70 Blazer Frame Off

[IronCanine]

I was reticent to start a build thread because I didn't want to jinx the project...and I've seen too many awesome trucks on here stalled or sold...but we're kind of rolling now and I really appreciate the resource that this board is. I've bought a lot of parts from you guys and learned more, so I think it's only fair to post some pictures. That's all I ever want from you all...more pics.

Let's look at some before(s):

[IronCanine]

It's a 1970 with 72 pieces...single wall top, obviously the incorrect front bumper, and a 72 front axle.

[IronCanine]

I spent a long time looking for this Blazer. I think for a while I felt like I knew where every one was that was for sale in the continental US. I became a quasi Craigslist ninja. It is not meant to be searched nationally...and ya'll they really should call it CrazyList...some of these guys...

73 and up seats (front and back) replaced the original utilities and factory back seat at some point.

[IronCanine]

I knew what I wanted to build...a loaded CST or clone to be my daily driver. I wanted to take it to the highest level I could afford and still not be scared to put 6000 miles a year on it (I live close to work). So I reverse engineered my purchase budget and looked for low rust examples in that price range. I found this one in Pete's (DeadheadNM) neck of the woods (Kalispell, MT) after about a year of active searching....it was not an easy transaction, and it was not (as they say) 99% rust free.

[IronCanine]

But she was honest (in the sense that if you look, you can see everything that was wrong). Terrible gaps, poor collision repair, poor rust repair and bondo. But she started strong and tracked straight and felt very tight.

[IronCanine]

There was some aggressive shimming that I don't necessarily think was factory, a failing cut down truck door....and general signs of hard core trauma. There was zero gap on the front or back of the passenger door. A ton of bondo on the front left fender (back quarters were generally a mess too) and the upper left seam on the windshield had been bent/broken and repaired poorly...but she looked good in that Craigslist ad, the price was right and even though I had much greater expectations...was glad she was mine when she rolled off the carrier at the beginning of this year.

[71swb4x4]

Looking good! When is he hoping to roll yours out of the shop?

[IronCanine]

Originally Posted by 71swb4x4

Looking good! When is he hoping to roll yours out of the shop?

Thanks. We're moving along. Most of the heavy lifting is done on the sheet metal. I'm gonna post more pics and try to get this thread up to present day when the server is not so congested. I'd like to think the end of the year, but that might be too optimistic. As long as it keeps moving forward, I'm happy.

[IronCanine]

As you know the further you go, the worse it can get...and such was the case. The obligatory inner and outer rockers became both floor boards, rocker boxes, lower left A pillar, both front cab supports, rear deck, tailgate and yes bed sides.

[IronCanine]

That big black spot over the left rear tire was an inch thick slab of bondo that we chipped off.

[IronCanine]

The shavings under the cheese grater.

[71cheynne402]

Looking great!!!!!

[IronCanine]

OEM front, factory middle, repro rear.

[IronCanine]

Gaps improving.

[IronCanine]

More.

[IronCanine]

Funny how when new body mounts were installed and old repairs were cut out, things started to fit better...especially with the GM fabbed sheet metal. I don't have a great shot of it, but before disassembly, the hood to grill gap was like 7/8". (an almost pristine set of "new" original hood hinges didn't hurt though).

[IronCanine]

Originally Posted by 71cheynne402

Looking great!!!!!

Thanks.

[richeilers]

Subscribed. I'll have to do this/have it all done someday.......not soon though.

[IronCanine]

Originally Posted by mtully79

She's coming along beautifully, subscribed!

What are you thinking for color scheme/radio and speakers?

Thanks. I'm thinking about Cortez Silver. Not a factory option for trucks in 1970, but it was a GM color on Corvettes and Camaros (among others). I got an AM/FM reproduction radio from Antique Automobile Radio and I found a Blazer under dash speaker in Canada. I'll obviously have to replace the speaker to handle the new radio, but it'll look stock. I might put some of those flat under-seat deals in there too....but definitely no holes in doors, kick panels, or rear trim panels.

Originally Posted by jaros44sr

Very nice work, thanks for the pics.....i ll watch

Originally Posted by richeilers

Subscribed. I'll have to do this/have it all done someday.......not soon though.

Thanks.

[orange72blazer]

Do you know which patch panel was used for the floor in this pic? This is about how much of the floor I need to replace on the floor of mine but the only thing I can find for the Blazer is the rear 15" or the complete floor.

[IronCanine]

Originally Posted by orange72blazer

Do you know which patch panel was used for the floor in this pic? This is about how much of the floor I need to replace on the floor of mine but the only thing I can find for the Blazer is the rear 15" or the complete floor.

It's not a Blazer specific piece, so it requires appropriate modifications...but the whole floor wasn't available (that I'm aware of) when we got to that point. A lot of Blazer specific stuff has popped up all of a sudden now that we're through sheet metal. I tried really hard to get a patch panel off another Blazer before I caved and bought that piece.

Here's a link:

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/cb/full.aspx?Page=24

[IronCanine]

Here's where we stopped on our pre-fit with the weatherstrip in. It seals and looks right on the passenger side, though it sometimes catches and rolls in the back lip when closing the door with the window all the way up. The driver's side is decent, not as good as the passenger. We had to tweak the plastic rail positioning that holds the WS on both sides. The driver's side is going to need a little massaging of the top finish lines (drip rail and edge in front of WS) as well... which we've decided to do on the final fitment with the new glass and regulators.

Please feel free to make comments or suggestions on this one guys. I tried to dig deep in the site on this topic, but it wasn't as helpful as I'd have hoped and I could definitely be missing something.

[IronCanine]

Front seat belts mocked in. Cupholder console, so no floppys. My wife's opinion about the safety of this vehicle was unmoved by this pic.

[IronCanine]

The little eyebrow drain on the driver's side drip rail was ground away(along with about an eighth of an inch of the top of the drip in that section) at some point in the past...no doubt when the hideous repair to that seam was previously done. Thanks Dwayne for this section...now we can graft this part of the drip back in.

[IronCanine]

Had every intention of finishing buttoning up the front axle today, but it fought me at every turn. I have been a little disappointed in the ball joints. Everything is new Moog. None of the grease fittings threaded easily and the upper ball joint on the passenger's side has botched threads...I think I'm going to have to locate a die to clean it up.

I'll also get your guys opinion on the spindle nuts. I've seen so many different attitudes toward how to torque them in...anywhere from 50-75 ft lbs to set the preload on the bearing, 1/4 back then re-torque, all while spinning the hub. Then the outer nut to anywhere from 90-200 ft lbs.

When I initially torqued the inner nut, the hub got super tight at 50 and was pretty much locked down after that. I backed it off a 1/4 turn and then basically torqued it by feel based on the force required to rotate the hub. Then hammered down on the outer nut...am I goofing up?

I like the later model dust shield too. It's powder coated, and it matched the pieces we painted cast gray pretty well...that's another thing...it gets harder not to scratch paint the more aggravated you get.

Hopefully I'll have a complete axle by mid morning tomorrow.