b pillar sag

[mudman316]

will replacing the b pillar on the passenger side of blazer stop the sag?

or

am i looking at a different fix?

i have about a 1/2 inch sag under hard top at back of passenger door.

if i attach top will it straighten it out so i can fix it or will it hurt the top?

should i do the fix first? then worry about the line up of the door?

anyone had the same problem?

any advice or picures of fixes would be appreciated.

thanks, in advance.... I LOVE THIS SITE.

[mudman316]

Oh yea,

rockers are gone, boxes are gone, a pillar and body support that goes to main body truss is gone almost. I know i have a lot to do but was wanting to get it road worthy and fix as i go. but maybe this info will help if anyone has any advice.

[Blazer1970]

It sags because the body mounts are rotted out/gone.

[Critter]

I had the same issue. Replace the body mounts and SHIM the mounts to where the top sits level, assuming you top is structurally in decent shape and not cracked all to pieces. Then replace your sheet metal from there. There are lots of threads on body mount shimming, just run a search.

[vtblazer]

All those parts/pieces are structural but if you've got an opening at the bottom rear portion of the door, it's the door doing the sagging.

The 'A' pillar holds the door hinges in alignment and if it's junk on the bottom, it's moving.

With the top off, your firewall is moving, that's why when you put the hard top back on, everything comes back into place.

Post some pics, let us see what's going on if you can.

How are your skillz?
You ready to tear into this?

Here's a couple pics of how well these old trucks hide the rust.
The lower 'A' pillar LOOKS okay in the first pic but not so much once the outer rocker is pulled off.

[Chevyman63]

Originally Posted by vtblazer

All those parts/pieces are structural but if you've got an opening at the bottom rear portion of the door, it's the door doing the sagging.

The 'A' pillar holds the door hinges in alignment and if it's junk on the bottom, it's moving.

With the top off, your firewall is moving, that's why when you put the hard top back on, everything comes back into place.

Post some pics, let us see what's going on if you can.

How are your skillz?
You ready to tear into this?

Here's a couple pics of how well these old trucks hide the rust.
The lower 'A' pillar LOOKS okay in the first pic but not so much once the outer rocker is pulled off.

I agree (and this guy knows what he's talking about)

But you may have to replace all parts mentioned to actually fix the sag problem.

[mudman316]

I am working on it on the weekends at my dads he has a better and bigger shop. so i will get pics this weekend. i have enough skillz i think i have done some rocker replacements before but no pillars and mounts. I am a factory maintenance man and can weld and do most anything. i have made floor boards and rockers from sheet metal and done some major sheet metal fabing on a 79 that i owned and 70 i owned but no structural supports so this will be new to me but i think i can handle it with some help.

the front of the quarters move when i close the door that is why i was think start with the supports there.

but assuming that all that i mentioned is bad

where should i start?

A pillar or B pillar or body mount shimms?

At what point do i put the top on to keep every thing aligned?

I hope this is not to much to ask i just want to make sure i do it correct and in the correct order.

VT I have seen your thread and have read and looked at it in depth and will make reference to it during my build you look to be THE MAN TO ASK.

I suppose the correct order is what is important ..

you did it A pillar then B pillar right??

but where do the body mount fit in?

The shimming of body mounts makes sense because the quarters go up when i shut the door but as you said it could be the A pillar allowing the door to sag and then pull the door up.

you tell me I WILL LISTEN.

I will do it the VT WAY!!!!!!!

All help greatly appreciated.

[Classic Heartbeat]

The first thing that you need to do is to make sure that your door allignment is correct befor you start tearing into the Blazer. If your top is in good shape you can use it to maintain the door opening and "A" pillar alignment while working on it. This will also insure that you will not have any problems bolting on the top in the future. Once you get that in order, then you will need to repair or replace the front body mount. It would be a good idea to replace all of the body mounts, so you do not run into problems further down the road by having a mix of new and old ones.
To do the repairs you have many different ways to go about this, but this is how I go about it.
I first remove the rocker and inspect the "A" and "B" pillars. If they are rusted out, I just leave them for the time being. The rocker box if rusted out can be removed at this time. I only would do one side at a time. This will give you access to the bottom of your floor. If the rocker boxes are in tact, then all work will need to be done from the top side.
Unbolt the 4 bolts that bolt the "A" pillar, floor section and kick panel together. I then use an air chissel to seperate them.
Once seperated I cut the bad area of the floor out. Save it to use as a template to cut the patch panel out with. This will expose the top of the front cab mount witch will probably be rusted out. Cut off only what is necessary to repair the support, then use the cut off piece for a template to cut the new piece.
I then tack weld in the new section of the floor support.
I then tack weld the new piece for the floor. This is why I leave the pillars and kick panels in place. That is what I use to make sure things go back together just the way they came out.
Once the floor is in, time to cut out the rusted kick panel and use the same proceedures to replace it.
Next, redrill the holes for everything to be bolted back together.
I then do the "A" pillar. I do it once the inner pieces are in, because I needed it for alignment issues for the inner pieces and now that that is done, I have the inner pieces installed so they will be used for alignment of the "A" pillar.
The proceedures are different for the "B" pillar. I work my way in carfully seperating all of the pieces. Tack weldin in the new parts as I work my way back out.
Replacing the rocker box is the last thing on the list.

