In the world of wheeling, running topless is the only way to go. Face it, driving off-road is all about becoming one with the terrain and going places and seeing things that the rest of the world misses. Being able to ditch the factory hardtop on all '69-'91 K5s is what makes these trucks cooler than the typical SUV. You lose weight, you gain visibility, and you're no longer isolated from the world around you.
With spring just around the corner, we thought we'd entice you to take the hardtop off your Blazer/Jimmy to enjoy the full potential of these trucks. If you've never taken the top off before, don't be afraid to break the factory seal. These trucks were designed to be convertibles. So find a place to store the hardtop until next winter and follow along as we show you how we outfitted our K5 for some topless wheeling.
We wanted a bolt-on soft top for our Blazer so we could run without the hardtop in the nice weather, yet still stay warm and dry if a storm rolled in. We thought about having one custom-made by a boat shop until we came across this piece from Skyler. For $589 we got a black vinyl top with the optional tinted window and mounting system that fits so well that it looks more OEM than aftermarket. To keep the top safe when not in use, we also opted to get the storage bag for $32.98.
The top fits like a driving glove and works great at keeping the heat in and the noise and weather out. We like that you don't have to drill any rust-prone holes into the body tub of the '76-'91 K5 Blazer to mount a Skyler soft top. Just undo the 16 bolts that hold the factory hardtop in place and get a couple of friends to help you lift the almost 200 pounds of fiberglass off the truck. On '89-'91 trucks, GM used tamper-resistant pinned torx-head bolts that require a special tool to remove.
If you can't find this tool...
If you can't find this tool at a local auto parts store, Skyler has them in stock. Unscrew the two locating dowel pins at the rear of each bedrail from the hole (arrow) like we did. Now you can bolt the padded, black powdercoated rails in place and attach them to the two-piece flexible metal hoop that bolts to the back of the cab. The vinyl top indexes off a single metal snap at the peak of the roof, and seals to the truck via the new mounting system you just installed.
We then installed these $89.99...
We then installed these $89.99 aluminum battery boxes from Summit Racing. The boxes use stainless steel hardware and will fit up to a Group 27 battery so our Group 34 Optimas fit with room to spare. Because the batteries are now 7 feet away from the engine, we equipped our truck with Scosche Power EF/X 2 1/0-gauge wire and EF/X battery connectors to make voltage drop virtually nonexistent.
In 1976 GM went to a half-cab...
In 1976 GM went to a half-cab design on the K5s and made the factory rollbar an option because the trucks now had a fixed roof. We don't ever plan on rolling our K5 (who ever does?), but if it should happen we wouldn't want to be without the extra protection that you get with this Smittybilt interior tube bar. The three-piece kit is $170 and installs without removing the hardtop. The only problem is that our Skyler soft top won't fit over the tubes unless we have it modified.
When the Smittybilt interior...
When the Smittybilt interior tube bar is bolted to the floor, make sure the big hoop is set in so the base plates are positioned as far to the rear of the truck as possible. If you don't, the bar will still bolt in, but it will interfere with removing the top four bolts that hold the hardtop on.
In the interior tube bar kit...
In the interior tube bar kit (PN BL478), the rear down bars looked like they would bolt to the floor and the rear wheelwells, but that would have forced us to move the main hoop too far forward. If this happens to you, either cut off a few inches from the down tubes where they bolt into the main hoop, or just hammer the 45-degree angle kickup flat and bolt the whole base plate to the floor.
For the ultimate in over-the-counter...
For the ultimate in over-the-counter bolt-in/weld-in protection, you'll want to pony up another $115 and add the Smittybilt weld-in cage kit (PN BL84). Think of this as a supplement to the bolt-in interior tube bar--and the only way your going to get a six-point rollcage for under $300. This kit comes unpainted and includes two front down bars and a horizontal bar that spans the width of the cab. The front cage kit builds off the bolt-in main hoop and extends forward toward the dash, where it bends down and bolts to the floor with the supplied base plates. This kit requires you to do some cutting of the tubes to custom-fit the cage to your truck. You'll need to know someone who can make high-quality MIG or TIG welds to do the final assembly because these kinds of life-saving welds are best left to the pros if you're not one yourself.