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Ultimate expedition chevy dilemma - hybrid Vs K5

Which one?

  • K5

    Votes: 26 68.4%

  • K20 hybrid

    Votes: 12 31.6%
  • Total voters
    38
AussieK5

AussieK5

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Ive got a stock rust free 79 K5 and a fairly good 79 K20 sitting in the driveway and a big decision to make.

One of them will get the flick and the other will have big $$$ sunk into it to make it a very unique (well down here anyway!) and capable expedition vehicle. It will also serve as a DD.

Until recently I needed the K20 wheelbase and tray for towing/hauling however 'she who must be obeyed' is all for building a C20 or C30 (nice paint,454/400, airbags, etc etc) to fill this role.

So Im having a real crisis of faith, I've spent plenty of time in both rigs and cant decide which one to give up.

When completed specs will read as follows.

K5
6.5TD
480/205 or Nissan 5spd/t case
D44/9" (3.89's and ARBs)
33"
4" lift + rear airbags
2x rear swing away spares
mini exo with rack
snorkel
roof tent
custom tanks fuel/water etc etc

Pros - Short wheebase, lighter, wife can drive :confused:, better DD, dogs get the sweet taste of aircon (115deg at xmas)
Cons - Packing space, soggy mastiffs end up in cab (occasional), less space for fuel (maybe 40-50 gal)

K20
6.5TD
480/205
D44/14" (3.73s's and ARBs)
35"
4" lift + rear airbags
Crew Cab body with flatbed (+ enclosed cage)

Pros - Packing space, soggy mastiffs can ride on the tray, more space for fuel (80 gal)
Cons - Turning circle, slighty PITA DD, heavy rig, marginally higher fuel use


Think it over and tell me which would you want?
 
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Wow that's a tough one! I'm a big K5 guy,I love the short wheel base for such a big and powerful truck,you can go almost any where,and I'm sure the dogs love it.:D Now don't get wrong,I also like K20's.Just saying if I had to choose,it would be the Blazer.:k5: But that's just Me?

Good luck with truck you choose!! :D

Oh and how is the four wheelin' down under?? :cool1:
 
They are both good options. I would go K5. I think that off road it is a more capable vehicle. The short wheelbase alone tips those scales. Put down a cargo liner for the soggy doggies. Mount an extra gas can or two with your spare tires.
 
The wheeling is great downunder...we are a young country with only a population of about 20 million so is easy to get away from the crowds if youve got a front diff! :waytogo:

Not much in the way of rocks but the comp scene is starting to pick up on it with some man made courses.

I'm more into using the rig to get into some really remote and out of the way places...on the east coast we've got the everything from rainforests to deserts, snow, some sweet beaches (up to 30 miles long that you can drive on) and the largest sand island in the world. That island alone has rainforests and is 4wd only...awesome beaches...wicked wheeling....great fishing.

:D
 
I would definetly choose the K5 and then take the axles from the K20 and put underneath it. For a expedition vehicle it's much better with the closed cargospace of a K5 than the open one of a pickup truck atleast i.m.o.
 
AussieK5 said:
The wheeling is great downunder...we are a young country with only a population of about 20 million so is easy to get away from the crowds if youve got a front diff! :waytogo:

Not much in the way of rocks but the comp scene is starting to pick up on it with some man made courses.

I'm more into using the rig to get into some really remote and out of the way places...on the east coast we've got the everything from rainforests to deserts, snow, some sweet beaches (up to 30 miles long that you can drive on) and the largest sand island in the world. That island alone has rainforests and is 4wd only...awesome beaches...wicked wheeling....great fishing.

:D
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It is supposed to be an expedition type truck. i would go with the K20 if you find the stock wheelbase is too long, shorten it.
 
Crazy....I read you post earlier and didn't even notice your accent:D :haha: .
I love the K5's. Hard to stick'em and they have a great look to 'em.

