It's hidden behind the fender anyway
CK5
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'85 K5 "Denali" Blazer: Front 4-link
- Thread starter Conner
- Start date
The goal is to restore and upgrade this truck for mixed use on/off road (ex: drive across the country to a national park to 4x4 camp).
I got the side cowl panels back on. I will seam seal inside them where they meet the firewall before the windshield frame (which needs a few patches) goes back on.
Cool build! My wife's daily is a 2007 denali and I am planning on pulling the powertrain out of it for my suburban once it gets retired. They run really well
Thanks! I’m really looking forward to getting to that stage of the build!
The shocks and springs from ORD showed up this week! It’s (almost) literally killing me to keep working on rust repair while all this cool stuff is waiting on me, but still powering through and getting closer every day.
This pic is from a few days ago, but I’m repairing the windshield frame now. I got it all cleaned up inside, taped off the problem areas, painted everything else, and have started patching. Have a few small patches to go still.
This pic is from a few days ago, but I’m repairing the windshield frame now. I got it all cleaned up inside, taped off the problem areas, painted everything else, and have started patching. Have a few small patches to go still.
Scuffed and sprayed my engine crossmember tonight. I needed a break from rust repair (is it still a break if I also worked on rust repair? Either way it was nice to change it up).
Still patching the windshield frame. It needed a lot of small patches (maybe 10-15 total). It’s getting close but still a few to go. Looking forward to getting it back on the cab.
Still patching the windshield frame. It needed a lot of small patches (maybe 10-15 total). It’s getting close but still a few to go. Looking forward to getting it back on the cab.
Finished repairing numerous small spots on the windshield frame, painting the inside, and welding it back on.
I also picked up AMD “premium” core support, inner fenders, and fenders. They are supposed to be OE-thickness. They seem nice. We’ll see how everything goes together when I get to that.
I also picked up AMD “premium” core support, inner fenders, and fenders. They are supposed to be OE-thickness. They seem nice. We’ll see how everything goes together when I get to that.
Got the brake booster/steering column reinforcement thing welded back onto the firewall. Cleaned up and painted the area that makes up the seam between the panels first, of course.
Very nice job! I would not have the patience to attack all this rust repair you have accomplished.
What size tire are you planning on? Going to 4link the back to match the front?
What size tire are you planning on? Going to 4link the back to match the front?
Thanks! I got a lesson in how a small amount of visible rust means a pretty shocking amount of hidden rust, unfortunately. I did not realize how bad it was until I was really pulling it apart.
The current plan is 35" tires on the factory rally wheels I picked up a while back. I am shooting for about 3" of lift because I like how that looks proportion-wise (also I'm vertically challenged so I need to be able to get in LOL). Hopefully this won't require too much visible fender trimming because I love the look of the body style on these trucks, but I will trim whatever I have to and make it look as clean as I can.
I am not planning on links/coilovers in back, primarily because I don't want to have the shocks come up through the bed floor. I am thinking I will do ORD custom leaves with smooth-body Fox shocks to match the front. As far as I understand it, I can get away with mounting the shocks at more of an angle than I could with coilovers, which should allow room for them under the bed floor (hopefully...). I do not have any rear suspension parts yet (aside from the 9.5 semi floater to swap in) though.
As always, I'm eager for advice/opinions of anyone who reads this. This is my first truck build (or project car of any kind), so while I think I have done a lot of research to come up with this plan, I definitely am all ears for anyone with more experience (which is pretty much everyone here LOL).
Sounds like a solid plan. That is actually pretty close to what im thinking on mine. Currently waiting on my custom springs to get here but going to run ORDs tension shackle hanger/6" super shackles.
I would like to do 2.5" smooth bodies and then ORD 4 link in the front later on. I think with links on the front and 3" of lift you shouldn't have any issues with 35s/minor trimming
Here is mine with 2" spring/2.5" shackle flip, 1 tons, 35s. Had to move the front axle forward a bit to clear the tires.
As to your rear setup you could also look at the under the bed coilover mounts that ORD has. Check out @Fastereddie thread to see about a k5 with that setup.
You have an awesome looking truck! I really love that color (and everything else about it LOL).
I have seen Fastereddie's build thread, and his truck is awesome too. I think his has more lift than I am planning on, so I'm not sure if I would have the room that he does? That being said I think he also is using longer travel shocks than I have (or at least what my fronts are, which is 12" travel), so maybe it would fit... No idea.
At least for leaves, my tentative plan was something like these pictures in a CK5 thread on this topic from a few years ago. I am going to have to put shock mounts on the axle anyways, so I can place them wherever I want, and making the frame-side shock mounts would be doable too. The crossbar between the frame rails in those pics seems like it would reinforce the frame a little bit, too.
I am also definitely going to call ORD to order the stuff for the rear suspension. I ordered all the front suspension/steering stuff over the phone and they were pretty helpful in letting me run my plan by them and giving me suggestions. For example, I was going to order 14" shocks but they told me with the 3" lift height those would be very close to not fitting under the hood, which I would not have realized.
Thanks for the suggestions, seriously! My plan tends to change a lot as I go LOL, so the ideas and reference points genuinely help a lot.
I have roughly 3 inches of lift on mine, with 12 inch shocks in the rear it sits under the bed and pulls a full 12 inches of travel from the ORD springs.
That looks awesome, and the pics are really helpful!
It looks like the upper shock mounts are just rearward of the front spring hangers? Was there a reason you mounted them inside the frame rails vs outside? I was tentatively thinking of mounting them outside, but obviously I haven't had anything in-hand to mock up and get a feel for how to package it all together.
You have a pickup right? I wonder if the bed floor is higher/lower/same vs a Blazer? I have no idea honestly.
Thank you for the ideas/pics!
It ran into my air bumps, traction bars and the rear leaf spring hanger. Possible, yes but this works just fine.
Dang that's a good find on those pictures
Dang that's a good find on the pics of the ORD suburban. Looks a lot like Roberts Custom Trucks setup they sell now.
Sounds like you and I are chasing the same setup front/rear for the most part. @Babaganoosh was just over in my thread since I was pondering the same questions. Could also look at @AgDieseler suburban basically setup the same way.
Nice work, you werent lying about the 100 hours.
Thanks! I have a whole spreadsheet for my project to keep track of things, and one of the tabs is links for stuff I don't want to forget
I have also seen the Robert's Custom Trucks parts. They are pricey but I'd almost be willing to buy them (particularly the upper shock mount), except I do have the Deuling frame plates (uninstalled) and I'm assuming the quarter inch or so they would add to the width of the frame would make it so the upper shock mount would no longer fit.
I have also scoured AgDieseler's build thread, YT channel, and IG account LOL. His truck is awesome too, and I have definitely socked away some ideas from it.
Thanks again!
Thanks! And yeah the rust repair is painfully time consuming... To be fair I'm being a little fanatical about getting every little speck of it. But it takes forever.
No problem! Seems you have been down the same rabbit hole i have. Ill quit showing you stuff you have already seen!Thanks! I have a whole spreadsheet for my project to keep track of things, and one of the tabs is links for stuff I don't want to forget
I have also seen the Robert's Custom Trucks parts. They are pricey but I'd almost be willing to buy them (particularly the upper shock mount), except I do have the Deuling frame plates (uninstalled) and I'm assuming the quarter inch or so they would add to the width of the frame would make it so the upper shock mount would no longer fit.
I have also scoured AgDieseler's build thread, YT channel, and IG account LOL. His truck is awesome too, and I have definitely socked away some ideas from it.
Thanks again!
