73-87chevytrucks.com
73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Members Rides => Topic started by: cbgrant74 on November 16, 2010, 05:14:37 PM
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Well, here it is - I finally took the first step in what certainly will be a very long process. I drove out to my folks' last weekend and picked up their 1977 Chevy Blazer.
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1149.jpg)
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1151.jpg)
My folks bought it new in the fall of 1976. It lived its entire life in New England (well, maybe a couple of trips to Pennsylvania), so it has more than its share of rust - plenty of those photos to come later. It had 150,000+ miles on it when the speedometer cable gave out in the late '80s, and those weren't easy miles. After we took it off the road in '91, it served for another 10 years as a farm truck, losing its top, tailgate, and back seat in the process. Many, many loads of cordwood, rocks, gravel, cow manure, and just about anything else got tossed in and out of the back. Then there was the stump-pulling, log-skidding, and other work better done by a tractor! It finally was parked in the barn, where it sat collecting dust and sinking into the mud until last Saturday.
As for the top, tailgate, and back seat, they weren't as lucky:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1145.jpg)
They sat outside in the snow and rain - the pine needles, tree branches, and moss can attest to that!
So, with a new set of used tires on some cleaned up rims, I winched it onto the Uhaul trailer to see if I can bring it back to life.
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1157.jpg)
The good news is that the frame and drivetrain are in good shape (the Ziebart rust-proofing kept the frame in like-new shape). The engine should probably be rebuilt, and of course all of the hoses and other rubber parts are dry-rotted, but I consider these pretty minor compared to the body work that it needs. Every panel is rusted through and badly dented (except the hood, which somehow survived without a scratch). The door bottoms and rocker panels have been "fixed" once before, and now the fixes need fixing.
I've seen some of the work you guys do here, and it's pretty impressive. I can hold my own with mechanical stuff, but I'm sure I'll be asking for a lot of advice on body work and sheet metal repairs. Thanks in advance for your help!
- Charlie
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Welcome from Maryland. Keep us updated
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Welcome!
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Welcome from ND. It's always great to see another one of these trucks brought back to life, especially if the owner has history with it.
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Welcome from Ohio! I agree with grim, always like seeing the process of these trucks as people are restoring them.
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It'll be a great project!
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cool man.... looking forward to follow your rebuild.... Really sweet that it is a "family blazer" too...
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Welcome from Mass, What part are you from. I'm in Halifax.
I see the Banks emblem on the fender which made me think 6.2, but the Champion sticker says it's a gas motor.
The curiosity is killing me?
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Fitz, I'm in Wilmington, Mass., a little northwest of Boston. As for the stickers - Banks Chevrolet was the dealer in Concord where my folks bought the Blazer. The Champion and other "decals" were to make it look like a race truck (sponsors, you know), and to cover more than a few rust holes! The motor is a 350.
Check this out - custom solid wood door handles! Bet there aren't many trucks out there with that "factory option."
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1161.jpg)
I started cleaning out some of the worst of the debris the other day. Reckon any mice got in there while it was sitting in the barn? (Look closely in the lower right corner of the photo.)
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1158.jpg)
The engine compartment wasn't too bad, but then I pulled the passenger's side door panel off. No kidding, it was full of foam, insulation, nuts, twigs, and other crap up to the level of the window crank. I filled my 16-gallon shop vac and decided that was enough for one night!
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Mice are almost as bad as rust. My pickup sat for 10 years, has been back on the road for a little over a year now, and there is still mice debris falling out of the hood panel, and the blower motor occasionally coughs up some old carpet, pheasant feathers, and millet seed. I see great potential with your project, good luck.
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That Banks sticker got me, thought it was the company that makes the turbo kits for the 6.2 diesels.
Love that New England Dragway sticker.
Good luck with the project.
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The teardown is under way. Finding lots of rust, but I fully expected that.
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1163.jpg)
This offers an opportunity for a lesson in hillbilly body work. (Most of this is my own handiwork from an earlier era, so no offense intended to any other hillbillies or rednecks out there!)
When patching rusty door bottoms, galvanized sheet metal is best. Just be sure to leave holes in the bottom so water can run out.
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1168.jpg)
If you don't have a welder, sheet metal screws will work fine. Use silicone caulk to seal the seams (make sure it's the paintable type so the paint will stick).
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1166.jpg)
For more complicated profiles, consider using aluminum. It's much easier to bend, won't rust, and coordinates nicely with the color of duct tape.
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1173.jpg)
Don't forget to use sound deadening material under the floors. Tar paper is perfect, and since it's waterproof, it will seal up any small holes you might have left.
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1176.jpg)
That's all for today's lesson, folks!
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For more complicated profiles, consider using aluminum. It's much easier to bend, won't rust, and coordinates nicely with the color of duct tape.
LOL that made my day
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lol redneck all the way
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Welcome from florida.Being a native new englander myself(was born and raised in rhode island till 2002) i can pretain to the rust issues it takes on these trucks.I had to completly scrap a majority of my stepside before i could actually get to a solid ground to work on.SO just take your time and i`m sure we can do our best to guide you into getting that beast back to its former glory...
thanks
pat
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Welcome from California, you do have your work cut out for you, good luck and keep us posted.
