CK5
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Finally picked up another K5.

Any specific van seats? Or are there any other newer style truck seats that fit?
 
I'm so glad I don't live in the rust belt anymore... I just paid less than half what you paid for my new rust free '89 K5. I would love to know what you find for replacement seats as I need to replace the drivers seat in mine.

It looks like we both need to update our sig lines though...
 
The jist I got last summer when I asked was the seat frames are different but there's a bunch of 80's and 90's era GM seats that will bolt to your seat frame and tracks. Do a search for seats and my name and I'm sure it will come up.
 
Got some updates, actually had some time to work on this thing today.

Took some pictures of the front shackles that are rubbing the headers. I'll have to take the header on the drivers side off to weld the hole up. Looks like they are bent, but both sides are like this. Just need some insight from you guys, looks like I might be buying some heavy duty shackles from Kert or ORD.

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This is the drivers side, you can see where it's rubbing the header.
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Also took care of the headlight issue, the blinkers now work perfectly. Also figured out why the dash lights weren't lighting up, fuse was missing, and the ground wire was completely disconnected.

Still just trying to figure out if I wanna tackle all of the fixing before I get it safety inspected and legal. Or if I should do all the work on it first then get plates on it.

Can anyone tell by the pictures provided if I will need to fix the shackles?
 
That's not always a good sign when both shackles are shifted the same direction. It could mean that it took a hit in the front and both rails are knocked over. You would need to take a look at your fender and hood gaps.

Or it might be fine. Still plan on new shackles and bushings.
 
Okay, so by looking at them you can tell they're bent? And yes, they are bent the same direction.

Frame rails look fine. Looks like the P/O used this thing on the sand dunes in CA. It's got sand caked up under it, and the T-case brace is bent up from getting caught on something.

What shackles do you recommend for replacing these? These are the back shackles on the front springs. ORD or DIY?

Oh, and it almost looks like if the shackles were straight, they would rub the headers.
 
Okay, so by looking at them you can tell they're bent? And yes, they are bent the same direction.

Yes, they are clearly bent. Good time to upgrade them to HD ones and expect to rework your headers in the process.
 
Just ordered a new Grant Challenger steering wheel for it.

What shackles are recommended? The DIY 4.5s or cross-braced ones, or the ORD greaseable ones?
 
Any of them will work, but I was running a set of DIY 6" shackles that I redrilled at 4.5" because I got a good deal on them... my father-in-law ran the truck head first into a ditch and there was no damage to them.
 
If the P.O took it out on the sand dunes, it's a sure fire bet that he jumped it at one time or another. It might be a good idea to look at your bearings and hubs and look over your frame for cracks.
 
If the P.O took it out on the sand dunes, it's a sure fire bet that he jumped it at one time or another. It might be a good idea to look at your bearings and hubs and look over your frame for cracks.

Yes very true, my truck had to have been jumped in the past. I had cracks in all four springs, two actually broke, rear shock mounts cracked, front shackles were bent, one shackle bolt sheared, the other bent. Of coarse this was a slow progression over time a time period of 6 months or so but resulted in the need for a complete suspention overhaul. Just something to watch for... ;)
 
Awesome, I can't wait to see what I find now. Can't wait to jump into this project fully.

Just found out the damage to fix my 05 Silverado daily driver. Shop says the T-case is toast. He quoted me $1625 for a warrantied used transfer case installed.

I have no luck with this crap. I may have to sell this Blazer when it's all said and done....:(
 
Why not find a used t-case and install it yourself? It's not too hard if you have tools, patience and the desire to save yourself a lot of $$. The majority of the costs that shops quote is labor.

I would imagine you could find a used case for right around $300-400, and that might be high.
 
Well I need this truck asap. I work a lot and don't have time to try finding one, waiting to get it, then trying to find time to put it together. I've already been without it for a week and I can't go without much longer. Plus I don't exactly trust myself messing with all this newfangled Electronic nonsense.
 
If you got a new transfer case it would just be disconnecting it and reconnecting it.
 
Well I need this truck asap. I work a lot and don't have time to try finding one, waiting to get it, then trying to find time to put it together. I've already been without it for a week and I can't go without much longer. Plus I don't exactly trust myself messing with all this newfangled Electronic nonsense.

Defeatist thinking. It's a freakin T-case re & re, not re-wiring the space shuttle. At worst it's a three hour job that an 11 year old could do (skill level).

My Bro-in-law has the same thought process, which led to him dropping $2100 on a injection pump replacement on a 6.5 diesel. He coulda spent one extra day not working to install the damn thing himself and saved $1500.

Suck it up and get er done.

Rene
 
Just ordered a new Grant Challenger steering wheel for it.

What shackles are recommended? The DIY 4.5s or cross-braced ones, or the ORD greaseable ones?
Cross braced wont work in the front, the brace will hit the frame. I would get a pair of regular plate shackles from DIY maybe a little longer than stock to keep the springs from hitting the frame. Also your speeedometer problem could be from a bad speedo cable. Try disconnecting it from the gauge and spray some rust buster on the cable end and see if that frees it up
 
Cross braced wont work in the front, the brace will hit the frame. I would get a pair of regular plate shackles from DIY maybe a little longer than stock to keep the springs from hitting the frame. Also your speeedometer problem could be from a bad speedo cable. Try disconnecting it from the gauge and spray some rust buster on the cable end and see if that frees it up

Thanks for the advice about the shackles, I'll probably be just picking up a set of DIY factory length ones so my front end doesn't sit higher than the back.

And my speedo works fine, it's just really bouncy. It doesn't increase and decrease steadily. It bounces around until you stay at a steady speed for a few seconds.

And on a side note, I worked on this thing all evening. Got the headlights working correctly, blinkers working correctly. Upgraded all the gauge bulbs to LEDs and cleaned up behind the dash.

Also, took the front seats out, wire wheeled the passenger side and primed it. Gonna be doing Herculiner sometime next week, on the front half for now.

Since this is a California truck and it has no rust, does anyone have any suggestions to keep it rust free now that it's in the rust belt? Should I be doing POR15 then Herculiner on top of that or what?
 
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