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Just got a K5... suggestions?

A

Amahoser

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Brand new to this forum. A friend of mine said that this is THE site for K5 info and that I should get suggestions here.

Im also relativley new to 4x4 and very new to Chevy's (first chevy i've ever owned!)

Form reading this site, I THINK I know what I've got so im looking for conformation and also suggestions for making it a good off road trail rig. I won't do any serious rock crawling but I would like the truck to be capable.

here's what I got....

k5blazer011.jpg

k5blazer012.jpg

'73 K5 Blazer convertible (no factory hardtop). Its got 36 in. Swampers, 3" Body lift and what looks like around 2" lift blocks on the rear springs.. so i'll assume 2" or 2.5" front springs.

here's some shots of the front suspension

front002.jpg

front03.jpg

front005.jpg


here's the rear
rear007.jpg

rear008.jpg

rear009.jpg

The fronts and rears look pretty stock except for the rear lift blocks and maybe the front springs.. correct?

axles
rearaxle010.jpg

frontaxle004.jpg

looks like a dana 44 front and a 12 bolt rear right?

transfercase
transfercase006.jpg

NP 203?? Couldn't find any more markings... might hafta clean off all the caked on mud before I find the right markings.

Ok on to the questions.
I have an aversion to bodylifts.... had a '84 toyota truck for a brief stint with 3" suspension and 3" bodylift... rolled it 330 feet down a mountain..... rollcage saved my life! So I am planning on dumping that and getting the 1" bodylift kit recommended by this site. Either that or going back to no body lift.

From what I read, it seems that the general consenus is the tuff country springs are what I want. 4' springs all around, 1" body lift or none... good way to go?? Also, seems that most people like the rear shackle reverse kit instead of rear springs... Is there any major disadvantage to rear 4" springs??

any reason for going to 1 ton axles?? Like I said, no serious rock crawling, just fun trail stuff. I would like to be able to handle most terrain found on a trail but i won't be taking this thing to the Hammers.

Also, any other general suggestions on what I should do to this truck to maker it even more trail ready??

Thanks in advance
Jose Soriano
 
Well you got pretty much everything figured out, and yes it's a 203.
Now for the body lift, if done right it's not a bad thing if not exceeding a 2", but a 1" is good enough to clear the body off the drivetrain so you can work on it eaier if nothing else.
The reason people here like the shackle flip more than the lifted springs is because lifted springs by nature will be stiffer because of the arch, the front will handle it better because it has some weight on it and most ditch the sway bar which helps softening the front suspension.
For your purpose, I would either, which ever you feel more comfortable with.
And I wouldn't do much more to this truck for the same reasons, except maybe good maintenance.:D
 
I recomend going with a 4" tuff country Ez-ride all spring lift. Thats what I have and my truck rides pretty nice. Also get a set of extended braided stainless steal brake lines. Also get a set of heavy duty shackles from ORD along with a steering box frame brace.

Also I highly recomend checking out LMC for almost any replacement part. check them out at http://www.lmctruck.com


EDIT: make sure you oil your hood hinges regularly because they get real stiff and you can bend the hood trying to shut it.
 
First of all, I'm jealous. :bow:

Second is mods: 1" body lift, ORD bolt on steering brace, diy4x shackle flip, 4" BDS front springs, remove swaybar, have the passanger side steering knuckle milled, purchase ORD cross over steering kit. Looks like the 203 already has a part time kit (you have hubs) I'd leave it until it gives you problems. The 12 bolt and Dana 44 should handle the 36" tires fairly well if you're nice to them, I'd leave those for now as well. :waytogo:
 
I've run my 12-bolt and 44 w/ alocker and a posi for years on 35" mudders. no problems. If you don't beat it to death, yours will be fine. Ditch your sway bar too. It may look beefy, but it really does'nt do very much,except limits your front axle to articulate fully. Beleve us on that. Oh, and welcome aboard!:D
 
Your bolts at the front of your front leaf springs are too short, if that nut comes loose, you are gonna be in for one wild ride! Very nice truck! It has gotta be nice to start out with a few things already done, Tires especially.
 
