Looking to get started w/ a diesel k5, and have a couple options. I've found a very nice 87 k5 w/ a gasser i could convert to a diesel, for about 3k, or a 86 m1009 w/ 10000 origional miles for around 4k. the plan is a hunting and fishing truck to take places I wouldn't take my nicer 4x4s. I'd also want to ad ac to the m1009 if possible. Thanks for the help in advance.....Dave
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.
cucv or conversion
- Thread starter medicdave
- Start date
That's a toss up in my opinion. The 87 will have a few more creature comforts, and overdrive...but you'll be stuck finding a donor vehicle in order to complete the swap plus the added cost of that.
The M1009 is already diesel, but is pretty stripped as far as options go. They also have a 24 volt starting system and some other goofy things to contend with. Lastly they do not have overdrive...
If the M1009 starts, runs and drives nice I'd go with that. The extra $K you'll spend buying it will still be less than swapping a 6.2 into a Gas K5.
Rene
The M1009 is already diesel, but is pretty stripped as far as options go. They also have a 24 volt starting system and some other goofy things to contend with. Lastly they do not have overdrive...
If the M1009 starts, runs and drives nice I'd go with that. The extra $K you'll spend buying it will still be less than swapping a 6.2 into a Gas K5.
Rene
Keep us posted, and post up some links...we might have an opinion or two about what might or might not be a good deal. 
Rene
Rene
Found a 83 k5 factory diesel owned by a diesel mechanic for the last 7 years. Was his daily driver till 2 monhs ago when he bought a new pickup. 150000 miles. Has a banks turbo kit, other wise stock. Auto tranny. Has light rust on rockers and lower door skins according to him. Was asking 3700 saig he will take 2500. Will be going to see it this week hopefully. Any thing I need to be looking for in particular. What do you guys think. Thanks for the help...Dave
Looks real good actually.
Ask him to leave it dead cold so you can see how it starts from dead cold. It should fire with little effort, with no more than maybe 10 seconds of blueish/grey smoke.
Both my 6.2's hit 55-70 psi oil pressure when cold, which drops to 35-40 psi at idle when warm.
Check the regular things too...leaky, greasy motor? You'll have to figure out if it's something you'll need to fix or if it's just minor. My pick-up is dry and clean with the only 'greasy' part directly below the oil fill area. You can tell it's just spillage, dust and time that made the minor mess.
My K5's 6.2 was also pretty good, until it blew a rear main seal...that's messy and would obviously need fixing. Good sized job IMO.
As for the truck itself, K5's are notorious for rust, and it tends to be well hidden until it's almost terminal. FLA shouldn't be too bad...but it's still smart to give it a good look. Typical areas are where the front seat belts mount to the lower sidewall. This area is open from behind with the tires able to chuck all the dirt, mud etc right into that part. It's often rotted badly enough that the lower belt mount would fail in a collision...yet the rot ends up well hidden by the interior panel. Best check is looking forward with your head in the rear wheelwell. Also, give the lower belt a tug and a wiggle...if it doesn't feel really firm you need to look deeper.
Open the tailgate. The rearmost part of the floor is another bad spot. Under there is a structural part called the tailpan. Completely visible from underneath, but usually caked with mud so it's hard to determine the extent of the rust. The rear floor should be flat from side to side...any sign of the floor bowing (looks like the floor is frowning from behind) is a sign of rot.
Check the inner rockers...they'll tell more of the rust story than the outers will. Rockers often fill with dirt and mud and the trapped moisture rots them out from the inside out. By the time you see the first rust bubble on the outside there isn't much left of the rockers at all.
take it for a drive, check brakes, tranny shifting, etc etc like you would any car.
That's about it...I tried to keep it K5 weak spot specific. Rust repair sucks.
Rene
Ask him to leave it dead cold so you can see how it starts from dead cold. It should fire with little effort, with no more than maybe 10 seconds of blueish/grey smoke.
