Alright, so I want an off-road project. I came across the K5 Blazer and started doing some research on them. It seems like you could make a really decent rig for 5 grand. I need advice on how these do on the trails.

What size lifts are people running?

Which engine? 350? 6.2 diesel?

What SIZE lifts? I want to run a 8" skyjacker...does that sound good?

Whats the best way to get the most articulation?

Tires, i have never really known what tires do best for purely off road? I see a lot of the interco stuff. Are the boggers good everywhere or just in the mud? The TSL's seem pretty popular too. What about Baja Claws?

I was going to do an ARB air locker in the rear...do i need one in the Front as well? Are there any other better lockers?

How do these compare to other off roaders?

If i have enough money left i was gonna get a winch and bumpers too.

Is there anything i dont need to get and can get something else that would be better?

Anything you guys can throw my way would be extremely helpful. I have never been in the offroad scene before, but i know some basics just from watching shows that talk about that stuff. I love learning about stuff like this, so dont hold back! Thanks in advance for anything you can let me know.




Zach

I had a 72 K5 with 38's,a 6 in. Superlift and 38's.Posi in rear and front with 4.56 gears.It was an absolute beast.Any tire over a 33 with lockers and good power, and the Dana 44 and 12 bolt will self destruct on a regular basis.14 Bolt and a Dana 60 are bolt ons and bullet proof.8 in.lift is kinda scary on a short wheelbase rig if you really 4 wheel it.(in my opinion)

Get a big block and one ton axels ;)

I had a 72 K5 with 38's,a 6 in. Superlift and 38's.Posi in rear and front with 4.56 gears.It was an absolute beast.Any tire over a 33 with lockers and good power, and the Dana 44 and 12 bolt will self destruct on a regular basis.14 Bolt and a Dana 60 are bolt ons and bullet proof.8 in.lift is kinda scary on a short wheelbase rig if you really 4 wheel it.(in my opinion)

That is one thing that I dont know hardly anything about is axels...does the K5 come with the Dana 44 and 12 bolt?

If you have any pictures I would really like to see what it looked like.

Zach

Get a big block and one ton axels ;)

One ton axels sound tough...are they the same as a 14 bolt and Dana 60. Also, would having a big block be bad in the gas department? I dont really wanna run out on the trail. If its not an issue i would love to have a big block.


Zach

I think it would be cool to have one with a Cummins 4BT in it. Great mileage, and power adequate for trail running. Heavier axles is a good idea.

Also, would having a big block be bad in the gas department? I dont really wanna run out on the trail. If its not an issue i would love to have a big block.


Zach

Those trucks, no matter what engine, are pretty bad on gas. We had one years ago with a 350, no mods, and it was really thirsty. With the mods your planning on doing, forget about gas milage, just get what you want.

As one of the others have said, they are a beast. The weight is balanced nicely for 4 wheeling.

I just picked the truck up today! The truck has a 305 right now, TH700-r, and np208 transfer case. Will this be enough grunt on the trails? What if i geared the axles lower? Would that make up for the engine?


Back to the lift...Is an 8" lift is too big? Just trying to get as many opinions as I can.

Could I get by with the stock axles with posi for now. Im not going to be destroying this thing going over giant rocks...for now.


Those are my latest questions.
Thanks fellas



Zach

I just picked the truck up today! The truck has a 305 right now, TH700-r, and np208 transfer case. Will this be enough grunt on the trails? What if i geared the axles lower? Would that make up for the engine?


Back to the lift...Is an 8" lift is too big? Just trying to get as many opinions as I can.

Could I get by with the stock axles with posi for now. Im not going to be destroying this thing going over giant rocks...for now.


Those are my latest questions.
Thanks fellas



Zach

Hi Zach!

check out http://www.coloradok5.com (http://www.coloradok5.com/)

they are the best K5 resource on the internet. What this place is to the duramax, CK5 is to the blazer.. and they have a nice little sister website called http://www.towrig.com (http://www.towrig.com/), specific to diesels.

