Big work on the War Wagon today!

[ElevenBravo]

History: 1982 K5 Blazer 6.2L Detroit Diesel, GM10 bolts regeared to 4:11, rebuilt 700R4 trans.

So the daughter helped me got a butt load of work done on the truck!

A few days ago it got to where it would NOT even start, so I had to park it... Ive also been monitoring a no-charge condition for about 2 weeks. Sometimes, charge... most of the time no-charge.

So, work done today..

Diagnose glow plugs: Found 3 that were dead, by ohming out between lug and ground... three had no short, showing an open circuit... which means, plug is dead.

Also, since the 5 years Ive been driving it, ive not changed the fuel filters... and, after running dry there was the chance of trash getting sucked into the filters.

Work done: Replace all 8 glow plugs, about $90, replace alternator, about $60, replace primary and secondary fuel filters, about $30.

Result: Truck started up BETTER than it EVER has, nice to have 8 strong glow plugs now! I figure with the 3 that were dead, the others were probably weak. The engine idels better than before, Im sure the fuel filters helped a lot! And now have a 100% charge state.

Whew... got a lot done, and with great results. I was simply dreading pulling the glow plugs, I just KNEW they were all gonna be seized and swollen. They all cracked loose no problem and none were swollen, nor cracked and missing any pieces. On replacement, I coated the threads with nickle anti-seize.

That is all,
EB

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Way to go brother! Glad to here that puppy's up and runnin. At least you can do the work yourself, nice to have a helper that knows what they're doing too. Now I guess you and LadyHK are going to have to have a little "Blazer pull off"

[ElevenBravo]

Not unless she wants her S-10 drug all over town, dont think so.. :-)

I was so glad to get this crap done, the worry about things that are broke but need to be fixed is very tiresome.

I was just glad I got it done, and the results were way better than I expected!

I know now, how critical fresh glow plugs are! I never realized having a few down and a few weak would effect the starting.

It started "ok" before, but with 8 fresh plugs, only 30 seconds of pre heat and it startes after say 3 revolutions, no studder or anything, and I did *not* see any grey smoke on cold start, like it used to do!

Wow, just wow! That was a nice $90 investment!!

I am also taking the Delco alt to a local shop and have them rebuild it to 100a output (stock is 65a) and get an extended warranty with it. It will be rebuilt IN HOUSE at this shop, Im so tired of putting junk (remans from Advance or Auto Zone) alts on every friggin year!

EB

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Eeeww, I don't think I'll tell her that. But it sounds like you got it up to snuff. Also nice to have resources like that on the rebuild and upgrade.

[ladyhk13]

Not unless she wants her S-10 drug all over town, dont think so...:-)

EB

S-10 my rear end!!! Boy did someone give you bad info. I have a BIG girl truck!

[bacpacker]

Original Parts rebuilt by true shops typically last much longer than the reman crap you get from the auto zone type stores. We used to have a clutch rebuilder that worked near my grandparents. People brought old plates in from all around for them to rework. Great work on the upgrades.

[ElevenBravo]

S-10 my rear end!!! Boy did someone give you bad info. I have a BIG girl truck!

Damn girl, your right! As long as Ive been here, Ive only glanced at your avatar, and I swear every time I thought it was an S-10.

Okay... so Ill drag your *K-5* all over town, better? HA HA! J/K

BTW, whats the specs on your truck?


I love my K5, still goes places a lot of Jeeps cant get, and Ive got some serious flex on front and back!

I hope to post some videos on how it does off road.

EB

[ladyhk13]

Damn girl, your right! As long as Ive been here, Ive only glanced at your avatar, and I swear every time I thought it was an S-10.

Okay... so Ill drag your *K-5* all over town, better? HA HA! J/K

BTW, whats the specs on your truck?


I love my K5, still goes places a lot of Jeeps cant get, and Ive got some serious flex on front and back!

I hope to post some videos on how it does off road.

EB

I have no idea, just know I have to climb up into it...been totally redone inside with power leather seats, new carpet....all pretty stuff but not girly...all black.
Runs good and sounds great. I'm sure it's not beefed up as much as yours though. Probably not as much torque. But it sure as heck ain't no S-10

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

I guess i need to reply to this one eh? Well this much I know about the truck without doing a complete tear down. It has a 350 small block with what sounds like a small cam, a medium high rise manifold with a Eldebrock/Carter 650CFM. The tranny is a 700R4 bolted to a NP208 transfer case and 8.5" front and back for the gears.

[Gunfixr]

I had a War Wagon, once.
F 250 4x4 with a 6.9L diesel, C6 trans.
I personally, with hand tools (meaning no air) took out the front and rear axles, converting the front from twin beam to solid axle. I installed axles from a Kaiser military M715 1 1/4 ton truck. The rear differential got a Detroit Locker. Since the military axle had the front differential on the passenger side, as opposed to driver side like Ford standard, I had to swap the transfer case. So, I took out the Borg Warner 1345 aluminum housed chain drive case and installed a NP 205 cast iron gear drive case. It was a divorce unit, meaning the truck now had 3 drive shafts. Since the new transfer case sat almost dead center of the axles, the front and rear drive shafts were now the same length. I made all three of them, using 1/4" wall pipe. I made all the custom brackets, and the new transmission rear sealing plate.
I them had to make custom center plates to install in my old rims to fit the new axles. At first she rode on 38"-16"-16.5R" Interco Super Swampers, but later the change was made to 44"-18"-16.5R" Monster Mudders. At some point, the tranny took a crap, and I rebuilt it, getting in all the extra clutch plates that would fit.
I made a custom steel front bumper from a single piece of 10" structural I-beam, side bars and hand rails, and a custom rear hitch, which used 2 1/2" square hole instead of 2", and two hitch pins. The front bumper contained an integral 10,000lb winch. The Ac had gone out, and being young and not caring about such things, I set up a different compressor to make compressed air, feeding a tractor trailer air tank mounted in the frame over the rear axle. It had some other custom niceties, but you get the idea.

Oh, the axles had 5.88 to 1 gears in them, factory.

I have broken numerous K5 Blazers with it, along with other vehicles. I still have a video somewhere around here of it hooked up to the back of a Peterbuilt road tractor with a 650 Caterpillar engine. They gave him that win, but I made him earn it.

Aaahhhhh, the good old days ..................................