Project: K5 restoration
 

So, last November I embarked on a restorative journey with my then recently acquired k5.

This is how it came out of storage.

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A new battery, an oil change, and a 5-inch piece of gas line later it started right up. Of course, it was summer at this point, so off with it's top.

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Enjoyed 3 months of convertible fun, but with winter coming I begrudgingly parked it and started in. I toyed with the idea of doing a frame off, but the frame was in very good condition, due to being garaged, so that was one less thing I had to do. First thing done was to remove the interior and exterior.The interior was a royal pain. Many of the very tiny screws on the rear floor near the tailgate had rusted in and removal was slow to say the least. Rust was very minimal on the body. After stripping the paint, the only rust spots that needed new metal were 2" rust holes on the bottom of each door.

Due to my unhappiness and frustration with aforementioned, I have no pictures of the break down or the sanding, however, these are pictures of the truck primered and ready for paint at the body shop.

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The interior was remarkably free of rust anywhere.

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Interior painted original colors sourced from paint code inside glove box.

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Exterior painted via same paint codes in glove box.

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The truck had most of its original moldings, however the cost to restore these was astronomical. I instead decided to purchase the moldings from a supplier. I purchased all the moldings, wheel arches, and misc. chrome parts. Things were going well in the molding department until we reached the front fender. As you can see in this picture, craftsmanship was low, lines didn't match up at all.

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I called the supplier and complained and was sent 2 new ones that were marginally better than the first. I put these on and was really unimpressed. Wavy lines, didn't sit right, bleh.

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...k/SNC00048.jpg

So, for the cost of the all the new moldings combined, I'm currently having the original ones refinished. :icon_doh: More pics when those arrive.

In addition to the front moldings, there were several other parts I had to have refinished for an arm and a leg. The headlight bezels are available new in plastic only :icon_shrug: so those had to be done; the pieces above and below the grill needed to be done, and the rear bumper needed to be re-chromed. Rear bumper still hasn't come back yet, but grill has and has been installed.

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Here are a few pics of where it stands as of a month ago with the rest of the fleet :). Currently working on interior and electrical. Also purchased new wheels for it and I'll get a pic of those installed in a few weeks when I get the rear bumper reinstalled.

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Cool! Another full vert!! Nice truck!

What is the paint code for that? Mine was originally Catalina Blue.

Nice Job! I Love the K5's!

Keep it up!

nice looking restoration.

nice job. im doing the same thing with my k5. mine was originally red. are staying stock or are you gonna do any lifting with it?

are all those k5's yours?

swartlkk - don't know off the top of my head, but, when I get the chance, I'll post the paint codes I've got (checked paint codes: yes, it's Catalina Blue)

blueblazer1982 - I'm leaving it completely stock. There was a huge temptation for me to just get it painted all one color and lift it. That actually would have been way cheaper than restoring it and, out of the 4 "real" series ii operating verts in my area, all of them are one color paint jobs and lifted. Looks great and I would have done it, but, during the summer, when I was driving it un-restored and barn fresh, 2 things happened that convinced me to restore it. First, an old man, maybe in his 80's had his face glued to the back window in his daughter's car and was excitedly giving me a thumbs up and shouting to every one in the car to look at the truck. I was worried he was going to have a heart attack. This was actually just the most memorable of the people who stopped and stared. And finally, I went to a shop that specializes in classic car restoration and work and a couple of the guys from inside the shop went out and stared at it for a while. I asked one guy what was so special about it and he said he had never seen one in all original condition in person. So, I decided to restore it back to how it left the lot in 75.

Finally, no not personally, they are kind of communal property now. We use the 85 (the one in the back) mostly for towing, so it sits more often than not.

Got the original fender moldings back from the shop, painted them, and put them on today. No more wavy lines, separating from the truck body, or unevenness!

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Since I had the black paint out, thought I'd just use the rest and refinish the tire rack as well.

http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/r...00527-1438.jpg

Got the bumper back as well and will try to get that on this weekend, but the bumper supports are slightly bent on one side and the bumper doesn't sit straight. I'll get some pics as I get it sitting right.

Looks good! That chrome looks way better!

Looking real good....................beautiful truck.

yeah good idea to stay stock. i haven't seen to many that have remained that way either. mine wasn't stock when i got it and i know they would most likely be worth more being stock to the right person