The Stovebolt Site Forums The Forum Gallery 1973 - 1987 Trucks 1983 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Silverado "Big Red"

I snagged a rusty 83 K5 Blazer with the Silverado trim package. Mrs. Rod is mad, but what can I do.

o What is the truck?
1983 Chevy K5 (4WD) Blazer. PO named it "Big Red", so I'll stick with the tradition of not renaming things and jinxing them.

o Where/how/When did you find it? Describe the circumstances.
I was looking for a Running replacement vehicle for my 96 Jeep ZJ. I initially was looking for a 67-72 Blazer, but they are worth their weight in $5.00 silver coins.
I perused the local marketplace and saw this gem for sale locally. The asking price wasn’t bad so I made the call.

o What obstacles, if any, did you have to overcome to buy it, move it, or otherwise become the new owner?
Mrs. Rod was very reluctant to let me buy the truck; so I just had it towed home.

o What is the history of the truck? Anything particularly of note?
The Blazer has been owned by a USPS delivery lady since 1986, she put over 200,000 miles on it. She couldn’t get it smog checked in 2016 because it is missing the oil pressure gauge.

o What was the condition of truck when you found it?
Parked. Full of yellowjacket nests. The seat covers are falling apart. Rust in quarter panels, lower doors, front floors, and tail gate is ready to fall off.
PO claims the 350 engine and 700R4 transmission were rebuilt within 60,000 miles. The driver’s window doesn’t work.

In actuality, the engine (according to the suffix code UAK is a 140 hp 305. I wondered why it is so gutless.

o What have they done to/with/for it so far?
I had it towed to my home. Cleaned the interior. Drove it around the block a couple times.

o Plan for the truck?
I would like for it to be my daily driver soon.

o What drew you to this style, size, year truck? Why *this* truck?
The Stovebolt page added this style truck. I used to have a 77 Camper special and like the body style. Why “this” truck? It was priced “ok”.

o Don’t stop here — add anything else you can think of to help us get to know your truck better.
I’ll add something later.

o Please include your name, city and state
Rusty Rod, Loveland, Colorado

You can get to this one once the burb is done.

Hey Rusty, I also have a 305 in my truck. Maybe it's gutless too. Where exactly did you find that engine number suffix?

Leo, there is a small pad in front of the passenger side head, buried under the hoses ect. My engine was replaced some years ago with a "rebuilt 350", evidently, it was not so.

I use "nasty z28" to decode the suffix codes. https://nastyz28.com/chevy-engine-code-stampings.php.

There are also some other "issues" that probably affect the power output. Mainly the rotten vacuum hoses. I'm working my way through each of the widgets that use vacuum to operate to ensure that they are working properly and replacing the hoses as I go. I have not checked the spark plugs, cap and rotor or the compression yet.

Here's another source for suffix codes.
http://www.1968ss.com/sbcsuffix.asp