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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.
Overview Gallery Discussion
Continuing the progress from the last two days we completed facing out the main part of the cabinet today. Just need to get some hinges to hang all the doors with. This is the cubby area again. We'll face this out in 1/4" oak veneered plywood so it matches. The solid middle section will give me a spot to put charge ports and later the solar controller. The lower shelf has the face board providing a solid lip to keep things from rolling off if I don't get parked level.
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Further down the line, ready for the door.
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The other end.
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Overall shot. I've got my brother in law that works at a heating/ac shop who's going to get me a chunk of stainless to use as the counter top.
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This is really the most difficult part of the refurbishing. Thankfully that part is done. We still need to sand and refinish the cabinet, but the rest won't require any heavy construction. Parts still yet to be done are reinsulating the roof and reskinning the headliner, strip the floor of carpet and install vinyl flooring, build the new bench and wire the whole shebang. I hope the weather keeps cooperating as I've got to the first part of June to be ready to roll for the desert trip.
 
I had plans of using my rare Saturday off (with decent weather) to finish the wiring on the onboard air compressor. Ended up going gathering of parts and getting my ears lowered instead. A trip to a local pick and pull almost came up empty as there was only 1 damn square in the whole yard. All I was after was the diamond-shaped junction block all our trucks have on the firewall near the booster. They make great spots to distribute power or ground in a neat and tidy fashion. I pulled the one out of the only square in the yard and started hunting for others in different GM products. Similar 2 post style *(like the squares) were found in an early S10 Blazer and a Fiero. Like the squarebody, there was only one example of each in the yard. Early GMT400 (tbi versions) had a nice 5 post block on the passenger side firewall too. I found 2 examples of those. So $20 changed hands for 5 blocks and I motored over to Lowes for the hinges and latches needed for the camper cabinet. Got home and chilled since I felt like a cold was coming on.

I was productive in figuring out what else needs to get done to prep for this year's Desert trip. In order to keep track and hold myself accountable, I figured I could list it out here as good as anywhere else. Here goes....

  1. Exhaust. Mission critical need. I need to get set up with a shop that was suggested to me to get in on a Saturday I'm off. Needs to be done prior to the camper going on, so it isn't a problem lifting heightwise. Hopefully, we can just reposition the right side pipe for better clearance without scrapping the entire system.
  2. Finish Camper. Again, mission-critical need. This big boy needs to be able to sleep in a bed and not on the rocks. Call me soft, but sleeping on rocks sucks. Breaking down the need further, here are items by subsystems.
    1. Roof: Needs new headliner and insulation on the inside. Prior to that, I need to at least run wiring for a Solar panel. Not sure if I'll put the one I have in. New interior lighting in following headliner install.
    2. Cabinet: Needs all doors hung. Entire unit needs to be sanded and restained/poly. Might still add a couple of shelves to the larger openings.
    3. Flooring: Needs nasty carpet removed and vinyl flooring installed over the plywood floor. Probably end up with Peel-n-stick stuff for ease of install.
    4. Bench seat/lower bunk: Needs built, just unsure of staying with Stock FWC sizing or changing it up to fit the cooler/fridge between the bench and pass front seat. Not sure if the 12v fridge is going to be in the budget for this run.
    5. Wiring: Some subsystems already have wiring run for like the rear exterior light, inside lights and furnace. Need to set up 12v USB ports, fuse panel, switches, and possible solar controller.
    6. Camper installation: Self-explanatory, but main power and ground connections to the truck need to be made at this time. Junction blocks should make this easier for sure.
  3. Finish Onboard air install: Switch, relay, and wiring to the compressor need run. Need to plumb in the in-cab gauge at the same time. I could just do a quick hookup to power under the hood and use the switch on the compressor, but it would be way nicer to flip the switch a few minutes before stopping to air up and have the 3-gallon tank charged up.
  4. Update/new engine Calibrations: Not mission critical as it runs good, but it needs the rev limiter set (it's not now), cold enrichment threshold needs to be lowered and overall needs leaned out some. Current file and data logs are out to an OEM guy Larry knows who's working magic on it right now. Easy upload once I got them.
  5. Build rear bumper/spare tire carrier: Mission critical item. Considering the distance we will be going and where the target area is (Mojave RD) it would be irresponsible to go without a spare. Need to order a spindle kit and get with our buddy Bill to get some steel and get to work. Ideally, I'd like a second swingout to hold jerry cans, but I'm not sure I can swing the budget for a second setup.
I've done some quick math and trying to keep within the family budget (and keeping me out of the doghouse), some of the items I'd like to have for the trip might have to wait in order to be ready. The main thing is the 12v fridge. Unless a deal falls into my lap, spending $400+ on a fridge is going to take money away from mission-critical items like the exhaust and bumper/spare tire carrier. If I don't have the added electrical load of the fridge the solar panel isn't as much of a need. Again, money saved on both will be better put to use to get going down the road. I did buy some new coolers before our last mountain run, they aren't yeti's but they did decently. I might split the difference and get a cheaper roto-molded unit from wally world. Knowing what we did last year will help in how to handle it this year for sure. All non-alcoholic beverages will be frozen solid prior to the trip. Plus a couple milk jugs froze to aid in long-term cooling too.

