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.
Since the wifey was too exhausted to do anything today I got a pass to go play outside today. Got one thing done on the list. Seats are mounted finally. Had to modify the plates I made for these seats from the 75 as the floor pan differs to the 91. Plus using the stock holes had the seat too far to the right. It was horribly obnoxious to drive sitting off center to the steering wheel. I ended up moving the seat just about an inch to the left. I made a run to the farm store for some grade 8 hardware and some flat stock for making backing plates under the floor. On to the pics..

Drivers side floor prior to drilling.
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Front drivers side brackets. I managed to still use the stock holes on the front side to double up the top bracket mount with the seat. I'm a big boy and figured tying into the stock mount with it's reinforcement should help beef it up.
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The rear mount on the drivers side. All the brackets top side and bottom side will get removed and painted prior to the final install after the flooring is put down.
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Front mount on the passenger side. I was able to reuse the inside front hole so I didn't have to drill one hole at least.
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Passenger side rear mount.
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Passenger side egress to back seat shot. Not a lot of room, but still usable.
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Drivers side final position. Mounting is very solid. I would say better than the '75 when I installed them in there.
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I must have climbed in and out a dozen times checking and double checking the position to make sure I was lined up and had enough room to operate. I cheated to the rear for legroom as the Silverado tracks have a ton of movement. Where I mounted them, the seat goes far enough forward somebody a foot shorter could fit nicely. Also as others have noted doing this swap the Silverado buckets sit slightly lower than stock. For me being 6'1" and a bit on the large size, the lower position is perfect for me. Plus it makes hiking my butt inside a little bit easier. Still I think a grab handle on the a-pillar or roof might be needed or I see the tilt column getting loose from using it as a grab point to get in.

Still, it's a little bit of progress. The Tuffy console is going to need some more substantial fabrication for it's mounting. Still got to install the shims to the rear axle and get the driveshaft sorted out. Larry's got the plan, but is getting the burb ready for expo coming up and I don't want it to be in his way. We'll see about getting it back to the Bigassgas Garage once he gets back. Plus in the meantime I've got to get a 64 Impala ready to sell to add some cash back to the K5 coffers. It's an 1 owner survivor 4dr hardtop in excellent shape. Not as desirable as a 2dr, but a very nice stock cruiser that could take 6 to the drive-in and 6 more hiding in the trunk!
 
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Mine came out of a 05 Escalade (IIRC) I'm assuming they are the same mounting type....so I"m interested!
 
Did you put bracing on underside of the floor also? I use the plates like you but also did underneath as another member pointed out can stress floor's sheet metal.
 
Did you put bracing on underside of the floor also? I use the plates like you but also did underneath as another member pointed out can stress floor's sheet metal.
Yeah I did put supports under the floor too. They are about the same size as the factory supports fort the stock mounting points.
 
ok just checking! I do like your idea on using bolts through plates and into original holes! Couple of mine where torn up so got carried away and welded them up. Don't worry since plates are thick and sandwiched. drove for least 6 months no problems at all!
 
Mine came out of a 05 Escalade (IIRC) I'm assuming they are the same mounting type....so I"m interested!

The Escalade seats should go in the same way. All the GMT800 trucks are the same way, GMT800 is the mid 99 to mid 07 range FYI.
 
Had a few minutes yesterday before making a banzai run to Denver so I mocked up the tuffy console between the seats. Here's a look.
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From the other side.
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The plan is to make a template for the front and rear brackets in cardboard. Then one of my techs can transfer it to some sheet metal and bend it up in his brake. I'll install nut-serts into the floor to save me from having to get under the truck to hold the nuts as I bolt it in.

The console will sit a little further back so it's where the armrest will be in a comfy spot with the seat all the way back. It will be higher for that reason too.
 
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What did you line that console with?

I used the same stuff we did the floor with. Raptor liner from upol. Gave some additional heft as the box won't clang when you shut the lid. Plus it helped blend it into the rest of the interior. I'll be recovering the arm rest pad to match the seat covers and some fusion or sem paint for plastic on the cupholders. I'm probably going to add the bike bottle holders to the back of the console, but need to get the rear seat in and folded to make sure they won't be in the way. The bottle holders do a better job holding onto taller bottles on the trail than the stock tuffy cupholders it the one I have here from an 05 Chevy truck.
 
