Squarebody Restoration tips and tricks! The first upgrades you should do to your old truck! 

Yea I’m gonna be doing more basic stuff to help out those who aren’t looking to build rock crawlers. Driving this thing reminded me how cool stock blazers are

Yes, please! 👍

​@@MerricksGarageGreat video. I have a 1989 square body suburban and I would like to lift it. Which lift kit would be the best for handling the weight?!

Thanks 👍

Don’t give up. There are tons of killer rigs out there. @bornforadventure on Instagram has several for sale right now. There is also one for sale in the comments of this video

@@MerricksGarage Thank you!

I had mine up for sale once. About twenty years ago. The kid that came to look at it was not worthy of it so I decided to not sell lol.

I have a 1976 I parked behind garage at least 15 years ago. . One day I will get to it

Thinks are different now than they were 15 or 20 years ago. When you start driving it again, be ready to answer a lot of questions and tell people that it’s not for sale.

Yea they take some getting used to. I always tell people that the steering wheel is only for suggestions. It will steer where it wants to go. Ha ha

I like that a lot. I think building a “sleeper” blazer would be dope. Keep it basic but all the upgrades and amenities done to keep it modern driving. The Holley sniper setup is rad for this too

Just like one! Ha ha

@@MerricksGarage How reliable or fixable is a TBI 350 squarebody K5 Blazer vs a single wire HEI distributor carburetor 350 squarebody K5 Blazer, would be getting a stage 1 automatic transmission rebuild from Monster Transmision for either one. Will be puting front/rear lockers, 35x12.5r15 tires and a 3 inch lift(+550lbs capacity), front winch bumper, spare tire carrier bumper, 4.10 diffs, move the front axle forward .5 inch and rear axle rearward 1.5 inches with the 31 gallon fuel tank with custom springs, stage 1 cam, tubular headers into a single 3 inch exhaust system, Eldelbrock performer intake manifold, K&N intake air filter, increased coolant capacity radiator, synthetic oil throughout with ZDPP for the engine, roll cage, 550lbs of stuff in the back, .25 steel sliders and skid plates, and crossover steering.

It’s easy enough to ship something back and forth.

I don’t get why everyone goes with the cheap junker shocks. I have yet to remove one that wasn’t completely shot. My Bilstein’s on the other hand have been on multiple builds and still going strong.

@@MerricksGarage I've seen a few 5100 failure's muck gets stuck in the boot shaft rusts and snaps

I’m sorry but this will be long because every build is gonna be 100% different. Your version to my version of modern comforts are gonna differ but I am happy to share my thoughts and if you use them, AWESOME. If not, STILL AWEsome. Without further ado: ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ I would recommend fuel injection(aftermarket or LS), a good 4speed or the newer 6l80e for better acceleration and better fuel economy and keeps rpm’s down while cruising our 75+mph highways The factory steering is good and easy for a daily driver but off-road sucks. If it does off-road, recommendation to crossover steering is a must. Install sound/heat deadening material to the whole interior and reseal all the cracks and corners. Install a set of Dakota digital gauges.(vhx is my favorite). This will give you nice simple gauges that are electronic, real time, with selections for different trips and customizable with colors. Upgrade the AC compressor with a newer unit from a vortec 350 or keep the factory LS compressor if that is your path of engine choice.(vintage air is a nice setup but cost a lot of money in my opinion) Pull out your HVAC box under the dash and clean and reseal with a rubber or foam padding. This will keep all the air coming out the vents and nowhere else. Lubricate all the hvac linkages and replace all the vacuum hoses. Instal a nice Bluetooth radio because a screen for apple car play is virtually useless when trying to drive….. Reseal all the doors, glass and tailgate. Also put a piece of PVC pipe on the door striker to keep the doors great and with the sound deadening, the door will **thud** when you close the door and keep a nice seal. Also, upgrade to LED lighting. LED uses less amps to be on and have a decent lifespan. This will keep a lot of load off of light switches and fuse panel and alternator. With that, also install a relay window harness, otherwise known as “heavy duty window harness”. This reroutes power to the motors from the switch, to the relays. This means, the motors get its power straight from the battery, not the switch. Therefore taking the load off the switches, saving switches and the motor. Upgrade the seats from a newer suburban. Takes a bit of welding BUT you’re also not spending $1,500 on just front seats, saving roughly $1,300 and having a really nice seat.I personally love my factory captains chairs but considering newer seats as you cannot really repair or buy the factory ones anymore…… That is my personal opinion and stuff I want to do or have done with my trucks…… I own a 1991 suburban Silverado 4x4 and I’ve driven it to NY from KS last year and going to pick it up after my job in EU is done in the next few weeks. My plan is edelbrock pro flow fuel injection, nv4500/6l80e trans, Dakota digital dash, upgrade AC, and redo my interior for awesome heating/cooling and a nice cruiser. It has one tone axles with 410’s so it’s not fast but it gets where it needs to with a trailer.

