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Help a noob out with his first k5 purchase

ask for 30 more pictures and if he's willing to give up the VIN, you can run a report on it for history sake. If you test drive it, tell him not to start it till you get there. You want to be there for a cold start. Then test drive it and I mean TEST it. I put mine in 4lo and 4hi and drove around on the street some. :)
 
dont worry about having to pass emissions with a tbi truck. i wouldnt let that affect what year you buy. if they are running well and have a cat-they will pass with no problems. you dont have to worry about "tuning" it to make it pass like a carb truck.

i have a tbi 350 in my 1 ton- and its 50 times better for daily driver use than my carbed engine in my k5.

sm465's are great- but you need to drive one first before you really worry about that. they arent for everyone.

87-up 700r4 isnt a bad deal if rebuilt right. so if the po says its rebuilt, make sure you see reciepts to make sure it was done at a reputable place with a warrantee.

patience is key. i just went threw this with a friend. he didnt have patience. got the first pos he looked at. its a friggin pile. the "one" is out there. you will find it.
 
Personally, I would NOT suggest you "swap" a TBI into a non-TBI truck. No matter how simple it seems, it will probably not be a good first project. You will probably have to swap in the computer, wire harness, and all the appropriate sensors if they are not there already, and be sure you wire up the OBD light in the dash, etc. TBI relies on a lot of the sensors (MAP, O2, coolant, etc) and if any of them are not right you're going to spend days troubleshooting, getting parts, testing parts, etc. What a pain!

A truck with TBI on it already is far easier to deal with. You can jump the data port and the check engine light flashes a code to tell you what is wrong. Then you go fix it!

If I were you, I would just go look at all the trucks that are near by. Do not buy one. Drive them all. Check under the hood, body, dash. Take the buyers guide checklist with you and check off everything. Once you've seen a few you will know a good one. The K5 I got was in great shape and a steal. I am so glad I waited.
 
I am hoping to find a 87 with tbi that fits the bill. Buts it good to know that if I find another year that everything is perfect...just lacks tbi...then I dont have to rule it out completely. Keeping my options open will help my search.
 
As has been said a deal will come up, patience is key. If I were looking for a TBI I would specifically look for an 89 -91. I like the grille better, 241 t case. But I would not rule out other years for sure, a well tuned carb does pretty dang good.

Although if a nice 73-75 came along that would be it for me, I am a sucker for full verts
 
Yeah, I am atleast learning the advantages and disadvantages of all the options and years. I have an idea of what would be ideal? But I also know its my first build, and the deal is really what I am looking for.

I am exercising patience...but I am also obsessing and looking at craigslist/traders all day every day. Luckily its not a beautiful texas day outside or i couldnt stand it.

I am planning a trip to big bend in april for my bday....so I told myself I need one trail ready by then....


on a seperate note....anyone got some good links to sites that I can really learn more about some of the basics? I had to google things like free floating axles, manual vs auto hubs, etc. I have learned alot from this site, but didnt know if there was a 4x4 "bible" anywhere....
 
stupid question...but I havent been looking at any GMC Jimmys. Are they the exact same? or are there differences that matter?
 
They are the same just made by GMC and have a little bit different grille other than that all parts will interchange in the drivetrain.
 
be careful of the 85-86 year blazers, some came with a CCC carb. Kinda sucks, it's more a CA thing, but might have spread elsewhere. I think the generation before CCC also had the fuel mixture solenoid, electric thingy, but not sure how far back those go, maybe 83 or something.

However, if your state isn't that picky, you can always swap for a different carb.
 
K85 Octane said:
be careful of the 85-86 year blazers, some came with a CCC carb. Kinda sucks, it's more a CA thing, but might have spread elsewhere. I think the generation before CCC also had the fuel mixture solenoid, electric thingy, but not sure how far back those go, maybe 83 or something.

However, if your state isn't that picky, you can always swap for a different carb.
Click to expand...

83 only has the computer controlled distributor that retards the timing if it senses knock from the knock sensor; unless it's a California vehicle. Then it probably has the fuel mixture control as you mentioned.
Causes problems if it starts acting up later. Mine is gone...
 
1BEATK5 said:
87-up 700r4 isnt a bad deal if rebuilt right. so if the po says its rebuilt, make sure you see reciepts to make sure it was done at a reputable place with a warrantee.
Click to expand...
The added benifit of the 700R4 is you can run really deep gears. It was a huge win for me.
 
if it's any kind of drive, I'd ask for more pictures
what does this "Wad" add up to? What are u looking to offer him?
It should be TBI 350, better 700r4, 241 TC which is all good
 
K85 Octane said:
if it's any kind of drive, I'd ask for more pictures
what does this "Wad" add up to? What are u looking to offer him?
It should be TBI 350, better 700r4, 241 TC which is all good
Click to expand...

Good advice :rolleyes:, if the truck in the link above looks and drives good I would think an offer around 3g's might get the deal done :dunno: I would even hit him lower with a wad of cash and go from there.
 
Talked to the guy, its 45 mins away.

350tbi
700R4
stock axles, stock everything except wheels
ac/heater work - compressor 1 yr old
tires 4 months old 31x1050
interior is above average shape, carpets look fine, seats have been re done and look new/ish
no body damage
no rust
154k miles no rebuilds
all power windows, locks, and rear window work
does not leak
is the sellers daily driver

...now, all this will have to be confirmed..but I would think that $2800 would be a great deal for me...willing to spend 3k if its truly in the great condition is appears to be.

thoughts? I like the idea of it being stock and unmolested...gives me to opportunity to do whatever i want, and do it right.
 
btw, the tires in that pic are not whats currently on the vehicle. he says those were 33s and rubbed at full turn, so he sold the wheels and tires and bought the 31x1050s on black crager rims.
 
That one sure looks nice.

Its much better to spend a little more initially and have a better overall rig than to spend less, then blow your cash on a lift and stuff and have stuff starting to go wrong

Although I would put some money away every month to go toward a trans rebuild. I have seen 700s last way longer than 150k but the stock ones do have some issues
 
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