Both my 6.2's hit 55-70 psi oil pressure when cold, which drops to 35-40 psi at idle when warm.
Check the regular things too...leaky, greasy motor? You'll have to figure out if it's something you'll need to fix or if it's just minor. My pick-up is dry and clean with the only 'greasy' part directly below the oil fill area. You can tell it's just spillage, dust and time that made the minor mess.
My K5's 6.2 was also pretty good, until it blew a rear main seal...that's messy and would obviously need fixing. Good sized job IMO.
As for the truck itself, K5's are notorious for rust, and it tends to be well hidden until it's almost terminal. FLA shouldn't be too bad...but it's still smart to give it a good look. Typical areas are where the front seat belts mount to the lower sidewall. This area is open from behind with the tires able to chuck all the dirt, mud etc right into that part. It's often rotted badly enough that the lower belt mount would fail in a collision...yet the rot ends up well hidden by the interior panel. Best check is looking forward with your head in the rear wheelwell. Also, give the lower belt a tug and a wiggle...if it doesn't feel really firm you need to look deeper.
Open the tailgate. The rearmost part of the floor is another bad spot. Under there is a structural part called the tailpan. Completely visible from underneath, but usually caked with mud so it's hard to determine the extent of the rust. The rear floor should be flat from side to side...any sign of the floor bowing (looks like the floor is frowning from behind) is a sign of rot.
Check the inner rockers...they'll tell more of the rust story than the outers will. Rockers often fill with dirt and mud and the trapped moisture rots them out from the inside out. By the time you see the first rust bubble on the outside there isn't much left of the rockers at all.
take it for a drive, check brakes, tranny shifting, etc etc like you would any car.
That's about it...I tried to keep it K5 weak spot specific. Rust repair sucks.
Rene
Which of those spots are repairable and which are dead lines? I've been looking at lmc trucks and others and tey seem to have just about every panel. My gf's brother just got his journeyman welder and hes not afraid to use it lol. That said I'd rather not have to do catastrophic surgery....Dave
Actually got the guys boss by mistake today lol. He said the guys always playing around primping his truck insted of the customers lol. Does banks still make the turbo kit if it needs refreshing/parts in the future?
It is a judgement call, but if you find rockers are heading on bad you'll want to crawl underneath and check where the floors attach to them. Commonly the rust spreads from the rocker/floor area inwards. Once that area starts to go the floor starts to flex and you'll see fatigue cracking where the seats mount.
As an example, my buddy bought an '89 Blazer that looked decent, but had a few rust indications. I saw some previous repairs and pointed them out...but we both thought it looked decent (compared to my '81 anyways)
Once the carpet and seats were out we saw how poorly the previous repairs really were and startsed cutting and patching. We used box tubing for replacement rockers/rock sliders, and made the rest of the patches. We had an easy 40-50 hours of repair time into it by them time it was all fixed.
Terminal rust is obvious, non lethal cases are just time consuming.
For a good preview of how intense the rust repair process can be check out this thread...it's on a first gen but the principles are the same if you want to do it right. Greg is definitely doing it the right way...
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=224462
Not trying to scare you off, but I think every person looking at any older car or truck should have their eyes wide open. Rust isn't brand specific, but almost every brand out there has it's problem areas. At least you'll be armed with some good info when you go look at it.
Rene
As an example, my buddy bought an '89 Blazer that looked decent, but had a few rust indications. I saw some previous repairs and pointed them out...but we both thought it looked decent (compared to my '81 anyways)
Once the carpet and seats were out we saw how poorly the previous repairs really were and startsed cutting and patching. We used box tubing for replacement rockers/rock sliders, and made the rest of the patches. We had an easy 40-50 hours of repair time into it by them time it was all fixed.
Terminal rust is obvious, non lethal cases are just time consuming.
For a good preview of how intense the rust repair process can be check out this thread...it's on a first gen but the principles are the same if you want to do it right. Greg is definitely doing it the right way...
