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'87 K5 - Project "COAL" - LS6.0 / NV4500 / NP 205 / Dana 60 / 14 Bolt FF

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Upstate

Upstate

1/2 ton status
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Upstate submitted a new Build:

'87 K5 - Project "COAL" - LS6.0 / NV4500 / NP 205 / Dana 60 / 14 Bolt FF

This is another of the forever projects that we start but never finish due it being ours and not someone else's project or better put, I keep changing my mind. If it was someone else's I would have the details worked out before the first twist of the wrist so no one is pissed about going over budget.


Back in the '80s and early '90s I had a sideline business that involved restoring muscle cars and some trucks along with racing for a while in the mud bogs of yesteryears gone past.


Having a full time job running a custom woodworking company (currently 23 employees) and doing the multiple hobbies thing (shooting, motorcycles and trucks to name a few) I have had no problems being broke. So this build that started as a build to do with my daughter who was in 14 at the time of inception was for her to get a better understanding of trucks and overall motor vehicles.


After the second year into the build she decided that she wanted a Jeep Wrangler. So after much searching we bought a 2004 Rubicon and built a Rubi. The K5 was on the back burner for a while.


Now being mine and only my project, the current influx of change went full tilt. Now going on six years into this project I now have the need to get it finished.


Why the rush? In December 2015 I was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer. I have gone through every type of chemotherapy and radiation with little to no success. Currently my body has begun not accepting the chemo so my need to finish has been pushed to a new level of prejudice. For the record, I am inoperable and have currently 15 locations in my body with cancer.

View attachment 230538

So, on to the build. First up, why COAL? Easy, this will be my wife’s and my daughters build. So, the wife’s name is Colleen and the daughter is Allison. CO and AL. There you go. The whole family has always ridden motorcycles so a manual transmission was a must. Just to prove that women can also drive. For the record we are not the typical family motorcycle crowd. I ride a BMW S1000RR, wife rides a ZX 14 and the daughter has her little Ninja.


This K5 was the third truck that the daughter and I had bought, this one was purchased because the body was from Georgia (super clean) and had several mechanical (which turned out to be bs) improvements.
Click to expand...

Read more about this build here...
 
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As this thread evolves I will try and elaborate on the part numbers and locations that I found the stuff to make this thread hopefully useful for the masses to use. This site has done a great job helping me through the years and I hope to do the same. I wasn't going to really do this until I got a little further along. But I haven't been doing so well these days and felt that I really should begin this sooner than later, so here we go.


For the record – the body has been taking off the frame 5 times. I have got so good at it that I can do it in less than a couple hours completely.


· '87 K5 body for Georgia - purchased from a Fort Drum soldier.

· '90 nose (4 headlight from a CK5 member out of Utah)


Dana 60 front 4.56 with open carrier-

· With the help of Woodchuck I have new kingpins and u Joints installed.

· Since then, I have purchased new G3 spindles, spindle bushings and Yukon hubs.

· Picked up a Rancho 9000 steering stabilizer.

· ORD Crossover Steering

· PSC 2WD steering box



Ø I still need to buy tie rod ends - one has more slop than I care to have by a long shot.


Front suspension

· Tuff Country EZ Ride 6" lift - stock length

· Greasable shackles from ORD

· Greasable bolts from ORD

· ORD shims

· Bilstein 5100 shocks


Rear Suspension

· Tuff Country EZ Ride 2" lift - stock length

· Greasable shackles from ORD

· Greasable bolts from ORD

· ORD Zero Rates

· ORD Shims

· ORD Shackle flip

· Bilstein 5100 shocks




GM FF14 Bolt - 4.56 with Detroit –

· This was the second one in the truck. Bought from another CK5 member in Kansas.


Ø Trying to decide on whose disc conversion to go with, prefer to use a dual caliper set up with the second caliper being Wilwoods mechanical.



Body and frame

· Body mostly untouched currently with still having factory paint on the top. The underside of the body was shot in Eastwood’s 2K chassis paint as was the frame.


· Using ORD body pucks with Energy suspension poly bushings.



Motor, Transmission and Transfer Case

· 2005 Chevy 2500 HD 6.0

· PSI Conversion harness and ECM pre programmed

· Engine crossmember from TNA - I need to say, they helped me out big time with this and want to thank them again.

Schonfield Headers

· Advance Adapters – Bellhousing, flywheel, clutch, throwout bearing, pressure plate

· Factory 1990 Hydro clutch setup

· Merged Hydro clutch pedals with Hydro boost brake pedals

· NV4500 – been completely rebuilt by an outfit in Jersey.

· NP205 – cleanup and gaskets by Woodchuck

· ORD Twin Stick

· Vette Filter / Regulator combo – LS9904

· Russell AN fuel lines

· AC Delco in the tank fuel pump

· I’ll update with sensors I.E. Denso 234-4668 O2 sensors



Tires and Wheels

· (5) Racelines 17 x 9

· (5) Toyo MT 37 x 13.50 x 17


Truck has many cool options with it like the factory skid plates and tank skid plate.


Cooling
  • Griffin direct fit aluminum radiator.
 
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Wow! thats gonna be nice, I dig the wheels and tires combo! It appears that your going the whole 9 on this. Awesome! Prayers for you and your fight against the cancer. Hope you kick its ass!
 
This is impressive to say the least. Many people just give up at that point, and you have undertaken a build rivaling many on this page. Bravo, good luck and we are praying for you.
 
Well, I still have plenty to attack. Main thing right at the moment is firing the motor up and starting to check for issues there. Then wrapping up the trans crossmember. I have shot the core support with media than with initial epoxy primer, the good stuff is so, so stinky. Then I can hook up the new radiator. BTW the radiator is a Griffin direct fit. I let you know how that works.

I was thinking about using High line driveshafts, thoughts?
 
Damn awesome build, enjoy the time spent with daughter and most important show cancer your not backing down man!
 
I have my coil of stainless steel line ready to be straightened and then flared with my new Eastwood flaring tool. Another question or a quick list:

Looking for a replacement bracket to put discs on the rear, but I want to run dual calipers on each wheel. One for the hydro caliper and one for the Wilwood mechanical caliper. Ideas?

Driveshafts; thoughts on the highline, definitely want CV on both. Running flange on the front and yoke on the rear. But I am ok with flange on both.

Whose tie rod ends?

Still need hoses for the aftermarket Griffing direct fit radiator and overflow tank, thoughts?

Thoughts on transfer case brake?

I really wanted to go full convertible but I think that I will need to pass, just can't find the parts local and have limited to almost no funds. Which is why a Glock is going down the road tomorrow. I am selling the wife's ZX 14 also and she is going to take the BMW. With the meds I am taking I will not ride anymore.

Should I go and get a power steering pump off a '05 with hydro boost or just run my regular '05 steering pump on the 6.0?

Having issues with the slave cylinder on the hydro clutch working with the Advance Adapters fork. Fork has a hole in it and the rod just passes through. Anyone else run into this?

Move the shocks inboard or leave stock. Still need to weld the mounts on the axle so I still have time.
 
Picture of the floor.

20160425_080958.jpg

one of the times it was sort of together...

IMG_20150707_173208858(1).jpg
 
Put the pedals together yesterday. So I used the hydro clutch platform and pedals as the base. Removed the hydro boost brake pedal from its hanger and installed it on the hydro clutch hanger. Hope if the weather is nice on Sunday to install it.
 
Thanks. Trying to make the kit I bought for the fuel lines work. It isn't supposed to be a generic kit but it appears to be after getting into it.
 
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