It won't have a fwd lean on the hwy!
CK5
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'91 K5 Four Wheel Camper
This is the build for my 1991 V1500 Blazer, AKA the K5.3. It started out life being sold to the U.S. Government with a 350 TBI/700r4/241 combo. 4 years with a 5.3/700r4 Combo and now moving to an 8.1L Vortec and NV4500 5-speed.
It might get a spring I ran with the old one. The whole setup feels too rigid for me. I'm used to having the spring back there letting the antenna flop around when it gets hit by tree limbs on the trail. Even though I bought the thinner Firefly antenna it don't have a lot of flex too it.
Changing the spring you'll probably want to double check your swr reading.
Got a lot done today for sure. A little pissed at myself, but I'll get to that in a bit. Got out this morning and opened the box the liner came in. Tossed it out on the driveway to let it relax in the sun. Little did I realize that was exactly what the instructions say not to do. I should have had it out 48 hours to do this. Oh well, not much for instructions anyway. Nor do I think it would have made any difference.
While the flooring was soaking in some rays I commenced to gut the interior, again. Seats out, console out. Wiring routing finalized and held down with tape to keep it from moving.
Here's the end of the K40 CB antenna cable that makes for a easier install so you don't have to bore a giant hole
I damn near torched my hands trying to lift the hot front section into place. The heat made it nice and pliable, but it also made it very loose. Loose like trying to shove a limp noodle up a straw. It was a wrestling match. Main problem, the t-case shifter. It's in the freaking way. The floor I thought was where it needed to be to start opening the hole for the shifter. Had I stopped and went to the other side and looked I would have seen it was too far to the left of center. Yep you guessed it I cut the freaking hole in the wrong spot. Hindsight.. You know that feeling when you royally screw up? I do. Just pissed away the dough for a nice ACC floor with a couple of quick slices with my blade. It's minor in the scheme of things as I didn't blow up a trans or anything to put it in perspective. But it does piss me off. Not sure how to hide it as it is a good size hole. What can I say when I mess up I do it on a big scale.
Anyway here the console base is in and I'm cutting holes for the seat bolts.
More of this side. Also shown the offending device that shanked the hole..
Passenger seat in. Off in the distance, a hole big enough to drive a truck through.
The back went much easier. Had to trim the end on the front side some. Also needed to clearance the side where the seat lock is. Not really keen on the fit of the wheel well sections. Very lumpy and need more trimming.
Drivers side seat in. Notice the dirt on the front. I'm still getting sand out of the dash. Just sat there with my shop vac tapping on the bottom of the dash knocking more loose and sucking it up.
Funny side note. The winged a-holes decided to come back and reclaim the spot in the quarter panel. Armed with my trusty shop vac I just sucked the little buggers out of the air when they got near the truck. Note to self, if you drive the truck wasps can't make a nest in it.
While the flooring was soaking in some rays I commenced to gut the interior, again. Seats out, console out. Wiring routing finalized and held down with tape to keep it from moving.
Here's the end of the K40 CB antenna cable that makes for a easier install so you don't have to bore a giant hole
I damn near torched my hands trying to lift the hot front section into place. The heat made it nice and pliable, but it also made it very loose. Loose like trying to shove a limp noodle up a straw. It was a wrestling match. Main problem, the t-case shifter. It's in the freaking way. The floor I thought was where it needed to be to start opening the hole for the shifter. Had I stopped and went to the other side and looked I would have seen it was too far to the left of center. Yep you guessed it I cut the freaking hole in the wrong spot. Hindsight.. You know that feeling when you royally screw up? I do. Just pissed away the dough for a nice ACC floor with a couple of quick slices with my blade. It's minor in the scheme of things as I didn't blow up a trans or anything to put it in perspective. But it does piss me off. Not sure how to hide it as it is a good size hole. What can I say when I mess up I do it on a big scale.
Anyway here the console base is in and I'm cutting holes for the seat bolts.
More of this side. Also shown the offending device that shanked the hole..
Passenger seat in. Off in the distance, a hole big enough to drive a truck through.
The back went much easier. Had to trim the end on the front side some. Also needed to clearance the side where the seat lock is. Not really keen on the fit of the wheel well sections. Very lumpy and need more trimming.
Drivers side seat in. Notice the dirt on the front. I'm still getting sand out of the dash. Just sat there with my shop vac tapping on the bottom of the dash knocking more loose and sucking it up.
