CK5
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'88 K5 - Running Down A Dream
- Thread starter jimmyleetn
- Start date
Ground up restoration of my '88 K5. The plan is to go through every inch of the truck and fix or replace pretty much everything that needs it. This will also be a full vert conversion and I plan to make the vehicle look more like a 73-75 than 88.
When I had an accident with my big rig and I smashed my radiator and a 6" piece of the plastic tank broke off, I just welded it back then smeared silicone sealer on the rubber gasket that was mutilated and crimped the whole thing back, and drove it for the next year.
It was a $1500 new radiator I had just bought and I didn't even have $150 so I went with it.
It was leaking a qt every week so I lived with that.
So should this concern me? Exhaust is really close to the fuel line. You'll see I wrapped part in heat shielding. It was actually touching the pipe before I zip ties it back. Should I shield the rest and the filter?
That right there is the main reason I went single exhaust
That should be plenty of space. There’s something in my mind about needing at least an inch of space to allow plenty of airflow. Wrapping it can’t hurt though.
I swear my pipes are closer to the transmission than that. I need to go and take a look.
I swear my pipes are closer to the transmission than that. I need to go and take a look.
I am wondering if this wasn't part of my hard start problem once the engine was warm causing vapor lock of sorts. Hopefully this and all those silly sensors I replaced fixes it. It blows my mind the muffler shop that installed for the PO didn't think about this. They had to know the fuel line was touching the pipe when they installed it, but then again, if you saw the idiotic way they did the turn downs I don't why I'm surprised. That heat shielding was expensive but I may get more of it and use header wrap around the part near the fuel filter if it still hard starts. Better safe than stranded.
I use a lot of heat wrap and shielding on my stuff.
Driveshafts are in! No pics yet but man they're nice. I ditched my warn hubs for Yukons a couple of months ago but never snapped a pic. Couldn't get a set that would function correctly, which is annoying considering I haven't driven it really. These Yukons are so much nicer and they work flawlessly. I decided to do a little detail work and tip my cap to the old Spicers. Yukon designed these after the old Spicers. I think these look killer and really add a subtle pop. I used gloss sunburst yellow and semi gloss black Rust-Oleum.
Smiles per gallon y'all!!! I've started driving it and I love it! It goes down the road like a dream compared to other squares I've driven. I can let go of the wheel at sixty and it stays straight as an arrow. Took it to the alignment shop Saturday to get it all straightened out too. $70 well spent I think. It feels good to have it back together although I am starting to gather parts and make list for the next phase. Check out the pics below. Denny's driveshaft made some slick pieces I might add. Other photo is after I got done dove hunting today.
Got the top off. Don't judge me too hard on the extension cord. I'm going to put an outlet in but I just wanted to get things moving. I wired that whole shop. Since I got the hoist installed last Sunday it has rained everyday. I was able to drive out from under it today long enough to get the top out of the way before it rained again. Go figure, it was always like that with my old '79 when I would take the top off.
I'm kinda in a weird spot at the moment in this build. Now that I have less time I'm having some trouble deciding how to approach this next leg of the build. My target is next summer for the convertible conversion. I can't really make up mind on what prep to do next though. Floor strengthening, doors, full top restoration, roll bar, etc. Are all options. Currently, I'm gutting two sets of 74 doors and labeling and salvaging parts. From there I'll buy what I still need. I am also in parts gathering mode. I snagged a sweet nearly unblemished tailgate two weeks back and the same guy has loads of other parts I need. I guess these next few months will be random. Oh and sidenote: already got two leaks from things I "fixed." The tcase tail housing and most surprisingly, the timing cover seal. Pretty annoying after all that work. I greased both seals well.
