I thought you were selling his truck @Larry
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.
Haha! Wasn’t me! Seen the add on F/B scrolling through today.
Did you see years ago when that semi went off I-70 into Eagle Canyon? I saw the pics of it from the top but I haven't ever been in the bottom. That woulda been quite the ride. Probably was in the dark though and might have even been asleep or had a medical incident causing him to go off the highway. Got outside the guardrail and went straight off on the north side of the bridge.
If you go under the end of the bridge up on I-70 and watch it when semis cross it the amount of bounce the bridge has is crazy.
If you go under the end of the bridge up on I-70 and watch it when semis cross it the amount of bounce the bridge has is crazy.
We ate lunch in the shadow the the westbound bridge. You could see, hear and feel the semi's rolling over the bridge. Kinda odd feeling. Probably the coolest lunch spot we had all week too.
Writing the trip report offline, it's gonna be a big one. But here's some more going into day 3.
Reds Canyon
We all thought this looked like a hand emerging from the ground.
Views for miles.
Behind the reef lead in.
Moonscape wheeling.
Creek Crossing.
Reds Canyon
We all thought this looked like a hand emerging from the ground.
Views for miles.
Behind the reef lead in.
Moonscape wheeling.
Creek Crossing.
Red's Canyon is a neat area. Lots of old uranium mining stuff. We did an 80 mile day long ride on the utvs out there one year. Too bad all the mines have been sealed off though.
This is neat looking.
I mean, they are all good pictures; that one just struck me.
I mean, they are all good pictures; that one just struck me.
One of the side benefit of not knowing where you are going. You stumble on stuff like this. We went through miles of these rolling hills. Most them were all grey but this area had the red mixed in at the bottom that visually caught my eye. There were big flakes of quartz or mica mixed in so later in the day we had million glints of sunlight where they reflected. It was pretty cool even though the wind blew through there like a hurricane the entire time.
beags86
Eastbound and Down
Yeah that's a cool spot. Guy has assume that the wind blows like that all time or those rocks wouldn't look like that.
Do you know about where a GPS coordinate would be at for those? I would like to write that down to check out when I get back out west someday.
I would love to see a map of where you traveled. I roughly know where some of these spots are, a map would help a lot to get myself in the right spot.
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.7444767,-110.7410004,44667m/data=!3m1!1e3
This is basically the area they were in. I don't where all the specific spots are but this is part of the San Rafael Swell. The little circle is a place called Red's Canyon. There is tons of stuff to see from the Hanksville exit on I-70 west to the highway 10 exit. We go camp and ride down there and look for wild horses and burros. They are all over but kinda disappear in the hot months.
This is basically the area they were in. I don't where all the specific spots are but this is part of the San Rafael Swell. The little circle is a place called Red's Canyon. There is tons of stuff to see from the Hanksville exit on I-70 west to the highway 10 exit. We go camp and ride down there and look for wild horses and burros. They are all over but kinda disappear in the hot months.
I've got the whole route recorded as a .GPX file. Pretty easy to share from that point. The crazy thing is that grey surface wasn't rock. It was soft and crumbly on the surface. The trail got close to an OHV area where you could see where they went off the trail and cut scars into the soft surface where it probably won't heal for decades. We camped next to a giant hill of the stuff and Larry and Jody climbed up it and it looked just like climbing up a sand dune. One step up and two back.
I'll attach a pic of the track from Gaia below. Again, if anybody wants the GPX file of the run just yell.
You almost nailed the target area. The actual location where the crazy grey hills were actually west of Goblin State park at the bottom of your circle in your pic.
That is one big loop you guys made. That's a lot of country to cover. It's pretty cool taking the highway up and over to Loa. It's west of where you went. At the summit you can look out in the direction where you went and if it's clear it seems like you can see forever. So many roads and places to go in that whole part of Utah.
There were many spots we had the forever viewpoints. I haven't figured the off pavement mileage, but I'm guessing we covered 150-200 miles off pavement. I might be off though. But it was exactly what we wanted to do. Maximize time on dirt, avoid humanity and hang out with friends in amazing places. We nailed it. Even the trail breakage didn't set us back that bad. It just added some challenges to the mix we would have to overcome. That formed some memories that will never be forgotten.
Title change for the thread is due. With the desert trip completed, what else would any sane person do but maybe clean it up and get ready for another trip? Oh hell no. Not this dude. We are going to pull the drivetrain out of the Crawlabago tomorrow. Yes it's a little sudden and wasn't planned, but fear not the engine isn't coming out due to any failure. Mike, aka @Atl-atl approached me via PM's this week about helping him out with his situation in his K5 Camper with the original small block and carb that for some reason don't like 110 degree heat and actually running. We made a deal that works for both of us and the plan is I pull the 5.3 and 700r4 with all the goodies that they need to function and Mike will come up from Phoenix and pick up the stuff to take back and install in his ride.
The proceeds will allow me to get the rest of what I need to swing the 8.1 and nv4500 into my rig and he gets a proven drivetrain that works in all kinds of weather and starts at the twist of the key. The same setup that ran flawlessly 1240 miles into the Utah backcountry and home again. Short of a few key parts that I need to keep for my setup he's getting a turn-key package that is going to drop into his K5 and work.
I'm really excited for the change, because I've been in a position that as long as the truck ran as well as it did I might not ever take it apart for the 8.1 swap. So when Mike hit me up it was the swift kick in the ass I needed to just take the leap and get some stuff done. So after my buddy Bill and I get the engine out this weekend in his shop we will tow it back over to my place. Over here I can pull the interior and dash apart to install the clutch/brake pedal set and the seats/console to prep the floor for shifter hole surgery. I've got an aftermarket a/c unit that was like dealer install unit after the fact that Larry and Ian pulled from another '91 Blazer they robbed for parts last year. It may go in while everything is out.
So in the end I've killed my camping season after it started, but it's all for the greater good of big block, stick shifted power I've been dreaming of for so long. The bonus is Mike's K5 Camper gets a much needed modern powertrain that will get his back on the road reliably. And as we all know I'm a sucker for getting more Blazer campers back on the road. Will I get the 15 MPG out of the 8.1 I got on the very last tankfull I put through the 5.3? Probably not. But that's not the point. This sled needs power and the 8.1's got that in spades. I've got a list going for Mike to fill in the gaps of the stuff he needs and what else he's going to need to maximize the setup in his truck.
Lookout @AgDieseler you aren't the only kid having a Squarebody summer! I've got some wrenching to do now!
The proceeds will allow me to get the rest of what I need to swing the 8.1 and nv4500 into my rig and he gets a proven drivetrain that works in all kinds of weather and starts at the twist of the key. The same setup that ran flawlessly 1240 miles into the Utah backcountry and home again. Short of a few key parts that I need to keep for my setup he's getting a turn-key package that is going to drop into his K5 and work.
I'm really excited for the change, because I've been in a position that as long as the truck ran as well as it did I might not ever take it apart for the 8.1 swap. So when Mike hit me up it was the swift kick in the ass I needed to just take the leap and get some stuff done. So after my buddy Bill and I get the engine out this weekend in his shop we will tow it back over to my place. Over here I can pull the interior and dash apart to install the clutch/brake pedal set and the seats/console to prep the floor for shifter hole surgery. I've got an aftermarket a/c unit that was like dealer install unit after the fact that Larry and Ian pulled from another '91 Blazer they robbed for parts last year. It may go in while everything is out.
So in the end I've killed my camping season after it started, but it's all for the greater good of big block, stick shifted power I've been dreaming of for so long. The bonus is Mike's K5 Camper gets a much needed modern powertrain that will get his back on the road reliably. And as we all know I'm a sucker for getting more Blazer campers back on the road. Will I get the 15 MPG out of the 8.1 I got on the very last tankfull I put through the 5.3? Probably not. But that's not the point. This sled needs power and the 8.1's got that in spades. I've got a list going for Mike to fill in the gaps of the stuff he needs and what else he's going to need to maximize the setup in his truck.
Lookout @AgDieseler you aren't the only kid having a Squarebody summer! I've got some wrenching to do now!
The water is fine...
Great plan, and Hoorah! Nobody regrets more torque and a manual. Go sweat it out.
David
That’s great, sounds awesome for both of you!
It totally should. Kind of odd driving the truck for the last time in a while though. I really like driving it and will totally miss having it to hop into at any time until it's done.
It's just more motivation to get stuff knocked out so it can be done sooner. Plus driving it with a 8.1 and a 5 speed should put a smile on my face every time I mash the go pedal.
Quoted for truth
