The "In over my head" build thread

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

My steering column didn't have that plug. I'm curious now what that might be for

[BIG BLOCK JIMMY]

ALLLLL very nice! That wire wrap is exactly what I was looking for too, thanks

[lks dcvn]

Been away from the board for awhile and I come back to see an update on this build. Wow - very nice work. I've been tinkering on my stuff when I get time.

I did see this comment from post #207 - Got them in the truck, cut another sheet of the vinyl to go between the two leveling mats) then laid the new rear carpet with my helper (ACC replaced the carpet after giving a few simple measurements and pics, shipped for free, and didn't want my old carpet back. Not sure what to do now with a old piece!)

I would be interested in the short cargo carpet if you wanted to find a new home for it. I just swapped all the rear sheet metal on a 71 blazer and want to protect the floor from scratching until I get it covered up. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

[jaros44sr]

I use a company called Wire care, that sleeve comes in differant sizes and I prefer spilral care, slit so you can wrap it and it closes back up when done

[jaros44sr]

VERY NICE WORK, I was confused, when I saw the upper rad. hose clamp in the middle of the hose, then blew up the pic and saw why.
punch list is getting smaller

[SeventyOne]

Originally Posted by jaros44sr

VERY NICE WORK, I was confused, when I saw the upper rad. hose clamp in the middle of the hose, then blew up the pic and saw why.
punch list is getting smaller

Ha yes I needed to backtrack and remove the battery tray so I could have room to work on the headlight wiring. And as you know in order to get to the bolts i had to loosen the top radiator mounts and hose.

Originally Posted by lks dcvn

I would be interested in the short cargo carpet if you wanted to find a new home for it. I just swapped all the rear sheet metal on a 71 blazer and want to protect the floor from scratching until I get it covered up. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

If you want to pay shipping on the carpet I can send it your way - though if you're seeking a temporary solution i'd imagine there's better solutions?

[simicrintz]

Originally Posted by jaros44sr

I use a company called Wire care

Any chance you have a link? Thank you!!

[jaros44sr]

Originally Posted by simicrintz

Any chance you have a link? Thank you!!

Don't know how to do a link but, if you google wirecare.com you should find it

[Thealien]

WOW what a transformation. Nice looking Blazer!

[jaros44sr]

One thing that I noticed, other than all the great work, was you have the caps on the door weather strip. I thought they wouldn't let the air out, thus making it hard to close the door

[SeventyOne]

Originally Posted by jaros44sr

One thing that I noticed, other than all the great work, was you have the caps on the door weather strip. I thought they wouldn't let the air out, thus making it hard to close the door

Are you talking about the little plugs on the b-pillar ends? They have since fallen out (they just press in) and I have been meaning to add some RTV and put them back. either way the door seals are VERY soft and I didn't notice any resistance with them installed. I doubt the little plugs would really change much. Or i might leave em off if they make it too hard to close.

Originally Posted by Thealien

WOW what a transformation. Nice looking Blazer!

Thank you!

[jaros44sr]

Yeah, they probably got ejected, the first time you closed the door lol

[SeventyOne]

Please be Seated

Found a few hours yesterday to work on the K5.

Got the rear seat installation finished. For anyone reading it's 1/2" coarse thread X4 for the back bolts and the 2 front bolts are 7/16" coarse.




Longer bolts (1.5") came in for the front seats so I got those installed and even had enough time to get the sill plates installed as well. Not as much progress as I'd of liked but it's a pain in the butt to get the bolts lined up, through the carpet, mass loaded vinyl, and heat foam. But I slowly prevailed.





Also tossed in the floor mats. Look pretty good if I don't say so myself!

Updated punch list below!

PUNCH LIST
Under Dash
-Attached hidden antenna under dash
-Check carb gets to WOT with pedal travel
-Install glove box

Interior
-Install front seat belts
-Install t-case shifter, boot, + trim ring
-Install center console
-Install dimmer switch grommet
-Install steering wheel
-Install Rollbar mounted fire extinguisher
-Install door panels + door panel trim

Underhood
-Install radiator overflow reservoir

Final Wiring Touches
-Apply silicone and dielectric grease to wire connections/fuse block
-Install wire clamps along frame rail

Misc
-Get exhaust
-Double check all fluids
-Install rear bumper
-Diff breather hose for 14 bolt
-Double check door locks match ignition cyl key

[CG]

I sure like your seats. Whoever did them really did a nice job.

[psuedopimp]

I love your build! Very nice blazer. Good luck with the shake down trip this weekend.
And I really want a foot pedal for the high beam switch!

[simicrintz]

^^^^^^^^

x2!!

[SeventyOne]

Thanks guys. Yeah I thought the foot was just goofy/playful and I kept it from the first blazer I bought. If you missed it here was the story on that:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...&postcount=180

[jaros44sr]

Truck looks great good work, and good luck on first drive, hope all goes well for you

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

Let's see that exhaust? Ready for burnouts yet?

[SeventyOne]

They're never quite done, are they?

