72 K5 CST Blazer Build

[webfishr]

I started to get serious on this in February and am finally getting around to starting the thread.

Here is where things started. My Blazer was purchased about 10 years ago and stuffed away in the shed in the background on this picture. I've only occasionally driven it. It's in fairly good shape other than the typical rust spots.

I put a new suspension and 3" lift kit last summer and my focus this year has been getting the body cleaned up, painted, and interior work. Hopefully I'll have it ready to drive for the summer time in Montana. Engine work will happen next winter hopefully.

I'm going with a tan soft top and original Medium Red Paint. The dash will be black and she'll be retro-fit with seats from a Cadillac SRX. I'm toying with making the blazer red and tan two-tone at the moment.

[webfishr]

More Starting Pictures:

Build Sheet:


Interior:


Back Seat:


Instruments:

[webfishr]

March 2011 interior tear down:

[72BlckButy]

Nice looking project!

Good luck with the build.

[webfishr]

Found some seats on ebay in April. 2008 Black SRX Cadillac seats. They have power everything, memory, heat bottom and back. I've gotten all the power movement working but in order for the heat and memory settings to work I'll need 3 different computers. Hummm..... Not sure those will ever work but maybe...

I will need to modify the roll bar by moving it back about 5 inches so I have good clearance for the new seats. I'm a tall guy and want the extra leg room.

Not sure if I'll put the 3rd seat in. That's my wife giving the 3rd seat a try for me. She'd kill me if she knew I posted a picture of her drinking a beer still in her pajamas

[webfishr]

The mirrors:

Here's a picture of the mirrors that were on the Blazer when I purchased it. They're not in great shape and I don't think they are stock mirrors so I want to go with something different


I'm replacing the mirrors with a set from a highlander package pickup I have. These mirrors will clean up nice I think. That highlander truck may get restored someday....

[webfishr]

Refinished the instrument panel so it's ready to go once I get the body work done. I decided to put a stock vacuum gauge in just to fill that annoying hole and happened to have a clock that fits the Tach spot. Just wanted to do something a little different. I'm not completely sure what the clock is out of. Somebody told me it looked like a Corvette clock but I don't think I've seen one from a Corvette like it. If you happen to know, give me a shout.

[68panelman]

Nice blazer! Nicely optioned too. Drinking beer in pajamas around here is what we call an eye opener good luck

[webfishr]

Typical Body work that needs to be done on these old Blazers. Rust in the cab corners and along the doors. My door bottoms also needed to be replaced.

When I was driving the Blazer a few miles to the body shop, I hit a deer going about 30 miles an hour. I didn't have my front bumper or grill on. However, I actually got VERY lucky because I hit the deer square on my right front bumper mount. It made one heck of a mess. I basically skewered that poor deer right in the paunch. A stinky mess but believe it or not, no damage to my A/C condenser, Transmission cooler, radiator, etc. The unfortunate thing is that it did buckle my right front fender a bit from the impact and deer body swing. I guess if you're going to hit a deer might as well do it going to the body shop. Let's hope I don't hit one on the way home....

[webfishr]

Spare tire carrier:

[webfishr]

Up to last month or so photos. Blazer is just about ready to paint:

[webfishr]

Painting started just about 3 weeks ago. Medium Red stock color. I've decided to go with a two tone with tan/brown accent color. I'll post a photoshop image of what I'm going for.

[webfishr]

OK. Here is where things stand as of current date. I put the soft top on this week. We are finishing the mounting work for the seats before painting further just to make sure everything is right before finishing and to minimize the propensity to scratch something while working. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the top on but it looked great.

[webfishr]

Here is the vision for how things will turn out. At least at the moment.
The dash and overall interior theme will be black with tan/saddle brown highlights.
The outside will be painted original Medium Red with the addition of a second color of tan to match the tan soft top. I think it'll look great with the tan accent on the outside matching the top and interior accent colors of tan with the black on the inside.

I took a two-tone blazer picture (Not mine and not sure who's it it) and photo shopped it to give you an idea. I've included a picture of the door panels that I've already finished for the interior. I've restored all the emblems as well. The CST emblem lettering is stock yellow but I went with a tan to match the themes.

[47thriftmaster]

Nice work so far. Not to bad, got free meat on the way to the body shop, didn't even have sit in the cold for a few hours. Better have a blocking truck for the way home.

[webfishr]

Originally Posted by 47thriftmaster

Nice work so far. Not to bad, got free meat on the way to the body shop, didn't even have sit in the cold for a few hours. Better have a blocking truck for the way home.

Yeh, I had somebody following me but should have had them in front I guess. It turns out the guy that runs the body shop is severely allergic to deer hair. So, he stayed clear when I arrived. I had to make sure every piece of deer hair had been removed. I've never heard of anybody being allergic to deer before. Sure was strange....

[COLEFORBUS]

Im not allergic to deer hair, just allergic to cleaning dead deer off of someone else's truck. Maybe he has the same affliction

[webfishr]

Got my carpeting yesterday. Black with Saddle floor mats. I can't want to get it installed. Of course I've got to actually finish painting first. I think it'll look great with the black dash and black seats. Dash pad and visors are will be saddle brown as well.

[webfishr]

Originally Posted by COLEFORBUS

Im not allergic to deer hair, just allergic to cleaning dead deer off of someone else's truck. Maybe he has the same affliction

Very true

[ch0psv1lle]

How are those src seats compared to the seats out of a gm?
Posted via Mobile Device

[webfishr]

Originally Posted by ch0psv1lle

How are those src seats compared to the seats out of a gm?
Posted via Mobile Device

I'm not completely sure but I believe the SRX seats are very similar to the seats out of the deluxe packages of the GM Yukon for example. They are not exactly the same but I think close. For example, some of the under seat wiring schematics I was able to find looked similar. It makes sense they might use some of the same parts.

[ch0psv1lle]

They look rather similar to each other. I've been looking at them online and it didn't look like the rear seats match the front buckets with safety belts built in. I like way they look.......... anymore pics?
Posted via Mobile Device

[webfishr]

Originally Posted by ch0psv1lle

They look rather similar to each other. I've been looking at them online and it didn't look like the rear seats match the front buckets with safety belts built in. I like way they look.......... anymore pics?
Posted via Mobile Device

I'll have to take some better pictures and post but I don't have the seats in at the moment. Here is one other picture I hadn't posted. You are correct the back seat only has a shoulder belt built in for the middle seat. I'm simply going to install lap only for the sides but I don't have people riding in the back much. The third seat (which I'm not going to install for now) has two seats also without build-in shoulder belts.

[webfishr]

The dash got painted a couple of days ago. She should have paint on in time for Christmas I'm hoping.

[webfishr]

What a way to end the year. Got paint on yesterday and today. Navajo tan and stock Medium Red. The Navajo Tan is a Chevy color from 1955. The tan color will match the tan soft top.




Also decided to go with real wood for dash and door panels.