New Life for an Old Goose

[Bluegoose972]

Well guys, just about ready to perform heart replacement surgery on the old beast. Here is what is currently in the works.

Starting with a worn out 71 blazer with a gutted interior, cheap orange paint job, and worn out 350/350 combo. The cap is cracked and has been cut on also, so that will most likely disappear in lieu of a rag top.

First on the agenda...Heart Surgery with new legs to boot!

Just ordered a hi-po Turbo 400 with 2000 stall speed torque converter and Advanced Adapters setup to bolt up to my NP 205 Transfer case. Needed a setup that could handle lots of torque. This combo appears to be about 3.5" longer than the 350/205 combo, so I will have to shift some things, which will be needed for the big block anyways.

Next, figuring that the rear end will never handle my Goose's new heart, I ordered a Dana 60 rearend from DTS, complete with disc brakes, 4.56 gears, and a powerloc positrac diff. That should get the power to the tires at least. They are also making the rearend the same width as the front axle, which I believe will look alot better and stockier.

Now, as for the new heart. Scoggin Dickey, here in Lubbock, seems to have a new 502, 450 hp engine sitting in their warehouse with my name on it. With 550 ft-lbs of torque, this blazer should get up a boggie down the road. Planning on shifting the engine forward 2" to help clear the firewall while the transfer case is also gonna shift back by 1.5" due to the increase length of the transmission.

Of course, before measuring for the new driveshafts, I better install the 6" lift from Skyjacker and 35" tires.

The tranny and rear end should be here by the end of the month, but I really don't see tearing into this thing until Dec 1, due to traveling for work and holidays.

The way I see it.....I drive a company vehicle and my wife has a SUV, so I might as well build a beast for about half what it would cost to buy a new stock truck. I've dreamed about one of these blazers for over 18 years now and I'm finally going to get one!!!!!

I'll keep you posted and post a few pic's to show my progress, or lack of.

[bouncytruck]

Sounds like it is going to be one heck of a nice rig when it is done! I wish I had just a few of your new goodies in my truck! We definately need pictures, even some "before" shots!

Have you considered running 37's. CK5 board member (not sure if he is on this board too) IGOR, has a nice set up on 37's with 17" wheels. If I was running 3/4 ton or greater, it would be my choice. Here's a pic of his rig -

[1970blazin]

I'm with bouncy...We love the before's almost as much as the afters!!!

[Bluegoose972]

I'll post pics to this thread throughout these upgrades. Keep watching. The first will be next week...Pic's of what I'm starting with!

I'm pretty excited. Should be interesting....Know just enough to be dangerous...But you have to learn somehow!!!

[JayDubBlazer]

Sounds sweet, I want to see pictures of the 502 roasting all four tires.

[Bluegoose972]

Here is my starting point.....Poor, tired Goose. The paint job looks good from 20 ft. The transformation is soon to begin.

Current Status:

I have the transmission, rearend, lift kit, and tires in my garage....waiting.

They are starting work on the 502 on Monday and figure it will be complete after Thanksgiving(I'm in no hurry at this point).

[Bluegoose972]

[img]http://thumb9.webshots.com/s/thumb4/2/66/79/97426679zvbBhn_th.jpg

[Bluegoose972]

[Bluegoose972]

Ok...I'm finally figuring this out. Is there a way to make there pictures larger? First they were too big, now they are a little small.

Anyways....Here is some of the goodies, waiting to go on Goose!



Tires and wheels, front seats, and the old 454 which I'm going to sell!

[Bluegoose972]

[Yukon Jack]

If you have trouble with the pics, e-mail them big to me and I will get them reduced and posted here for you.

[Bluegoose972]

Thanks Yukon.....I think I figured out a way to reduced them....I'm going to try it when I get home tonight...Using Paint!

It looks like you've tackled many of the same areas that I'm about ready to experience....Any insight as I proceed would be really appreciated.

Thanks,
Rick

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Nice but hard on the ol eye's seein the pic's keep us posted..

[Bluegoose972]

Update on Goose's Status:

My wife isn't very that I have parts of the blazer laying EVERYWHERE, but she still loves me! LOL

The blazer has been completely stripped down to the frame, including removal off the bolted crossmembers. I did find a crack in the frame at the motor mount which has been repaired. The frame was water blasted and then wirebrushed before getting a coat of black enamel paint. Looks great

The frame and axles (old) were pushed into the garage and now the buildup begins. This week, I installed the 6" skyjacker springs on the front and will have the new S.S. brake lines on tonight. The front axle was wirebrushed and painted, from spring perch to spring perch. I will start on the rear end this weekend.

The new engine was dyno'd on Tuesday. I ended up switching gears a little, and opt'd for a 454 H.O. that had only 500 miles on it. The previous owner had balanced, line bored, decked, and blueprinted the internals. The dyno results were: 458 hp @ 5000 RPM and 495 ft-lbs @ 4000 RPM. The torque curve is nice and flat with over 470 ft-lbs generated from 2500 rpm and up.

The 205 transfer case is being rebuilt at a local shop. The crossmembers and engine mounts are being powder coated.

I'll keep everyone posted on my progress!

[Bluegoose972]

Progress Report on Goose:

Tore into the rearend over the weekend. Stripped off all the old goodies (springs, rear axle, etc.) and started installing new unit. I'm installing a Dana 60, semi-floating rear end with locker and disc brakes. There are a few of the obstacles I encountered.

#1 Since the truck is stripped down to the bare frame, I could only tack the spring perches in place. I will line up the rearend once I get the engine, transmission, and transfer case installed.

#2 The hydraulic brake lines off the old unit will not fit on the new axle. I plan on using a coat hanger to fab a new brake line route then have a local shop fabricate. I MAY try to use the old line, and just have it adjusted to fit my application.

