything that I said, because I take responsibility for my actions and deal with the consequences, no matter what they might be...(black-listed from ck5 ). Thank you for your responses and feedback. Again, I know I need help and will be more open to suggestions. Thank you for your time. God bless.

Not many guys can throw down a mea culpa like that.... I will give serious props for that.

Try to imagine the rear of your truck differently.... Not as a Blazer body. Picture it as pure mass hanging off the rollcage you built and imagine the ways it is currently trying to bend and deflect things downward.

FWIW... You can probably salvage your work by welding tubes to those capped frame ends, and then running them diagonally up to the c-pillar cage areas. That's a major improvement in triangulation that should put a lot of stiffness back into your truck. After that, you can look for ways to add cage nodes in places that will add strength back into the rear areas of your truck.

-G

 

[Greg72]

Two things I have learned about vertical welding that make a huge difference. Pull it from top to bottom, don't push it bottom to top unless you absolutely have to. Bump your wire speed up a little above the normal horizontal setting recommended/used. Also I always use an overhand cursive e motion now regardless of orientation. Much easier to keep consistent @sreidmx

I've actually had decent luck going uphill....drawing "triangles" as I travel upward. It seems to control the "droop" of the puddle and allows you to keep building the weld without having the molten areas just dripping out of the weld area.

For the triangle: Draw a quick diagonal upward, then a horizontal, and a pretty quick diagonal back downward. (It's an upside down triangle).. Pay attention to to puddle and move quickly enough that things hold together.... I did my major passenger-side frame mods (engine area) this way and they came out really well.




-G

 

[truck-oholic]

I have found that in pulling the weld downhill I am actually also pushing that puddle back up a bit which counteracts the droop. I think I also see the puddle better going top to bottom because of gun position especially on an inside corner but I will try that technique next time I have to do some vertical welds going bottom to top. @Greg72