Trazer vs Truggy

[medicdave]

Well I've neglected my 90 k5 project for a while due to some illness in the family and some bad times in the oilfield, but I'm ready to get back into it. My original plan was to one ton my K5 6.2L diesel, NV4500, 203/205 doubler, Dana 60 front 14bff rear w/ 4.88 gears, 52's in the front, shackle flip in the back. Ive been lurking and really liking the whole trazer truggy idea, and have reached a dillema. I have a M1008 waiting for me when I get home from offshore, complete except for the driveline ie frame, body, and everything not directly attached to the motor, tranny or axles. I also have a custom motor cross member/panhard bar setup that was designed for the blazer frame.So my choices are to build a trazer on a clean Blazer frame I have prepped for the B52's and shackle flip, build a truggy of of the one ton frame, drop everything into the M1008 as a full size or stick with the blazer body. The truck will be used as a hunting and fishing vehicle, and rocks up in Tennessee when we move up there next year (building it not to break up there, not much hard stuff in Florida). Let me know the reasoning behind your votes if you will....Dave

 

[medicdave]

Anybody out there? Would really like to here some opinions...Dave

 

[sky56]

I know youll probably think my idea sucks but do what you think is best in regards for what youll use more. You said that FL doesnt really have any hard stuff like TN so if youre planning on tackling some nice wheeling build yourself a bad ass trail rig. If you plan on just doing small stuff and or using it as a DD go a diff route. Id love to make my K5 bad ass but its my DD so that has to wait. M1008's are cool (just started learning about them) but im a huge K5 fan. Your dilemma is in some ways like my trade proposal i put up here to see what everyone thought. I can honestly say the best responses were the ones that told me to weigh my options and pick what was best for me and all that. Hope this helps if not sorry. Take care and best of luck with the route you choose

 

[medicdave]

I like the idea of the sawed off trazer/truggy. Any real benifit to using the one tons frame over the blazer, ie stronger, better built etc. It's not intended to be a daily driver, but a hunting, fishing, play toy kinda deal. I know some of the mounting brakets are different on the one ton, but any real reason to use it over the blazer frame I already have prepped.

 

[thedrip]

I essentially put an M1008 everything onto a blazer frame. Turned out alright. Looks a little short, but its hard enough to follow narrow vehicles around being fullsize width. I do miss my blazer body though. Definitely need to come up with a VERY useful bed design with sealed locking storage if you plan on taking out of state trips.

 

[hmatiak]

I like the idea of the sawed off trazer/truggy. Any real benifit to using the one tons frame over the blazer, ie stronger, better built etc. It's not intended to be a daily driver, but a hunting, fishing, play toy kinda deal. I know some of the mounting brakets are different on the one ton, but any real reason to use it over the blazer frame I already have prepped.

I currently have a Trazer. Im picked up a M1008 to rob axles out of and the plan was to scrap/sell the rest. Ended up keeping the truck because of how much beefier the frame is. I ended up shortening the frame, boxing a few sections, and cleaning off all the brackets. I will be doing a 4-link rear and a stock lift spring up front. Wheelbase will be close to the same as the trazer.

I didnt see a point in building a overkill rig on a basically 1/4 ton frame. The blazer frame is about 1/8" thick were as the M1008 frame is 1/4" and much taller channel.

Build the truck and adjust the length and wheelbase as necessary.

 

[medicdave]

Definitely need to come up with a VERY useful bed design with sealed locking storage if you plan on taking out of state trips.

I plan on robbing Stomis's bed idea seen here.
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=254198&page=7

Framed and decked bed with full length tool boxes as bed sides instead of partial as Stomis did, but no tool box across the bed. Then a swing away tailgate like blazen offroad makes for a tire carrier with jerry can and high lift mounts seen here.
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=257299
That will still leave me a fair amount of room to carry gear in the center of the bed.

hmatiak do you have any pics of your M1008? Interested to see what you did.

Also any complications with B52's or a shackle flip on the one ton frames suspention. Also does anyone know if the engine crossmember dimentions are the same frame to frame from 1/2 ton to one ton?

 

[blazinzuk]

I didnt see a point in building a overkill rig on a basically 1/4 ton frame. The blazer frame is about 1/8" thick were as the M1008 frame is 1/4" and much taller channel.

Build the truck and adjust the length and wheelbase as necessary.

Yep use the one ton frame and cut and chop add subtract where you need to.

I have never wheeled tenesee but it seems most of the rigs there are high power long wheelbase with 120+ being the norm.

 

[496truck]

I voted to keep the Blazer body. Mostly hunt/fish and sometimes wheel, that would be my choice. The body is there to store your gear and it's lockable provided the cap is on. You could also install a lockable box for when the cap is off. Body is still small or short enough for some technical wheeling and tight spots. Swap in the HD drivetrain and be done with it and driving it alot sooner (and cheaper) than a custom built Trazer or shortened one ton frame. Unless you have way too much time and money on your hands...