#3 The parking brake cable will need to be modified. I should be able to use the old line, but it will require two modifications. First, the end will need to be shortened by 4.5" in order to fit the new disc brake configuration. Second, the bracket on the frame will need to be lowered to prevent binding when the axle drops down....A couple of inches should be more than enough.

#4 While not really a obstacle, I did have to weld the shock brackets onto the axle. Of course, I messed up the first time and had to remove it and re-weld it in place. Shame on me for not measuring twice!!

I have discovered that my welding is a little rough....Ok, it down right sucks!!! I'm way out of practice. But it is amazing how good things look after you hit it with an angle grinder. I only knock off the high points, but with that and a fresh coat of paint, things look awesome!

What else did I do this weekend. I installed the new steering box from AGR on the frame. Started cleaning up the skid shield for the gas tank (I guess that is what it is called). New tank straps are a must. When I started wire brushing off all the grime, they were just too brittle and within a few minutes one broke in half. So, the last think I want to do is drop the gas tank the first time I hit a bump.

Until next time,
Rick

[Bluegoose972]

Here are a few pictures for you.

Here is what I accomplished this weekend. I worked on making some new hard brake lines for the rear axle. I finished the template and I'll have a local shop bend them for me on Monday. I painted the engine and set it in place. Everything seems to fit perfectly so far.

[Bluegoose972]

Now that I've figured out how to post pictures, here is one from it being out on the driveway. Just after I finished prepping and painting the frame. My wife isn't too happy about having a big chunk of car laying in the driveway, but she's being a good sport!

[Bluegoose972]

Here is a picture of the rear disc brakes. I did get the parking brakes hooked up ok, but I'm still working on the hard lines from the power brakes. I'll also have to fab a bracket to attach the smaller brake hoses which come directly off the brakes themselves. DTS (the manufacturer I used for the rear axle) said that the disc brake conversion is actually from a Ford Explorer.

[Bluegoose972]

And one last picture for now....The is where it all started. I just resized the picture so it is a little easier on the eyes!

P.S. If there are any particular areas that you would like to see more detail, just ask and I will see what I can do.

[blazerholic]

Very nice K5! Yours looks better before rehab than mine ever will after! Color me jealous...

[Bluegoose972]

Blazerholic....Appearances are deceiving. The engine was totally shot. I used a two pound hammer to remove the exhaust manifolds since they were already spider cracked. The frame was broke in two locations. The wiring was completely gone. Some of the cross members were missing bolts in addition to the front seats! The previous owner had wrecked it and had a buddy install the 70 model front clip from a local wrecking yard with a fresh coat of paint over LOTS of bondo! In other words, I have my work cut out for me....But that is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for the compliment!

[1970blazin]

Nice to see somebody getting some progress done! It is lots of work, eh? I respect the guys that do the work themselves - it is tough! I didn't do a frame off restore like you are, but am trying to get a nice ALMOST show blazer as a end result. Keep the pics coming! We love it!

[Bluegoose972]

Here is the latest and greatest on what I have accomplished this week in the evenings:

1) Engine Installation: I removed and reinstalled the engine on mounts that I purchased from Brothers. These are Heavy Duty mounts that sit in the smallblock location. They are designed to handle high torque/big block engines. But that lead to another problem. I purchased a set of headers from Hedman that were suppose to fit my application. NOT EVEN CLOSE! After calling Hedman's tech line and being completely frustrated with their attitude, I decided I will never purchase another Hedman product. I called Hooker, Dynomax, JBA, and Sanderson tech lines, with no avail. All of them had similar designs, with none of them taking into account the front engine crossmember. I cleaned up my cast iron exhaust manifolds, applied a coat of high temp. black paint, and bolted then in place. They look pretty good and I'll do the trial and error fitting of headers later on.

2) Transmission/Transfer Case: Both units are installed, the torque converter is bolted up the the flywheel, and the torque mount on the transfer case has been rebuild with poly bushings and installed. I've ordered an electronic kickdown kit from Lokar for the transmission. The 400 transmission is 3.5" longer than the 350 it replaced, therefore the crossmember had to be relocated. Since I slid the engine forward 2" to clear the firewall, the crossmember actually only shifted back by 1.5". Good thing because the rear driveshaft on these short wheelbases are already steep with 6" of lift.

3) Rear Axle: Now that the transfer case is positioned, I cut loose the tack welds on the rear spring perches and angled up the rear axle to reduce the driveshaft angle. There is alot of guessing in this area. Since the body isn't installed yet, the springs aren't compressed to normal ride height. I guessed that the springs would settle a couple of inches with the body in place. I'm going to use a constant velocity rear driveshaft, so I angled the axle so that it aimed about 3" below the transfer case yoke. This makes up for 2" of body drop and another 1" for torquing of the axle.

4) Gas Tank: Installed the new poly gas tank. Tried to use the old straps, but found out quickly that they were fatigued. Trying to get those straps in position and keep the tank positioned was more of a challenge that I anticipated. But it is done.

As for this weekend:

Bending the hard brake lines for the rear axle and installing brackets to hold all the lines.

Clean up the gas tank skid plate and mount it.

Start installing the engine accessories.

Rick

[Bluegoose972]

Update time with pictures:

Engine accessories are about complete. Took awhile to figure out all the brackets, since I had some big block, some small block, and some that I have no idea where they came from. The power steering pump is from AGR and is matched up to their high performance steering gear. Just waiting on the alternator and an AC compressor (once I decide on a brand) and that portion should be complete. So far, so good.

[Bluegoose972]

Here is a picture of my exhaust manifold. As you can see, it is very tight to the frame and also you can see the potential conflict that a set of headers would probably have with the small block crossmember. For now, I'm just going to use my old cast iron manifolds and will fix this problem at a later date.