today got me thinking.

[MattK]

keep the blazer man! trust me we all get frustrated and i know how you feel with not knowing how to fix stuff. make friends with people that do and learn from them lol.

just get it runnin solid before you mod it again and you'll fall in love with the heap once more.

 

[blackblazer717]

dude, if your worried bout gas milage by a compact car for the everyday, i did it sadly enough.
never dis the K-5 just dont do it bro, the last thing i wanna here come out of your mouth is i dont want my k-5 anymore, thats just wrong.
plus, us mass boys know how we do it round hurrr...lol

LUKE

 

[Brocky]

I parked my Blazer for about two years a few years back because I couldnt afford it. Bought myself $150 car that I drove for two years without ANY maintance. No oil changes or nothing, ma bad. But over that time the little $150 Toyota kept me moving and then I had saved up money and was in a better position to replace my motor and rebuild my tranny. Patiance is something I lack but better to do it slowly then not atall.

 

[NEK5]

dude, if your worried bout gas milage by a compact car for the everyday, i did it sadly enough.
never dis the K-5 just dont do it bro, the last thing i wanna here come out of your mouth is i dont want my k-5 anymore, thats just wrong.
plus, us mass boys know how we do it round hurrr...lol

LUKE

LOL US mass boys need to start doint it round hurr...lol....

the reason i no longer want a heep is not because of what people say it is because i could have the same thing to do to it as i do mine and i already have a good truck to start off with...

 

[fireplug]

All the advice you've been given is right on the money. Before making any decisions, do your research.

Go get your truck looked at from top to bottom. Find out what needs to be done. Some places like MIDAS will do it for free or cheap. Make a list of stuff that needs to be done and knock them off one at a time keeping your priorities in order ie safety first.

Decide how you are going to use the Blazer. Are you going to wheel it? What kind of Wheeling? Don't know? Go out with some other guys, leave your truck at home and just go for the wheeling. Then you can compare the type of wheeling with the set up of the rigs you see in person and see how much money has been spent to get there. This will help you make a list of upgrades that you want.

Lastly don't get caught up building a web rig. You aren't going to learn and have fun driving off road if your truck is on axle stands for two years, while you talk about it on the forum! Once your truck is safe and all obvious maintenance issues are tackled, get out on the trail!

 

[NEK5]

if i were to bring it to midas do you know what they would do??

 

[colbystephens]

my bro and dad do the jeep stuff. they like it alot - but it is freaking expensive. my brother just spent about a grand upgrading his axles so that they'd be almost as strong as a dana 44! i told him that was rediculous - i bought my truck with 1/2 ton stuff for 500 bux! course i rebuilt it and everything. my dad is running a 6 cylinder jeep and w/ city and highway driving averaged, he only gets 15-17mpg. i'd stick w/ a chevy.

 

[fireplug]

if i were to bring it to midas do you know what they would do??

They will do a thorough check of everything. You want to check all the major systems. Iginition, brakes, suspension, drive train....and it sounds like your questioning the engine so get a compression check done.

I only mention Midas because they do (or did offer a free inspection). Though they will probably pad everything because they are hoping to take your money. It will give you a chance to size up the required work.

Your other option is to pick up a Haynes manual or even better a shop manual, with a little help from these you can check most things for yourself and learn a lot about your truck at the same time!

I just looked at your profile for the first time. Your truck sounds like it is good to go? You can do a ton of wheeling with the set up you have, I wheeled my Burb with the same setup for two years, and that truck did great! Check the basic maintenance issues, and get wheeling. If it turns out you want to upgrade in the future you may find like I did that it is easier, and cheaper to buy another rig.

 

[AZ79K5Project]

IMO: K5's are great trucks. I also like the looks of the built Jeeps and first generation Bronco's and Land Cruisers. I don't want a Jeep and can't afford the others.

I had my first Blazer (actually the Blazer twin - 76 GMC Jimmy) back in college 17 years ago. I loved that ugly orange POS. I sold it to move from the college town to the "city".

I bought my 2nd K5 this past January for $2500 and out another $1000 into it to get it street legal/safe (smog stuff, tires, exhaust). I have been working on it almost every other weekend since. It came with a rebuilt drive train (axle to axle). Engine's been rebuilt. Mechanically, very strong. The electrical looks like Mickey Mouse on crack wired it. Inner fender wells - rust holes. AC - dead. Radio - dead. carpet - toast.

Any durable 4x4 is $$$$ over time. Take your time, build for durability and safety. Seperate the wants from the needs. The headliner is peeling off my ride. The taillights need re-wiring. There's no option. Cosmetic versus safety.

If you look at everything that can be done to a k5 and the cost to build it, curl up in the fetal position and suck your thumb, its expensive!!! Take your time. Most of the trucks take YEARS to build right by the average guy.

The K5 is a great durable truck right out of the box with endless possibilities.
Oh, I almost forgot, Jeeps are for women and they are ghey.

 

[fireplug]

Another piece of advice, try to spend money on parts that you can take with you to the next truck. Any money that you spend on the truck that you can't take with you, is money thrown away as you won't get it on resale.

 

[AussieK5]

Its always cheaper to stick with what you have than buy into someone else problems. You may score a screaming bargain but you generally pay for what you get.
Run what you have, its almost always cheaper in the long run no matter what the car/rig is.

 

[NEK5]

thanks for the advise guys.....i think i might look into getting it inspected and or/compression check, maybe put some new cyl heads on the motor and plan on a tranny rebuild sometime or look for a 700r4 in good condition..the guy i bought the truck(who i completly trust and is a great mechanic) told me that all the motor need was valve seals.....so should i just put different heads on it that way i`m replacing the seals and all the internals and upgrading at the same time??? anyone have suggestions for new heads??

 

[daleearnhardt01]

my bro and dad do the jeep stuff. they like it alot - but it is freaking expensive. my brother just spent about a grand upgrading his axles so that they'd be almost as strong as a dana 44! i told him that was rediculous - i bought my truck with 1/2 ton stuff for 500 bux! course i rebuilt it and everything. my dad is running a 6 cylinder jeep and w/ city and highway driving averaged, he only gets 15-17mpg. i'd stick w/ a chevy.

Thats no different and no more expensive than somebody upgrading their 10 bolts... You have to look at them in the same way, a Jeep on stock axles running 35's has the same problem as a person running 1/2 tons on a 1/2 truck with big tires, and if thats how they want to go about upgrading then so be it, it wouldnt be any different than putting a bunch of money into a 44 to make it as strong as a 60.

 

[1985_K5_Silverado]

Another piece of advice, try to spend money on parts that you can take with you to the next truck. Any money that you spend on the truck that you can't take with you, is money thrown away as you won't get it on resale.

That's excellent advice! Once the safety issues are all nailed down, the engine is a good lace to dump a little spare cash. The engine, trans, TC, and axles you can swap to another K5 or pickup. Things like fixing the rear quarter panels - just wait until you find a pretty rust-free truck with a hagged-out or bone stock driveline and then swap your beefed up hardware into that.