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frame off restoration followed by LSx swap

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87blackblazer

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Location
Okinawa, Japan
We have an '87 K5 that has had better days - plenty of rust, very loose steering, malfunctioning HVAC, unreliable engine, jerky/hard shifts, etc. It's my wife's baby, so there's no replacement - only restoration. For years, we have wanted to fix it. That time has finally come, but I will not be able to do the work myself. The end state is a reliable daily driver that can tow a 5,000 lb boat/trailer with ease.

Since I can't do it myself (still living in Japan), we're looking for a reputable, reasonably priced shop or shops to do it for us. Any suggestions? The truck is currently in San Diego, but I'll be shipping it to Charlottesville, VA as my daily driver in July. Since it's going across the country anyway, the restoration shop(s) need not be in a particular state/region.

Also, since we're gong to be fixing virtually everything (and improving things) along the way, feel free to drop suggestions for things you're glad you did or things you wish you had (e.g., HID lights, brakes, particular engine/trans, wiring harness, fiberglass vs. metal body, chasis mods, sound proofing, etc.).

What would someone expect to pay for the full job?

Cheers,
-Chris
 
my guess would be 30-40k for a full frame off restoration like that. I have over $3500 and no labor costs in just my gen 3 engine swap. Took me a solid month of working on it during evenings to get it done. But I'm using all stock gauges and ran a obd2 port just like a new truck would.
 
xpndbl3 said:
my guess would be 30-40k for a full frame off restoration like that.
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Wow, that's 50-75% more than I expected. I was guessing $6-10k for the engine/tranny/harness swap. I was guessing another $10k for the frame/body/chasis (not looking for showroom ready - just high functionality/practicality with no rust). As I read some hotrod sites, I definitely underestimated the cost of fixing every little item.

Bottom line: To make it a reliable daily driver/tow vehicle, I want to do an LQ4/4L80E swap, replace the engine wiring harness along with all other wiring, update most steering components (incredibly sloppy steering), improve the suspension components (literally bounces over speed bumps right now), and get rid of all body rust. Any idea on the cost of those items?
 
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this could really be a can of worms with rust involved, but these trucks are known for a weak area where the steering box is bolted to the frame, and if rust is involved that may be extensive work to repair, not impossible, but perhaps not just a bolt on either.
If you have figured prices (acutally researched them) then add it all up and double that for a final figure.
A engine trans electrical upgrade of the type your talking about could be 2500-10K, so many variables...some minor fab work needs to be done for the LS swap (look for some LS swap threads in the forums)
I would hesistate to guess on body/paint work...again so many variables and quality of repairs/paintwork to go with???
I would do some homework on someone in the final destination you will be in to have the work done, you could keep tabs with the progress as well as discuss any items that may crop up after delivery.

Thanks for your service too!
 
Where abouts in San Diego is the truck? Do you have any pics? I would recommend Paradise motorsports - previously VW Paradise - in San Marcos for your LS swap. The guys there do a lot of machine work for my brothers circle track stuff, and I know they've had a lot of success with LS builds.
 
I know its her baby, but how bad is the rust? If the body is rotten, bodies can still be had in pristine condition, and I suspect that would be substantially less than trying to cut out the rust from an east coast truck. If you are doing an LS swap anyways, you would pretty much be gutting the electrical, the interior stuff is a lot easier to deal with than cutting/welding/bondo, at least IMO.

Really depends on how rusty it is I suppose. If it's rotten like my truck was (holes through various interior panels) swapping the body just made more sense.

If you plan on keeping the truck forever, and offroad even casually, I would also seriously consider having the frame boxed. I tend to over-"engineer" the stuff I do on my truck, but the consequences from the flimsy frame on these trucks is exacerbated over time, and if you plan to tow 5000lbs, I think thats a good reason too.
 
Mkuhn138 said:
Where abouts in San Diego is the truck? Do you have any pics? I would recommend Paradise motorsports - previously VW Paradise - in San Marcos for your LS swap. The guys there do a lot of machine work for my brothers circle track stuff, and I know they've had a lot of success with LS builds.
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It's in Carmel Valley (wow, the property management hates it!). Any idea what that place might charge?

I'm trying to get pics from SWMBO.
 
dyeager535 said:
I know its her baby, but how bad is the rust? If the body is rotten, bodies can still be had in pristine condition, and I suspect that would be substantially less than trying to cut out the rust from an east coast truck. If you are doing an LS swap anyways, you would pretty much be gutting the electrical, the interior stuff is a lot easier to deal with than cutting/welding/bondo, at least IMO.

