Restoration or Monster Truck

[skink4president]

Help me decide which route to take with my '73 K5! The truck is a Cheyenne edition 350/350/203 and approximately 90% original. I'd rate it currently as "good" condition (minor body rust, needs new seat upholstry and dash, engine runs strong, tranny shifts well). It's a daily driver and will continue to be so. . .

 

[primerk5]

Do the best of both worlds. Restore the body to original paint scheme and trim. Add minor mods bumpers/brushgaurds ect. Do all the suspension work you want to to it. There is nothing wrong with an Old school stock look sitting in the sky. Just My opinion though

 

[78Suburban]

4" of lift and 35's would be a nice compromise between a straight restoration and a "monster truck" stance..

 

[diesel4me]

keep it stock!...

If your not going to "wheel" it,why make it a "Monster truck"??...it will be more road friendly and ride better not lifted,parts will not wear out as fast,and the truck will be WORTH more as a restored original,than it ever would be if it were modified..plus you won't have a hassle getting it inspected,or pulled over every time a cop goes by...call me a purist,but I think lifted trucks ruin the resale value,cause lots of headaches,and rarely are better than a stock truck for "on road" use..

When I bought my 74 K20,it had 36" tires,a butchered set of front springs from some other truck that didn't fit right or belong on a GM,and it rode like a dump truck with dead axles!.. ..I thought it looked "cool",but in reality,all that lift kit crap did was ruin the ride,the handling-(couldn't take turns for crap!)-and its height made it difficult to load stuff in the bed!..

I ditched the front springs,and put 3 leaf stock ones back in..traded the tires and rims to a friend for 4 "normal" ones,and 2 nice chrome bumpers,and removed the lift blocks from the rear..it now looked "normal",my inspection station gave it a sticker with NO trouble (and the guy said not to bother bringing it there with the 36" tires and lift!)..it now rode nice and smooth,not humming like an airplane,and vibrating and shaking like it did before--now I could use my plow on it,and I kept it 16 years,before it rotted into dust..

I say make it a nice restored original,if its in "not bad" shape..if it were a rotbox,I'd say lift it and beat it--but I hate seeing nice trucks in decent original condition get "monsterized"...

 

[obijuan]

well 73 k5s are badass anyway you serve em up. personnally i would do 2-3 inch with 33 and totally stock out the inside and out. IMO lifted trucks increase the value to me but not much, ive driven a 4 inch with 33s and really couldnt tell a difference. didnt hum like an airplane or shake the radio knobs off. it rode very nice. i think you should replace the interior and give it a new coat 33's and be on your way. it really wont look too much different if you keep the stock rims
oh i wouldnt put any aftermarket engine parts on it and i would refresh the compartment and keep it clean clean clean lookin like its a few weeks old
but thats my 5 cents it seems like

 

[wayne]

Daily driving a truck with 8" of lift will start to suck really quick. If daily use is the plan keep it on the mild side as far as lift and tire size. Maybe consider going to an overdrive trans and FI on the engine to help with milage. I would put a nice paint job on it. If you want flames consider ghost flames. I would not go really crazy with the paint job though since it will get chipped and scratched serving DD use. I would deffinately update the interior comforts with some nice seats. Go with a lighter interior color if you plan to run a soft top (which in Florida I deffinately would) and keep it down most of the summer. That's my $.02 worth.

 

[yellowK20]

Daily driving a truck with 8" of lift will start to suck really quick. If daily use is the plan .

Not really I DD a K20 with an 8" and 35"s it's not to bad ya' get a nice view of the girls in there hondas

 

[ssped]

Simple. If you are going to off road it (monster truck) that way you are not worried about keeping it nice or scratching it.

if it will not see dirt. restore it.