A couple of questions about buying and what to look for

[scottydawg]

Hi everyone,

I'm sort of looking for a 69-72 Blazer, either for a project or in good original shape (not hacked up/hotrodded). I'm a very capable mechanic and I've restored a few British cars before (Jensen, MG) but wanted to know a couple of things to look for when shopping a Blazer.

1. Where is rust most likely to show up, and where is it hardest to repair?
2. Are body panels, substructure and other repro parts readily available? I see LMCTruck has some stuff, but if their quality is the same as Victoria British (same company), I would probably take a pass and get good stuff, my experiences with their Brit parts have been pretty dismal. What are other providers of decent parts?
3. How important is numbers matching?
4. What should I expect to pay for a) a basket case, b) a restorable driver or c) a sweet stock ride in very nice shape?
5. Are many panels interchangeable with C series trucks from the same years?

I'm not looking to make a rock crawler or a hot rod, if I do ever pull the trigger on this it will be very stock and period (and either olive or blue!). My dad had a blue '69 Blazer when I was a little kid, I still remember bouncing around in that thing.

I have some more questions but I'll wait and see what kind of response this post gets before I go all Poindexter on you.

Thanks in advance,
Scott

[lks dcvn]

1. Where is rust most likely to show up, and where is it hardest to repair?

These trucks hide rust pretty well. They key spots to look for are...in order of difficulty of repair (IMO).

Windshield Frame
Firewall
B-pillar
A-pillar
Torsion Boxes
Floors
Kick Panels
Inner Rocker
Outer Rocker
Bed Floor

2. Are body panels, substructure and other repro parts readily available? I see LMCTruck has some stuff, but if their quality is the same as Victoria British (same company), I would probably take a pass and get good stuff, my experiences with their Brit parts have been pretty dismal. What are other providers of decent parts?

Repro parts - yes - pretty easy to get - but they can be pricey since rust has a way of spreading once you get into them to fix something else. Using the same list above:

Windshield Frame - not reproduced at this time - need to find an OEM cut off one
Firewall - repop made - never seen one though in person
B-pillar - there are Blazer/Jimmy specific parts here - worth buying instead of making them yourself
A-pillar - easy to find - same as truck
Torsion Boxes - repop made now - with end caps and support rods - ~$300
Floors - same as truck
Kick Panels - same as truck
Inner Rocker - same as truck
Outer Rocker - same as truck
Bed Floor - same as truck

3. How important is numbers matching?

If it matters to you - then so be it. Every Blazer I have is not numbers matching.

4. What should I expect to pay for a) a basket case, b) a restorable driver or c) a sweet stock ride in very nice shape?

Location and condition dependent - very hard to answer. You can find good deals on Ebay and CL from time to time - but this group finds them in almost any condition and price range.
a - basket case - I have seen $600 to $1500 depending on how bad it is
b - restorable driver - $1500 - $4500
c- sweet stock ride - $4500+

Every now and again - a member will post up about a clean stock ride they got for $1200 so they are out there - people just don't know what they have.

5. Are many panels interchangeable with C series trucks from the same years?

Interchangeable - plenty.

front clips, axles, dash clusters, radios, etc.

[scottydawg]

Thanks for the great answers!

[lks dcvn]

You got it - there should be plenty of Blazers and Jimmys that are in decent shape in SC.

[scottydawg]

Actually not really. There's big block's Jimmy up in NC and some super-trashed out Blazers in the sticks, but only one other viable candidate within about 100 miles that I've been able to find. I might go look at atp's Burb this weekend, but I'm still not sure I want that much of a project.
I've been informed by the boss that if I want another project/truck, I have to sell my finished '73 MGB, but I'm not letting that one go for less than 20-25k and fall is a bad time to sell roadsters. If I do sell the B, I'd want a really nice Blazer I wouldn't have to put much time or money into, just drive.

Seems like a lot are in TX and CA.