Really depends on how rusty it is I suppose. If it's rotten like my truck was (holes through various interior panels) swapping the body just made more sense.

If you plan on keeping the truck forever, and offroad even casually, I would also seriously consider having the frame boxed. I tend to over-"engineer" the stuff I do on my truck, but the consequences from the flimsy frame on these trucks is exacerbated over time, and if you plan to tow 5000lbs, I think thats a good reason too.
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I've definitely thought about getting a donor truck to use for replacement body/parts. What's the best way to find one in good enough condition to make it economically beneficial?

Again, I'm in Japan. So, I'd have to either rely on a shop to get it for me or get over the internet.
 
the best way is to get one from the south.... bought my blazer from El Paso, Texas, and its 98% rust free. however, there is NO good way to buy an old truck like this over the internet.... a truck could look amazing in pictures, and then you find its just got a cheapo paint job over some scary ****. i don't recommend buying anything like that without laying eyes on it first.
 
Only way is to find someone that is close enough, that you can trust to go over it with a fine-tooth comb. Someone that knows K5's will know where to look.

I did the same awhile back for someone who was looking at a car. Was being advertised as in great condition, just needed some exhaust work. Not even close. Dented bumpers, body panels, rust, you name it.

Honestly I think just about any truck on the west coast, back to about the mid-west is a likely minimal rust candidate. Some are worse than others, but most places out here don't use salt, and that's what really kills these things. The '87 I bought only has rust on it where the seat mounts were welded up and the paint burned off, but even then only surface rust. Body mounts/bolts might be junk, but that stuff is all replaceable.

Arizona/New Mexico is probably the mecca for rust-free vehicles.

When I had my '83 from the East coast, I planned to "restore" it. Once I found all the rust, I realized the $400 for a "new" body was far less in cost and time than repairing all the problems the '83 had.

When I bought my '87, I paid so little for it running/driving that it was worth it for the body, with the expectation that I'll get something for the drivetrain I have no use for.
 
87blackblazer said:
I've definitely thought about getting a donor truck to use for replacement body/parts. What's the best way to find one in good enough condition to make it economically beneficial?

Again, I'm in Japan. So, I'd have to either rely on a shop to get it for me or get over the internet.
Click to expand...

drew4x4 said:
the best way is to get one from the south.... bought my blazer from El Paso, Texas, and its 98% rust free. however, there is NO good way to buy an old truck like this over the internet.... a truck could look amazing in pictures, and then you find its just got a cheapo paint job over some scary ****. i don't recommend buying anything like that without laying eyes on it first.
Click to expand...

dyeager535 said:
Only way is to find someone that is close enough, that you can trust to go over it with a fine-tooth comb. Someone that knows K5's will know where to look.

I did the same awhile back for someone who was looking at a car. Was being advertised as in great condition, just needed some exhaust work. Not even close. Dented bumpers, body panels, rust, you name it.

Honestly I think just about any truck on the west coast, back to about the mid-west is a likely minimal rust candidate. Some are worse than others, but most places out here don't use salt, and that's what really kills these things. The '87 I bought only has rust on it where the seat mounts were welded up and the paint burned off, but even then only surface rust. Body mounts/bolts might be junk, but that stuff is all replaceable.

Arizona/New Mexico is probably the mecca for rust-free vehicles.

When I had my '83 from the East coast, I planned to "restore" it. Once I found all the rust, I realized the $400 for a "new" body was far less in cost and time than repairing all the problems the '83 had.

When I bought my '87, I paid so little for it running/driving that it was worth it for the body, with the expectation that I'll get something for the drive train I have no use for.
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Just picked up a very nice, clean '86. If getting a doner is something you are considering, I can get you a lot more details and photos.

photo.JPG
 
I'll get a bunch more pictures and details when I get back to Colorado next week.
 
I'm not sure 50K will get your K5 restored. Mine is probably more then what your are talking about doing, but when I started it had a good foundation, paint and body work already done. I do over 95% of the work myself. I can't even think of the labor cost for all the hours I have in it. I can tell you I've got over 35k in it since I started the rebuild.
 
Its funny because it sounds outrageous that it could be 35k to fix up one of our old trucks, but it adds up quicker than a lot of people know.
 
Thats for sure, most people don't even realize how much money and time it takes to build something like this.
 
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