 

[medicdave]

I'm of for 2 weeks at a time every month so I have time (Have to love working offshore for that). Most of the parts are already sitting waiting to go, I think the clutch and doubler kit are the only major parts I still need, not counting rebuilding springs, motor mounts etc. untill it's ready for drive shafts. I've been buying and hording parts for almost 2 years. I found it easier to swallow the money spent if I waited for a good deal or a sale for something on my list, and didn't keep reciepts. It's taken longer to get it all together, but I tell myself I saved on it lol.

 

[hmatiak]

hmatiak do you have any pics of your M1008? Interested to see what you did.

That should give you a good idea. Wheelbase will be 118-121 with 42's. The axle housing will be 3-5 inches from the end of the rear of the frame rails. It looks a little different now with sections of the frame boxed.

 

[medicdave]

Are you springing it on coils and linking it to have the diff so far back?

 

[sixb]

My inspiration for my next project is Blazinzuk's truggy and Hmatiak trazer. When I finish my cummins powered k5 I will build one of these into a beater truggy

 

[hmatiak]

Are you springing it on coils and linking it to have the diff so far back?

4 link with air shocks or coil springs. Depends on the available funds when the time comes.

 

[blazinzuk]

I am going to do the same thing when the time comes. Except I may chop the frame right behind the cab and just rebuild from the cab back. Since I used leaves I had to leave mine long enough to mount the leaves

 

[medicdave]

Since I used leaves I had to leave mine long enough to mount the leaves

I'll be using leaves also. One question to you gurus out there. Since I've already got my axles built and pretty with a 3/4 ton rear end to match the blazers spring width, how hard would it be to adapt the spring mounts on the trimmed one ton to mate with the 3/4 rear end. Just wider mounts on the frame, or is that not a good idea. I want to do a shakle flip in the rear, I imagine I could get Kurt to make me a set and a set of front hangers to correct the width issue with out cutting and welding on my pretty 14 bolt.

I like the way that M1008 is plated across the rear. Hmatiak, you said you boxed sections of the frame. Does that help overall, or just make the un boxed areas more likely to fail? I'd been thinking about just welding in 2" wide 1/4" plate stiffiners about a foot apart add to the rigidity of the frame, while still allowing access to the lines running behind them and not having to reroute everything outside the frame. You guys think that has any merit?

 

[hmatiak]

I'll be using leaves also. One question to you gurus out there. Since I've already got my axles built and pretty with a 3/4 ton rear end to match the blazers spring width, how hard would it be to adapt the spring mounts on the trimmed one ton to mate with the 3/4 rear end. Just wider mounts on the frame, or is that not a good idea. I want to do a shakle flip in the rear, I imagine I could get Kurt to make me a set and a set of front hangers to correct the width issue with out cutting and welding on my pretty 14 bolt.

I like the way that M1008 is plated across the rear. Hmatiak, you said you boxed sections of the frame. Does that help overall, or just make the un boxed areas more likely to fail?

The hangers you are talking about making would create more leverage on the mounting surface. Use the correct/factory style mounts or inbord the rear springs to under the frame rails. Either way you will need to move your perches.

I boxed from behind the rear shackle hanger for the front springs to just before the rear body mounts for the cab. I tapered the ends of the plate were it stops like a sideways "V" to help distribute the force back evenly to the un-boxed sections. I boxed that area because the 4 link will work much better on a rigid frame. Also gives me a nice area to build my brackets off of and to mount new cross members inside of the frame rails. It seemed to me that area of the frame would do the most twisting when the suspension begins to be worked hard.

 

[hmatiak]

I am going to do the same thing when the time comes. Except I may chop the frame right behind the cab and just rebuild from the cab back. Since I used leaves I had to leave mine long enough to mount the leaves

To me a facotory chopped 1/4" thick frame with some reinforcement would be much stronger, not to mention cheaper, than any tubed back half that I could personally throw on there. Once it gets a cage and tube work over the back it should be way overkill, but thats what im going for.

 

[sixb]

To me a facotory chopped 1/4" thick frame with some reinforcement would be much stronger, not to mention cheaper, than any tubed back half that I could personally throw on there. Once it gets a cage and tube work over the back it should be way overkill, but thats what im going for.

I agree and would like to see more of your build plus the drivetrain specs.

 

[blazinzuk]

To me a facotory chopped 1/4" thick frame with some reinforcement would be much stronger, not to mention cheaper, than any tubed back half that I could personally throw on there. Once it gets a cage and tube work over the back it should be way overkill, but thats what im going for.

True but I was referring to my truck and its a half ton frame. Plus I can do some weird storage idea things I want to do. When I do mine it will be a combination of round and square.

To the OP my frame is boxed from the back to the cab crossmember, why? Cause we got lazy thats why! So far no problems with cracking.