Once the camper is on, then it's time to load and organize it. A validation run will be very helpful to see where I like stuff put, what to change and make it easier to use.
 
campfire said:
This. I found myself rearranging the truck almost daily during this summer's trip. I still haven't found the perfect layout, but it's better than it was...
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I know there is going to be a ton of storage between the cabinet and the bench. Plus there is still the short little cabinet over the pass side window and the entire area beneath the cabinet. Finding the right spot for stuff is going to be interesting.
 
We had a rare storm coming our way today and I had it off too. So my buddy Bill and I wanted head west and see what trouble we could get into. I loaded my dog, some drinks and snacks and we took off.

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Heading out of town, the snow hadn't got too aggressive yet. Just cold. Like 17° cold.

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Heading up hardscrabble with a fresh layer of frost on the trees.
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On the trail. Not sure how the aspen trees got to look like this. But not much snow to play on.
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At the top. 11,450ft of elevation. Doggo needed to stretch her legs.
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We are higher than the storm below. The normal view here is a wide valley that reaches to the mountain range on the other side.
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Poser shot..
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Coming down. At about 9,400ft just above the cloud.
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Coming off the trail had is closer to Walsenburg so we ended up driving that way and rolling back up I-25 in the heart of the storm. No pics as all it was white. Not much visibility and doubled the normal time for the drive.
 
campfire said:
Nice poser shot! :bow: :thumb:
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Thanks Campy. Our weather has gone back to warm, probably in the 60's the guys are available to work on the camper so we will be working on it later. Besides the looming deadline for the trip I've got a new deadline to worry about too. My buddy John is putting his house on the market at the beginning of next month. This means we need to get it completed enough to get the camper on the truck. It's pretty close to that stage, but we've got a few things to do.
 
Got a little bit of stuff done this weekend. I pulled the air tank down to fix the leak and run the line for the gauge into the interior. I still have to wire in the switch and relay. I do have a minor leak as it bleeds down after about 3 hours, but that's an easy fix.

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Got closer to finishing the cabinet today. Doors were cut to size and re-routered and then hung with the self closing hinges.

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The front smaller cubbies got doors too and we faced the entire front and side wall with the 1/4" oak veneer ply.
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It's ready to blow it all back apart to seal and stain.
 
Every time I read the updates I want one even more.... so I’m stopping on my drive home tomorrow to make an offer on a k5 with one of these campers.. and when my fiancé gets mad. I will blame you :)
 
85k5witha6.2 said:
Every time I read the updates I want one even more.... so I’m stopping on my drive home tomorrow to make an offer on a k5 with one of these campers.. and when my fiancé gets mad. I will blame you :)
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Hey dude I got broad shoulders, blame away.

Funny thing, we had gone out to dinner with John and his wife last night and she invited my wife to come along and bring the dog to get to know their dog. They are pretty close so it wasn't hard to convince her to come along. My wife had not seen the camper since we first brought it down. So she got the grand tour, stating the curtains have to GO and she'd make them. She asked where her bed will be and where the fridge will be. If anything it cleared the way for some things by letting her see the progress. She's excited to use it to go camping and NOT be on the ground. Just to be able to throw a bag in, food and drinks and get out of town is an awesome possibility.

