The Chop Shop- 1990 Class 1 Topless K5 Blazer

[Hoosierdady]

I've been wanting to do a K5 Blazer for a while now. These were the Redneck Limos back when I was running around in school. You could fit everybody in one, take the top off and bam, you had a 4wd topless limo...well sort of . I'm not sure on my drivetrain yet. I know I'll be running SCX10 axles with Beef Tubes and RC4WD CVDS on a SCX10 chassis, but the rest of the details are somewhat fuzzy at the moment. Anyways, here are some pics.


I started with a stock Clod body.


Then I separated the cab from the bed, removed 1/4" from the front of the bed and cut the floor out too while I was at it.


Then I cut out the cab back and glued the rear quarter panels back in place.


Next I measured a 1/4" out of the rear of the bed.


After I removed the 1/4" chunk I glued it back together and reinforced it all with .20 styrene.


By now you may have noticed the taillights missing. I cut those out because I'll be replacing them with clear/red styrene.


And here's what she looks like on 1.9 Locked Up wheels with some 4.19 TTC Baja Claws.

[boosted4lyf]

This should be good.

Is it the angle of the pics or does the bed still seem just a tad long? Probably just me.
Can't wait to see what ya do with it.

[Hoosierdady]

Originally Posted by boosted4lyf

This should be good.

Is it the angle of the pics or does the bed still seem just a tad long? Probably just me.
Can't wait to see what ya do with it.

Yup, it'll be fun for sure. The bed is about 1/4" longer than it needs to be to get dead on. But the issue with doing this is that it will absolutely kill my WB. Im trying my best to stay away from a real short truck to help with hill climbs. I've already cut about 5/8" out of the truck. The biggest issue I see at the moment is tire clearance. I have to be careful about my body mods to keep it legal for class 1.

I forgot to mention earlier that I have this custom grill coming from Germany made by CustomCuts to give it the 1990's look.

[boosted4lyf]

Originally Posted by Hoosierdady

Yup, it'll be fun for sure. The bed is about 1/4" longer than it needs to be to get dead on. But the issue with doing this is that it will absolutely kill my WB. Im trying my best to stay away from a real short truck to help with hill climbs. I've already cut about 5/8" out of the truck. The biggest issue I see at the moment is tire clearance. I have to be careful about my body mods to keep it legal for class 1.

I forgot to mention earlier that I have this custom grill coming from Germany made by CustomCuts to give it the 1990's look.

Gotchya. I kinda figured that's what the reasoning was either way its gonna be killer I love the old k5's and I like that you're going with the '90 can't wait to see how ya do the grill/headlight area.

Have you thought about possibly stretching some 1.55 rubber around the 1.9's

[boosted4lyf]

Guess that answers that picture wasn't loaded when I hit the quote button

[Hoosierdady]

On the tires IM sticking with these. I saw some great performance out of them while I was running a popular 1.55 tire. I wasn't really that happy with my tires so I switched to these. Hopefully they perform better than what I was running.

[v84x4]

This will be awesome

Oh.......Do you have a link to "CustomCuts"

Or is that a vendor?


Regards

[indyrado4]

I like seeing other peoples take on building a k5 out of a clod. I cut mine down to be proper scale wheelbase and it's been a pain getting the links all sorted out. I guess I'm not making things any easier by using MRC axles with wideners to get the right track width for a stock appearance...

[ngward79]

Should be a sweet ride ! That grill is killer too , how much that cost ?

[sgtbham]

Those cuts are rediculous! Do laser beams come out of your eyes when you make these cuts?!?! Haha, its nice to see you doing something for yourself - I will be watching bud!

[Hoosierdady]

Originally Posted by v84x4

This will be awesome

Oh.......Do you have a link to "CustomCuts"

Or is that a vendor?


Regards

Thanks Rick. Here's a link. Good luck brother, took me a hour to translate everything just to make the purchase.
1:10 - CUSTOM CUTS

Originally Posted by indyrado4

I like seeing other peoples take on building a k5 out of a clod. I cut mine down to be proper scale wheelbase and it's been a pain getting the links all sorted out. I guess I'm not making things any easier by using MRC axles with wideners to get the right track width for a stock appearance...

That's why I'm leaving it as long as it is. It's just a little longer than my D90 truck was.

Originally Posted by ngward79

Should be a sweet ride ! That grill is killer too , how much that cost ?

Thanks, I hope so. The grill was roughly $25 I think. I can't really remember.

Originally Posted by sgtbham

Those cuts are rediculous! Do laser beams come out of your eyes when you make these cuts?!?! Haha, its nice to see you doing something for yourself - I will be watching bud!

Maybe they do, lol. If I told you Id have to kill you . And yeah, it feels GREAT to be building something for myself. I've been so busy working on bodies for others that I've forgotten what it feels like to build my own. But I can take my time and do the little stuff that has been circling my mind for the past several months. I forgot to mention that Colby is making the rear bumper for it too. It's supposed to look stock-ish.

[lsone]

how are you cutting the body?

[sgtbham]

Originally Posted by lsone

how are you cutting the body?

He is going to tell you thread - but I maintain that its actually eye lasers.

[Hoosierdady]

Originally Posted by lsone

how are you cutting the body?

Originally Posted by sgtbham

He is going to tell you thread - but I maintain that its actually eye lasers.

Yup, it's lasers . I use a thin cutoff wheel, 120 grit sanding discs on a dremel. For really tight cuts I use thread. For really small stuff Ill use a utility/exacto knife.

[bayareaaxial]

I have to say of all the true builders left on the site, i love watching your builds.

[fr8cture]

Those tires look familiar. I guess now that my Silverado is out of your hair you got more time for yourself.

[chevyhi]

You using leaf springs or 4 link?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[KillerBlackbird]

Love that front grille. My neighbor had a K5 of the same generation he bought new off the dealers lot. Can't wait to see this thing painted.

[Hoosierdady]

Originally Posted by chevyhi

You using leaf springs or 4 link?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It wont be leafed, I like wheels speed to much for leaf springs to last with me driving, lol. Im not sure on the suspension yet, I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Right now Im trying to find a decent deal on some alloy axle upgrades (knuckles, c-hubs, lockouts)

[17dean]

definitely watching this build! Something new to awe over and learn too!