Just my 2 cents
 
AussieK5 said:
Pretty hard to shorten a K20 chassis with a crew cab on it...might get a few inches out of for not much gain.
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is it an 8 ft bed? i already bobbed mine 9 1/2" and plan on shortening it something like 14" in front of the rear axle to something like 118"-120"
 
k5, unless............you cut the top off the k20 and have a convertible crewcab...that would be badass!!!!
 
that's a tough choice, If your building it to go battle with the rovers and the nissan's I would have to say K20 but if you are building it to go camping and wheeling for your own enjoyment run the K5
 
You can pack a lot into a k5- fuel tank capacity isnt that high, maybe 31-40 gallons at most. You can have some custom tanks fabricated and installed (but remember to install skids on them). underbelly.

You might want to consider time as being the limiting factor rather than the acutal vehicle choice- If you plan to stay away from civilization for a long time, consider the pickup. It will haul a lot more supplies, espeically when water supplies are limited. unless your reall good at saving at supllies.
 
Yeah.... custom tanks for both options are on the cards. Though I like to get away from it we wont spend more than 5 days away from resup points. Still that means up to 200lt+ of H2O on board at times....some may think this excessive but its a fairly standard rule (20lt per person per day) for remote area travel.

I planned with the K5 to run an alloy tank along each side of the bed (internal) at about 80lt each plus a floor bladder of about 50lt. This way the water can stay a little cooler than if stored out of the cab. With the K20 I could only store the bladder inside.....but 200 would fit easy on the bulkhead of the tray.
 
I vote for K5. I have an extremely capable pickup, but with my wife & a dog, there's not enough room to be comfortable.
 
I vote go K20, with crew cab and a shortbed with a camper. That way you have lots of space inside for people and dogs, plus cargo room and a built in place to sleep. A guy here in AZ shortened a K30 and put a shortbed on it. Awesome truck. Add a camper and IMO best long trip expedition vehicle. It depends a lot on your terrain though. If you go with the K20 will it limit the places you go because of the wheelbase, or is everything big down under?
 
THen what he'll end up with is a version of the Turtle expedition vehicle. Campers tend to be wider than the truck is- So sure, he could put a cap on his truck, then run a contractor rack (that goes over the roof of the truck, and then tie a exo skeletion into that.

Even a shortended crew cab is still way longer than a k5. The ony thing is, the pre 92 k20's still had saddle bag tanks (but running diesel isnt that dangerous compared to running gas). So this could let him run another single 31 or 40 gal tank where the spare used to go.

Lets not forget him needing to carry at least one spare- if not two. He could cut down the weight of a rim/tire package, by running beadlocks, but even then, putting on a new tire takes a lot of time. So he might want to consider steelies, and just have two mounted spares.

Even with two mounted spares, he still need to figure out some space issues- Primarily with the weight of the water and fuel. Custom springs should be used instead of shackle flips.

A winch, at least on front.

This beast is gonna be close to its GVWR, simply because of fuel and water.
And btw, water isnt any cooler inside. Its acutally coolest when its under belly. If you keep a can of soda under the truck, vs in the truck... the truck acts like an oven.
 
Add a camper and IMO best long trip expedition vehicle.
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True but it does significently add to overall weight, with either option of K5 or K20 we plan to run a roof top tent ala safari style. Quick to set up and still safe from snakes and snapping handbags.

And btw, water isnt any cooler inside. Its acutally coolest when its under belly. If you keep a can of soda under the truck, vs in the truck... the truck acts like an oven.
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Yep but I was planning that mod with respect to the water temps after a day on the road rather than time spent in a closed cab, its easy to leave the windows down when parked.
We have a pretty good fridge but it still struggles when the ambient air temp climbs and every little bit helps.
Just like a soda can inside a closed cabin Im sure a soda can slung under a truck thats been running all day would get toasty warm.

Im really starting to lean toward the Blazer due to the reduced weight and capabilities offroad if push comes to shove. I love the load carrying capability of the K20 hybrid but I think we will never top it out load wise when touring.
 
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