1971 blazer rust repair
 

Hello everybody! Finally got a spot to start working in my 71 blazer that I bought recently. My plan right now is to get it drivable so I can enjoy it for a bit before stripping the frame, and making it nice. I did drive it around some when I bought it but realize it wasn't in a very safe state. The previous owner cut out the torsion boxes and there's lots of rust that needs to be replaced. First thing I did is bolt down the top and I am currently working on replacing all the body mounts and radiator core supports. Once that's done, I plan to start getting the inner rockers, a pillars, rocker boxes, outer rocker, kicker, small parts of the floor, etc all taken care of. This takes me to my questions.

What would you use or do to remove the surface rust BEFORE doing to rust repairs and covering it all up?

And then, what order would you replace the sheet metal in those areas?
Pieces that I purchased:
Inner rocker and floor extension
Outer rockers
Rocker(torsion) boxes
Rocker Box caps
Rear cab support
Front cab supports
Rocker box reinforcement assembly plates
Front door pillar bottom piece
Kick panels

Lots of stuff going on and I appreciate all the help. This site is such a good source of info and Im reading everything I can.

Re: 1971 blazer rust repair
 

Here are some pics of the passenger side.

Re: 1971 blazer rust repair
 

Some more pics

Re: 1971 blazer rust repair
 

That floor looks soft. I'd be replacing the whole thing.
Best thing for you to do is look at some builds in here and follow what they have done.
Unless you know what you're getting into, work on one area at a time so you don't get over your head.

Re: 1971 blazer rust repair
 

In the first gen Blazer world, that floor is actually in decent condition. I would get all of your outer floor work/inner rockers completed, then move to the rocker boxes/mounts, then to the outer rocker panels. Consistently check door gaps to ensure everything is aligned.

Re: 1971 blazer rust repair
 

For what it costs for the whole floor, that's the way to go. Will be quicker with better results.

Re: 1971 blazer rust repair
 

Thanks for the replies, guys! The floor is actually really solid other that that outside 3 inches or so. But I will definitely look into the full panels.

@1970cstblazer Thanks for helping me out with the order of things!

Benn looking at a bunch of build threads and piecing things together as well.