Yep, it's poly. I couldn't drop the $$$ on a fuel cell right now so I got this one off ebay for el-cheapo. Looks alright but I'm worried about my exhaust routing...
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.
Dare I say it...Another 72 K5 build! The Bubba build - getting back into it
- Thread starter Z71paramedic
- Start date
Yep, it's poly. I couldn't drop the $$$ on a fuel cell right now so I got this one off ebay for el-cheapo. Looks alright but I'm worried about my exhaust routing...
Ok, an update of sorts. I've been running around like my hair was on fire all week (which would be bad because I have a white-boy afro right now...) with new cars, and insurance companies and all that crap. Like I said before, the wife is A-OK so there's no worries there. They did total the civic like I thought they would. On the plus side now I don't have to do the struts that it needed and the clutch that was coming up I'm sure. Plus now I have a new hood that I can sell because I never got around to painting it (my blazer had its way with the hood right before we moved out here...)
It needed a whole front clip, and blew both airbags. Allstate actually gave us more than bluebook on it
It was an '03 with ~120k on it and they sent us a check for $7,800. They also tossed me about 500 extra because of the timing belt/water pump/tuneup I did not long ago. So we were looking at all sorts of stuff and she couldn't get excited about anything that was less than about 45k. Then...about 4 days in I pulled my head out of my A$$ and remembered that she likes hatchbacks...and I like fast cars...which turned into..............................
THIS!
Last new one on the island 275 ponies under that little hood!
As for the Blazer, I'll be back in the garage tomorrow. I got all my axle parts from ORD, so hopefully I can get the 60 back together, do the drivers side and start running brake lines.
Oh yeah, I quit my job this week too! Got tired of the BS, and the Mrs. was tired of me being in a bad mood so she told me to dump it. Next Friday is my last day. My plan is to get the blazer driveable, sell the dodge and be a beach bum for a bit. Then I'll get something part time and ride it out till we move. Now I just need to re-evaluate the life situation and figure out what I want to do for a living once we move back to reality. I'm thinking of welding school or something along those lines. The EMS thing was cool when I was doing it, and it sucks that I have 2 degrees that aren't good for anything else, but I think I'm going to leave that behind me. Any suggestions??
It needed a whole front clip, and blew both airbags. Allstate actually gave us more than bluebook on it
It was an '03 with ~120k on it and they sent us a check for $7,800. They also tossed me about 500 extra because of the timing belt/water pump/tuneup I did not long ago. So we were looking at all sorts of stuff and she couldn't get excited about anything that was less than about 45k. Then...about 4 days in I pulled my head out of my A$$ and remembered that she likes hatchbacks...and I like fast cars...which turned into..............................THIS!
Last new one on the island
275 ponies under that little hood!As for the Blazer, I'll be back in the garage tomorrow. I got all my axle parts from ORD, so hopefully I can get the 60 back together, do the drivers side and start running brake lines.
Oh yeah, I quit my job this week too! Got tired of the BS, and the Mrs. was tired of me being in a bad mood so she told me to dump it. Next Friday is my last day. My plan is to get the blazer driveable, sell the dodge and be a beach bum for a bit. Then I'll get something part time and ride it out till we move. Now I just need to re-evaluate the life situation and figure out what I want to do for a living once we move back to reality. I'm thinking of welding school or something along those lines. The EMS thing was cool when I was doing it, and it sucks that I have 2 degrees that aren't good for anything else, but I think I'm going to leave that behind me. Any suggestions??
Bad ass little car, that thing has got to be a blast to drive.
You think you would hate EMS at anouther station also? Was it just the place/people you worked at/with more so than the actual job itself? Maybe back stateside you might get in with a station that runs better and has cooler people.
Could just join the Marines, ha ha.
You think you would hate EMS at anouther station also? Was it just the place/people you worked at/with more so than the actual job itself? Maybe back stateside you might get in with a station that runs better and has cooler people.
Could just join the Marines, ha ha.
Actually I haven't been running EMS for the last two years since we've been here. When we moved (my wife is an Army Pediatrician) I was told that I didn't have enough training to work in Hawaii (even though I worked as a medic in Cleveland for two years
) and was told that I had to retake the whole paramedic program in Hawaii or go back to Ohio and work for two months without pay to adequately be trained. Apparently you can only learn when being the third, non-payed member of a squad...
Anyways, I obviously opted out of either of those and have just been working for Fedex for the past year and a half. If I want to do EMS again I would need to renew a bunch of certifications and then retake the National Registry test. I'm just not sure that I want to do that again.
