Rocco's 77 K5 Blazer - Frame Off 6.2/6L80 Build

[ZooMad75]

Thanks for the insight, @ZooMad75 ! Sounds like it was a fun problem to track down.

My other concern is that the fitting where the fuel line transitions from a hard line to a teflon hose is positioned right above the exhaust. Thinking I may rework the lines so that if it ever were to leak that it's not dumping fuel onto a hot pipe.

Yeah, it sucked trying to address it. Ended up chasing the symptom and not looking hard enough for the cause. I had a feeling to be prepared for a pump. So I had one on standby since I was planning on stopping the tank anyway. It was a good hunch too.

On yours, by the pics, I don't think your exhaust is any closer than mine was. I agree, moving the union fitting away from directly over the exhaust would be wise. I'd even put some heat sleeve on the plastic hose for an added layer of protection.

I love the detail and progress. Should be a killer adventure ride.

 

[Truckman4life]

If it isn't a new one already change out the oil pressure sensor at the rear of the intake with a new GM one. It will fail and leak oil eventually and in an OEM setup they are a pain to get too. Yours might have enough room to sneak back in by the firewall and swap it.

 

[1300obo]

i really appreciate you posting the exhaust hanger brackets because i am at that point. it looks really clean. i'm planning to make some to go off that same back crossmember but i was wondering where you found your exhaust hanger grommets?

 

[Truckman4life]

i really appreciate you posting the exhaust hanger brackets because i am at that point. it looks really clean. i'm planning to make some to go off that same back crossmember but i was wondering where you found your exhaust hanger grommets?

I have places local t me that sell these. Peterbilt stack bushings. Might be a bit spendy or big compared to what you want but I thought of them. Just google peterbilt stack bushings.

https://www.amazon.com/Energy-Suspe...AC8XJBN8YZS&psc=1&refRID=JXVPTG5DZAC8XJBN8YZS
https://www.bigrigchromeshop.com/peterbilt-exhaust-bushing-high-temp-p-573351.html

 

[1300obo]

will do, thanks alot!

 

[RoccoK5]

i really appreciate you posting the exhaust hanger brackets because i am at that point. it looks really clean. i'm planning to make some to go off that same back crossmember but i was wondering where you found your exhaust hanger grommets?

I picked up mine from Summit: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/stw-exgro

They also have some that are Summit branded: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-610320-4

 

[1300obo]

Cool, thanks. Great build!

 

[RoccoK5]

Welp, progress has been super slow the past couple of months. I really need to get back into it!

This weekend I was able to mount up the electric fans, went with a pair of Spal 13":

Also received a Vintage Air kit, so up next is getting the condenser installed so I can then plumb up the oil coolers.

 

[RoccoK5]

The Vintage Air condenser/drier assembly is in:

I gotta say, I am a little surprised about how much smaller the condenser is than the factory unit...also not sure I like how the brackets are solid and block airflow to the radiator. Maybe a non-issue, so I will reserve judgment until I have everything up and running. Obviously this is a popular kit, so it must work just fine.

Installed the Dirty Dingo A/C compressor mount along with the Sanden compressor. Looks like I'll need a new upper radiator hose, as it now rubs on the A/C idler pulley. Does anyone have any suggestions for a hose that'll work?

 

[Coontail]

The Vintage Air condenser/drier assembly is in:

I gotta say, I am a little surprised about how much smaller the condenser is than the factory unit...also not sure I like how the brackets are solid and block airflow to the radiator. Maybe a non-issue, so I will reserve judgment until I have everything up and running. Obviously this is a popular kit, so it must work just fine.

Installed the Dirty Dingo A/C compressor mount along with the Sanden compressor. Looks like I'll need a new upper radiator hose, as it now rubs on the A/C idler pulley. Does anyone have any suggestions for a hose that'll work?

If you rotate the hose clockwise a bit it should move it out of the way of the pulley

 

[RoccoK5]

If you rotate the hose clockwise a bit it should move it out of the way of the pulley

Hmm, you know what, I bet you are right. I can probably make this one work!

Will also need a way to secure it to the fan shroud, probably just need to drill a hole and zip-tie...

