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K5s with exterior Line-X

Senorx470

Senorx470

1/2 ton status
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Sep 21, 2005
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Location
Texas
Well I'm going to look at a 71 K5 this Friday. The owner had the entire exterior/interior coated with Line-X. I had dreams of an orange K5 some day and I don't know how I feel about the Line-X. I'm reading it's next to impossible to remove the stuff. The owner says the body is straight and a daily driver. It's currently registered and state inspected (TX). Owner claims top is in great condition and minimal rust. I hope he has pictures of what it looked like before the Line-X. You never know, I just might dig it and bring it home with me.

The purpose for wanting a K5 is for camping trips and beach cruising with the family. Probably a mild 4 inch lift and 33s. I want a highway
safe, travel worthy and a light wheeler K5.

Anybody else have pics of exterior Line-X coated first Gens? She looks straight, but I'll know for sure Friday.

This is what the prospect looks like as per the owner's pics.



 
Hopefully what he is describing as "Line-X" is actually Plastidip....

It seems unlikely that he'd have spent the money for THAT much Line-X. That would have cost a fortune. Plastidip is WAY cheaper and actually isn't that hard to remove. A lot of guys are using it these days to do cheap "color change" paint jobs. You can spray a whole car for around $300 in materials.

Seeing an entire vehicle covered in any kind of liner is a red flag to me. It hides a lot of sins... And in the case of a 1st Gen we're talking about rust.

I'd be EXTREMELY careful about that truck. Hidden rust issues will cost you a fortune to remedy....

-G
 
Owner claims it was done at the local Line-X place and cost 4K. You're absolutely right about hidden rust. I'm gonna check it out anyways and I'll post more pics.
 
scares me.. not so much the sheetmetal, but it's basically ruined all the plastics, etc...

being a first gen, check the rocker boxes underneath and the rest of the undercarriage.. any signs of rot down there, and you can be rest assured it's had some sheetmetal patching, etc going on before they douched it..

a tan, catalyzed line-x would hold off oxidation for some time, but keep that in mind, bedliners are notorious for chalking out..

and at that point, you're probably looking at scrubbing the pee out of it and just painting over it...
 
I hear ya. It scares me too. I have to take a deep breath and slow down. I been wanting a K5 for so long that I was willing to jump on this. Now I'm having second thoughts. He's asking 6K for it. It has a 350 with auto tranny.

I already have a 1970 K5 but it is pretty rough. It's been sitting in a garage for the last 13 years. It ran when I bought it and I drove it home. The thing is I have zero mechanical skills and limited tools/equipment or space. I think I bit off way more than I could chew with my 1970. At this point I'm willing to sell it and buy something running and with a good hardtop. I'm bummed out. I had a little glimmer of hope that I might have driven home in this one. I'm still gonna check it out for grins.

Interior was sprayed in the same color. Wish he hadn't sprayed the outside.

 
I know they're first gen and becoming WAY hard to find.. but other than Cali/Ariz, I would guess Texas as being a decent state to find one...

take a peek, may be a solid rig... just stuko'd....
 
Aside from the sheer amount of weight he added by doing that, there's no telling what's hidden underneath. Forget ever wanting to change colors in the future. I'd personally keep looking...
 
I'm thinking the same thing. I'm looking at something else as well. It's at the edge of my price range. It's missing the rear hatch of the hard top. How hard is the rear hatch to find these days?
 
Senorx470 said:
The thing is I have zero mechanical skills and limited tools/equipment or space.
Click to expand...

Are you really sure you want to purchase another 41+ year old truck? Even a truck from this era that is in really good shape is going to require something. Using a mechanic or body shop for everything is expensive. Also, 6k doesn't seem like very much if the exterior cost 4k.

I would be leery of the auto tranny, front end, body mounts, hidden rust, ect.... Not really hard things to replace, but expensive if you have to take the rig to a shop.

Don't get me wrong, I love the first gens and think they can be great rigs. My 71 is a very reliable vehicle, but I have replaced the motor, rebuilt tranny, tcase, new ball joints, all new bushings, some rust repair, and I could find something to work on at any given time. These rigs are a labor of love.
 
I totally understand they are going to need work regardless. I have always wanted one as a kid and now at the age of 38 yrs old I believe I'm ready to make my dream come true. The motor pool mechanic at where I work has a shop at home and is willing to help out. I'm eager to learn. At some point you had to learn, right? I plan on keeping this truck till death and working on it little by little. At this point I'd like to have something I can enjoy and drive while I continue to fix it up. I'm sure not everybody here is an engine/body/drivetrain expert mechanic.