As for joining up, I've thought about it several times. Regret not doing it out of high school still. Of course I never would have met my wife, but everything else would be a little more in line.
I just can't wait until the WRX passes the 1,500 mile recommended break in so I can flog it a bit. Still, at half throttle the turbo starts to spool up at 2,500 and you have to shift almost immediately to not pass the 4,000 RPM's that they recommended for proper break in. Maybe she'll even let me drive it today
) and was told that I had to retake the whole paramedic program in Hawaii or go back to Ohio and work for two months without pay to adequately be trained. Apparently you can only learn when being the third, non-payed member of a squad...Anyways, I obviously opted out of either of those and have just been working for Fedex for the past year and a half. If I want to do EMS again I would need to renew a bunch of certifications and then retake the National Registry test. I'm just not sure that I want to do that again.
As for joining up, I've thought about it several times. Regret not doing it out of high school still. Of course I never would have met my wife, but everything else would be a little more in line.
I just can't wait until the WRX passes the 1,500 mile recommended break in so I can flog it a bit. Still, at half throttle the turbo starts to spool up at 2,500 and you have to shift almost immediately to not pass the 4,000 RPM's that they recommended for proper break in. Maybe she'll even let me drive it today
Army doctor huh...that will certainly pay the bills
It was more of a joke about joining the Marines, I wouldnt wish that upon anyone, ha ha.
It was more of a joke about joining the Marines, I wouldnt wish that upon anyone, ha ha.
Rocker box theory:
Since I was asked via PM to comment, here are some of my thoughts and philosophies on the subject.
If you are rebuilding a stock 1st Gen with no desire to add a roll cage, then the factory rocker boxes should be either restored/patched or replaced with a reproduction part. The body structure needs those to control sagging and torsional twisting forces.
Since most of us AREN'T doing stock restorations the question is always how to build a valid roll cage and how the torsion boxes should be dealt with during the build.
For all but the most extreme builds, my personal opinion is that the roll cage should be built within the interior space of the cab but not connected to the frame below. The cage would probably be a minimum of a 6-point design with good triangulation and could have the legs of the cage tied to each other close to the floor with additional bars and gussets. The idea is to create a strong perimeter frame that will encapsulate the interior occupants and will add extra structural strength to the cab while still allowing the use of stock body mounts in all of the factory locations. For a street driven truck, I can't see the value of bypassing or changing the function of the stock body mounts.... And with this type of cage you can leave the stock torsion box in place and not mess with it at all. You get a very stiff cab structure, a frame that can still twist, and body mounts are the effective isolator between those two systems.
Once you start trying to connect the cage to the frame, you need to either cut access holes into the torsion boxes or remove them completely. And once you start mixing a combination of body mounts with roll cage bushings it's anyone's guess whether they will work in harmony with each other or will fight each other and make the ride overly harsh and noisy.
Once you go to a full-on wheeler, the cage mounts solidly to the frame and prevents any torsional flex. The tradeoff is that all of the suspension, engine and driveline harshness get transmitted directly into the driver seat so the whole thing is a lot less pleasant to drive on the street.
Since I was asked via PM to comment, here are some of my thoughts and philosophies on the subject.
If you are rebuilding a stock 1st Gen with no desire to add a roll cage, then the factory rocker boxes should be either restored/patched or replaced with a reproduction part. The body structure needs those to control sagging and torsional twisting forces.
Since most of us AREN'T doing stock restorations the question is always how to build a valid roll cage and how the torsion boxes should be dealt with during the build.
For all but the most extreme builds, my personal opinion is that the roll cage should be built within the interior space of the cab but not connected to the frame below. The cage would probably be a minimum of a 6-point design with good triangulation and could have the legs of the cage tied to each other close to the floor with additional bars and gussets. The idea is to create a strong perimeter frame that will encapsulate the interior occupants and will add extra structural strength to the cab while still allowing the use of stock body mounts in all of the factory locations. For a street driven truck, I can't see the value of bypassing or changing the function of the stock body mounts.... And with this type of cage you can leave the stock torsion box in place and not mess with it at all. You get a very stiff cab structure, a frame that can still twist, and body mounts are the effective isolator between those two systems.
Once you start trying to connect the cage to the frame, you need to either cut access holes into the torsion boxes or remove them completely. And once you start mixing a combination of body mounts with roll cage bushings it's anyone's guess whether they will work in harmony with each other or will fight each other and make the ride overly harsh and noisy.
