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Possible first K5

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xAdonis

Registered Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
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Location
Omaha, NE
Hey guys, I am planning on buying my first K5 tomorrow. Its a truck ive always admired and never had the extra cash to buy...still don't, but I managed to find one on craigslist for $1800.

It is a white 1991 K5. The owner says the 4x4 works great, its on 35" tires, and there is very little rust. I would post pics but I can't until 5 posts. Then I will. Haha.

Anyway, I talked the guy down to $1200 and I have a few questions for you guys about what to look for. The guy I am buying it from says he just put a newer engine in with 112k miles on it 500 miles ago, and also replaced the Auto transmission. All he can tell me about the engine is that it was out of a rust bucket K5. Apparently it gets about 15-17 mpg, and ****s out rainbows and gold.

I haven't met the guy yet or even seen the truck, but is there anything you guys suggest I look for to indicate the actual condition of the motor and transmission?

Do you think I should go for it?
 
If you can drive it home for $1200 and there is little to no rust its absolutely worth it. Don't be afraid, when looking it over in person, to roll around under it a little. Look at the body mounts and around the wheel openings from under the truck. Since it already has a lift on it see that all the bolts are tight, or if there are any "witness" marks that show that a bolt has been moving around inside a mounting hole. The areas around the bolt will be shinney.
If you can pick this rig up and remain financially comfortable then hit it up. But there will always be thing that you will not like, or will want to change, which means more money after you get it. You shouldn't put your self in a bad position to get it but if its solid then drive the hell out of it and enjoy!
 
You can always check things like the engine's compression (not so much a particular value but that all the cylinders are within a couple PSI of each other), amount of grease build up, condition of the spark plugs, wires and cap etc

Make sure you start the engine COLD when you get there. if the exhaust is warm when you arrive, I'd be suspicious. Watch for any smoke coming out of the tail pipe(s). A small puff of blue on a cold start indicates bad valve seals, but isn't a seriously bad thing. Smoke that carries on of any color is a problem, condensation isn't.

Make sure you run the truck up to highway speeds and figure out how the transmission shifts, should be well spaced out, and shouldn't slip. A quick check of the steering for slop would also be a good idea.

That said, make sure you look the truck over closely for rust. These rigs rust from the inside out and hide many sins under their carpets and in hidden nooks / crannies.
 
So did this guy tell you he put the engine in himself? And he can't tell you much about it?? I would give it a good look and see if it was just thrown in there to sell or if someone took their time to do it right.
 
Doesn't 15-17 mpg sound a little high for a 91?

Also, this isn't going to put me into financial ruin or anything - I just don't have a ton of extra cash lying around to make this bad boy roar.
 
If the tail gate body line dont line up and it jams up when opening and closing the rear cross bar is rotted out.Even k5s that look real nice always seem to be rotted out there.1200 is cheep so expect to find problems.
 
Zombie, that is exactly the kind of thing I wanted advice on to look for, and thank you everyone for your quick and informative answers! I figure I have 3 to 5 months before this K5 becomes my primary hobby. To bad Nebraska is so damn flat!
 
xAdonis said:
Doesn't 15-17 mpg sound a little high for a 91?

Also, this isn't going to put me into financial ruin or anything - I just don't have a ton of extra cash lying around to make this bad boy roar.
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Its gona kill you if its your primary ride.I have a 31 gal tank at $2.85 a gal last I checked so do the math.I only drive it when its needed.Pulling a trl or when the weather is so bad the car wont be safe or might get stuck.Or if the famaly is all going someplace and more room is needed.I miss those 80c per gal days.
 
Are there any other major issues I should be looking for? I figure for $1200 I can't be to picky.
 
If the rig is still fuel injected, I don't think 17 mpg is unreasonable at all. Infact, I'd almost expect as much!
 
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It looks like a nice rig for $1200. Look at the rocker panels and see if they're rusted out or not and go around the body with a weak magnet to see if there are any areas where there might be extra body filler. If the magnet doesn't stick, look for a lot of bondo in that area.
 
for 1200 i may have to find where this guy lives lol!


Looks like a steal, check for rust, but if alls well 1200 would be a steal.
 
rust areas to look for, based on my rig....

rocker panels, the metal directly underneith each door. - the one i had replaced was $600 in parts and labor.

rear tailgate. check the corners at the top, where the window glass goes in for stress cracks. they form from slamming the gate shut, only way ive been able to think to prevent them is to weld in some sort of reinforcement.

floorboards, front and rear.

and the rear of the front wheel wells. seems the tires throw all kinda crap and basically sandblast holes into the sheet metal there.

I got my rig as a beater, that i could run into tree's and rocks and laugh about, it was painted four different shades of white, and i got it for $1500. if this rig is solid for 1200, id say grab it.
 
Lookes good in the pics but that doesnt mean anything till you look at it first hand.For the most part any car or truck that runs drives and stops is worth a grand these days.If you have the skills you can do the body repairs yourself if it needs it.One guy was saying he paied $600 for a rocker pannel to be replaced.You can buy a good welder for $800 and do your whole truck yourself.Granted you need more than just a welder but you get the picture.Its always made more sence to me to buy the tools I need because they pay for themselves and I have cool new tools when Im done.
 
i know i know *hangs head in shame* ive been meaning to take a metal fab class at the local community college. Id love to get a welder. with the work my truck needs, im sure it would be less expensive in the long run. :doah:
 
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