Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

So I cut out the outer skin over the troubled area. It looks like I will need to cut some more out later. This is all I did on this part of the project because I was working at night so therefore wasn't able to get any donor patches off of the parts trucks. We will have to come back to this project later.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/IMG_4171.jpg


I knew my bed floor was in pretty lousy shape from the wheel tubs back. This is because somewhere along the line a previous owner thought it would be a good idea to take the rear hatch off the blazer, bust out one of the side windows, but still leave the carpet in place. I was thinking I might knock all the scale off of the troubled areas of the bed floor and then just weld in the rust holes then rust treat the bed floor. Then I came to the conclusion that they are just too far gone to save. Besides why do this much metal work then not do the bed floor.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/IMG_4162.jpg


Here is a close up of what I am working with from the center of the wheel tubs back.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/IMG_4163.jpg


Aeren't the stars beautiful tonight? No, they are not! That's because that is the light shining thru the bed floor from a shop light that is under the blazer. If that picture would have been taken after I knocked all the scale off it would have looked like a close up of the Milky Way Galaxy.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/IMG_4165.jpg


After taking a few measurements I removed the first section of the blazer bed floor. Since I am getting the donor floor from a long bed truck I will be replacing the bed floor in two sections. Once this section is welded back into place I will remove the rear section. I made my cuts over the bed floor braces, that way the welds wont be visible from the underside of the truck, and thus making it like nothing ever happened when I get done.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/IMG_4167.jpg


By this point in time it was well after 11pm, I had an hour drive to get back home, and the temperature in the shop was 38 degrees and dropping fast, therefore that is all the progress I have to show for now. Hopefully the next update will be very soon.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

I told you to quit looking for rust or it'll never end. Make sure you check the rear body mounts under the very rear of the bed floor. My frame was rotted out in this area also.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

hgs_notes, I know. I know, but I can't help myself. Actually everything on the bottom side of the bed floor was in great shape. Most of these rust issues appear as though they were caused by water getting into the cab due to the busted window and missing hatch and not because of moisture/salt splashing up from underneath.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

basiclly everything in red in one piece, not to much worried about the floor nor the roof or back wall, im going to cut my blazer in half again n do it myself this time

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

Thats what I was thinking you would need. I was hoping it would be smaller pieces. The only parts cab I have that is complete enough to give you everything in red is completely rotted out in the cowl area. I was really hoping I would be able to help you but at this time it doesn't look like I will be able to do much for you. I will let you know if something changes though.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

Wow, This is one of the projects I was talking about that made me feel better about my rust problems.... Doing a great job on this, amazing work..
Mabe if we ever get back in the area of Houston Ill have to come by and see it in person. We lived in Katy about 10 years ago before we moved back to West Texas.. Keep up the good work..

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

That's makes at least 2 of you now that have cancerous trucks in Texas.

How does so many people wind up with rusty vehicles in Texas??

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

PD1292, Thanks for the encouragement! It has definately been an ambitious project. If you ever make it back into town I would love to show the blazer off for you, along with the dozens of other vehicles my family has. Of course once this thing is driveable I plan on doing ALOT of driving in it, so you might actually get to see it in person in your part of the state.


Firebirdjones, This blazer is rusty because it has only been in Texas for about a year. I got it from a board member in Louisiana and he got it from Georgia. That is the state it has been in for the majority of its life. I also have a 54 suburban from Virginia that is even rustier. However there are plenty of Texas vehicles that are rusty as well. Most people think of Texas as a desert but the eastern 1/3 of the state is very rainy and green. I live in Houston and it is much more resembling of New Orleans than it is El Paso. Here the rain, humidity, and fallen leaves from trees team up to rust vehicles out from the top down instead of the bottom up like is seen in most other parts of the country. If you get Texas vehicles from the San Anonio, Dallas, Austin areas and westward they are usually very rust free. I have a 72 suburban that spent its whole life in Austin until I bought it in 08 and it doesn't even have a single pinhole in any of the floors or rockers.


I wasn't planning on updating until I had made more progress but since the thread has been brought back to the top I guess I will show the latest work.
As you can see we got the donor patch on the bed rail welded into place.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/IMG_4213.jpg

A view from the underside.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/IMG_4214.jpg

The only other progress I made was getting the donor bed floor out of the parts truck. It hasnt been trimmed down yet and is only laying in place with no welds at this moment.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/IMG_4215.jpg



That is all I have for now. Hopefully there will be some more updates soon.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

Hey! I met you last night, Friday, April 08, 2011, at the Homey Depot during the rod meet. I have the 68 Chevy truck, I caught you right before you left. You have done a completely amazing job with the metalwork on that Blazer, but I can see why A two-drive Blazer is an extremely valuable truck! We'll have to talk more at the next event!

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

That's a lot of work but it will be worth it in the end. You're doing a terrific job.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

jwgeorge, It was good talking to you last night. Sorry I didn't get a chance to check out your 68. I will check to see if we have any spare rear ends out at my dads place. I know I got rid of two rear ends like you need not that long ago so I am not sure what is left. I look forward to meeting up with you at the next cruise night. Feel free to PM me or post on one of my threads if you have any questions about anything. By the way, what part of Pearland are you in?

denny5625, Thanks! As always it is turning into a more in depth restoration than I was originally planning. Since I have done so much work to the body I am now thinking of taking it off the fram to detail the underside and the frame.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

I got back to work on the blazer last weekend. The first thing we did was finish trimming up the donor floor section, clean the underside, rust treat it and tack it into place. Since I made the cuts where there are cross braces underneath there is no way to tell that anything has been done when looking at the bed floor from beneath the truck.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/IMG_4239.jpg

There was a little spot in front of the donor floor that still had some heavy pitting and holes.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/IMG_4240.jpg

So of course that came out and another donor panel came in.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/IMG_4242.jpg

I didn't think about it until the donor panel was already welded in, but I still have to transfrer the seat brace/bracket over to the new panel after I clean it up.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/IMG_4238.jpg

It still needs the rear portion of the bed floor replaced, but at least from the wheel wells forward the entire floor is solid.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/IMG_4243.jpg

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

Just found this thread today and all I can say is WOW! You've done an awesome job so far. I can't wait to see this once it's all done. :metal:
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Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

romarti0825, Thanks dude! It's too bad life keeps getting in the way of my project. It looks like I am down to working on the blazer one day a month. Oh well, it seems as though I am always either short on time or money.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

Amen to that! I'm getting the second wind on mine. Trying to convert to 5 lug and get some better tires. But the money thing seems to get in the way. Lol...

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

Yeah. I was actually getting pretty stocked up with money until my wife and I decided we needed to buy a bigger house. Now it looks like all my blazer funds will be going towards down payment money. I think I will hit my second wind when I get some paint on her. Good luck with your project!

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

Funny how adult life seems to do that to you!

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

Wow, you've done a lot of work! I'm getting a 72 2wd next Tuesday and I'm a little worried it might be in similar shape to yours when you started. My issue is that I don't have the space or tools to do what you've done. I will be buying as many patch panels as I can. Where is the best place to buy quality patch panels that will fit without too much modification?

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

Just checking in on your build, its looking great. Cant wait to see it finished. Thanks for the comments on my build and sorry you dont have a lot of time to work on yours. I have an extra frame i bought that was sitting on a farm for many years. There was no body on it but it is a 4 wheel drive blazer frame. I noticed in this picture yours has rear trailing arms and coil springs but it is a 72. Is that the original frame and did 72 versions come with rear trailing arms? The reason i am asking is, i am not sure what this frame i have is from. Mine has leaf springs in the back but drum brakes in the front
4X4.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

2wd blazers came with the same suspension as a 2wd chevy truck, which was rear coils and trailing arms. Some of the chevy 2wd trucks had a rear leaf as an option. GMC 2wd trucks all had leaf springs out back. All original 4x4's had rear leafs springs. You will see many blazers that were converted from 4x4 to 2wd and still have rear leafs, which is the easy way to tell if it is an original 2wd blazer.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

jwgeorge, It's ironic; I had more money for my old trucks when I was a broke teenager than I do now as a working adult!

91-LS1-SS, To be honest if it werent for my dads tools and workspace I wouldn't have been able to do a fraction of what I have accomplished. However I have seen board members do more on their projects with less than I have even at my own house. As far as patch panels, what I cant get from parts trucks I buy from "The Truck Shop"; and whatever they don't carry I have gotten from GMC Pauls. So far I have not gotten any reproduction panels that were bad quality. Good luck with your build!

PD1292, I agree with hgs_notes. It sounds like an original 4x4 frame converted to 2wd. Unless factory 2wd Jimmy's came with leafs in the back? Is that a possibility?

hgs_notes, Thanks for helping field this question. When it comes to suspension questions my knowledge is very limited.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

Thank you for the two companies 1956cameo! I had not run across either of those yet. It just so happens that The Truck Shop has a part I haven't been able to find anywhere yet.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

thanks bro

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

99-LS1-SS, Glad to help! I forgot to it before; but the parts board is also a great place for finding patches that aeren't bieng reproduced.