Funny side note. The winged a-holes decided to come back and reclaim the spot in the quarter panel. Armed with my trusty shop vac I just sucked the little buggers out of the air when they got near the truck. Note to self, if you drive the truck wasps can't make a nest in it.
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Truth.
Yeah, about that. Until yesterday the antenna wasn't hooked up so no SWR readings taken. That being said once everything was back together I powered it up to make sure everything worked, stereo/amp, console electrics and CB. CB powers up, but no audio. Tried the weather, channel 9, 19 not even a crackle from the aux speaker. Not sure what I did wrong except I could have plugged in the external speaker to the PA and the PA into the external port. Or, the external speaker is junk. It came out of something else, but can't remember where it came from. Never tried it before. CB worked before in the 75 prior to teardown. One more kink to work out.
My new CB shat the bed this week too. Fired it up to cal the SWR, no dice.
Waiting for a call back on the warranty.
Looks like some decent prices on Amazon.
I ended up getting a factory refirb ordered. Hope it works.
Good luck with that and the flying bastards...
It have an internal speaker
I can't imagine what the hell I could have done to mess it up. The radio is a nice Cobra sound tracker, but the date code showed 1998 so age is not on my side here. Got to try a couple of things before I toss in the towel on this one.
It does, but when the CB is stuffed into the front section of the tuffy deluxe console the internal speaker is locked into an enclosed chamber. It's a tight fit for that radio in the console for sure, the only opening to the air is down and that leads into the base of the console. I don't think much sound if any can come from it. Got a big question mark about the external speaker so I need to check it first.
For testing purposes, you could see if the internal speaker works. Then you'd know that your internal amp is probably working.. may be able to narrow down.
Guess what I found at work today? New manual tailgate window crank handle. I had remembered seeing it sitting next to a computer in our parts department being used as a paperclip holder for quite some time. Didn't really think about it until today. My crank I swapped into mine was completely wobbled out where the pin is captured by the screws that hold it to the center crank. Rolling down or up you had to be careful or the pin would pop out and the handle would pop free. So I asked my parts guy where it was. He dug around in a drawer and pulled it out. He asked me what the hell it was for. Told him it's the crank handle for my tailgate window in my Blazer. He told me to take it. A little scuffed from sitting on the counter, but it's in excellent condition.
The pin pivot points are perfect.
A little tidbit of info on this crank. The 73-91 Blazer/Suburbans were not the first to use this crank setup. GM used this same handle on the intermediate size (A-body, Chevelles and BOP sibling) wagons with manual tailgate glass in 68-72 and the earlier ones too. A little searching on the web for Chevelle wagon tailgate glass cranks actually finds that some refer to looking for a squarebody Blazer or Burb to get the crank handle they need. GM recycled back then too!
The pin pivot points are perfect.
A little tidbit of info on this crank. The 73-91 Blazer/Suburbans were not the first to use this crank setup. GM used this same handle on the intermediate size (A-body, Chevelles and BOP sibling) wagons with manual tailgate glass in 68-72 and the earlier ones too. A little searching on the web for Chevelle wagon tailgate glass cranks actually finds that some refer to looking for a squarebody Blazer or Burb to get the crank handle they need. GM recycled back then too!
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Nice Score!
Brown Santa visited with a package at the shop today. Coming from Englewood CO, it's solid beef in a cardboard box. I'm super impressed with it. 1-ton rated cv with 1350 joints in it. They didn't skimp on it, genuine spicer joints were used. Welds look good too. Anyway on to some pics...
Didn't take but a few minutes to toss it in and check the fit.
The slip is pretty much in the middle of it's travel sitting here. There is plenty of slip yoke to go in or out from here.
I didn't drive it out yet. Got a couple of other little things to do and then I'll hit the road cautiously. I'll work up to the 45 mile run to work one way and back. I'll be watching for any other gremlins, vibrations, noises or other to address.
I'm Denver bound again after work tomorrow to hit Bandimere Speedway Saturday with my Dad for Super Chevy. I had a crazy idea to take it to the show just to raise some eyebrows, but it's just too soon to take it that far with it not being proven. I really don't want to call Larry or Bill for a rescue mission just yet. Slow and steady wins the race right?
I did redeem myself on my measuring skills. My measurements for the driveshaft seem to be spot on the way he built it. So I'm not a complete idiot, which is nice.
Didn't take but a few minutes to toss it in and check the fit.