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Looks like a nice project. I've only seen a few 4 speed blazers.
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I decided I should clean up the rear drum brakes, since they were dragging a little and making it difficult to roll the Blazer in and out of the shop. Of course the drums were frozen on pretty nicely and wouldn't budge. So I rigged up a home-made puller:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1184.jpg)
Cranked the c-clamps down tight, one rap with the hammer, and off they came!
So, the teardown is pretty well along, and I'm getting to the point where I need to make a decision. I need to decide where to start the body repair, which will be the bulk of the work on this project. I'm basically a novice working with sheet metal, but I have some decent tools (welder, torch, air tools, etc.) and I'm fairly mechanically inclined. The question is, do I start with the cab, rocker panels, and floor pans, or do I start with the bed and rear wheel wells?
In addition to being partly rusted out, the entire bed floor has been dented from hauling gravel and cordwood, so it will need to be straightened or replaced. That said, it seems like the bed would be easier to work with in terms of access and the sheet metal there is a little simpler than in the cab. But maybe there's a reason I need to fix the cab first. I know it has settled a little bit, especially on the driver's side (we shimmed up the lower door hinge 20 years ago to get the driver's door to close). Do I need to get the cab straight before I fix the bed?
Any input/suggestions would be helpful, and thanks in advance!
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nice project..gotta love a blazer with the old 4 speed..seems like they are becoming hard to find now a days
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I got an entire floor section from GM for $405 bucks and started there. After that I did all the cab work on mine. Came out slick.
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yep looks like you have a good project on your hands, but as a native New Englander myself, born and raised in Manchester NH, I have seen MUCH worse. Kinda like my '85 Ramcharger I sold to a friend up there and has been sitting in his back yard for years now, poor truck...
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Well, I'm making a little progress on the Blazer restoration (that full-time job thing keeps getting in the way). I'm working on the rear wheel housings - figured I'd start with something simple to teach myself sheet metal work. There are certainly plenty of dents and rust to practice on.
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1278.jpg)
I'm wondering what these holes were for:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1280.jpg)
There's one hole in the top of each wheel housing, with a gasketed plug to keep out the road spray. If the Blazer had carpet, is this where it would have attached, or does something else go there?
Another question - I pulled the seats apart to make sure I cleaned up all the mouse debris before I put the seats in the attic. I removed the spring that helps with adjusting the driver's seat, and now I can't figure out where it goes. Does anyone remember?
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1188.jpg)
Thanks.
- Charlie
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Well, let's try patching some of those rust holes. We'll start with a paper pattern:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1292.jpg)
After a bit of cutting and welding, it bears a vague resemblance to the original:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1297.jpg)
All clamped up:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1298.jpg)
Not perfect, but better than what was there:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1299.jpg)
I guess that gives me somewhere to practice soldering.
Here's another:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1288.jpg)
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1289.jpg)
Not perfect, but I suppose that will do.
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Good enough for never being seen again!
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I dropped the gas tank the other day and drained out about seven gallons of ten-year-old gas. The outside of the tank is in good shape - not even any appreciable surface rust. The inside, above where the gas was sitting, isn't heavily pitted, but definitely shows some corrosion:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1310.jpg)
What's the best option here? Can I save this tank? I've seen some products called "gas tank restorers." Do they work? Is this an appropriate application? Do I need to clean off the corrosion first?
Thanks for the help.
- Charlie
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Compare the time and cost of restoring that tank to the cost of a new tank. They do make poly tanks for our trucks so no more rust...
They restored a tank on powerblock once. Eastwood should have what you need.
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There are several products for restoring gas tanks, I used a 3 step process on a motorcycle gas tank that turned out great. The fenders look great, just make sure to coat them good before re-assy.
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love this build. i like hearing history behind trucks. its looking great man.
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i have the same holes on the top of my rear wheel wells of my truck, i was wondering what they were for too.
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Nice work on those wheel tubs.
Off topic: Back in Germany I used to have one of those little orange sleds like in your second pic...used to be so much fun.
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I'm finally finding a little time to work on the Blazer. (I'll post a few pictures later.) I pulled the old, rusted-out, broken-in-half tailpan, and discovered that the the frame rails are rusted through at the rear body mounts. (Generally, the frame is in excellent shape, but water must have gotten trapped between the mounts and the top of the frame rails.) I can fabricate a new section from plate and weld it in, but I need to find some steel that's the right thickness.
The frame rails seem to be 0.150" thick, which puts them half way between 1/8" and 3/16". Does anyone know if I can buy steel in that thickness, or is the only option to find a junk frame and cut out a patch piece? I could just use 3/16, it would just be a little thicker than the rest of the frame.
Thanks.
- Charlie
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Here are the photos.
The old tailpan:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1400.jpg)
Out she comes:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1406.jpg)
This is a problem:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1407.jpg)
Cut out for patch:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1410.jpg)
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It's looking good, keep up the good work. At least you should be proud when you get it done.
