Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Stout!

Now go out and find a reason to use em. ;)

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

So what do you do, put d shackles through those holes?

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Dude those rock!!!!!! Can he make me a pair?

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

You got it. The bottom hole is for a d-ring shackle.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Hey AJ, hook us up with the tow hooks. They are really sweet and totally functional. I need a set.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Was really a one time deal by a friend on another board. They were $150 (mostly from the waterjet time).

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

UPDATE 02/28/09: Been kinda quiet the past month after the engine fire on 2/08. Most of the damage was to the hood, the firewall, the distributor cap, and a whole bunch of wiring. Huge thanks to everyone that offered support, help, and parts after the fire. You guys are great! :thumbs:


Here's the pics of the carnage.

http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3431.sized.jpg

http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3433.sized.jpg

http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3434.sized.jpg

The good news is that insurance covered most of the damage. So, I've spent the past couple of weeks deciding what direction to take with the truck. To fix the firewall properly, the engine would need to come out. As long as the firewall was getting worked on and the engine was out, "might as well" get the hacked up firewall patched correctly. So, I started tearing the front clip off to prep for pulling the engine. Here's how far I've gotten as of this afternoon.

http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3475.sized.jpg

If you look close under the dash, right above the tranny hump, you can see the sheet metal that is just screwed in to cover up the hole they cut.
http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3476.sized.jpg

A whole big mess of parts that came off
http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3477.sized.jpg

And well, I figured as long as the engine was out I "might as well" do a little upgrade. I picked this up used from a member from a fellow board member.
http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3474.sized.jpg

More to come...

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Nice fuel injection set up. Glad to see insurance is covering most of the damage.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

AJ - what else do you need to get it up and running again - maybe I got something you can use...shoot me a PM with what you need.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

:devil:

http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3474.sized.jpg

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Throttle responce is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.norcalbigdawgs.net/Galler...buo05/bbc3.jpg

I did take it to a Dyno shop for the final tune ~ highly recomend that, unless you're a super tuner :smoke:
:chevy:

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Looks like it'll be better than ever. I look forward to hearing how it performs with the fuel injection.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Update 03/03/09: Got a little help from one of the guys at the shop tonight. The engine is out and the truck is ready to go to the body shop.

http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3480.sized.jpg

Closeup of the hacked up and bfh'd firewall.
http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3479.sized.jpg

More updates as stuff happens

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Dude, I knew there was something about your Blazer that I was drawn to. The origional color is Ochre. Just kidding dude, are you gonna paint the whole thing? You're almost there.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Sorry man. Original color is orange. One of the POs painted it yellow, like bright yellow, at some point, but no ochre.

Plan is to paint the whole truck in a couple of years. Don't have the funds to do the paint job I want....especially after buying the fuel injection.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Fix it & drive it, save the full on resto for later.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

That's the plan :metal:

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

On that close up picture of the firewall, i see some valve cover indents. is that the typical area you come across problems with installing big blocks? was that the case with you?

Nice truck!

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Coercing a big block into a 1st gen K5 requires either some sort of "modification" to the firewall, installing a body lift, or moving the engine forward. Unfortunately what the PO did to mine is fairly common...although I have see a couple done considerably cleaner.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Update 03/06/09: Finally off to the body shop.

http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3481.sized.jpg

Time to start ordering parts to get the engine setup.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

UPDATE 03/13/09: Took a drive out to the body shop after work to check out the progress. Firewall patches and paint work are done. He did a really great job. The dish on the firewall has been opened up a bit to give me more room for the engine. Hood and cowl are prepped for paint...they're working on getting a good silver match.

http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3491.sized.jpg

http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3492.sized.jpg

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Thats really nice too bad the fire messed up that paint

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

AJ, anything new? That guy did some really nice work... How soon before it comes home?

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Tub came home this week. I stopped by the body shop yesterday and they were shooting the silver on the hood and the cowl.

I've been painting the engine accessories in the front yard...the neighbors love me. Other than that, I'm waiting for a couple of parts to come in before before I start building...again.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Amazing Blazer you've got there. That primary silver you have on there is beautiful. Do you know the brand and color code for the paint? That exactly the color I have been looking for.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

2 questions for ya.... What color is the engine going to be? What is that on the roof of the Burb sittin' next to your Blazer in the garage? Glad to see you get to get it back up and going pretty quick.:metal:

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

My guess is they use it to hunt quail or to get on the back of an elephant

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Chrysler Argent DAH1-S4A

Block and water pump are gonna be red. Everything else black.

