The prized Dana 60 front axle...
The prized Dana 60 front axle was swiped from a military K30 and fitted with an ARB Air Locker and 4.56 gears. The crossover steering conversion works with an AGR power steering box and the Rock Ram that is mandatory with 42-inch tires. Not shown are the Ford Super Duty shock mounts that were bolted onto the frame to fit long-travel RS 5000 shocks that Sid runs with the 6-inch Tuff Country springs.
We don't know who Sid Horman thought he'd be hiding from when he built this 6,200-pound '83 K5. Sid painted it in Marine Corp forest green and flat black camouflage, then went and highlighted all his cool custom touches with a splash of check-me-out fluorescent green and blue. As if the 502 big-block, 4:1 transfer case, rollcage, and custom cut doors weren't enough to grab us, Sid had various components powdercoated colors that would stand out in a tropical rain forest.
For two years and 22,000 dollars Sid's been building this not-so-olive-drab Blazer from ideas he has gotten from magazine articles. It was hogging space in his dad's garage as Sid took his time to do things right and enjoy the process of getting the truck trail ready. We caught up with Sid at this year's Easter Jeep Safari in Moab just in time to shoot some photos of this rolling Easter egg hunt before it goes back to the garage. Sid's not one to leave anything alone and plans to bolt on some stiffer rear springs, convert the truck to a 111-inch wheelbase, and add some Bilstein 7100 series shocks. Oh yeah, and probably add some more color while he's at it!
A '99 502 short-block sits under '90s vintage 454 heads and yields a compression ratio of 8.75:1. To keep the newly freshened engine alive and well, Sid stuck "the biggest K&N air filter [he] could find" on top. A Howell TBI fuel injection system sits above the stock 454 intake that, just like the oil pan and timing cover, has been powdercoated florescent green. An easy-reach van oil-filler tube, a York air compressor, and impeccably clean wiring and plumbing add to the list of slick features in this engine compartment.
The green powdercoated rollcage is the first thing on the Blazer to catch your eye. It's been tied into the frame (also with fluorescent metal) to protect occupants and the Craftsman toolbox in the event of a rollover. Sid bolted in the blue powdercoated fuel tank from a '91 Blazer to get the factory in-tank fuel pump for trouble-free fuel injection. The rear bumper is a narrowed CUCV piece that is augmented with the military spec tow hooks that were painted a very unmilitary shade of green. Sid's rear axle choice was more conventional with a 14-bolt, 4.56 gears, and a Detroit Locker. The 42x15-15 TSLs on 15x10 MRT bead lock wheels clear the cut sheetmetal just fine and flex almost too well on Tuff Country 4-inch lift springs combined with an Off-Road Design shackle flip and RS 5000 shocks.
To mount the Off Road Design Doubler NP203 and NP205 transfer case system to the K5's TH400, Sid used a second transmission crossmember and added L-shaped brackets in order to bolt it to the frame. The original '83 crossmember had to be cut and reshaped to clear the front driveshaft and exhaust. With all the available torque, the front driveshaft with 1310 U-joints has held up, but the rear shaft has been upgraded to 1350s with a Tom Woods CV-joint.
Visibility is still the biggest problem in a fullsize. To read the terrain better when he's sitting in the swapped-in '96 Tahoe seats, Sid built these custom half doors from the original shells.