89 K5 expedition style build. ( slow build )

[biglos]

biglos submitted a new Build:

89 K5 expedition style build. ( slow build )

well ive been on this site for years and i can finally say i have a k5 lol. i found her on Craiglist a few months ago in the houston area and jumped on it. very straight body, almost zero rust, and nearly everything works on it. its exactly what i was looking for to start my expedition style build. spare time is hard to come by for me so this build will be slow but i thought a build thread would be the best way to keep track of everything and maybe find some help in the brotherhood here. the guy i purchased it from bought the truck in california 10 years ago and it was his daily driver until the engine blew. let it sit a few months, replaced the engine and his old lady said it had to go. lucky me! the truck is amazingly clean.

as she sits now. 1989 K5 blazer rebuilt 350/700r4/NP241/corp 10 bolts. basically bone stock other than a 4inch mystery lift spring, and 35in tires.

View attachment 231111

imediate plans are to fix the A/C which just needs a compressor according to PO. fix the wobbly tilt steering column. fix rear window ( wont move), clean up the few surface rusts spots it has on it to preserve the body as much as possible until a time for a full paint job comes along. install an ORD steering brace, and xj shaft, and fix any other little details to keep it running good. i want to drive it work and around town while i build it up.



eventually id like to have it sitting on 1 ton axles, an LS under the hood when the current 350 gives up the ghost with a 4L80e. hydro assist, on board welder, air system, on board water tank with hot shower set up. dash from Kurt, roof rack, lights, winch, bumpers etc. and some sort of drawer organization system in the back for gear.

pretty much just want to build the ultimate toy for myself to take hunting, fishing, beach, and to take on expeditions out west later on. to me the k5 is the perfect platform and ive wanted one since i was a kid.



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[AntiBling]

good looking rig. i am gearing my truck to be an expo rig as well. i look forward to seeing how you set up your rig.

 

[biglos]

back window

so i bought this K5 about 2-3 months ago. i drove it to work for a month but had to park it when i started randomly shutting off while driving. well i finally found some time to work on it (and start the thread) this weekend.

turns out the problem was the Ignition control module. replaced that and it stays running just fine. the problem now is the truck runs like total crap. it idles and starts up fine but once on the road it feels like its missing horribly. maybe i messed up the timing while i was messing around under the distributor, idk. ill have to wait until later this week to get under the hood again. i did notice that there are 2 wires disconnected under there. i think on is the EST wire, and the other one comes off of one of the pigtails for the ignition coil. idk what that one is for. i didnt diconnect them so ill have to see whats up with that. any of yall know what those wires are?

this one is coming off of the grey pigtail on the coil. single wire with a blade type connection


this one is coming from the harness running on the left side of the distributor. i thinks this is the est wire. am i right?

 

[biglos]

while i was out there today i decided to tackle the back window issue. i really want to take the top off so i had go get it fixed. when i tore into it i found that the cable was locked up. instead of messing with it i just removed it and replaced it with one from my parts truck. works like a champ now. only thing wrong in the tailgate is the track that the glass rides in is completely rusted out. ill have to tear the tailgate apart later and replace it, the window is barely being held in by it. i find it strange that the track is rusted out but the rest of the tailgate is fine, no rust whats so ever on the inside.

torn apart


the rusted track. i think LMC has these ill have to see if i can order a new one


the donor truck i pulled the cable from. its an 83, old project ive had that didnt take off (long story)


while i was down there i yanked and spliced that safety switch that seems to always go out. not a very good job but ill do it right when i take the tailgate apart to fix the rusted track

 

[biglos]

good looking rig. i am gearing my truck to be an expo rig as well. i look forward to seeing how you set up your rig.

thanks antibling, im pretty happy with it so far, very clean. are going with an expo style k5 too? if your into the whole expedition thing you should check out expedition portal forum if you haven't already. great resource, ill be starting a thread on there soon too.

 

[AntiBling]

no K5 blazer for me this time around. i have owned one in the past and i love them for sure. i am building a C20 truck this time. i am a member of that expo site. amazing tech stuff over there for sure.

 

[82355]

That's way too nice to hack the dash out of.

Martin

 

[biglos]

That's way too nice to hack the dash out of.

Martin

I agree on that, but something about the DIY dash really appeals to me. maybe the simplicity of it. idk, the dash is on the list just not very high on it. once I have to start digging into the gauges and under the dash ill think about whether I really want to replace or not.

 

[brut4s]

Updates?