Luckily I live in the Great State of Texas already and these seem to be popping up as of late.
 
$6k means it's a $2k blazer with a $4k paint job. Go find a $2k first gen somewhere and you can see what kind of issues are under that Linex.
 
imo nobody would line-x the whole thing unless it was too far gone to make paint look good. I'd keep looking.
 
Senorx470 said:
I'm thinking the same thing. I'm looking at something else as well. It's at the edge of my price range. It's missing the rear hatch of the hard top. How hard is the rear hatch to find these days?
Click to expand...

Post pics of your current K5... :deal:

If you've got $6000 to spend on a 2nd truck, maybe you'd be better off putting that toward improving your current 1st Gen? Even if you have to farm out some rust repair or major mechanical work that you can't handle, that money could make you current truck a LOT nicer.

You mentioned that your in for the long haul; I'd stay focused on your existing 1st Gen.... At least you know what it's weaknesses are. With a something new, it's going to be a whole new set of problems to find and fix.

-G
 
My 1970 K5. I bought it from the original owner about 13 years ago. It has a 350 and auto tranny. It's a South Texas Truck. The front floor panels both have horrible patch jobs. The thing that really worries me is the top of the windshield frame where the hard top bolts is also rotting. Is this a tough fix? Rockers and inner front fenders are also rusted. The bed is in good shape. No rust that I could see.

I figured I'd sell this one and buy a running K5 with a hardtop. Mine is missing a top. I'm just overwhelmed with it and don't know where to start. Mechanical? Body? Drivetrain?







 
I'd take your current truck over that Line-X disaster any day of the week!

Upper windshield rust isn't impossible to fix. You can get help here to find a rust-free upper frame off a donor truck for around $200.... A competent body shop should be able to graft it on for a few hundred bucks max.

Floor rust is common on ANY 1st Gen, I will guarantee that the Line-X truck is hiding all sorts of sins under that heavy layer of bedliner. You're better off fixing the truck you have... At least you don't have to scrape off loads of rubber crap to start the rust repair.

Personally, in terms of sequence I'd get the truck running well, and reliably FIRST. Then you can deal with rust issues (unless it's SO bad that it's a safety issue... If so, do it as step 1). As mentioned earlier, you have a 40+ year old truck there so assume that almost everything will need attention (wiring, drivetrain, suspension bushings, body mounts, etc). Hit the most critical items first, and then chip away at the rest as budget allows....

The main thing is to get it running safely so you can DRIVE it and enjoy it again. 13 years in storage is far too long, you need to remind yourself why you bought it in the first place. A little open air cruising on a sunny day will give you some needed clarity. :waytogo:


-G
 
Senorx470 said:
I'm sure not everybody here is an engine/body/drivetrain expert mechanic.
Click to expand...

I wasn't trying to offend you, but indicating that many of these old rigs require a fairly significant investment of time and money or maybe just money if a shop is going to do all of the work.

If this is your dream, get after it. They are great old rigs with a lot of character.

Senorx470 said:
I figured I'd sell this one and buy a running K5 with a hardtop. Mine is missing a top. I'm just overwhelmed with it and don't know where to start. Mechanical? Body? Drivetrain?







Click to expand...

Start with the mechanical. You should be able to get it running without too much trouble if it ran when you parked it. If you sell it, it will be worth more running :thumb:
 
Thanks for the advice, Greg. You have motivated me to get her going. Looks like I'm gonna get her running. Get it rewired, all gauges/lights working, get it inspected and start driving her. So what if she's been hit with the ugly stick? I'm going to do it. You think I'll be able to find a Hard Top for it?
 
I'm good, brother. No offense taken. I just been dreaming about my K5 for many years. First my job got in the way, then I got married and kids came after that. Time just slipped away. It's her time to rise from her garage grave and live again.
 
Senorx470 said:
Thanks for the advice, Greg. You have motivated me to get her going. Looks like I'm gonna get her running. Get it rewired, all gauges/lights working, get it inspected and start driving her. So what if she's been hit with the ugly stick? I'm going to do it. You think I'll be able to find a Hard Top for it?
Click to expand...

I hope Greg will chime in with his hardtop theory now. So far I've never heard it not come true, including in my case.
 
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