83 K5 Blazer Expedition rig build up, Finally!

[biglos454]

well i finally have my dream rig. I've wanted a k5 since i was 15 and I'm now at a point in life where i can afford to have an off road toy. this will be a slow build but she is in pretty good shape for being an 83. paint is rough, but the body is fairly straight. interior is rough but it will be ripped out and made to my liking. I'm hoping to turn it into the perfect expedition/ off road truck that I can use for extended travels into the backwoods and hunting trips. needless to say that my social life his ended for now lol. im sure this truck will consume all of my spare time and money. after 10 years of dreaming, drooling, and planning for this K5 i finally get to dig in and build up my perfect rig.

if you guys have any ideas or comments don't be scared to let me know. ive been following many builds and gathering ideas off of this site for a few years now and im looking forward to implementing them in my rig

Plans include:
Corporate 14 bolt
Dana 60
NP 203 transfer case
vortec 5.3 or 6.0
on board welding capability
on board air
on board water supply
Dual batteries/ Solar charging system
front and rear winches
Carputer for navigation
plus all of the usual things you can find in an expo rig

for now i will be concentrating on fixing the few rust spots that it has and giving the entire drive train a once over to fix any leaks and ensure reliability for the short trips it will be on while i build it up.

 

[roostercruiser]

Id go 205 transfer case cause the 203 is for fill time 4wd.the 205 is a fixed yoke in case you break a Driveshaft or u joint, you can always drive in FWD. Sounds like a fun project

 

[Metcalf]

I will just leave this here.....

http://www.chaosfab.com/projects/blazer/blazer.html

Good luck on your project! Its good to see some older iron in this section.

 

[biglos454]

Thanks, I always get the 203/205 T cases confused. always forget which is the full time 4WD

lol ive had had chaos fab blazer as a background pic for a few years now. its a great build, and will definitely be inspiration. Ive actually looked into using the same front fenders as that chaos fab blazer.

Old iron is the only way to go!

 

[Metcalf]

If your still shopping, look for a 2003 GM 14-bolt rear axle. They use the same old style 14-bolt gears and lockers, but have factory disc brakes with the internal hat style parking brake. The are 67" wide also, a pretty good match for the D60 front.

 

[xpndbl3]

I'm doing a 5.3L swap presently as well, it's definitely not cheap but it'll be a huge upgrade when it gets tossed in my 88 suburban.

 

[greg mgm]

I had a 78 GMC for 20 years....great old trucks. Yours looks like a very good start.

Have you been to the Colorado K5 forums yet? Tons of info- http://coloradok5.com/forums/

This is what I would do for suspension- http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/3inchliftsystem.htm

Looking forward to you build updates.

 

[biglos454]

i already have a 14 bolt that will be receiving a disc brake conversion but thanks for the info.

i saw your build thread with the 5.3 swap xpndbl3, good luck with it. that's a good looking burb. my daily driver is a 5.3 and i must say that series is motor is very reliable and a good upgrade to these old square bodies. the 350 it has now is stout so it will do for now. im between a 5.3, 6.0, or if im lucky enough to find it, the mighty 8.1 vortec. really which ever one i can get my hands on first and for the right price will be going into the k5

ive been a member of colorado k5 for a few years now, lots of great info on there regarding these old K5's. i will most likely be going with ORDs 4 inch kit. with a few parts from DIY4X mixed in for good measure.

Im going to get it registered and inspected today so i can start driving it. :bike_rider:

 

[Metcalf]

Why so much lift?

 

[biglos454]

im going with 35 inch tires. its possible with 3 inch but that exta inch will make life easier

 

[Cody1771]

imo go with there 2" shackle flip kit and do a little bit of trimming and you will stuff 35's in there with an overall lower stance. it will be way more capable and less top heavy.

 

[Metcalf]

I would try for less lift. That chaos fab blazer is running 37s with VERY minimal lift, maybe 1-2" max. It has front 'glass fenders, but the rear looks pretty darn stock.

My Dodge works GREAT with very limited lift and big tires. The height difference from the tires is minimized as much as possible. The change in static tire radius ( going from 31" tires to 39" tires in my case ) of 4" gets translated directly into clearance under the axles and chassis. There is also a MUCH less drastic change in vehicle profile from the front. The tires are tucked more into the body which is also nice.....

The fiberglass front fenders look like a GREAT option to me, espeicaly if you can find a bolt on stock looking version that would still match the rear ( basically whatever they ran on the chaos fab blazer ).

Don't get too caught up in the 'you have to have XX lift to run XX tires. Try to run less lift....

 

[mlaux]

37" tires with 4" of lift still requires the liberal application of a sawsall to clear. That K5 looks like a great starting point.

 

[biglos454]

i really want to try to keep my center of gravity as low as possible. i can probably go with 35s or 37s and 2 inch lift up front with the fiberglass fenders which is what i would like, but its the back i worry about. Im not really sure what they did in the back of that Chaos K5. I dont mind trimming but ive heard that the amount you can trim is limited in the back by body supports. its something i will have to look into. i would like to do the lift and the axles at the same time so i might hold off until i can find and build my D60

 

[mlaux]

The back isn't much of a problem. I think 35" tires will clear with stock springs that don't have a sag problem.