 

[RoccoK5]

Wow, been awhile since I've given an update, I guess other stuff has gotten in the way of my build. Hoping to pick up the pace and get the body back on the frame within the next couple of weeks, and to do that, first thing I want to do is get the underside stripped and recoated.

I started this job today and it's awful. I spent 3+ hours under the truck with an oscillating tool and a grinder with stripper discs and wire wheels and feel like I barely made a dent. There's got to be an easier way to remove the undercoating. Any tricks? Or do I just need to suck it up and spend another 20+ hours under here? I've read about people having success with oven cleaner or aircraft stripper, maybe I'll give one of those a shot.

 

[Coontail]

If it's rubberized undercoating you could heat it up with a torch and it'll scrape off very easily. But if it's more like paint, the 3M clean and strip wheels cut through really quick

I found paint strippers to be a waist of time, the only one that was decent was smart strip. Though if you can find the old stuff with the nasty chemicals they work pretty good

You could get the body blasted and really fall down the might as well rabbit hole

 

[Jake_C_]

Wish I had advice, when I did mine I wire wheeled the whole thing but I didn’t take it down to bare metal, I just took everything off that would come off like surface rust and all the grime. Some ares were left bare but I figured the paint that stayed behind would be fine to paint over. Yours looks like it’s some kind of coating where as mine was just paint. When I was stripping paint off all my body panels with chemical stripper I didn’t even try to apply it to anything vertical because it would just run off and I found you have to put it on pretty thick to make it work. So I’m not sure how well it would work if you applied it upside down. Yours will defiantly turn out better since you’re taking down to bare metal.

 

[ZombieK5]

Wow, been awhile since I've given an update, I guess other stuff has gotten in the way of my build. Hoping to pick up the pace and get the body back on the frame within the next couple of weeks, and to do that, first thing I want to do is get the underside stripped and recoated.

I started this job today and it's awful. I spent 3+ hours under the truck with an oscillating tool and a grinder with stripper discs and wire wheels and feel like I barely made a dent. There's got to be an easier way to remove the undercoating. Any tricks? Or do I just need to suck it up and spend another 20+ hours under here? I've read about people having success with oven cleaner or aircraft stripper, maybe I'll give one of those a shot.

This may sound crazy but give me a second to present this. I've done this strategy for other expensive tools.

Put up the $ for a rotisserie. This will allow you to flip the body which will let you use gravity to your advantage and it will save your arms from reaching upward. Once upside down you can get into the nooks and crannies. If you need to use chemicals they won't drip all over your body or driveway. Also, it will make painting/coating much easier.

Once finished, you can sell the rotisserie on the CK5 marketplace or eBay or even FB marketplace. You may only get 80% of what you paid but it will be worth the stress and hours of extra work while dealing with the bottom facing down.

Just an idea....

 

[Glen Canyon]

This may sound crazy but give me a second to present this. I've done this strategy for other expensive tools.

Put up the $ for a rotisserie. This will allow you to flip the body which will let you use gravity to your advantage and it will save your arms from reaching upward. Once upside down you can get into the nooks and crannies. If you need to use chemicals they won't drip all over your body or driveway. Also, it will make painting/coating much easier.

Once finished, you can sell the rotisserie on the CK5 marketplace or eBay or even FB marketplace. You may only get 80% of what you paid but it will be worth the stress and hours of extra work while dealing with the bottom facing down.

Just an idea....

Wow, been awhile since I've given an update, I guess other stuff has gotten in the way of my build. Hoping to pick up the pace and get the body back on the frame within the next couple of weeks, and to do that, first thing I want to do is get the underside stripped and recoated.

I started this job today and it's awful. I spent 3+ hours under the truck with an oscillating tool and a grinder with stripper discs and wire wheels and feel like I barely made a dent. There's got to be an easier way to remove the undercoating. Any tricks? Or do I just need to suck it up and spend another 20+ hours under here? I've read about people having success with oven cleaner or aircraft stripper, maybe I'll give one of those a shot.

You could find a mobil Dustless Blasting guy.

