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Jtrux's 1971 K5 "restoration"

jtrux

jtrux

1/2 ton status
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Jan 14, 2007
Posts
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Location
San Antonio, TX
I've had this truck since the Summer of 2005. I drove it on and off before finally deciding that I wanted to restore it back in 2008. Basically I tore most of it apart and there it sat, and sat, and sat...until yesterday (10-10-14). Only six years, not too bad.

I left the body at my parents house and dragged the chassis home. The plan is to tear the chassis all the way down to just the frame and completely blast and primer it. Once I get it to that point, I plan to bolt the suspension to it (probably Alcan or Deaver 4"), bolt the axles under it and then place the unfinished body on it and proceed with body work. Once body work is done, I'll take it back off, finish the chassis, paint the body and slap them together.

Since I've never restored a vehicle before, I will probably run into snags but that's the plan for now. We'll see how it goes from here. The order in which the above items gets done might change depending on various circumstances and so forth.

I've always liked stock blazers. Actually, I LOVE the stock look. Really odd to most people but that's my thing. This blazer will see beaches, back roads and some mountain trails (mom lives in Denver and I will be driving it up there once completed) but that's it. Nothing crazy.

It will be pretty simple for the most part compared to other builds here. 350/standard tranny (unsure which), NP205, 4" lift, tall and skinny tires with stock NOS hubcaps (you have no idea how turned on those things get me), and a original tire carrier (also has Jerry can holder). Axles will be basic, too. D44 front and SF 14 bolt rear.

Here's a pic of the chassis after I loaded it on the trailer. Looks snazzy, huh?



Pics from when it was driving. More snazzy.





It's a little rainy today but once it clears up I'll unload it into the garage and start tearing it down. The frame has a lot of undercoating on it so I will wire wheel it off and take it to get blasted. I also need to get the SF 14 bolt out and weld some new spring perches to it so I can get it blasted at the same time, along with the D44.
 
I headed to Harbor Freight tonight to pick up so grinding discs, clamps and any other oddball items that I felt like grabbing. As luck would have it, they were having a parking lot sale so I grabbed a few extra items including this tool box. It was dented so the price was slashed in half. I've been using a few small tool boxes which, as you can imagine, was less than ideal. This will get me more in the swing of things with a little tool organization.

Also, managed to grab an extra set of jack stands to dedicate to the K5. I have a total of 4 pairs now. Should be enough for this project and then any other thing I have pop up.





No, the tool box didn't fit in the back of my Jeep. I had to come home and grab the truck to go pick it up. Wasn't anticipating buying a tool box.

Shameless pic of the truck. I really like it. I'm the third owner. 1993 K2500 with 454 and NV4500. Only 130K on the clock. Pic was taken when I picked it up. It's got some new Michelin AT2's on it now. Those tires were trashed.

 
Oh, I have a mobile media blaster guy coming by Monday to give me an estimate on the bare frame. If he's reasonable, I'll use him for the whole project.
 
Yea, I will brace everything once the body and top are back together on top of the frame. I've seen them fold up like tacos when people don't do it.
 
Well, I got it unloaded and rolled into the garage. Considering the length and turns in my driveway, it was quite the workout.

I took a few quick pics before calling it a night and as I was taking the last one I stepped back into 5 quarts of old oil sitting in a catch container that I kept telling myself I should move for that very reason. Pretty much called it a night at that point.



 
Something I'm curious about is, of you guys who sandblasted your own frame with one of those HF or Northern blasters, would you do it again, or hire someone?

I'm on the fence. On one hand, I want to do EVERYTHING. On the other hand, I don't won't to be a hard-headed idiot and work my self to effing death when I could have had it done for a little cash.
 
I had a truck box blasted before. I would vote pay someone to do it. Idk for you but for me it was cheap and sandblasting is a mess and very tedious. Worth the money i would say.

Understand wanting to do everything yourself, but somethings are just worth it to pay for someone else to do it in the long run.
 
I rented a spot at a sandblasting shop to blast a 68 Datsun Roadster frame... hour or so and I was done!

Worked great! Cant remember what they charged me though, was 25 + years ago.






Yes I used to be into rice...and I liked it! :haha:
 
jtrux said:
Something I'm curious about is, of you guys who sandblasted your own frame with one of those HF or Northern blasters, would you do it again, or hire someone?

I'm on the fence. On one hand, I want to do EVERYTHING. On the other hand, I don't won't to be a hard-headed idiot and work my self to effing death when I could have had it done for a little cash.
Click to expand...


Depends on the size of your compressor...

I did my first sand blasting with a cheap 110v Craftsman compressor and I spent hours waiting for it to catch up on PSI for blasting.... Wasted a lot of blasting media when pressure was low.

My new Quincy does a nice job with maps Eastwood blaster...it still falls behind occasionally, but recovery is WAY faster than the old days. I wouldn't hesitate to do my own blasting now any time I need it. It makes a huge mess, so do it when the weather is nice and do it outdoors. A few psycho members here have done blasting indoors.....and they all expressed regret afterwards. :haha:

-G
 
I finished getting the frame stripped of all tubing and wiring. I'm to the point where I need to get the axles and leaf springs out from under it so, while I had some ideas of my own for a frame dolly, I'm looking for ideas for some of you guys that have actually done it. I have 4 casters and pile of 2 by 4's or I could pick up some metal. Since I have the boards, I'm leaning towards just doing that.

Anyways, any ideas?
 
What are you doing with the frame once it's stripped? Are you just trying to get it blasted and painted quickly or are you going to set it somewhere semi-permanently and do a long term build on top of it?

A cheap set of collapsible metal sawhorses would work for something quick. I've done that... The problem with any sort of sawhorse or caster setup is they always seem to end up in the way of parts you want to reattach to the frame.

-G
 
Blast, then primer. I'll probably just have one of those mobile outfits blast it. Way easier in the long run. I was supposed to have a guy come look at it last Monday but my work schedule wasn't conducive to it so I had to postpone.

I was thinking about a wooden box with 4 casters. Something that just supported it in the middle. Before the body goes back on it, the axles and suspension will be under it so I'm not terribly worried about it being in the way but I see where that could be a potential issue.
 
jtrux said:
Something I'm curious about is, of you guys who sandblasted your own frame with one of those HF or Northern blasters, would you do it again, or hire someone?

I'm on the fence. On one hand, I want to do EVERYTHING. On the other hand, I don't won't to be a hard-headed idiot and work my self to effing death when I could have had it done for a little cash.
Click to expand...

If voting is still open I recommend paying someone to do it as far away from any property you own. Sounds dramatic but I bought the HF blaster (that one that says in very small print use 'no abrasives'), closed off an area in my garage with plastic, and went to town. That was last winter and I am still trying to clean up the garage...the whole garage. I would gladly have paid someone knowing what I know now. This is one part of 'built not bought' that you can bypass...trust me.
 
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