Nah that’s part of the adventure. I had already gone through it. That’s the magic of editing!!

Meh the rust thing is kinda pay to play with a truck this old. 89 is a sweet spot for sure but depends on what you are looking for.

Stick with a smaller rad. Four core can limit flow.

Did you watch my video?

@@MerricksGarage yes I got hung up taking my dogs out

@@MerricksGarage I went back and smashed the like because I normally do it at the end .but my big beast of a dog tells me he had to go outside

Off-road design won’t ship? If they won’t I’ll send you one

@@MerricksGarage unfortunately not merrick I was gonna try and email them direct I've heard nothing but good things about them too 👍

You can buy a blazer and have it be a pickup as well

nope, another benefit. I like to keep them with the stanchion down so that I don't get dirt buildup on the wiper seal.

How does the drag link angle look on your stock steering? Is there a drop pitman arm?

@@MerricksGarage let me check it out and I'll let you know, I don't know what a stock one looks like thou??

@@MerricksGarage is it supposed to be flat or with a slight bend in it?

Convert to 2wd? Huh? 🤔

I've seen a couple 4wd K5s converted to 2wd, it's a pretty straightforward project. The factory 2wd K5s are extremely rare in general, so up here in the Northeast they're basically nonexistent. Unique squarebody for sure...just not my style. I'd say go for it, it's your rig! But keep the original parts for when you change your mind and go back to 4wd. LoL

thats not true. All my trucks are lifted and don't wear through U-Joints. It has to do with proper pinion angle and correct driveline selection. Basically call Tom Woods..... @tomwoodsdriveshafts

You've got the money there are a few different manufacturers like ORD that make it easier to convert to crossover steering. If you are able to do some of the work yourself or know someone who can, you could save a little money. When I did a SAS on my 92 2500 with crossover steering back in mid 2000's, I used a pass side flat top steering knuckle off of a Ford Dana 44 & bolted on a custom steering arm taper drilled for my stock steering joints. I used a shortened and sleeved and rewelded adjustable center tie rod link, to make a drag link to attach my Pittman arm to my steering knuckle arm. you may run into tight clearance issues depending on the suspension & axle you are using. It worked great for me, everyday driving as my work truck & a weekend 4x4 toy for another 15+ years before I sold it!

@@darylmathis7125 the is not a problem I'll look in to that thanks

It is. It gets rid of the rag joint. It’s the Cherokee’s shaft you want.

@@MerricksGarage what yrs?

Yea I noticed.

LMC truck or off-road design

yea, the one ton are thicker. Go watch my last video. I measured on there. Can't remember the numbers off the top of my head, but thicker and taller

Thanks James

It was originally a 1983 with a diesel

@@MerricksGarage That makes sense

I have a 1983 gmc jimmy

You don’t need the 350 over the 305. Plus you can rent hoists if you ever need one. I would recommend pulling the rad and hoses and flushing your block. Just put a hose on the water pump pipe. You may want to replace the water pump too right now. It’s good cheap insurance. Take your time, keep working and label things when you take them off etc

@@MerricksGarage ohh okay, i’ll keep that noted. is putting the hose on water pump pipe a good thing to do? and does it have to be my regular garden hose?

@@MerricksGarage haha i am, im also rebuilding carb for it and its going well👍

It’s a Milwaukee true color detailing and paint light. It’s rad

@@MerricksGarage Txs

Yea gonna go into all that in the steering upgrade video. Generally goes hand in hand with crossover due to the box generally being pretty old.

yup, go watch my Death Valley video and see what the worst case scenario looks like...

I would, but that's a long way away

Ok. Juts checking.

it has some issues and rough edges but overall it is very very clean