So to get back to you getting into trouble, get her excited about it and I bet she'll get on board. From what I've seen your soon to be bride is an outdoorsy kind of person, so I don't think you'll have to put a hard sell on her.

I know the camper isn't for everybody, but it fits what I want to do. I like to wheel, but would rather go for a couple of days or more on a run, so the camping comes along with it. I refuse to call it overlanding even though it's kinda meeting the definition of that word. My K5 can wheel pretty well and has already proven itself in Utah. So I'm still going to wheel it, camper and all. I probably won't hit the most radical trails where I might damage the body or the camper, but I'll still tackle some good stuff when I can. So to that extent to fall in line with the longbed guy's #Crawl&Haul, I say mine will be #Crawl&Camp.
 
ZooMad75 said:
Hey dude I got broad shoulders, blame away.

Funny thing, we had gone out to dinner with John and his wife last night and she invited my wife to come along and bring the dog to get to know their dog. They are pretty close so it wasn't hard to convince her to come along. My wife had not seen the camper since we first brought it down. So she got the grand tour, stating the curtains have to GO and she'd make them. She asked where the *stabbin' cabin will be and where the fridge will be. If anything it cleared the way for some things by letting her see the progress. She's excited to use it to go camping and NOT be on the ground. Just to be able to throw a bag in, food and drinks and get out of town is an awesome possibility.

So to get back to you getting into trouble, get her excited about it and I bet she'll get on board. From what I've seen your soon to be bride is an outdoorsy kind of person, so I don't think you'll have to put a hard sell on her.

I know the camper isn't for everybody, but it fits what I want to do. I like to wheel, but would rather go for a couple of days or more on a run, so the camping comes along with it. I refuse to call it overlanding even though it's kinda meeting the definition of that word. My K5 can wheel pretty well and has already proven itself in Utah. So I'm still going to wheel it, camper and all. I probably won't hit the most radical trails where I might damage the body or the camper, but I'll still tackle some good stuff when I can. So to that extent to fall in line with the longbed guy's #Crawl&Haul, I say mine will be #Crawl&Camp.
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I fixed your post there for you! :whistle:
 
ZooMad75 said:
I know the camper isn't for everybody, but it fits what I want to do. I like to wheel, but would rather go for a couple of days or more on a run, so the camping comes along with it. I refuse to call it overlanding even though it's kinda meeting the definition of that word. My K5 can wheel pretty well and has already proven itself in Utah. So I'm still going to wheel it, camper and all. I probably won't hit the most radical trails where I might damage the body or the camper, but I'll still tackle some good stuff when I can. So to that extent to fall in line with the longbed guy's #Crawl&Haul, I say mine will be #Crawl&Camp.
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:saweet: :saweet: :thumb:







I'll get there someday. :haha:
 
campfire said:
Thanks. It comes and goes. Haven't touched the truck since it got cold, but I am starting to get excited again. Might even get a shop set up this year. :thumb:

:popcorn:
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Do what you got to do!
 
What's the old saying about the best-laid plans? A couple of weeks ago when I went to play in the snow, I had invited my buddy John who's been gracious to allow my camper stay there while we rebuilt it. He declined since he was meeting with a real estate agent about listing their house at the 1st of March. I had a feeling we might have to accelerate things, as his house is in excellent shape, in a great area and a good market. So it was no surprise to me today when I was informed that the house sold in 3 days. Oh, and the buyers want a quick closing.

The Camper is getting loaded sooner than expected. Probably within the next two weeks. Initially, I'm a little freaked out as there are a couple of key items that need to be done (like the headliner and folding bench seat) that I will need help with. I can't expect too much help from John as he'll be packing to move soon. I'm going to help them as he's helped me, but he is moving up to Colorado Springs to be closer to his job. His brother is still in town so I can get some help from him too. But reviewing the situation, I did want the camper on prior to April. A week or so early isn't going to kill anything. Actually, this is probably going to help in the long run. I'll have the time with the camper at home to pick away at the wiring a little bit at a time since it will be at the house and it's going to be lighter later after I get home from work. Rather than relying on working on the weekends, I can plug away as long as the weather is ok. It's just at 3 months and counting down to taking off for the desert. I'm going to need all the hours I can grab to prepare.
 
Whoohoo !!!
Sort of....????
I bet that you can do it, even though it will take a lot to help out and finish the camper.
 
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