Well got exhaust installed on Saturday (towed there and back) and upon arriving home I was sitting idling in the street in front of my house when the tow truck driver offered to air up a low tire I had. While this was happening my brother noticed steam coming from under hood. Immediately killed the engine. waiting a few mins, once the tow truck driver left, started it an put in into the driveway. Also upon startup when cold the engine wanted to surge to 2500 rpm, might have a vac leak. Soooo no test drive.

Sunday I went out to the garage and noticed a small leak from the top rad hose. So i sinched that up and then I wanted to noodle with the carb and see if I could get the cold start RPM settled. While tweaking the IMS and checking for leaks etc I started smelling coolant...Checked the temp gauge and it seemed normal, right in the middle, but then looked under the truck and there was a pretty steady stream/spray of coolant going all over

Anyways that's about where I got with it haha. Today I had the truck towed back to the body shop to address some issues in the paint I found while assembling the truck overt the past 6 months. While it's there I'm going to have the mechanic that works there replace the water pump, look into the high idle, and I've also asked him to install and Hydraboost system as the brakes were rather weak at best (carb doesnt pull much vacuum).

So anyways here's some pics!











PUNCH LIST
Under Dash
-Attached hidden antenna under dash
-Check carb gets to WOT with pedal travel

Interior
-Install door panels, door panel trim, arm rests, escutcheons (after paint corrections to door)
-Install glove box (after speaker installation)

Misc
-Add wiper fluid
-Install wipers (after cowl antenna hole gets shaved)
-Get windows tinted
-Install speakers, maybe small underseat sub/amp

[simicrintz]

Sounds like a few hiccups but nothing major; awesome looking rig!!

[SeventyOne]

Finishing Touches - 5/26/20

Alright so back in early March I was really pushing to have the K5 ready for my first goodguys show that was scheduled for late march. Well....plans change as the world changes haha.

Anyways while the truck was back at the body shop for paint corrections and to shave the antenna hole, I had the shop mechanic replace the water pump, put in a hydraboost set up, and we also determined I needed a higher stall torque converter. So I opted for a locally made custom stall (2400) unit.

Anyways I pushed the guys to have it ready for the long weekend and they delivered! I went down to the shop Friday afternoon and she was ready to go. Drove her 45+ miles home and she ran/drove like a champ! Temps were cool, steering was crisp at most speeds (but it likely needs a better alignment and I need to check/equalize tire pressures), accelerated nicely and braked effectively! It was a blast to drive!

But...and there's always a but right? When I pulled into the driveway and got out I noticed there were fresh drips and low and behold looking under the truck showed a steady leak coming from the T-case rear output seal.







Anyways parts are on order and should have it back on the road by end of the week. In the meantime there were odds and ends to take care of.

I installed these nice decorative wipers that will never get used lol:



And I wanted to show off these custom CNC cut badges :

[SeventyOne]

Then I got to work installing the door panels and arm rests on and I love the way it completes the look of the interior:





Got this harness all ready so my co-pilot is safe and sound:



I installed these sleek panels to cover the rad/core support gap:



One issue i'm having though is with my hatch latches. Only the driver side catches and I can't figure out why. Any advice on adjusting these?


PUNCH LIST
Under Dash
-Attached hidden antenna under dash
-Check carb gets to WOT with pedal travel
-Install AFR gauge, maybe get trans temp gauge too...

Interior
-Find audio shop to set up sound system
-Install glove box (after speaker installation)

Misc
-Add wiper fluid
-Get windows tinted
-Check and set tire pressure
-Get Alignment checked

[Ptjsk]

Man....at a loss for words! That Blazer looks incredible!

Congratulations on nearing completion!

Pat

[SeventyOne]

Golden Ratio - 5/31

Still waiting for the tcase seal (Arrives tomorrow) so instead of driving it I got out there with my daughter and installed an AFR gauge. Should help immensely dialing in the timing and getting the carb settings, solving hesitations/bogs etc.

Had lots of fun trying to explain to my 6yo daughter electricity, positive/power and negative/ground creative a loop with the battery. I showed her the optima battery and she looked at me confused and said, "is the battery inside there?" I assume she was picturing the Blazer running on some small AA batteries.

We also got into some details of what the AFR gauge actually is which led us to talking about combustion and how fire needs air and fuel to burn. I later demonstrated this with a lit candle which was then placed under a pint glass.

Anyways some advanced science learnin' for the little one but it was a fun day. Here's some pics of the install:

Surprisingly accessible location!


Some egregious undercarriage porn:


Ran the wiring through the same grommet as the rear light harness:


This spot seems to be the best for visibility:


Still need to affix the gauge under the dash but...here's my current idle AFR


I've been thinking that also getting a trans temp gauge would give me basically full instrumentation and it's a great way to monitor the health of the tranny. So once I get a dual gauge pod and gauge I'll screw them in in under the dash.

Still having an issue getting my hatch latch. Only the driver side catches and I can't figure out why. Will take any advice...

PUNCH LIST
Under Dash
-Attached hidden antenna under dash
-Check carb gets to WOT with pedal travel
-Get trans temp gauge and dual gauge pod

Interior
-Find audio shop to set up sound system
-Install glove box (after speaker installation)

Misc
-Add wiper fluid
-Get windows tinted
-Check and set tire pressure
-Get Alignment checked