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Keep the pics coming, I have a bunch of this to do on my 87 in the coming weeks.
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Well, I decided to go the junkyard route on the frame patches. I picked up a piece of a rusty but mostly intact truck frame and cut out the sections I needed. I cut the body mount holes with a hole saw. Here is one welded in place:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1413.jpg)
With a bit of rattle can paint to keep the rust at bay:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1422.jpg)
In hindsight, it probably would have been better to bend some flat stock to the right profile, but it's done.
The bottoms of the tailgate posts were rusted through, so I cut them out and fabbed up patches:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1502.jpg)
So the tailpan area is coming together, and it's time to start thinking about the next item on the list. I think I need to tackle the rockers, cab mounts, and cab corners to fix the obvious body sag. To start the process, I pulled the rocker panel "slipcovers" that got the Blazer to pass inspection during its final few years on the road (20 years ago):
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1505.jpg)
And what was underneath:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1507.jpg)
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1508.jpg)
The good news is that the rot doesn't extend too far back towards the frame. The cab floor is mostly shot, but really only the outer ends of the cab mounts are rusted away:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1515.jpg)
What pieces should I be ordering to work on this area? There's a five-piece kit for the trucks; does that work for the Blazers too?
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I believe the 5 piece kit is for trucks too, someone will confirm or correct that assumption. You got a lot of work in front of you, but you did a great job on the frame.
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The 5 piece cab kit will work for the Blazer, but you need the rear pans to fix the area behind the seat, and the front pans for the truck will have to be trimmed to fit correctly...
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love the blazer man keep up the good work my buddy has a 74 thats been in his family for almost 26 years he is restoring now i cant wait to hear your next improvement
heres a picture
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Its awesome to see someone restoring an old family truck, mine doesn't have that kinda story behind it but i'm hoping someday it will. Keep up the good work i'd like to see the finished product.
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I have a "what is this part?" question. In the first photo below, I have outlined a piece of sheetmetal that sits inboard of the front of the rear fender and the rear of the outer rocker panel. It is behind the fender, door jamb, and B-pillar in the photo, so you can't see it. It holds up the end of one of the bed cross-members (yellow U shape), and there is a nut for the seat belt anchor (single yellow line). The second photo is taken from underneath the Blazer, looking up and towards the front of the vehicle. You can see most of the piece in this photo, including the nut for the seat belt anchor and the two bolts that pass through a flange on the B-pillar, through the rear of the cab floor, and into the piece in question.
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1519.jpg)
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1527.jpg)
I think this piece is specific to the Blazer (as opposed to the trucks). It doesn't seem to match any of the photos or line drawings of the available cab support or sheetmetal parts. What is it called, and does anyone know if there are replacements available?
Thanks.
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This is specific to the 1973-1977 Blazers, and I haven't found anyone that makes this part at this time.
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It's been a while, and progress has been slow, but at least there's been progress. I'm working on a plan to fabricate that cab support piece (compound curves in 12 gauge sheetmetal, so we'll see how that goes). In the meantime, I got the tailpan installed. Everything fit together pretty well, and when I hung the tailgate (after I took this photo) the gaps lined up nicely. I'm waiting to weld the uprights until I decide whether to keep the original tailgate (badly rusted on the inside) or get another one in better shape.
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1548.jpg)
I have a question about a set of brackets that go inside the frame rails below the rear-most body mounts. The outer bumper brackets bolt through the frame rails into nuts welded to these brackets. Here is a photo of the one I removed from the right side:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1652.jpg)
I know the ones I removed are too rusted to salvage, but fabricating new ones seems fairly straightforward. (I haven't found new/reproduction brackets for sale anywhere.) The issue is that I think the top sections of the brackets have completely rusted away, so I don't know what they should look like. Below, I've tried to sketch what I think I need to make:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1652r.jpg)
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1653r.jpg)
My assumption is that the top (missing) part of the brackets goes over the lower rubber piece of the body mount and under the upper flange of the frame rail. Am I on the right track? Does anyone have a picture of one of these brackets intact?
Thanks.
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If I get home before dark tonight, I will look at my son's 79 blazer out back and see if I can snap a pic of the bracket for you, will have to see if it is the same thing or not.
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Did you get the picture you needed, that is basically what the part looks like. I had the same problem with my Blazer. I got the part from a donor.
Here is it on my Jimmy installed:
(http://www.captkaoscustoms.com/Jimmy/cab_bushings/rr4_bushing.jpg)
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Here is what I came up with:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1762.jpg)
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n298/cbgrant74/Blazer/100_1757.jpg)
I made them from 12-gauge sheet metal. I'm not sure that's exactly what they looked like from the factory, but they're pretty close and will serve their purpose.
Now on to fabricating that body support under the driver's seat. Same thick sheet metal, but fun compound curves...
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Close. the upper piece had a full plate with a larger hole. The end was notched for the crossmember.
What support under the seat are you talking about? This one: http://store.73-87chevytrucks.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=7&Product_Code=0853-313-314&Category_Code=B
or is all of yours gone?