The slip is pretty much in the middle of it's travel sitting here. There is plenty of slip yoke to go in or out from here.
I didn't drive it out yet. Got a couple of other little things to do and then I'll hit the road cautiously. I'll work up to the 45 mile run to work one way and back. I'll be watching for any other gremlins, vibrations, noises or other to address.
I'm Denver bound again after work tomorrow to hit Bandimere Speedway Saturday with my Dad for Super Chevy. I had a crazy idea to take it to the show just to raise some eyebrows, but it's just too soon to take it that far with it not being proven. I really don't want to call Larry or Bill for a rescue mission just yet. Slow and steady wins the race right?
I did redeem myself on my measuring skills. My measurements for the driveshaft seem to be spot on the way he built it. So I'm not a complete idiot, which is nice.
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handloader90
Building!
Do you have Part Numbers for the upper and lower radiator hoses that you used on the swap?
I do have the numbers at home, which I'm not at right now. I will tell you without looking they are stock upper and lower hoses for a 2001 1/2 ton Silverado with a 5.3. Matched the radiator we used (which was from the 75) like it was intended for it.
handloader90
Building!
Sweet, didn't feel like getting a new radiator for mine.
After cooking dinner tonight for the family I busted outside to wrap up a few loose ends on the truck to see if I can start running it on a regular basis. Due to the leaks I've fixed fluids in the drivetrain needed topped off. T-case was down a full quart from spillage when we pulled it. Trans was down a pint from the ride back from Larry's with the rear seal puking. Topped them off and proceeded to nut and bolt check all the items we touched. Both driveshafts are bolted in tight, added the nut to the t-case shift lever on the case. A few other odds and ends and I putted over to the gas station to fill it.
Needless to say the fuel gauge is still a little optimistic. While indicating just under 1/2 tank, it gulped down 26 gallons of fuel. Topped off the gauge now is a quarter of a tank past full on the gauge. Hmm. Never took the needle off when I cleaned the cluster so that's not it. I think Larry's right we got a funny ground back near the tank as the gauge has been inconsistent when I have driven it. Filled up I headed out west in the dark on northern ave which is a two lane road headed for the mountains from my house. Dead straight for a few miles and no traffic at all I can play with speeds, on the throttle load vs coast and listen for issues. What I noticed quickly is the acceleration is smoother than before. From a slow speed I let off the throttle and coasted listening for the rumble I heard before on decel. Nothing happening, so I kick it up a little faster and repeat the cycle. From a slow speed all the way up to 55 I don't have any rumble on decel like before. I am hearing something that is under power nearing speeds of 35-45 (guessing since the speedo is dead right now, need to figure it out) that is like a boom or resonance, but is not synced up with engine or driveline speed. It sounds like I got something grounding out on the body. It won't happen with the truck stopped and I brake torque it up in drive. It sorta happens when I do brake torque it with the trans in reverse. Location of the sound seems to be in the floor to the front of the truck. I can drive through the noise and go faster and it seems to go away. I let off and the problem goes away. It also goes away if I kick the shifter in to neutral taking torque off the drivetrain.
I got a sneeking hunch that the engine is grounding out on the firewall at the drivers side cylinder head. It was close to start with and now with the t-case shimmed down a quarter of an inch it's probably touching. Which makes sense that it won't do it brake torquing in drive as that side lifts up and away from the firewall. But when you torque it up in reverse it lifts the other side up and forces the drivers side down and closer to the firewall. Might need some clearance created in this area.
I got back and it was too dark to fool with checking the installed shaft angles. I need to get them so I know for sure I'm on the mark. But I may just yank the rear shaft and drive it out again just to confirm or deny the rear shaft is the issue or it is something grounding out. I don't remember it doing this noise when I drove it back from Larry's place with the rear shaft out but the 8degree shims and 1/4" spacers installed. But I did have the radio on for the drive home and it will drown out the noise. If I drive it with the shaft out and the noise is gone, I got to adjust the angles closer. If the noise is still there with the shaft out then I'll know for sure it's something touching and I'll have to find it.
I was planning on running the K5 to work tomorrow, but I don't want to risk an issue. I'll check more and make it right before I put it into regular service. I will say this though, it was an awesome night to make a cruise into the foothills. Moon was almost full helping the headlights see the way, windows down catching a new cool breeze and the sounds of a 5.3 rumbling through duals behind me was soothing for my brain from the day I had at work. Really close now.