All four doors are fully gutted. Some of the guts were salvageable but a lot was junk. Bought new latches and strikers cause I could get free shipping. Filled up the new shelves my neighbor gave me. Still need lots of parts, but I did salvage a lot of random stuff as you'll see in the pics. Boxes full of stuff. It also looks like two vent windows are worthy of restoration. In all honesty, I think I'm going to clean and paint them and then just send them to PRP to be rebuilt. I fought those stupid rivets for an hour or two and I don't know that even I have the patience to attempt a rebuild on them. Next on the list is getting the windows out so I can clean up those old sashes.
So I'm piddling some for the moment, do have a pile of parts coming in soon. Anyways, let's talk about Dawn dish soap. It worked wonders on these dirty pressure relief valves for the doors and the rubber seals for the handles. Just think, these are at least 47yrs old. Cleaned them right up. One set came from a junkyard door.
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I love/hate the parts gathering phase. Dropped off the vent window frames and the window sashes at the powder coating and media blasting shop. The supply chain issue has hit them, they can't get glass beads. Figures. At least I'm not in a rush. Ordered new regulators from a place that allegedly had them in stock. Said they would be at least 4 weeks out. Motor City K5 came through for me on several parts and Jon from Mister A's has been awesome at getting me rubber. At this point there's really not much left for me to do but gather parts. I'm going a little stir crazy but I've got piles of fall crap to do around the house with my wife in 6 month old daughter so I guess it's for the best. In other news, I did find some rust. Under the door sills on the rocker I have rust on the exterior but not on the inside. I checked with a light. Both of my strikers are also cracked out but I have a good friend in the area that let me cut some off a pickup truck like another CK5er did. I'm going to start getting quotes from body shops soon on getting my full top refurbished. The person who owned the full top before me painted it inside and out with gray and it's flaking pretty good. I don't have the tools or the skill to clean one of those tops down and it also needs fiberglass repair on the front corners. Figure I'll pay a professional to do that.
not sure why the above post didn't display the photo, but your eye from page one!! I've had things carved out of my eye several times. What's worse, metal sticking out of your eye, or drowning??
I had assumed the air injection was a manual trans thing. My 88 has the same injection and the same manifolds. the injection nozzles may or may not have been trimmed and shortened to get them away from my exhaust valve and open things up... IM about to get photos of the engine build, bumper, and custom air filter posted on my build thread. Im fairly proud of my air cleaner. was a lot of work, but rather than flip my air cleaner lid... wonder if your passenger core support has what mine did??
You can bet your sweet behind I wear glasses and face shield almost all the time now!
Send me some pictures and I can tell you what my passenger core support looks like. I've never been so frustrated trying to put an air cleaner on a truck as I was a couple months ago with that thing. That truck is such a Frankenstein in some spots. There's no telling what the POs have done. When I had the oil pan off I found a melling oil pump (it looked nearly brand new) amongst other stuff like the timing chain that made me say hmm. The truck runs kind of wonky sometimes, I almost wonder if they put a very mild cam in it and the computer hates it. I was just looking today and I think I'm going to put a new ignition coil, EGR valve, and TPS sensor on it to see if I can smooth it out at idle and get it to start when the motor is hot. I keep trying to avoid sinking too much money into that motor because I really just want to buy a crate 383 and turn the world upside down, but I've got way too many other expensive things on the list lol so I guess I need to get it running as good as I can until then.
I loaded some photos on a usb stick and forgot to bring them to work today. the core support on my 1988 had a round knockout on the passenger side, with a plastic fitting that stuck in there and twists to lock in place? thats what the plastic snorkel duct attaches to from the air cleaner. well, all im going to say for now is that my 1988 has the same knockout on the driver side as well ...
I'm pretty sure mine has the same knockout on the passenger's side. I wish the POs would have left it alone. Got me curious about the driver's side, I'll have to look today when I get home.I loaded some photos on a usb stick and forgot to bring them to work today. the core support on my 1988 had a round knockout on the passenger side, with a plastic fitting that stuck in there and twists to lock in place? thats what the plastic snorkel duct attaches to from the air cleaner. well, all im going to say for now is that my 1988 has the same knockout on the driver side as well ...
