INSERT TRANSFORMER SOUND HERE! Juanblzer's Transformer k5--truggy--to buggy build up

[juanblzer]

insert Charlton Heston voice here....
"IN THE BEGINNING...." there was me and my girlfriend and my blazer (1985 k5 Silverado package (700r4, np208,10 bolts front and rear, rough country 2.5 springs, 32 inch all terrains on stock chrome rims, a/c, power windows... nice for camping)

then the de-evolution began

top off chopped doors (durabak exterior/ rhino interior) shackle flip, tough country 4 inch ez ride hd springs, 36 inch tsls, full cage, beard seats, dana 60 with arb and 14 bolt with detroit 4.10 gears

then...
narrowed tube front, fox 2.0 shocks, chopped and capped doors, custom dash, custom steering column, art carr shifter, autometer gauges

then it was "Go BIG time"
4 link front and rear with king coilovers...by randy ellis design
this led to harder wheeling and removal of all but "skin" sheetmetal for the rear

and windshield frame removal...

then I got divorced and moved to Costa Rica... before I left I sold my motor/ seats/ cage/ and other misc. parts... here is a pic of some ideas I had before I decided to tarp it up and save it in case I came back from costa rica (i'm glad I saved my baby!)

So I came back... duh!
and I decided to build it again... so I bought another tub (actually a complete blazer for $2000 with a dana 60 and 14 bolt)
I toyed with the idea of keeping the tub intact.... then I got the sawzall...

then some tubing ideas were put into action...


factory sheet metal was shed and Trailer Products fiberglass was utilized for a completely removable candy coated shell.....
also note...
jerry can rack and third seat evolution began

new front clip ("1 piece" is actually 3 pieces)


and Finally!

Well, my project "transformer" is almost complete (yeah right!)
In my preparation for BB08:

• I need to paint the fiberglass (mostly to protect the glass from the UV rays) The cage will stay "sand" tan color.Any ideas for colors?
• I will be buying king triple bypasses for the rear (to compliment the coilovers). I will have to wait for the fronts (they are pretty pricey)
• I have been doing some aluminum paneling to keep roost and debris from entering passenger area.
• Measuring for window nets
• Toying with some new tubing ideas for the front nose area
• Toying withe the idea of making my own firewall
• front fiberglass grill and light assembly to 'glass in
• ebrake build
• re-mount taillights
• re-mount coilover resevoirs
• get passenger side mirror / rear view mirror
• add another door bar to cage
• perhaps buy another chassis wiring harness and rewire

some of these items are subject to back burner status and are not necessary to participate in BB08

with fiberglass body ready to street and cruise / camp.

naked and ready to wheel!

current drivetrain and componentry
np208, 700r4, 14 bolt detroit, dana 60, 5.13s, 40 inch MTRs, wheel spacers, art carr, autometer gauges, beard seats, renegade driver's seat, 350 crate, tbi, lots of tube, rci seatbelts, custom fuel cell, h2 rims, jeep cj 5 bikini top,

 

[badmix]

nice. do you have a build thread. esp. on the suspension?

 

[vortec]

that is very cool. how long does it take to strip it down or put it back together?

since you're keeping the cage tan, painting the rest tan would look best, imo. otherwise, i'd go white. i'm sort of biased though since both of my trucks are white.

 

[juanblzer]

3 piece hood and fenders.... 5 minutes
rear fenders... 5 min. each

if i want to crawl with it I remove the sub cage that holds the rear fenders (add 5 minutes to each side)

I'm leaning toward tan for the body panels too....
or white.....

I don't want to paint it black......... and my driver's seat has tan piping.

No build thread on the suspension. I have various shots of various stages of build up. The suspension was built by www.randyellisdesign.com I don't weld well enough or trust my engineering skills to build my own 4 link on a daily driver. I wanted a suspension that could go fast and last a long time and that was Pro built. I decided that paying a pro was worth it.

This truck has been driven (in current form) from Arizona to Montana and back. It soaks up bumps (even more now with bypasses in the rear) and handles really well on the street.

I'm going to do a rear link suspension on my Suzuki samurai project. It's not my main ride though

 

[badmix]

Could you either post here or start a new thread on your suspension. If you could take some pics of the setup front to back. Me and Others would appreciate it. not too many linked coil Rigs and im really wanting to do this someday.

Thanks

 

[fireplug]

That's one of the coolest things built around here in a while. Let's get some details!

 

[rjpastor]

I'd go with tan. It's great for something that sees a lot of dirt. I had a tan baja bug and it always looked clean, also stays pretty cool like white.

 

[juanblzer]

I'm leaning toward tan also.....
WHite is cool but.... tan is not as popular...

I'll work on getting some build up photos and a thread posted.

 

[Jason4x4]

Olive drab, with the tan tubes, it would look sick. and I like the edited first post.

 

[VikingWarlord]

Looks great Juan ! And I love how the "Transformer " name stuck

 

[pauly383]

I'm leaning toward tan also.....
WHite is cool but.... tan is not as popular...

I'll work on getting some build up photos and a thread posted.

Tan is awesome , I will always wheel a tan truck . I am doing freds truggy in black tubes and tan body so it looks like my K5

 

[79BRUISER]

I like the tan also.
bruiser

 

[juanblzer]

i'm leaning toward tan (not flat paint though) I'm thinking semi gloss or gloss tan /sand color. If I painted it Olive Green I'd probably be doing it semi gloss

 

[juanblzer]

back from the dead...
some major tubing work and a loss of about 1000lbs, some major coilover spring rate changes, rewiring, cockpit changeup, trans tcase engine refresh has taken my truggy from this

to this iteration built by Jesse Keierleber at Rsidedown.com in apache junction, az

 

[juanblzer]

painted

 

[juanblzer]

new springs

 

[tRustyK5]

Looks killer Juan, and welcome back!! Gotta be 5+ years?

 

[juanblzer]

had a baby girl born in 2010 so wheeling and such took a back seat. I did get another build practically finished up. a little suzuki samurai (my alternative to a utv)

 

[tRustyK5]

Congrats on the baby girl!

I'd say the 'zuk is a great alternative to a side by side! Looks plenty capable too!

 

[juanblzer]

Congrats on the baby girl!

I'd say the 'zuk is a great alternative to a side by side! Looks plenty capable too!

thanks... she is the best project I ever started

the zuk is fun as hell and I drive it to the trail and back or trailer it... its just waay to much fun. I actually have been driving it to work since the weather has been so nice here. It sports a bigger suzuki sidekick engine, full cage, yj springs, welded rear diff and runs 33x10.50 km2s.