Wholio, No problem. Sorry I couldn't have been better help for you. If I run across anyone in our area that has a cheap cab for sale I will give you their info.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

thanks bro

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

It has been a busy summer with my wife and I trying to sell our house and me changing jobs but I was able to find a way to make progress and eliminate the amount of grinding I have to do. I employed my teenage niece to grind down welds at $8 an hour! She works teenager hours (1-5 hours a week) but hey any welds she grinds down I dont have to grind down. I told her once she finishes grinding welds I will get grinding pads and sand blast sand and let her strip the blazer of all its paint.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/DSC00079.jpg

While she has been working on that I was able to finish replacing the original bed floor with donor patches.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/DSC00089.jpg

I was planning on replacing the rear lower bedside sections but the reproduction panels I got from Key Parts were worthless. So I focused on converting my 1970 truck doors into 1972 blazer doors. I started by removing the "smooth" section that was where the 1972 door "dimple" should be.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/DSC00090.jpg

Fortunately I still had the original blazer doors, and while they were completely rusted out I was able to remove the dimples section from them.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/DSC00091.jpg

The smooth section removed.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/DSC00098.jpg

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

After some grinding and a shot of primer no one will know they weren't factory 1972 doors.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/DSC00099.jpg

When I was removing the original door panel from the donor door I found that it had rust behind the panel. The rest of the doors are solid as a rock but somehow it formed rust here. So of course more patches needed to be done. Fortunately these sections were still solid on the original blazer doors so I was able to use more of the blazers original sheet metal.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/DSC00101.jpg

The welds aeren't pretty but that area is now solid and rust free.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/DSC00102.jpg

The area that was rusted on the other side of where the door panel goes.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/DSC00103.jpg


I dont have pictures but I was able to remove the blazer braces off of the original doors. Unfortunately I didn't have time to install them but it gives me a starting point for next time.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

I don't understand, what is the difference between a Blazer door and a pickup door?
And what kind of door does a Suburban have?
I'm so confused!

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

Hey George!
Well as you propably know the blazer doors dont have the top section that the window rolls up into between the vent window and the back of the door. Even from the factory these were just sawed off with sawzalls. Then on top of that the factory added some braces to the door where the striker goes. They were added for extra strength due to the higher demands that were usually placed on blazer bodies. Unfortunately I dont have pictures of them but I will post pictures once I get them onto the donor doors.

The difference between truck doors and suburban doors are also tied to the top channel section. On a truck it is rounded and on a suburban it goes to a 90 degree angle.


I know these pictures aerent great but this is the original truck door before I started modifying it to be a blazer door. See how the top section (where the window rolls up into) is rounded.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/IMG_3700.jpg


On the suburban the same section goes to a 90 degree turn (no rounding).
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...n/IMG_3785.jpg

And as you can see that entire section is missing from a blazer.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/a...1/IMG_2595.jpg

I dont know if this helps but if you want I can take better reference pictures for you to show you what I am talking about. Or if anyone else wants to post pictures fo the defferences they are more than welcome to.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

I don't spend much, if any, time on the blazer side of the forum, but I will have to now. It looks like you're getting a lot done. I'm pretty jealous of the shop and tools you've got to work with. Keep it up, you'll be done in no time.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

Stealthy69, Thanks for the comments! I feel like I have been working on this blazer for ever and I am hoping to kick the restoration into a higher gear this fall. I wish the shop and tools were mine but they all belong to my dad. If this restoration was relying on my toolbox it wouldn't be going very well right now!

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

Like mine. It rely's on my tool box and my watch, which is probably why it's been on jack stands for almost 2 years with nothing done. I'm looking forward to seeing more updates to help motivate me to getting a few things done.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

It would definately be extremely hard to do anything without a shop full of tools. From my experience the most important tool a guy can have is a nice air compressor, and a welder. Once you have a good air compressor and welder you can slowly build a collection of tools around that.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

You know, access to the right tools helps, but having the talent to use the tools correctly and artfully is the real key to this! You have shown that you have the talent to take the tools and do beautiful work with them. So the tools are only as good as the user.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

jwgeorge, Thank you for the kind remarks! I am definately still on a learning curve, but I get more comfortable as time goes by. Some of my other project cars used to scare me because of the rust they have. Now I look at them and say no big deal.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

I am in the process of putting a 402 BB into my '72 4x4 blazer.... I need a little help with something, could you contact me please ?
ncjthree@gmail.com

Thank-you
Nick

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

ntd, I will try to shoot you an e-mail. If you want you can also send me a PM thru the forum.

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

bump for an update. Anything new to report?

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

I don't really have any pictures to update with, but I have been working on the blazer pretty steadily. I kind of stopped putting updates on the forum because I figured everyone was getting tired of seeing pictures of metal work. I took this week off of work and plan to work on the Blazer for 4 solid days. I should definately have alot of pictures to post by the end of this week!

Re: Left for dead: 72 2wd blazer build
 

But, its the way you do metal work that helps everyone out! Some one might have a similiar problem area, but doesnt know how to approach the problem in the right way, so, by seeing you tackle the problem, he might have more confidence to attempt it himself.


So, post up your pics, we all like pics, makes the thread more interesting