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Restored or Rock crawled?

Make it nice, or wheel the $hit out of them?

  • Fix them up

    Votes: 76 37.6%
  • Beat them up

    Votes: 126 62.4%

  • Total voters
    202
I still don't know why you can't have a rock crawler and have it look good?
If you spend all that time putting in one ton axles, lockers, new motor, sliders, bumpers, skid plates and other heavy duty stuff. Why can't you take a little care of the body too? I feel the biggest down fall to the trucks is not having good protection BEFORE you go on to the harder trails. It's kinda like putting 44's on your 10B's, it doesn't make sense.
How many K5's to you see around here with smashed in rocker panels because they don't have sliders?
To me, it's kinda like going to bed with a whore without protection (If your gonna take a chance like that, something might fall off).
If you just can't wait until you have the right gear, your going to bend something bad and it might fall off.
You wouldn't head out into the woods to go camping without matches would you?

For those that bought a truck that was beyond repair, go for it! :D
As for mine, it may not be perfect but I won't let it turn into a pile of ......
1486DSC07503.JPG


I think there is more adrenaline in trying to save your sheet metal then just beating it.

or maybe I should say:
Save a K5, learn how to Drive. ;)
(1st :doah: )
 
You have one advantage that some of us don't have though. You wheel in Moab mostly which is pretty easy on the body even on tougher trails. You can't really run anything very difficult in AZ and not get body damage even with good sliders and armored bumpers.

A good spotter can make a huge difference in keeping the body damage to a minimum but it is still going to happen. I used to be an anti-sheetmetal damage person but I learned that if you want to follow the big boys and play hard in AZ you are going to take some damage. Sometimes that damage can be pretty severe if things go wrong too.

My way of thinking now is I will not attempt a trail that I know will cause massive body damage. If there is a reasonable expectation that I can make it threw the trail with little or no body damage then I will run it. If I do take body damage it gets chocked up to "oh well, sh*t happens".

Last trail run I was on I ran a tough trail. I could have made the trail with very little or no body damage but things happened. I blew out my power steering and it wasn't fixable on the trail. I had to drive out with no power steering. This caused me to have to get into an obsticle that is hard and I could not get the line I needed because I couldn't steer. I ended up having to take a bad line and I collapsed my rocker panel at the wheel well. There is nothing I could do about it. It happened, and there was no other way to get out of the trail. Turning around was not an option. It was worse that way then the way out. So now I have some pretty severe body damage but that is the risks in playing the game.

Harley
 
Totally understandable.
I agree with the Moab comment too. That's why I like it. Wheelin around my house will beat stuff up too. The trails are very tight with lots of trees unless your above timberline. I've broke many a tree off with my lights. I learned to carry a saw.
$hit does happen and none of us can always avoid it & good spotters are KEY.
That's why I don't run some of the trails with the so called big boys or should I say, Truggies.
I have no loss of pride in saying no. I will watch though :D
I need to fix my passenger door because I ran over a tree just barely sticking out into the trail and it flipped up and took out my door. It was a little one around 10" round and 8ft. long. Almost took my co-pilots arm off.
I had a time when I lost my clutch and it wadded up in there and kept me engaged. I was about half way between posin spyder and goldbar on golden spike. I had to hit every obstical without stopping. It could have been a disaster if it went wrong but I made it all the way out in 1st. When I got to the highway, it let loose and I had nothing. I got towed back.
Like you said, stuff happens. I know, but trying to keep it in one peice never hurt.
 
Ya, I got total respect for what you are doing. I thought it was cool in Moab this year when you guys started the Sheetmetal Gang. It is always fun to see really clean trucks that can wheel. Sometimes for me it is cooler to see clean trucks that can wheel then the hardcore truggies or buggies. I see those all the time. Seeing a truck that is capable and is clean is alot more rare to me because of where I wheel.

I am with you. There is no pride damaged for me if a trail is above my head in saying no. I would rather take a seat in someone elses truck and ride then put my truck where it is going to get beat to hell or on a trail that is above its capabilities. I would rather ride and take pics then be a burdon on the trail if I am trying to protect the sheetmetal or am undercapable. It takes more guts to say no then yes in my opinion.