Congrats, Welcome. Nice truck. My only suggestion, Don't fuk it up by crashing it like I did mine.
 
BlazerBud said:
Congrats, Welcome. Nice truck. My only suggestion, Don't fuk it up by crashing it like I did mine.
Click to expand...

As I previously mentioned, been there, done that to my Toyota.... Hopefully the Blazer won't meet the same ending.

To those that mentioned the leaf spring bolt... Funny, never noticed it when I was snapping the pics but yeah, I saw that. I'll take care of it.

Thanks all for the comments and suggestions. Sway bar will come off this weekend, all the fluids will be changed and a general undercarraige cleanup. After that, I'll start working on the suspension.

Jose Soriano
 
My part-time kit has been in and working great for over 30 years, so I would have to say no, they are reliable.
 
Well you got a membership here - that should always be the first mod. The second should be a good set of used shop manuals on ebay. Other than that sounds like a solid plan. Very nice truck BTW. Yours even moves under its own power - that is always a plus.
 
Nice truck!

I agree with all of the above and will add my testimonial: Part time converted 203 is very reliable for trail riding. 4" (whether it's all spring or shackle in the back) and a 1" or no body lift will be perfect.. .keep the CG low and clear the 36's without too much (if any) trimming.

ORD frame brace - If your frame isn't already cracked by the steering box, order this soon.

Crossover steering is really nice, but depending upon your budget you could put this off until "Phase 2" of the project.

A locker (of your choice... there are lots of different opinions here) in one or both axles will be nice, even just for trail riding... I often find myself with opposite corners losing traction and then you're done, no matter how good your tires are.

Cool that it's already got what looks like a nice beefy tire carrier and bumper... that's a lot of $$ and/or fab time out of the way right there!
 
Amahoser said:
As I previously mentioned, been there, done that to my Toyota.... Hopefully the Blazer won't meet the same ending.

To those that mentioned the leaf spring bolt... Funny, never noticed it when I was snapping the pics but yeah, I saw that. I'll take care of it.

Thanks all for the comments and suggestions. Sway bar will come off this weekend, all the fluids will be changed and a general undercarraige cleanup. After that, I'll start working on the suspension.

Jose Soriano
Click to expand...


Welcome aboard! :waytogo:

You really seem to have started off on the right foot. You bought a membership (not required, but a nice gesture) and posted up pics and demonstrated that you've already done some decent research trying to answer your own questions.

About the only thing you did wrong was buying such a desirable truck and making most of us jealous!! :D

Clean it up a little underneath to make it easier to spot leaks (or frame cracks around the steering box), do the basic safety and reliability checks (fluid changes, brakes, any loose steering components, etc). Then dive in with whatever else you want to do next.

It won't take long to figure out that the folks here will cheer you on to bigger and better parts.....so be careful how many upgrades you ask us to recommend. It can really give your checkbook a beating!
 
Desert Yeti said:
Nice truck!
....ORD frame brace - If your frame isn't already cracked by the steering box, order this soon.

Cool that it's already got what looks like a nice beefy tire carrier and bumper... that's a lot of $$ and/or fab time out of the way right there!
Click to expand...

I'll order the frame brace very soon, thanks for that.
Funny, I absolutley love the tire carrier/gas tank holder/ high lift mount bumper. Its damn beefy and looks bad ass. But I was almost gonna pull it off to sell. I ride dirt bikes and I don't want to trailer it anymore so I really wanted a bike hitch carrier. I'm going wheelin'/riding this weekend and i'll try to put the bike in the bed. I'll have to remove the convertible top and brackets in order to fit the bike but I do have a bikini top. Heater don't work yet so i'll wear my long johns!

I'll work on the lift and other stuff later. As for the lockers.... I'll probably leave it open for a while and see if I want to go for one tone axles before I think about a locker.

Jose Soriano
 
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