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Possible carb problems dying while driving, any ideas?

Ya it would be a lot of work but what if I bought one for 4000 then the engine blows out? My 4k truck would turn to a 7k truck.
 
I must have missed the "not mechanically inclined" part. I cant seem to find it. He may not know much about these trucks but the best way IMO is to take them apart. I had never pulled a motor, tranny until i did them on my own the first time. Yes it takes a long time, but do some research, learn how. All that holds it together a bolts. With a standard socket set, some universal joint socket adapters and some extensions you could have the whole drivetrain ripped out lol. Its not rocket science lol, its lookin at something and going "ok what bolts does it look like i need to remove to get this thing out of here". Just my thoughts and what im saying i wish i would have done from the start. You may go buy a $4000 truck that lasts you a really long time, or you may drop $4000 on something that looks and drives good at the moment, but be a timebomb ready to explode. :dunno: ive just always been one to like knowing exactly what i have, brings a feeling of comfort. Oh yah and bigger motors are more fun than stock ones so thats another excuse:haha:
 
Ya it would be a lot of work but what if I bought one for 4000 then the engine blows out? My 4k truck would turn to a 7k truck.


You always run that possibility, but it's unlikely. If you buy a truck that's in good shape throughout, then it is something of an indicator of how well someone took care of the engine/transmission. $4K buys a really nice K5.

Last August I bought my second K5, and the purchase was predicated on the fact that I wanted to do it right this time around. I would have loved to get one with a 6.2 diesel in it, but those are hard to find in good shape. So I decided that finding a 89-91 would be great because it has fuel injection and the transfercase I want. I found a really well cared for truck with only 2 previous owners for $2400. Only problem was that for me to make it legal in my county, I had to have the exhaust replaced because the previous owner had removed the catalytic converter. So, all said and done I was into it for about $3200.

When I bought it:
281551_1882298573491_1122138716_31568970_2827107_n.jpg


Clean rockers:
285287_1886144549638_1122138716_31572694_8050402_n.jpg


It wasn't perfect, but it was damn close.

Petroglyphs-25 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr

Had 190K on the clock. It got a new transmission at 170K. The previous owner did a few things wrong, but since the truck was mostly unmolested, it was easy to fix the couple little things he messed up. Engine smokes a bit with that many miles, which I'm not too excited about. But, it should last a few more years till I'm done with graduate school and am in a better position to replace the engine.

I'd HIGHLY recommend that you find a truck where the wiring hasn't been touched. Look under the dash at the fuse box area and make sure it's not a total rats nest. You'll get a touch better fuel mileage with a fuel injected truck, so I'd recommend that too. If you can get a 6.2 truck in great shape, go for it! Nothing quite like 20-22 mpg in a K5! :D

Here's how mine sits now, after I've put a ton of thoughtful work into it, to make sure it doesn't devolve into a problem rather than a good reliable truck.


HLT-16 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
 
That's the way to do it. I'll second the "wiring mess" avoidance factor.

As I've mentioned before, I paid $5k for my 91 Blazer with 230k miles on it. The engine does smoke a little, but I get 20mpg and have zero problems. And if something were to break, fixing it would be an okay investment because the rest of the truck is solid.

My previous Blazer, however, not so much. It had all the same problems but the body was severely rusted out and the interior was destroyed. The transmission on it went out. So my situation was "Do I drop $1k in a new transmission or buy another truck?" Well, putting $1k into the rusted out crap truck was a stupid choice because the truck was not worth any more. I could not have sold it for $1k even WITH the new transmission. So I bought the nicer truck.

Now the nice truck, if the transmission dies, I can replace it and probably still sell it for $5k if I wanted to. But if I am keeping the truck, it makes sense because I know I will still drive it for another 50k miles, and that is a good investment.

BTW Colby, your truck looks VERY nice! :D
 
As I've mentioned before, I paid $5k for my 91 Blazer with 230k miles on it. The engine does smoke a little, but I get 20mpg and have zero problems. And if something were to break, fixing it would be an okay investment because the rest of the truck is solid.

quoted for good reasoning! :wink1:
 
Dang Colby she's perdy! And ya I'll buy a solid k5 and practice my mechanical skill then I'll take on a blazer that needs a new engine/tranny! Good idea?
 
Dang Colby she's perdy! And ya I'll buy a solid k5 and practice my mechanical skill then I'll take on a blazer that needs a new engine/tranny! Good idea?

Good idea, just look it over. Read that thread on what to look for. Wish i had:doah:
 
Dang Colby she's perdy! And ya I'll buy a solid k5 and practice my mechanical skill then I'll take on a blazer that needs a new engine/tranny! Good idea?

I say at 16, just buy a nice reliable small car, for much less than $4000, and if you find a nice looking K5 that needs work and is cheap you can get it and slowly work on it and learn, do not get into debt to buy an expensive K5 just yet.
 
I printed the buyers guide our even though I have like 3500 or more to save. :D man I'm so ready to go find one I can't wait!
 
Man i wish i Would have bought one when i Was 16. It would be so much cooler by now haha. What would your plans be? Just a cruiser, weekend wheeler, or something to beat on? No point in spending cash on something clean if your gonna hack it up in my opinion.
 
I'm curious, and I am sure K5trs could learn something too ... what happened?

I bought my k5 from a guy down the road when i was 19. He brought it up from tenneasee and it sounded like the owner was his relation or something and got it while down for his funeral (so i cant blame the guy i bought it from for not knowing anything about it). Anyways i fell in love, seeing one of these with out being complete rust buckets up here is pretty rare. So i jumped on it not knowing really what to look for. Come to find after some driving that the bottom end in the "350" that i found out was really a "305" was knocking. So i got a new motor. Then after having some real power (that 305 was a gutless boat anchor that couldnt squak tires in the rain) i found my tranny to slip when i got on it. So now i have a built 700r4 in it. And i also spent all winter working on patching the floor and rust proofing. I now have a solid k5 that i can trust, but i wish i would have found one that needed an engine and trans and had great sheetmetal and spent less money. I jumped the gun and spent $2500 on a blazer that needed new motor, trans, and body work. DONT DO THIS!:haha:
 
I also was not a member here before i bought mine so you have a great advantage because this site is the $hit. Research man, research everything you can on all the pros cons of things, find what combo of drivetrain works for you and what to check for before buying.
 
Ya I'll get a head start in pimpin it out :waytogo:
And it will be a cruiser mainly but I am planning on taking it mudding and on rough trails. I have some dunes near me are they fun?
 
Are dunes fun, he says to the guy deemed a "sand slut" by zim........ :rolleyes:
 
Haha Is it easy to get stuck in the sand? And ya this site is the $hit I've learned a lot already. And I read your build thread so I already knew about your engine troubles! But regardless your blazer is smexy!:thumb:
 
It's easy to get stuck anywhere, but my experience has been sand is quite the b1tch. Once you get stuck, you spin the wheels and dig your own grave. :haha:
 
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