Got a little done after work yesterday. Pretty much done with the front seats for now. Put on the seat covers. These things are a little challenging to install with the integrated seat belt, but it's not too hard. Got to say the fit is snug and shouldn't move much even with my tonnage on it. Makes the seats match the rest of the interior now too.
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Watching the Indy 500 now.. Once the race ends it's back outside to figure out the electrical issues with the speedo and rear glass.
 
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Fantastic build to follow here. I was just curious, from the amount you have driven it, how is the feel of the power. I just picked up an 85 Jimmy yesterday It's got an empty engine bay (much like my pockets at the moment) but I'm looking to somewhat get it rolling and running before the end of the summer so I can ditch the other vehicle that is costing me too much money to keep and right now I am just doing some research to figure out what is going to make me happiest when it comes to filling that hole behind the grill!!!!! Thanks.
 
Just got thru the thread. Made for a good Sunday reading

Glad the thread is entertaining. Thanks for the read-through.

Fantastic build to follow here. I was just curious, from the amount you have driven it, how is the feel of the power. I just picked up an 85 Jimmy yesterday It's got an empty engine bay (much like my pockets at the moment) but I'm looking to somewhat get it rolling and running before the end of the summer so I can ditch the other vehicle that is costing me too much money to keep and right now I am just doing some research to figure out what is going to make me happiest when it comes to filling that hole behind the grill!!!!! Thanks.

From what I've driven it so far, the combination is pretty good for power. It's no 8.1 mind you but against a TBI 350, it's got power in spades. It can bark the tires off the line if I brake torque it. On the road it runs pretty similar to a truck the engine was pulled from. Now comparing it to the extremely tired 350 we pulled from the 75, it's night and day. Ease of start up, warm up and acceleration is night and day different. As it should be. The q-jet on the old truck was pretty well tuned but when starting cold in really cold temps or really hot temps it was a problem. Then take the whole thing up another 5000 ft of altitude to the top of a pass and it required effort to adjust for the lack of air and bump in timing to compensate. Compared to other carbs the Q-jet did the best, but it's no match for EFI. I'm pretty impressed with this little 5.3 as it's got enough power with the gearing and tire size to make it fun to drive. The important part is other than the control system, it's all stock. Parts are everywhere for it.

Seat covers look awesome, I was wondering where you were going with the new seat color scheme.
Thanks. Larry sold me on the Trail Gear seat covers. They wear like iron and have a lot of extra storage on the backsides. Plus it allowed me to color match the seats to the truck. Added bonus, when they get dirty from a run, just peel them off and throw them in the washing machine.
 
Not much to update. Got some brackets mocked up out of cardboard and one of my techs at work that has a sheetmetal brake is going to bend some stuff up for me. Just got to remember to take the templates and the console with me to work. He's got some interesting material to use that should be pretty cool for this application. I'll explain later once I can show it.

