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Swapping K5 to truck tailgate and lift glass
- Thread starter Blue85
- Start date
webb_texas
'80 K5
On it
Just did my swap and soft top ordered and will add a camper style window on hard top if I ever use it again another heavy item..
You don’t realize the weight difference until you have to move them around a bit ..lmao
You don’t realize the weight difference until you have to move them around a bit ..lmao
I know this is a bit of an old thread, but I'm hoping to revive it with some additional photos. How did the end result look? How about those gas struts, how did you anchor the truck side so it didn't interfere with the remaining bit of shell? I'm getting ready to start this mod, I've got the tailgate swapped out, I love it, and it wasn't too difficult thanks to your instructions. I'm just a little nervous cutting into my top until I have a better understanding of how you dealt with the angles on the rear portion of the shell. It looks like that may have been cut off since your window was substantially bigger than the opening. I've got a spare K5 top to practice on before I move on and butcher mine. Best window I've found as of now is 23" high, which I think is going to be too tall, but I think the seller may be measuring the wrong thing, so I'll take my template over and see what we've got. What would be the ideal window size, something that would involve cutting the outside edge of the track off, but leaving the inside edge as a mounting point? Maybe a couple of photos of the inside with the top up would help me, too. Thanks, and great idea. I'll post up my progress, also...if it comes out half as good as yours, it'll be worth it.
Ok so since no luck with the general request, specifically what I'm looking for is the metal supports you welded the nuts to. Where are they? My window didn't require cutting any deeper than the lip off the window channel, so I can't see inside the top. I would assume the metal is equally distributed longitudinally from the center, so by looking at yours, I just need to measure out from center an equal amount on each side to drill and find something I can anchor to. I just don't know how far and was trying to get a measurement on where to drill that first hole. Here's a photo of where I'm at with the cut, and the frame in place on the cut. It looks like it's going to be nice, I just need to anchor that frame securely.
Yours just fits better than mine. Looks like it will turn out really nice. What kind of topper did you pull from? If you look at my pics of the cut open topper on page 1 you can see those pop rivets are to the bottom edge of the metal channel. I think you should try a different approach for attachment than I did because it's nice to not have to cut into the hollow section of the topper. How did your channel attach to the topper you took it from? I assume there are screws from the inside of the topper that go into the channel. Can you replicate that with longer screws? If not, you should be able to drill through the channel, then fiberglass, then inner steel. It's your choice to use sheet metal screws (plus adhesive all the way around?) or keep drilling all the way through the inner fiberglass and back it up with nuts or something. You could test drill the fiberglass top where the channel will hide if needed to make sure you hit steel.
The window came from a manufacturer called "Creative Windows", which, of course, in out of business. I have no idea what kind of shell it was in, nor did the owner of the shell...it was on a 96 fullsize chevy pickup, though. In the second photo, leaned up against the sawhorse, is a silver "D" shaped flange, which is what the frame screwed into on the shell. To get that piece in, though, I would have to cut a lot more fiberglass out, so I think I'll go with the sheet metal screws into the metal. If that isn't sturdy enough, I'll have to run bolts all the way through and put a backing plate on the inside of the shell. The outer marks on the top were where I marked it with the inside edge of the flange, so you can see I'd clearly be in the hollow part of the shell had I made those cuts.
Thanks for the locate on the steel strip in there...I was figuring those rivets went to something solid, but also thought they might just be there to hold the window felt in. Do you know how thick that steel band is? Is it sheet metal or thick enough that it will serve as an anchor for the screws? I'm assuming if it took a nut being welded to it, it's probably pretty thick. Is there a diagram somewhere that has the layout of the metal in the top? Like maybe someone has x-rayed one before at a border crossing or something? I didn't see anything in the resources section.
For adhesive, what do you think...epoxy? I don't know of much that bonds to aluminum very well. even if it's sanded rough.
Thanks for the locate on the steel strip in there...I was figuring those rivets went to something solid, but also thought they might just be there to hold the window felt in. Do you know how thick that steel band is? Is it sheet metal or thick enough that it will serve as an anchor for the screws? I'm assuming if it took a nut being welded to it, it's probably pretty thick. Is there a diagram somewhere that has the layout of the metal in the top? Like maybe someone has x-rayed one before at a border crossing or something? I didn't see anything in the resources section.
For adhesive, what do you think...epoxy? I don't know of much that bonds to aluminum very well. even if it's sanded rough.
Bumped for radness and because I was trying to fix my tailgate today and I'm really sick of the weight of the glass blazer tailgate and want to swap to a truck tailgate..
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I don't have that truck anymore, but I don't recall any downsides to this swap. I think GM should have done this from the factory.
Go for it. Take the time to find a window that's close to the correct size. The less you need to cut, the less headache you'll create.
Go for it. Take the time to find a window that's close to the correct size. The less you need to cut, the less headache you'll create.
I'm presently hunting for the tailgate. I may just commit to the soft-top when I score the tailgate.
Found this one
Check out this item on OfferUp. https://offerup.co/3MYoZF8syzb
Found this one
Check out this item on OfferUp. https://offerup.co/3MYoZF8syzb
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Make sure the trunnions match the tailgate. That one claims to be an older tailgate, but it has the newer style of latch plate. It could have come with either style of trunnion depending on which part of the decade it was made.
Either way, you'll be fine as long as all the parts are compatible with each other.
I may go get it today, but as you state I'm usure which year it really is. But it appears to have all the hardware which should work on my '78 k5...... I hope
How do I know when matching that they do indeed go together?
Said it's from a '76.... but knows
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The really early ones are welded to the tailgate, so that would be obvious. As long as the parts in the bag bolt to the tailgate and the trunions fit in the cups I think you're good to go. Maybe snap some pictures of your K5 side posts and measure the mounting features you have there.
Yes, this is what I meant with my post. If all the hardware fits the tailgate, you should not have any compatibility issues. AFAIK, the truck-side interface is the same across the squarebody years, so you really don't care what year of truck it came from. On my blazer I just needed to clean up the existing threaded holes and bolt the parts on. Though your mileage may vary.
If you have the wrong trunnions, either they won't fit into the cups or they'll be unusably loose. Pretty obvious either way.
There are a few changes to the tailgates over the years to watch out for. The first generation squarebody tailgate has tabs at the top that require slots cut in your bedside to work. Early K5's had these slots, 80's K5's do not. Otherwise, they are very interchangeable with the matching hardware.
ck5.com
Squarebody truck tailgate tech
Can you spot all the differences in 1973-87 Chevy truck tailgates and hardware? 1973-74 Guide bars at the top of the tailgate. Matching slot in the truck bedside. Non- slotted female cups welded to tailgates (tailgate does not lift out) 1975-76 Slotted female cups added for the tailgate to...
ck5.com
Scored it for $150 hopefully it works out. Needs some clean up, sanding and paint for sure... amazing weight difference.
Ok pics... hopefully this is correct or I'll have to use aftermarket stuff. They had stuff all over the place so...
It's for sure a little worse for wear right here but... a little wd40 and it's far smoother.
Inside the Blazer