Needless to say the fuel gauge is still a little optimistic. While indicating just under 1/2 tank, it gulped down 26 gallons of fuel. Topped off the gauge now is a quarter of a tank past full on the gauge. Hmm. Never took the needle off when I cleaned the cluster so that's not it. I think Larry's right we got a funny ground back near the tank as the gauge has been inconsistent when I have driven it. Filled up I headed out west in the dark on northern ave which is a two lane road headed for the mountains from my house. Dead straight for a few miles and no traffic at all I can play with speeds, on the throttle load vs coast and listen for issues. What I noticed quickly is the acceleration is smoother than before. From a slow speed I let off the throttle and coasted listening for the rumble I heard before on decel. Nothing happening, so I kick it up a little faster and repeat the cycle. From a slow speed all the way up to 55 I don't have any rumble on decel like before. I am hearing something that is under power nearing speeds of 35-45 (guessing since the speedo is dead right now, need to figure it out) that is like a boom or resonance, but is not synced up with engine or driveline speed. It sounds like I got something grounding out on the body. It won't happen with the truck stopped and I brake torque it up in drive. It sorta happens when I do brake torque it with the trans in reverse. Location of the sound seems to be in the floor to the front of the truck. I can drive through the noise and go faster and it seems to go away. I let off and the problem goes away. It also goes away if I kick the shifter in to neutral taking torque off the drivetrain.
I got a sneeking hunch that the engine is grounding out on the firewall at the drivers side cylinder head. It was close to start with and now with the t-case shimmed down a quarter of an inch it's probably touching. Which makes sense that it won't do it brake torquing in drive as that side lifts up and away from the firewall. But when you torque it up in reverse it lifts the other side up and forces the drivers side down and closer to the firewall. Might need some clearance created in this area.
I got back and it was too dark to fool with checking the installed shaft angles. I need to get them so I know for sure I'm on the mark. But I may just yank the rear shaft and drive it out again just to confirm or deny the rear shaft is the issue or it is something grounding out. I don't remember it doing this noise when I drove it back from Larry's place with the rear shaft out but the 8degree shims and 1/4" spacers installed. But I did have the radio on for the drive home and it will drown out the noise. If I drive it with the shaft out and the noise is gone, I got to adjust the angles closer. If the noise is still there with the shaft out then I'll know for sure it's something touching and I'll have to find it.
I was planning on running the K5 to work tomorrow, but I don't want to risk an issue. I'll check more and make it right before I put it into regular service. I will say this though, it was an awesome night to make a cruise into the foothills. Moon was almost full helping the headlights see the way, windows down catching a new cool breeze and the sounds of a 5.3 rumbling through duals behind me was soothing for my brain from the day I had at work. Really close now.
Good deal. I want to see some pictures of this out and about.
Martin
Martin
You and me both dude! I'm probably being overly cautious, but I can't afford any more any more breaking. Just need to take it slow even though I want to get in and go.
Got home from moving my son into his first apartment for college this weekend. Popped the hood open and looked right at the spot where it sounded like the noise was hitting from. Bingo. Yep it's touching. By the looks of it, it's been touching for a while not just since Larry dropped the t-case.
What you see touching is the repair bracket for the common broken exhaust stud to these engines. Provided you put this fix on an engine that's in the right truck (like say a 2001 Silverado) there is plenty of room. Here, not so much.
From underneath, you can see it's hitting the pinch weld seam where the floor sheetmetal is joined to the firewall metal. I didn't have a big prybar to tweak it away, but it's right on it.
I'm going to roll it to work tomorrow and I'll borrow a big bar to persuade it away.
I did take it out for another run and with a new GPS speedo app on my phone I ran it up as high as 75 mph without any noticeable vibes or odd noises. It's ready to be driven. Next phase, tuning.
What you see touching is the repair bracket for the common broken exhaust stud to these engines. Provided you put this fix on an engine that's in the right truck (like say a 2001 Silverado) there is plenty of room. Here, not so much.
From underneath, you can see it's hitting the pinch weld seam where the floor sheetmetal is joined to the firewall metal. I didn't have a big prybar to tweak it away, but it's right on it.
I'm going to roll it to work tomorrow and I'll borrow a big bar to persuade it away.
I did take it out for another run and with a new GPS speedo app on my phone I ran it up as high as 75 mph without any noticeable vibes or odd noises. It's ready to be driven. Next phase, tuning.
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