Make sure to check the frame behind the steering box. They are known to crack. Not so much with stock tires, but once lifted they are prone to cracking. If you are going to builid it, I suggest re-enforcing the frame with plates now. They are all over the aftermarket. One plate goes on the bottom of the frame, and the other goes inside the frame, where the box bolts come through.

Good luck.

Oh yeah,

:nopics:

the 305 will be fine off road you have low range I would do a 6" lift maybe 35-37" tires. The diffs if you seriously wheel will break. I would be most worried about the 10bolt rear. Great choice in truck only the 78-79 bronco is better for a full size rig imo. I'd love to have a tbi 350 K5

Make sure to check the frame behind the steering box. They are known to crack. Not so much with stock tires, but once lifted they are prone to cracking. If you are going to builid it, I suggest re-enforcing the frame with plates now. They are all over the aftermarket. One plate goes on the bottom of the frame, and the other goes inside the frame, where the box bolts come through.

Good luck.

Oh yeah,

:nopics:



Thank you very much for that advice. I will definatly be checking that. It is 100% bone stock as of now, so hopefully i will not have a crack. If i do how do you fix that? Do I have to completly weld in a new C channel or can i just weld the crack up? DO you know of a good company that makes the reinforcment plates...

As for pictures, i can get some up next week but its not much to look at as of now. It probably has like 29" tires. It looks hilarious.:rolleyes:

the 305 will be fine off road you have low range I would do a 6" lift maybe 35-37" tires. The diffs if you seriously wheel will break. I would be most worried about the 10bolt rear. Great choice in truck only the 78-79 bronco is better for a full size rig imo. I'd love to have a tbi 350 K5


Thanks KevinL. So it sounds like 6" is a better way to go than 8"? Is that just because it is going to be too tall and too top heavy for wheelin or what is the issue? I wanted to run...at minimum...a 37x13.50(or 14.00)-15. What should I do to make good clearance for the tires? Just trim out the fender?

I have found a used Dana 60 for like $200 and a used GM 14 Bolt (Full Floater) for $300. Both are fully built and came off of vehicles so its not like its a kit to put together in a housing. So that sounds like the way to go according to everyone.

What kind of wheeling are you doing? Those K-5's are great for off road and offer alot of flex from a stock suspension no less lifted. They are very well balanced from front to rear and have a very good drivetrain. I rock crawl my ford as much as possible but end up in the mud often too. I twitched my big block out for less weight and the mild small block has good power and torque. I kept the stock axles and beefed them up for less weight and more ground clearance. I have more ground clearance than most of the guys i wheel with who run 39.5 boggers and dana-60's. From what Jack at CTM racing told me my dana-44 with CTM u-joints, cyro-frozen Warn chromoly axles, and detroit locker would be just as strong as a stock dana-60. I dont know how true it is but i havent broke anything yet and i certainly have tried. Good luck with the build, it will be a learning experience and you will never be bored with repairs if you truely wheel it.

They do make steering box frame braces for that style GM. www.offroaddesign.com is a good place for parts and info for the GM staight front axle trucks. If your plan is to wheel it and not worry too much about looks I would do a 4 inch lift and cut the body to fit 38s or bigger. For tires that big I'd run 5.13s or at least 4.88s especially with the 305. If you found a matched dana 60 and 14 bolt for the price you stated and they're in good shape I'd go with them.

They do make steering box frame braces for that style GM. www.offroaddesign.com (http://www.offroaddesign.com) is a good place for parts and info for the GM staight front axle trucks. If your plan is to wheel it and not worry too much about looks I would do a 4 inch lift and cut the body to fit 38s or bigger. For tires that big I'd run 5.13s or at least 4.88s especially with the 305. If you found a matched dana 60 and 14 bolt for the price you stated and they're in good shape I'd go with them.

Thanks for the link. Heres the link to the steering box brace kits.

http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/steeringkit.htm

Thanks guys. All your advice has been really helpful. I plan on mainly having it as a rock crawler, but I would imagine that not too many mud puddles would go untouched.


For tires...would super swamper boggers or the TSL's be best for what i mentioned above?


Thanks again fellas
Zach

TSL's are better for the rocks, would go with SX's for the side lugs. Boggers get tore up badly in the rocks, great for mud but have no lateral traction on side hills.