The problem with body damage though is once you have it it is easier to convince yourself that a little more is ok until you are past the point of no return. I am now to the point of no return.

Harley
 
Well said :waytogo:
I hope I'm never to that point but it could happen to any of us.
I kinda figure that fixing up the damage is the same as fixing up a broken motor. Ya just gotta do what ya gotta do. It's all in the game. (until it's too far that is).
 
Storm Trooper said:
I still don't know why you can't have a rock crawler and have it look good?

the key words there are "look good"... its an opinion. Personally, I like the look of mad-maxed truggies or buggies WAY more than a stock rig. These rigs are actually designed to wheel... their form follows their function, and that is a beautiful thing.

j
 
i had my 79 to beat and my 92 s10 to keep nice, now the 79 is on a trailer ready for the junk yard and a 91 s10 ready for a 1ton SAS

so i have one of each :D
 
jekbrown said:
the key words there are "look good"... its an opinion. Personally, I like the look of mad-maxed truggies or buggies WAY more than a stock rig. These rigs are actually designed to wheel... their form follows their function, and that is a beautiful thing.

j
i agree! i love the look of stock gm sheetmetal. but i also think a rig made to wheel lloks so tough :D i have both so can only say do what feels right! :waytogo:
 
I do alot of both....

Here's before...
4275FLEX6.jpg







Here's after...
4275purpleflexin1.jpg


I took off the cherry sheet metal...and put it upstairs in my barn...
Someday...I re-build my purple rig. :D
 
i like the clean look, but i do wheel. there is no such thing as rock crawling in VA so its strictly mud. i like that tho because u dont really mess up your body in mud. maybe i just think this way cuz its my dd also.

if there were rocks aorund here im sure id try it and flip or total the truck. id love to see the look my their faces, they are kindof against the offroading idea to begin with, so the truck and all the mods come out of my pocket. i cant afford to do body work.
 
I voted restore. But I am about to get my CUCV M1009 and use it as a DD and wheeler. Nothing impresive but it will see off road in stock form with 31's and a locker or two :waytogo:
 
Mine's not beat, but not pristine. I try my hardest not to damage the sheetmetal, and I do have body armor (sliders and bumpers). If it get's a little dinged up, it no biggie though. I wouldn't thrash it (at least the body anyway).

John
 
my vote rare fix it over 20,000 made beat it

K5MONSTERCHEV said:
First gen=fix up!
'72 Blazer, TPI 350, NV4500, NP 205, FRONT:14Bolt, REAR:locked 14bff, Crossover, HI Steer, 14" Sus. lift, 1"body, 38" Radials and Welds/ 42's


i have a 69 k5 that they made less then 5000 units its getting fixed maybe a little mud and dirt/gravel roads

i also have an '80k5 that gets thrashed severly in the mississippi gumbo up to door handles with 10" lift and 39.5's sitin in water in drivers seat..snorkled all units tranny transfer front and rear axels tied into snork

reason for quote..they made a 14 bolt front? and where did you find a 14" lift for the 1st gens? and u runnin 38's or 42's?
 
I believe he was saying 14ff to define his rear as a 14 bolt full floating axle.. there isn't a front 14, as far as I know..
 
thats why i asked

78Suburban said:
I believe he was saying 14ff to define his rear as a 14 bolt full floating axle.. there isn't a front 14, as far as I know..

its worded just like this FRONT:14Bolt, REAR:locked 14bff...looked like he was stating a 14b up front..i've never seen a 14" lift for the 1st gen's either, unless they are custom made...was curious if he had made a 14 bolt with knukles and made a front end
 
blazin_blazer said:
its worded just like this FRONT:14Bolt, REAR:locked 14bff...looked like he was stating a 14b up front..i've never seen a 14" lift for the 1st gen's either, unless they are custom made...was curious if he had made a 14 bolt with knukles and made a front end

his front is a 14 bolt with knuckles :saweet:
 
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