Once you go to a full-on wheeler, the cage mounts solidly to the frame and prevents any torsional flex. The tradeoff is that all of the suspension, engine and driveline harshness get transmitted directly into the driver seat so the whole thing is a lot less pleasant to drive on the street.
Thanks Greg! I guess i will be running the rocker boxes then. I'm glad that i asked before doing what I was thinking.
Rocker box theory:
Once you start trying to connect the cage to the frame, you need to either cut access holes into the torsion boxes or remove them completely. And once you start mixing a combination of body mounts with roll cage bushings it's anyone's guess whether they will work in harmony with each other or will fight each other and make the ride overly harsh and noisy.
Good Info.
Thanks Greg.
Now that I'm officially unemployed I'm back in the garage with nothing to do but get it going again
I've started kinda slow, mostly due to the fact that there's SO much that needs done and I'm just trying to start and finish things, not just jump all over the place. So the past two days I've spent plenty of time just looking and thinking. Yesterday I started off by swapping the sector shaft in my steering box with a 2wd so I can run my crossover. After that was done I installed my new P/S lines. I bought new lines for an 85 1 ton so it would match with my hydroboost. Obviously that left me with one incorrect fitting, going from the hydroboost to my older flare-style gear box. So I got to test out my fancy schmancy flaring tool my dad got me for Christmas last year from eastwood. Worked AWESOME! So after making quick work of that I decided to run my rear brake line. I had ordered 3/16 SS bulk line from Summit when I got my rims. Made a quick flare on one end to match the braided stainless hose for the rear axle and then proceeded to run the line down the frame, across the front crossmember and up to my adjustable proportioning valve. One more flare there, then another couple flares on the short section to the MC and it was done. That was where I stopped off yesterday. Not bad progress for my recent hiatus from wrenching. Today I made a bit less progress overall, but tackled a bigger issue. I measured a bunch and finally figured out where I wanted my clutch master cylinder to be mounted. Marked it, drilled it as big/accurate as I could with a step drill then cleaned it up with a carbide bur. Then marked and drilled the two mounting holes. I measured and drilled the hole in the pedal and then got to work on my homebrew pushrod. The new MC didn't come with a pushrod so I dug through the "might use" bucket and found the old pushrod from an extra brake MC that I had. Measured, cut, "thinned" with a flap wheel and once it was close enough I welded a ball onto the end so it will stay in the MC when done. Then I got to work and drilled out and re-tapped a clevis that I bought so that it matched the new-old pushrod. Hit it with a quick spiff of primer then some flat black. That's about it for today...
hoping to tackle fuel tank mounting tomorrow, as well as some other little stuff. I did find out I can't use my old headers because of moving the motor forward
So there's more coin I have to spend. The passenger side fit, but there was too much stuff on the drivers side, plus that one flared out kind of funny. Anybody know of some long tube block huggers that won't interfere with the frame or front driveshaft?
And to please the pic nazi's:
Don't worry, I'll be cleaning up everything and repainting, I just wanted to do all my test fitting and modifications now. Another round of taking everything apart and reinstalling, YAY!!!
I've started kinda slow, mostly due to the fact that there's SO much that needs done and I'm just trying to start and finish things, not just jump all over the place. So the past two days I've spent plenty of time just looking and thinking. Yesterday I started off by swapping the sector shaft in my steering box with a 2wd so I can run my crossover. After that was done I installed my new P/S lines. I bought new lines for an 85 1 ton so it would match with my hydroboost. Obviously that left me with one incorrect fitting, going from the hydroboost to my older flare-style gear box. So I got to test out my fancy schmancy flaring tool my dad got me for Christmas last year from eastwood. Worked AWESOME! So after making quick work of that I decided to run my rear brake line. I had ordered 3/16 SS bulk line from Summit when I got my rims. Made a quick flare on one end to match the braided stainless hose for the rear axle and then proceeded to run the line down the frame, across the front crossmember and up to my adjustable proportioning valve. One more flare there, then another couple flares on the short section to the MC and it was done. That was where I stopped off yesterday. Not bad progress for my recent hiatus from wrenching. Today I made a bit less progress overall, but tackled a bigger issue. I measured a bunch and finally figured out where I wanted my clutch master cylinder to be mounted. Marked it, drilled it as big/accurate as I could with a step drill then cleaned it up with a carbide bur. Then marked and drilled the two mounting holes. I measured and drilled the hole in the pedal and then got to work on my homebrew pushrod. The new MC didn't come with a pushrod so I dug through the "might use" bucket and found the old pushrod from an extra brake MC that I had. Measured, cut, "thinned" with a flap wheel and once it was close enough I welded a ball onto the end so it will stay in the MC when done. Then I got to work and drilled out and re-tapped a clevis that I bought so that it matched the new-old pushrod. Hit it with a quick spiff of primer then some flat black. That's about it for today...
