"The 'Ol Sergeant Major" - My build thread

[hard_one]

Hey all, first post here. What better way to start out than with a start to a build thread?! But first, an introduction...

Born in raised in the Wichita, KS area ('bout 1/2 hour east). Ran off and joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school, seen the world and did a couple tours in Iraq. After my first deployment I found my Blazer and had it bought before I really knew what I was doing. Drove it about as much as the 454 would let me, haha. Got out, shipped it home and been tinkering on it as time and money allows. Just recently got my Associate's Degree in Fire Science and working in the industrial setting doing safety and rescue standby.

And now, the Blazer...
It's a '71 K5 CST with 4" of lift sitting on 33" Buckshot Mudders and 15" Centerline Convo Pro's. Power comes from a worked over 454 (semi-hacked in) ran through a TH400 and NP205. The PO had a TH350 in it when I bought it. Took me a year to blow that one up haha. Threw in another TH350 I had laying around to get me by and when that one let go (cracked case) I said to hell with it and had a TH400 built locally and rebuilt the t-case while I was at it. Axles are the factory Dana 44 and posi'd 12 bolt. Gearing remains factory at 3.07:1 (ouch, I know). The interior is gutted, no carpet or floor mats and late model seats. No heater even... can't do much driving in the winter. Threw on a Bestop Tigertop to keep mother nature at bay and that's pretty much where we're at now.

Future plans...
In the immediate future, I'd like to restore/refinish the hardtop I picked up recently and get that put on. From there, I'm going to the suspension... D60 and 14BFF swap, a total of 6-7" of lift and tires in the 37"-39" range. I'll trim where necessary, as I like the truck to look like it's sitting on the tires and not over them. Once the suspension is where I want it, it'll be time to turn to the body. Any needed sheet metal repairs will be done and I'd really like to find a '67 front end and swap that on. I'm thinking about doing a tilt-forward front clip, but we'll see. After the metal work is done, I'll turn to the motor. This is where I reach a hangup... Keep the BBC or build a hot SBC. Thats a ways down the road, so I'm not focusing too much attention there (yet). That's about where I'm at right now... Oh, I bet you want to see some pictures, huh? Well here we go...



















Some things have changed since these pictures... I switch out the gauge cluster housing for one with a manual choke spot, the motor is orange and the valve covers were painted wrinkle-black. That junk Holley (really, that carb was junk) has been switched to an Edelbrock, the exhaust dumps under the truck instead of out the side, and the wiring mess under the dash has been semi-cleaned up. The engine crossmember has been swapped in favor of a DIY4X crossmember. I'll keep you all updated with any progress or ideas. Until then, I'll be lurking and searching away...