I don't own the garage...that's just my corner where they let me store it work on it. The Burb is at the shop for some tranny work I think....it's not mine. My guess is that it's used for deer hunting. It's got a feeder on the back, a rack in the front with a manual winch to pull the body onto for hauling and the big rack on top for the shooters.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Not a real update, but here's what I was up to today.

http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3510.sized.jpg

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

UPDATE 03/29/09: The last of my major part purchases (I hope) for the rebuild showed up yesterday. I picked a DIY4X crossmember from a fellow boardmember that had changed hands a couple of times cuz it wouldn't fit (LSX and a Cummins). It's never been fully installed :metal:

So, of course I had to run by the shop this morning to make sure it would fit.

http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3521.sized.jpg

Tons of clearance on the Milodon pan
http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3522.sized.jpg

Now, I just need to repaint it. Stay tuned, next week, we start working on the motor...

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

UPDATE 04/03/09: Picked up my hood and cowl from the body shop today...no pics of the hood. But, I did get the pics the body guy took of his progress. These will show a bit better how he cleaned up the dish in the firewall for the BBC.

Bringing back a pic of the firewall showing the PO's "work" to get the BBC in. You can clearly see where he beat on, and cut the firewall up.
http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3479.sized.jpg

The patch for the passenger side...he finished this the day the truck showed up :metal:
http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...side_patch.jpg

The driver's side took a lot more work. He cut the dish to open it up, and then smoothed out the lines while patching the hole.
http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...side_patch.jpg

Here's a shot of the firewall with both patches.
http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...th_patches.jpg

Filler to smooth and ready for primer.
http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...770/Filler.jpg


I'll post up a pic of the hood tomorrow along with any progress I make.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Looks pretty good to me - might be a blessing in disguise type thing...:)

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

:agree:

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Man, that guy does some nice work. Are you sure that was a body shop? That is one of the cleanest places I have ever seen, guess it reflects the quality of his work...

Now you will really start to collect the trophies

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

UPDATE 04/04/09: Made a little more progress today.

But first, as promised, here's a picture of the refinished hood. No more graphics...or big burn mark in the middle
http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3528.sized.jpg

Got the new to me DIY4X crossmember installed. Took a little persuasion to get everything to line up, but it's in. I really need to wipe the frame down...
http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3525.sized.jpg

Finished pulling everything off the engine to prep for the MPFI conversion. I'm also putting a Comp Cams adjustable timing chain. This'll allow me to get the timing on the cam dialed in a close as humanly possible to the grind sheet...which equals MORE HP.
http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...3526.sized.jpg

On a side note, the fire may have been a blessing in disguise. The pre-screen on the oil pickup was almost completely clogged with purple paint flakes. They got really sloppy when spraying the purple. Nothing was taped off...there's purple on the crank, the timing chain, inside the heads....

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Wow, that is wild about the pickup screen - all things considered, it does look like this is kind of a good thing that happened - I'm really digging the silver hood, course, I'm a bit partial to silver :-)

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

I figured you'd like the color.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

Are you going to pull the bearings and check them now? I think it would be good insurance.

BTW things are looking good:metal: I would eat off that fire wall.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

I have a friend who build dragsters and engines for a living. He's gonna help me with the engine stuff since I'm at about the limit of my current knowledge. I'll see what he thinks.

Re: AJs 72 Pavement Pounder build
 

UPDATE 04/11/09: Got a little shop time this morning. The goal was start cleaning up the block, put the new timing chain on, and degree the cam. However, when we pulled the cam sprocket for the timing chain off, we found this:

http://www.texas4x4.org/gallery/albu...37_a.sized.jpg

Whoever built the engine, neglected to put the thrust washer on behind the cam sprocket. The sprocket has chewed into the block over 1/8". And because the cam wasn't in snug, the lifters are unevenly worn and a couple of cam lobes in the rear are flattening. Additionally, several of my pushrods are flexing. What does all this really mean? I need to rebuild the engine and get the block machined to fix the damage. Not something I had wanted to do right now, and definaltely something that was not budgeted for this year. It was one of those days, where I wish I had stayed home. :waah: