Here is a list of final items pulled together before launching.
We had to get the rear seat installed. You know. So that the passenger wont fall out? There were some guide holes that we tried to use and then realized that it was not going to fit and had to move the seat around. Luckily that landed on a tapped plate which Greg insightfully set the front leg on it with a new plate and welded it in place.
We didn’t make it out on time. Obviously because I got home at 2am and didn’t want to drive this beast at that speed.
The schedule manager Mariah insisted that we could get to Vegas in 4 hours. However she never went with a trail truck.
The first leg of the trip was uneventful. The truck was operating gracefully. The sound on the road
K5 Blazer Bench Seat Install
Part of this process was setting up the new axles. I wanted to go 1-ton all the way around. I think everyone knows that finding a good condition d60 for a reasonable price is not possible.
So I bought one from a local guy that had been sitting on a truck in a paintball field. It looked like it was pulled from Davey Jones Locker Room.
Cleaned up the trans a little bit. Tiny bit of cosmetics. Taped up. Then hit it with some nice paint. I prefer for these to have paint. Keeps cleaning it easier. Also I think the buyer will appreciate it.
Before:
After:
Just got the trans in from Brad at Transaction Transmission.
I have used him for a while now and he puts in the effort. Components were upgraded and everything set new. This should be strong for the newowner. It was cleaned and painted at the shop but I am going to clean it up a little more and put on a coat of the “Mercenary Offroad” package graphite gray.
Well, we got the truck running enough that I can drive it around. It stops. We even locked it up and watched the black lines form up behind the tires. Not bad for 35’s.
It was moved over to Camarillo to the shop known as Mercenary Offroad where a custom bumper will be fabricated for it. The designator for this bumper is also 001 as it will be the first one designed for this series truck. I have wanted to have one of these commissioned. The real-use high-clearance bumpers that are going on the HD dodge trucks are works of art. I’m glad to be helping in this endeavor. In only the fact that I showed up with the truck I still helped. Right?
So the PO was rough on the vehicle. Probably multiple PO’s.
Included are some pictures to show the detail we went to in repairing and rebuilding the brake systems.
The brake system had been WORKED. They were pretty much shot. When we got it the pedal hit the floor. It didn’t want to stop so the ride to the shop was a bit of a terror show for that 2 miles. Yes we sourced this model locally. Right down the street actually.
Here we go.
1969 hugger orange rust bucket.
This thing barely stops. It stops when it wants to. So it’s kinda like a woman. Every bushing and joint is shot. Probably never replaced a thing on it.
And the adventure begins. I’m using this truck as the first in my branded line of modified restorations. Our focus for these trucks is somewhere in between utility and aesthetics. Not just a mall crawler but something of a useful truck that also gets attention. I will be formulating various levels of offerings so that we can set our branded restorations. We can go all the way or just get it back to top mechanical levels and clean of rust.