Project : Marianne ?

[Killain]

I started 2 years ago on a 1988 K5 West Texas Blazer. It was totally rust free, but had so many hail ball hits we got a new hood rather than try to pull the old dents out. Well my efforts I think paid off. I have wanted a K5 as I'm a 80's sort of guy. The music the sense of life and of course the trucks, and cars. Who doesn't love a 1983 Camaro Z28 ? well it didn't take a lifetime, but at the time it did seem it, here is the finished product. Everything rubber part from tires, body mounts and window seals have been replaced. Springs, all 6 shocks on the quad suspension option.

And the photo is of the gold original mop applied 2nd. paint job. and the in the shop my friend owns who did all the inner tailgate and doors work and then sand , sand and more sanding. Then his son painted it. The only change I did was to paint it as it was on the 1988 Chevy Blazer brochure. It was gold inlay and I changed it to #72 red. To me, she looks pretty good for being a victim of the governments "Cash for clunkers" have A*&^ program, or the most recent "We buy any car?" program. All I think is done by the government to rid the roadways from of any non-gsp equipped vehicle. During this time, I often wonder what we're voting for?

 

[btfarm]

Really, really good looking!

 

[NVW]

Looks really nice

 

[Killain]

Really, really good looking!

Thank you !

 

[Killain]

I forgot to mention it has a 1/8 blue pin strip running the whole of the red and I just installed a 'DrawTite' class 3/4 hitch on the back with the electrical connection. It has the spare tire inside so it seats 4.

 

[Will L.]

Very good. Nice and straight with the trimmed 2
Tone is nice POP, while still being subtle.

 

[Killain]

Very good. Nice and straight with the trimmed 2
Tone is nice POP, while still being subtle.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

Always liked the K5's. Just wished they offerred barn doors instead of the tailgate. I want do one with a 6.0L ls in it one day if I win the lottery.

 

[Will L.]

They are on govliquidation.com all the time, usually with diesel, sometimes gas. Last ones that sold at Nellis AFB went for 300 not running-1900 perfect.

Wish I took pics, I built a door swing instead of tailgate for a customers k5 when I owned the truck equipment shop.
I had to cut out 4" of the inside of the panel and put in a 1/8" thick 3"X4" (iirc) rectangular tube for strength support. Mounted a double swing hinge to that. Then braced up the tail light rear panel where the hinge mounted to.
Used factory handle and relocated latches to driver side tail light side. 16-20 hours to be paint ready.

 

[Killain]

They are on govliquidation.com all the time, usually with diesel, sometimes gas. Last ones that sold at Nellis AFB went for 300 not running-1900 perfect.

Wish I took pics, I built a door swing instead of tailgate for a customers k5 when I owned the truck equipment shop.
I had to cut out 4" of the inside of the panel and put in a 1/8" thick 3"X4" (iirc) rectangular tube for strength support. Mounted a double swing hinge to that. Then braced up the tail light rear panel where the hinge mounted to.
Used factory handle and relocated latches to driver side tail light side. 16-20 hours to be paint ready.

Yeah, I think the suburbans had the barn doors, and that is a trade off, as I've learned. With the tailgate all the adjustment is at the top or where the glass comes out and the amount of reveal and the function of the glass motor will give you. Too tight and the glass will come out but on an angle, too loose, and the glass hits the upper glass glide and it too now makes sounds like it's straining. . . Which it is and if the electric motor is as old as the truck, it'll be drop dead soon ( Most likely when it's raining heavily) Plus your need to go to Planet Fitness to get your hands strong enough to get the latch to open.

We did as best we can and it works pretty good. But if you get to drive a late model Tahoe you can see the engineers went back and looked this page in a different light. But it works OK and the more we work on it we're just turning wrenches and getting nowhere. So everything got put back together using red loctic and hop for the best. But this vehicle takes me back to a better time in my life. Different situation and able to laugh back then. So . . . .

 

[Killain]

Yeah, I think the suburbans had the barn doors, and that is a trade off, as I've learned. With the tailgate all the adjustment is at the top or where the glass comes out and the amount of reveal and the function of the glass motor will give you. Too tight and the glass will come out but on an angle, too loose, and the glass hits the upper glass glide and it too now makes sounds like it's straining. . . Which it is and if the electric motor is as old as the truck, it'll be drop dead soon ( Most likely when it's raining heavily) Plus your need to go to Planet Fitness to get your hands strong enough to get the latch to open.

We did as best we can and it works pretty good. But if you get to drive a late model Tahoe you can see the engineers went back and looked this page in a different light. But it works OK and the more we work on it we're just turning wrenches and getting nowhere. So everything got put back together using red loctic and hop for the best. But this vehicle takes me back to a better time in my life. Different situation and able to laugh back then. So . . . .