hoping to tackle fuel tank mounting tomorrow, as well as some other little stuff. I did find out I can't use my old headers because of moving the motor forward
So there's more coin I have to spend. The passenger side fit, but there was too much stuff on the drivers side, plus that one flared out kind of funny. Anybody know of some long tube block huggers that won't interfere with the frame or front driveshaft?And to please the pic nazi's:
Don't worry, I'll be cleaning up everything and repainting, I just wanted to do all my test fitting and modifications now. Another round of taking everything apart and reinstalling, YAY!!!
looking good man! I'm thinking about doing hydroboost and hydraulic clutch on mine this winter too, so the more pics the better!
Ok ive wondered this for a while, what are the advantages of hydroboost systems over the vacuum boost setup. I thought they got rid of hydro to replace it with vac?
Most of the newer trucks have it, even the half tons. It just provides a more responsive pedal and a larger m/c. People look at it as a pretty good mod for larger than 33's and especially on the older trucks. Plus i got my setup free with my axles and my old vac m/c was wasted.
MMMMM This should help things along!
pretty!
Anybody know if I can leave the vent line that went from the charcoal canister to the tank off? My charcoal can is all effed up and I'd prefer to leave as much unnecessary stuff off as possible. I can't wait until I go to put something on that just fits... Take out of box, put on, tighten bolts type of thing
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
Anybody know if I can leave the vent line that went from the charcoal canister to the tank off? My charcoal can is all effed up and I'd prefer to leave as much unnecessary stuff off as possible. I can't wait until I go to put something on that just fits... Take out of box, put on, tighten bolts type of thing
As long as you plug the carb lines and tank lines. You do need to vent the tank somehow though.
-Brian
Ok, thats what I thought. Thanks.
I was planning on leaving mine off and putting a little breather cap where the softline comes off the hard line near the fuel pump. Carb lines were not hooked up when I got it. In fact, took me a while to figure out what the can in the corner was supposed to do.
Got some done today. More headaches and of course didn't get near as much done as I thought I would this morning
Started out hanging the gas tank...sort of. I wish I had read BP's writeup on the poly tanks before I bought this thing. Looks like I get to buy a heat gun this week sort of....
Next I finalized how I wanted to have the pushrod on the hydroboost work. Ended up cutting the original eye off because it didn't have enough throw when connected to the pedal. Got a 3/8-24 x 1 1/2 bolt and welded it to the end of the pushrod and threw another one of those clevis' on there. That actually went pretty smooth. Then I pulled the pedals back out and drilled the new holes for the clutch and brake pushrods.
Then I decided since the welder was out I'd tackle welding the tubes on the 14 bolt so it doesn't spin on me when I put the anti-wrap bar on. Went slow, only 1-2 inches at a time per side. turned out pretty good I think. It definitely won't be turning.
All those things combined with going across the island to pick up my radiator because the guy sent it to the wrong address and UPS wouldn't deliver it
and plenty more thinking was it for today.
I'll be sandblasting the pedals, hydroboost and core support tomorrow. I'll paint the stuff, touch up the firewall and install my crossmember I made. Then maybe I'll go get a heat gun
and play with the poly tank. Then who knows
Started out hanging the gas tank...sort of. I wish I had read BP's writeup on the poly tanks before I bought this thing. Looks like I get to buy a heat gun this week
sort of....
Next I finalized how I wanted to have the pushrod on the hydroboost work. Ended up cutting the original eye off because it didn't have enough throw when connected to the pedal. Got a 3/8-24 x 1 1/2 bolt and welded it to the end of the pushrod and threw another one of those clevis' on there. That actually went pretty smooth. Then I pulled the pedals back out and drilled the new holes for the clutch and brake pushrods.
Then I decided since the welder was out I'd tackle welding the tubes on the 14 bolt so it doesn't spin on me when I put the anti-wrap bar on. Went slow, only 1-2 inches at a time per side. turned out pretty good I think. It definitely won't be turning.
All those things combined with going across the island to pick up my radiator because the guy sent it to the wrong address and UPS wouldn't deliver it
and plenty more thinking was it for today.I'll be sandblasting the pedals, hydroboost and core support tomorrow. I'll paint the stuff, touch up the firewall and install my crossmember I made. Then maybe I'll go get a heat gun
and play with the poly tank. Then who knows
Last edited:
