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Have you ever started one project, gotten mostly done (except for that laundry list of crap you might/should/would like to do), and then started another project, got it into a million pieces, got sidetracked with work so that second project stalled, and then 6 months later bought another project because you were able to rationalize to yourself that it was a good deal? Yeah, so that happened. I picked up a '97 two-door Tahoe (the third project listed above), and it runs and drives great. It just needs paint and new weather stripping, so when things let up at work I'm going to have my guys tackle that project. Luckily we have been too busy to do personal projects, but I'm hoping we can knock out the paint on the Tahoe soon.

Actually, the K5 has been doing great, but I've put off doing little things like replacing the window motors and channels so that I can actually roll the windows down since getting my big a$$ hands into the doors to work on stuff is not much fun. The tire carrier has a plan, and I have the parts, and over Thanksgiving I talked to my father in law about tackling the project, but not sure when I'll have time. I had planned to take it up to his house the weekend of New Year's, but when my wife was driving it the other day while I got her new truck lifted I noticed an oil spot on the ground where she parked it. Looks like oil is leaking out of the valve covers which isn't good. Plus, the trans has been shifting funny, so I'm sure it's not long for this world. I'm contemplating going for an LS swap, but dropping a vortec back in would be the easier/cheaper solution. I was actually going to hop on here and get advice/input on which direction to go, so thanks for inquiring on the latest status.

I also found a guy on eBay that actually lives in the Houston area that sells 383 strokers for about $3,000 that would be pretty much a drop in replacement. He can do a 350-400HP build for me that would be a good option for this truck. If anyone has suggestions on the route to go, and has some price estimates for the various options I'd love to hear some thoughts. Links to threads of those that have done the would be appreciated as well. Given my time constraints right now I will likely have my mechanic do the swap for me, otherwise this truck will sit without anything getting done for several more months. I miss driving it!

I also found this on CL here in Houston. Not sure if it is still available, but it is motor and trans which would be nice to do both. Since this is a 2016, any issues with dropping this in my K5?
https://houston.craigslist.org/pts/d/l83-engine-and-trans-from/6397192611.html
 
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LMAO! I definitely understand what you are going through! It's easy to find things to do, but the time can get REALLY scarce.
I don't have any help with the engine swap, but I also have been wanting to find an option which gives results quickly.
With the 2016 engine/trans, check into what may be involved with the wiring. A couple of years ago, I had a 2010 and what I found then was the trans had to have body control module give VIN verification to let the trans work. I don't know what has been developed by now.
This is why I start to think about staying simpler... but this would also can be circumvented by using a 4L60E instead of the 6L80E.

And as far as the valve covers leaking, it may possibly be the back of the intake. (More work)
So as long as you have something going in your mind, then progress will come someday?????? It kinda fits into the thread title!
 
Finally got around to painting the '97 two door Tahoe last week. Still needs to get wet sanded and polished to get rid of some orange peel, but I think it's going to look great once it's done. Need to paint the wiper arms and the plastic section on the side steps too.

First pic is when I got it. Had 18" Chevy wheels on it that looked OK, but I got on Craigslist and couldn't pass up the deal on these 20" Fuels with 305/50r20 Nitto Terra Grapplers. Great stance with no lift and no rub. This is our dog hauler truck, so it needs to stay low so the dogs can get in and out easily as they age.

This truck had been painted previously, but the clear obviously didn't hold up under the sun. My guys sanded all of that down, laid down two coats of primer (one gray, then one black), sanded out the imperfections and trash, then put down a sealer, then color, then the final coat of clear. All of the trim got treated with adhesion promoter and then we used trim paint to do all of those parts. The bumpers received a light sweep blast to get a profile, then they got primed, color, and clear. Side steps and rear hitch got an industrial DTM polyurethane we use all the time. Great UV and abrasion resistance. Keep in mind my guys are industrial painters, but I think they did an awesome job on this. Industrial painting and automotive painting are definitely different.

Put in new door seals all the way around as well, so I'm hoping that will lower the interior noise a bit. It wasn't too bad, but you could tell the outside sounds were leaking in around the doors. Plus, the rear doors tended to rattle when you went over bumps. The color is Tuxedo Black from PPG (match from a 2018 Ford Super Duty).

This truck runs like a top, no fluid leaks, and cruises comfortably at 80MPH on the highway. Very pleased with it.

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I dropped my '90 K5 off at my Father-in-law's at Thanksgiving and asked him to fab up a spare tire carrier. I had seen one similar to this on this site at some point, and had some pics of it to show him. He ended up just building an entire subframe that he welded the stock bumper brackets to so it would be 1) easily removable and 2) strong enough to support this heavy tire and wheel. I think it turned out awesome! Only downside is he "cleaned up" (ie, cut out with vengeance) a bunch of the mess of trailer wiring that was strung around back there. Unbeknownst to him, most of that wiring was actually the harness that had been created that allowed me to plug into a tow vehicle to flat tow this K5 and have the turn, brake, taillights work on the K5. We spent several hours yesterday trying to piece that back together. Got it to work with the tow vehicle, but can't figure out why the factory passeger side stuff isn't working on the K5 itself.

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Butch love the blazer
Especially the rear tire carrier.
Do you by chance have more pics of it
I want to do something similar for my daughters 83
Thanks in advance
 
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I love the fat tire and wheel package on this. The backspacing makes them sit just right too. Are those just a 12.5" wide on a 10" rim or are they wider tires than that? I can't remember the tire and wheel spec.
 
MEMO43 said:
Butch love the blazer
Especially the rear tire carrier.
Do you by chance have more pics of it
J want to do something similar for my daughters 83
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Those pics are pretty much it. If you have any questions I'll try and answer them. He made a subframe that mounts to the truck, and then the factory bumper bolts to that.
 
Truckman4life said:
I love the fat tire and wheel package on this. The backspacing makes them sit just right too. Are those just a 12.5" wide on a 10" rim or are they wider tires than that? I can't remember the tire and wheel spec.
Click to expand...
10" wide wheel with 375 width tire. They are the Mickey MTZ, and I think they are about 35.5" tall, and 15.50" wide. 16" wheel. I love this look too!
 
Tha is for the reply
I'll see if I can use your pictures to have one similar made up
How do you lock the tire carries in place.
Is it the bolt in the center or is there another method?
 
On the top of the bumper right above the license plate you can see a bolt head. He notched the bumper and put a small block of metal there that he drilled and tapped to accept the bolt that goes through the end of the swing out part. Requires a wrench to open, but since I never really get in the back it isn't that big of a deal. There wasn't really a way to make an easy latch without going all the way across to the other side, so this was the most low-profile option.
 
Any updates? Very nice trucks!

Love the rear tire carrier, exactly what I want!
 
Thanks. The rear tire carrier was a really sweet set up. I sold the Blue K5 last Spring, and the Tahoe left to it's new owner yesterday. I need to get back to work on the K30, but it's tough to get off the starting block to get it going again. The body is at my painter, but he isn't keen on getting started either since it's going to be a time consuming project. I also need to get my other K5 back from my mechanic who was supposed to finish the EFI install. That has been stalled a couple of years as well as I've been building other trucks.
 
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