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=224462
Not trying to scare you off, but I think every person looking at any older car or truck should have their eyes wide open. Rust isn't brand specific, but almost every brand out there has it's problem areas. At least you'll be armed with some good info when you go look at it.
Rene
Yeah, Banks is huge...and they should be able to hook you up with any replacement parts. I think you can still order up a complete kit or any part of the kit from them.
Rene
Thanks for all the help. I knew banks was still a big name, just didn't know if they still had this application. Thier sidewinders are amazing machines. Looking foward to getting down to see the truck....Dave
There are other turbo set-ups that work as well or better...but require a lot more knowledge, research etc to put together. For the 'easy' factor Banks has a pretty good kit going.
I have an ATS turbo set-up here probably going on my Crewcab...but i have to either find another turbo, or get the one I have rebuilt. It'll be interesting to see and feel the power difference.
A lot of guys use the factory 6.5 turbo set-ups too...
Rene
I have an ATS turbo set-up here probably going on my Crewcab...but i have to either find another turbo, or get the one I have rebuilt. It'll be interesting to see and feel the power difference.
A lot of guys use the factory 6.5 turbo set-ups too...
Rene
Well i just see the banks already being there being a plus. Eventually I'll build a motor and replace the axles w. something heavier, lift it, bigger tires etc. on what ever I end up getting, and the turbo will go great with that. Really looking foward to having a new toy lol...Dave
Type "4x4" in uppercase and see what you're in for 
Rene
Rene
Oh I know we have a 06 f250 fx4 4x4 diesel skyjacker 6in lift, and I got a brand new 07 f150 lariat 4x4 a month ago. Droped 2000 in goodies in the f150 before the first payment came round lol. The blazers gonna be so I have a toy that I can't void the warrenty on, and don't feel bad running through the woods lol. I found a lot of little hidden lakes when I did my national guard time just beggin to be fished, but just tiny pig trails leading back to them. Ultimate plan is to have a protected rack on top to carry a small jon boat with me out there. Oh God a 4x4 and a boat to throw money into....Dave
Last edited:
lol...double trouble. Bring a girlfriend and complete the triple threat to your wallet!
Rene
Rene
Subscribed.
I've got a M1008 pickup and like my vehicles PLAIN so it was the best option for me. However if I found a nice clean civilian truck I'd have gone for it as well.
That said all the power window problems a lot of folks have make me sorta shudder...
I've got a M1008 pickup and like my vehicles PLAIN so it was the best option for me. However if I found a nice clean civilian truck I'd have gone for it as well.
That said all the power window problems a lot of folks have make me sorta shudder...
I have a full load 83 pick-up, and my 81 Jimmy was full load too. The Jimmy I got so sick of dealing with the options that no longer worked worth a crap...eventually all those options were removed in favor of the basic stuff. AC crap...gone. PW...gone. PDL...gone. Delay wipers...gone.
The pick-up most of it all still works, except for the AC needing a charge, Cruise needs one vac line repaired to work, and the windows are a little slow. I'd like to get it all working again though as the truck is in awesome original shape.
The new 6 pack doesn't have a single option. We'll see what I add or don't add as i build it.
Rene
The pick-up most of it all still works, except for the AC needing a charge, Cruise needs one vac line repaired to work, and the windows are a little slow. I'd like to get it all working again though as the truck is in awesome original shape.
The new 6 pack doesn't have a single option. We'll see what I add or don't add as i build it.
Rene
badger red
1/2 ton status
Subscribed
I wouldn't mind adding cruise control to Big Ugly but I can live without it. It's not a freeway bomber by any means so the trips aren't usually all that long.
The sliding rear window will end the need for AC...
My windows work just fine and the automatic door locks work great too. "When you get out of the truck you AUTOMATICALLY lock the doors behind you!"
The sliding rear window will end the need for AC...
My windows work just fine and the automatic door locks work great too. "When you get out of the truck you AUTOMATICALLY lock the doors behind you!"