This is just a quick write up of how I have done these repairs and believe me there are lots of other ways, including completely cutting everything out at once then replacing the parts. However they are both braver than I and have way more experience than myself. WES

[special-K]

That sag is caused by the torsion boxes and rockers being weak or gone.The boxes give the strength lacking from no top.

[raggedjim]

That bracket was added on, probably for a soft top, regardless, it is not original equipment.

Good luck with the blazer, I have seen worse that have been repaired.

Rg

[mudman316]

Originally Posted by vtblazer

There's been another thread started recently that you may want to look at from time to time, it's on par with your current situation and the work you'll soon be facing.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=330576

Will be keeping an eye on it thanks for the headsup.

Originally Posted by raggedjim

That bracket was added on, probably for a soft top, regardless, it is not original equipment.

Good luck with the blazer, I have seen worse that have been repaired.

Rg

I took off the bracket already hoping I was correct thanks for verifying. And there were also a lot of snaps on the windshield frame top that i took off. So they definitely had a soft top on it at one time. And luck I will need this is the biggest project as far as body replacement panel that I have done.

thanks all. and stay tuned.

[mudman316]

work at a stand still . i got laid off at work. put for sale this week. if no sale and get job soon may start back work on it. but it is breaking my heart to sell. the wife even told me no don't cause she knows how long it took me to finally buy another one. but family first no matter what.

[70 Suburban]

wish i could extend some support

[mudman316]

Thanks man. All I can say is thanks for the thoughts and prayers and remember the others that are in the same situation these days also.

[mudman316]

My feeble attempt to combine two threads.

02-08-2009, 01:21 AM #3
BLUE THUNDER
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Re: My new old chevy

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Nice find. Welcome to the board from San Antonio. How does it run? What are your plans?


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02-08-2009, 01:19 PM #4
mudman316
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Re: My new old chevy

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got to get it running. no carb right now hope to remedy it fri. just got done reading getting one started after 15 years FAQ's and mine may not be that bad i plan on doing all the lubes and hoses and soaking of heads and cylinders and priming before i try to start. then get it running to drive start and stop good and use as daily driver while fixing it up nice. got to start somewhere.


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02-08-2009, 02:01 PM #5
LUV2XCLR8
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Re: My new old chevy

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02-08-2009, 04:15 PM #6
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Re: My new old chevy

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Looks good, I like your plan of getting it going and fixing it as you go.
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02-09-2009, 12:14 PM #7
fun in dirt
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Re: My new old chevy

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Looks to be in pretty good shape. Especially for the $ you paid (saw in your other post) The good hatch & hardware is nice to already have on there. Mine was not and is a continous PITA!
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02-14-2009, 07:27 PM #8
mudman316
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Re: My new old chevy

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got a HEI and carb out of one at the junk yard that the guy said the owner drove in for scrap with the motor knocking. it was a 67 or 68 3/4 ton long bed with 4 spd. that a great body. front clip in great shape the hood had a few small rust holes in it but not bad by all means. i wander what its worth . i told the guy don't crush it i may be back... got any ideas what its worth? now to get mine started think all i need is a good battery this week and possibly new plugs that is this weekend and i will hopefullly get the top on good. body sag at the B pillar any one got a fix for me. will replacing the b pillar fix the sag at the back of door? my rocker boxes are gone. HELP..................?????????


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03-13-2009, 07:17 PM #9
mudman316
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Re: My new old chevy

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We got it started with new wires and plugs with my carb and new HEI. Top on it and rear seats bolted down. I even got to drive it around a little but tranny may need rebuilding will only shift up if start in low and shift manually. Not a good idea to drive around to fast without front seat bolted down just a FYI. But at this point work at a stand still . i got laid off at work. put for sale this week. if no sale and get job soon may start back work on it. but it is breaking my heart to sell. the wife even told me no don't cause she knows how long it took me to finally buy another one. but family first no matter what.
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[mudman316]

Got to piddle with it a little today. I put switch in dash where it is suppose to be and not dangling down in the floor and bolted the front seats and console in. Little at a time. BUT IT IS STILL FOR SALE. Figure I can piddle little as I go. Next it tranny rebuild and I'll start driving it if no sold. New pictures coming soon.

[mudman316]

Got a job now looking to move to Georgia around Cartersville. So time will be spent on that for now but here is some new pics. of my bolted down seats and switch in dash. Boy was the old one fun to get out without the key. Took some vise grips and broke off the lip of the chrome flange. It was all scratched up anyway and i had another one. not a perfect one but it will work better than hanging down. now to rebuild the tranny and front drivers bearing. load pics later getting error.