Guys i am looking at a 1989 K5 for my son- It has been totally restored except for the engine and drivetrain0- It has 117,000 miles on it- going to see it tomorrow- Any advice on what I should look for to see if engine and drivetrain are OK- thanks for the advice-

 

Wow that thing looks nice. I just bought a '88 and hope to get it to look like that eventually. I did not have much of an idea of what to check for and right of the bat ended up replacing a U-joint, rebuilding the TBI, and replacing the distributor. Also still fighting an issue that showed as running a little rich initially, but looks like its a bit more then that. If I think of things I wish I would have checked right off the bat, pull of the air filter and watch injectors spray its easy and quick. The U-joint was bad enough that the cap was loose and probably could have caught that if i poked at it enough. Also, if you need to pass emissions I would check the EGR and make sure its connected. Mine was disconnected and if I hook vacuum line up it dies after running for 20 min in drive. Its a $70-$90 pointless part to replace, but emissions require it. Also my AIR pump was disconnected, another common part to disable that emissions requires. I'm sure someone with more experience with these may be able point out some other quick but important things to check.

 

Nice Blazer.

 

Check the front axle/suspension closely, ball joints,bearings and tie rods wear quicker with oversize tires that can mask worn parts..