 

[RoccoK5]

If it's rubberized undercoating you could heat it up with a torch and it'll scrape off very easily. But if it's more like paint, the 3M clean and strip wheels cut through really quick

I found paint strippers to be a waist of time, the only one that was decent was smart strip. Though if you can find the old stuff with the nasty chemicals they work pretty good

You could get the body blasted and really fall down the might as well rabbit hole

Yeah, it seems to be a mix of rubberized undercoating and some paint-like material. Some is really soft, and other areas are hard and crusty. The flat surfaces aren't too bad, it's all the nooks and crannies that are such a pain and has me wishing that I could just spray some shit on to soften it and hose it off lol. Blasting might be the way to go... appreciate the tips!

This may sound crazy but give me a second to present this. I've done this strategy for other expensive tools.

Put up the $ for a rotisserie. This will allow you to flip the body which will let you use gravity to your advantage and it will save your arms from reaching upward. Once upside down you can get into the nooks and crannies. If you need to use chemicals they won't drip all over your body or driveway. Also, it will make painting/coating much easier.

Once finished, you can sell the rotisserie on the CK5 marketplace or eBay or even FB marketplace. You may only get 80% of what you paid but it will be worth the stress and hours of extra work while dealing with the bottom facing down.

Just an idea....

Hmm, yeah, I like this idea. This would certainly make the job easier...I'm still sore from crawling around under this this weekend! Maybe I can find a used one locally. I'm guessing that even if I were to hire a dustless mobile blaster, they'd want the body on a rotisserie anyway. The cart it's on now will raise to about three feet, but I doubt anyone would want to crouch under there to do a dirt I job like this. The blaster guy I talked to a few months back didn't think he'd be able to do it the way it sits. Thanks for the suggestion!

You could find a mobil Dustless Blasting guy.

Yeah, I considered this a few months back but the guy I called was hesitant to do the job in my driveway and was unsure about the height of the cart.

Another thing I've been thinking about is renting a steam cleaner...3500psi 200 degree water might do it?

Maybe I just need to put the body on a flatbed and take it somewhere to get blasted. How much does the tub weigh? Any concerns with setting it down on top of some 4x4 blocks on a trailer?

 

[ZombieK5]

Yeah, it seems to be a mix of rubberized undercoating and some paint-like material. Some is really soft, and other areas are hard and crusty. The flat surfaces aren't too bad, it's all the nooks and crannies that are such a pain and has me wishing that I could just spray some shit on to soften it and hose it off lol. Blasting might be the way to go... appreciate the tips!

Hmm, yeah, I like this idea. This would certainly make the job easier...I'm still sore from crawling around under this this weekend! Maybe I can find a used one locally. I'm guessing that even if I were to hire a dustless mobile blaster, they'd want the body on a rotisserie anyway. The cart it's on now will raise to about three feet, but I doubt anyone would want to crouch under there to do a dirt I job like this. The blaster guy I talked to a few months back didn't think he'd be able to do it the way it sits. Thanks for the suggestion!

Yeah, I considered this a few months back but the guy I called was hesitant to do the job in my driveway and was unsure about the height of the cart.

Another thing I've been thinking about is renting a steam cleaner...3500psi 200 degree water might do it?

Maybe I just need to put the body on a flatbed and take it somewhere to get blasted. How much does the tub weigh? Any concerns with setting it down on top of some 4x4 blocks on a trailer?

Found a video with a 72 K5 on a rotisserie.

Autotwirler doesn't make a square body mounting bracket but the way this guy has it mounted is about what I envisioned. He seems to have used the tailgate mounting point and the front cab bushing mounts. 72 didn't have an integrated roof so his balance points are much lower than yours would be. You'd need to make a "drop" (for lack of a better word) bracket to adjust for your higher center of gravity. With your welding skills I'm sure you could do this no problem.

 

[RoccoK5]

It's kinda depressing how slowly this project has been going, but I've been trying to get some stuff done the past couple of months. I finally finished plumbing the transmission and engine oil coolers this morning. Used a couple of Derale stacked plate coolers and plumbed everything with PTFE hose and AN fittings. I think it came out alright, although it's a bit of a mess of hoses up front:

I don't think there's much left I can do with the chassis until I get the body back on it. I would like to replace some sheet metal and prep/coat the underside before I do that, though. Then I can cart it off to a body shop. I may just take @ZombieK5's suggestion and pick up a rotisserie for the body so I don't kill myself crawling around under it. We shall see.

 

[ZooMad75]

Progress is progress, even in small steps. Good work.