I got to talking with my Dad about the project the other night on the way home and he was wondering what options my Blazer came with since it is oddly optioned as a base truck with the Silverado grille. It got me thinking about it and I can remember from my days back in the Fleet Department at GM we spec'd out some oddball stuff for the GSA and figured mine can't be far of. Problem is, the spid label is gone with the original glove box door. When Larry picked it up it had a green door on it. Obviously not the right thing. So after a few minutes screwing around on google looking for vin decoders that could break down the option codes. Either some charge you for it or just break down the vin itself, no option codes. Then it hit me. I've not tried to run it through the GM parts catalog at work. Duh. So I logged in tonight at home and got it. My truck was built on Dec. 7, 1990 in Flint, MI. Here's the option content.
RPO Code Description
1N7 LUSTERLESS MARKING
1Q3
1Q6 VEHICLE INSPECTION PREDELIVERY FORM
1R3
1SA PACKAGE-OPTION 01
33K COLOR COMBINATION,AUXILIARY TOP,LIGHT DRIFTWOOD
33U EXTERIOR COLOR,PRIMARY
5R9 REAR SPEAKER SYSTEM DELETE
60I INTERIOR TRIM COLOR
60W TRIM COMBINATION,VINYL,DARK COGNAC
8B3 PERMANENT ANTIFREEZE(ETHELENE GLYCOL)(-34 DEGREES)
8E1 MINIMUM FUEL(3 GALLONS)
AM7 SEAT,REAR FOLDING
AV5 FRONT HIGH BACK BUCKET SEAT
AXP VIN IDENT POSITION, MULTI- PURPOSE VEHICLE
C5M GVW RATING(6100 LBS)
CMD PLANT CODE FLINT, MI, GM T&B
D44 MIRROR,OUTSIDE,BELOW EYELINE(PAINTED)
F51 ABSORBER,HEAVY DUTY SHOCK
F60 SPRING,HEAVY DUTY,FRONT
GAM VEHICLE GOVT(G.S.A.)
GQ1 AXLE,REAR,STANDARD RATIO(MERCHANDISING OPTION)
GU4 AXLE,REAR,3.08 RATIO
JB5 BRAKE SYSTEM,VACUUM POWER DISC,DRUM
K99 GENERATOR,85 AMPERE
L05 ENGINE,5.7L,8 CYLINDER,TBI
MD8 TRANSMISSION,AUTOMATIC 4-SPEED(THM700R4/4L60)
MX0 TRANSMISSION,AUTOMATIC,OVERDRIVE(MERCHANDISING OPTION)(MD8)
NA6 EMISSION SYSTEM,ALTITUDE REQUIREMENTS
R8T CONTROL-SALES ITEM NO. 69
SLL SOLD ORDERS
TFD SALES INCENTIVE
TT4 HEADLAMPS,TUNGSTEN QUARTZ HALOGEN
U73 ANTENNA,FIXED
UM7 RADIO,AM/FM STEREO,ETR,CLOCK
UN9 RADIO SUPPRESSION EQUIPMENT
V01 RADIATOR,HEAVY DUTY
V22 GRILLE,RADIATOR(CHROME)
V73 VEHICLE STATEMENT - US/CANADA
VXS LABEL COMPLETE VEHICLE
X88 MARKET BRAND CHEVROLET
XES TIRE FRONT P235/75R15/N BL R/PE ST TL OOR
YD3 AXLE FRONT (BASE EQUIP) FOR SCHEDULING GVW PLATE
YD6 SPRING,REAR(BASE EQUIPMENT)
YES TIRE REAR P235/75R15/N BL R/PE ST TL OOR Code Description
YK6 IDENTIFICATION (SEO)
ZES TIRE SPARE P235/75R15/N BL R/PE ST TL OOR
ZW9 BASE BODY OR CHASSIS
ZY1 COLOR COMBINATION SOLID

A couple of things I can pull from this is the presence of some special equipment options and the high altitude emissions. The high altitude emissions indicates the Blazer was destined for the Colorado market. It does not help break down what government agency it was built for. The working assumption is for the U.S. Forest service, but a lot of those were green in color. So who knows.

I did have an thought strike my brain this weekend after trying to fuss with the stupid electric tailgate glass to get it to roll down. I don't like it. I've messed and pinpointed what I believe the problem is, in the key switch. But thinking about how problematic the system is, between the electrical problems and motor failures I don't want to deal with it. If I'm out in the sticks camping and it decides to crap out I'm fishing stuff out from the front over the back seat. If I actually have to pull it apart on the trail all the crap has to get out of the way of the gate to gain access. I don't want to have to carry a cordless drill just to open the dumb window. I never had a problem with the old manual glass in the '75 so I'm going to retrograde it. I've got a spare manual setup so the electric regulator and motor are coming out.
 
GM's been dropping the older vehicles out of the system yearly, so I may not be able to pull too much further back than 1991. I'm willing to try, but shoot me a PM.

You got it right on the first thought. They set the option to fill the tank to 3 gallons.
 
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