"Project S" - My boy Sam's '72 2wd Blazer -The Red Sled

[jeffg1010]

Originally Posted by stangtjk

Not sure time since a vehicle has been tagged or insured should have anything to do with insurance cost. Mine was similar and when I got it legal and put insurance on it it was dirt cheap. I've got Geico and the insurance on my blazer is under $30 a month with $0-$25 deductable.

My quote from from Hagerty Collector Car Insurance. It came out to $21.88 a month for $15,000 agreed comprehensive coverage. No deductible and free towing. Didn't seem like a bad deal since it wont be a daily driver ... for now.

[jeffg1010]

Attachment 1803834Waking up my thread. Big news on the Blazer!

So, I bought this Blazer six years ago. At the time, I didn't have the money, time OR the garage space for a project. But I REALLY wanted a Blazer. Anybody that has followed along probably knows that when I bought it I had it shipped to my dads house to store until the day came that I could start it. For the past 6 years, it has been roomies with my dads '71 C10 Stepside and his '63 Nova SS (which he sold last year)

What I didn't realize back then was the adversity we'd face in the time since. A layoff, a "near" marriage meltdown, a career change, a new business AND a new house last year. When we got the new house, I was pumped up about my 3 car garage but it's been junked up with all of the stuff from our move and a half dozen golf carts (that I build on the side).

That all changes today. The Blazer just got on the interstate heading this direction. This week, I scheduled a shipper with uship and he just picked it up. I'll add some pics!


EDIT: OK, apparently they loaded it in Australia, because it is upside down. The pics are right on my phone, why are the uploaded upside down?!?!?

[smbrouss70]

Good deal! I'm looking forward to some progress now that it'll be at your house.

[jeffg1010]

Dang! A staggered set of 20” Boss 338’s followed me home!!! Can I keep ‘em?!?

[jeffg1010]

Raised it up about an inch which im not excited about but they’ll do.

[jeffg1010]

SO, I've been going over this thing and trying to determine what its gonna take to get it ready to cruise some this summer. I pulled the v-belts off and while they are intact, they've seen better days. The power steering belt had a lot of slop and was squealing when you put any steering input into it. Since I was loosening it to try to take out the slack, I figured I'd go ahead and replace. They'll make good spares for down the road if I ever break one on the road but they're getting replaced tomorrow. The starter is doing something weird. Sounds very "metallic" when it cranks. Maybe a shim? The radiator hose looks good. The brakes have a major issue. I think I'll need to replace the booster. It feels like I have no power brakes at all.

So, in summary ... issues starting, issues steering and issues stopping. This is why you shouldn't leave a car sitting unused for years. It was good when I parked it.

While I was under there, I crawled all over looking for rust. I am SHOCKED. I've seen these Blazer (and C10) builds from all over and its usually pretty daunting when you see the hidden rust on the floor pans and lower firewall. This thing is unbelievable. Aside from surface rust, there is no through wall rust. There is one crack on the drivers side outer rocker that appears to be cracked with some rust but it looks SO good underneath.

For years, I've been thinking daily driver, but I have actually considered frame off now. I know that would turn this into a five year build but damn. It is about the best old vehicle I've owned.

It was a good night.

[jeffg1010]

So, shimmed the starter and got it running. Also fixed the power steering issue. (Still needs a new belt- on order)

Pulled it out of the garage and swapped the rims tires and it was purring like a kitten. So I couldn’t resist taking it for a spin! -illegally.

We live on a road that makes about a 5 mile loop. Perfect for testing it out. For the first four miles. It was flawless. Aside from a weird wind noise due to the top not having good gaskets, I couldn't have been happier.

But then she started sputtering. I've added fuel a few times over the years but I guess not enough lately. She ran out of gas about a mile from the house. My daughter ran me a can of gas, but I killed the battery trying to restart it. My daughter can now add "tow truck driver" to her college resume.

On the positive side, it sure looked good sitting in the grass broke down. The lady who lived in the house nearby even come out and commented on how "cute" the truck is.

[jeffg1010]

Still trying to get the starter situation figured out but I thought I’d share a pic of Sams dog Fenway. She’s pretty sure she’s a shop dog now. She whines until I let her out and then just comes out and lays on the concrete. Love that dog.

Sams at a week of summer camp so no helper here this week.

[jeffg1010]

SO, as I mentioned in a previous post the Blazer broke down on it's inaugural test drive. I initially assumed it was out of gas. The symptoms would've convinced any seasoned car guy. But there was more to the story.

After I put gas in, it cranked but wouldn't fire. I rapidly killed the battery trying to crank it, so I assumed I had flooded it and killed the battery trying to get it to refire. I was wrong.

So, once I got fuel in it, it wouldn't even crank. Seemed like a ground issue. So I started chasing down battery related wires and sure enough. The four mile drive around our "loop" had heated up the header enough to melt the starter wire. I guess it wasn't properly insulated or protected from the header so she died. After a couple days of cussing it and discovering the issue, I repaired the wire. She was cranking again.

But up next was a firing issue. It would only fire if I manually added fuel to the carb. Once I got her warmed up, she would run good. But I cannot carry a 5 gallon can of gas and manually prime it every time I go to the store.

I started with the easy stuff. Fuel filter. Because, I've heard the horror stories about old fuel breaking down and gumming up the system.

Well, they are true.

I replaced the fuel filter with a clear version and I was SHOCKED at what I saw next. When I cranked it, the fuel that filled the filter looked like Jack Daniels with ground pepper mixed in. Dark liquid filled with black specs. It was a mess.

[jeffg1010]

So, tonight I decided to jump in head first. I dropped the tank and disconnected all fuel lines connecting the tank. The tank looked like a disaster. The fuel inside looked like the septic tank at a chili cookoff. The fuel had broken completely down. No wonder is wasn't running right.

I ran to the auto parts story and bought bulk fuel line in the proper sizes. I also bought some MEK (methyethylketone) substitute (since they banned the good stuff) to clean the tank and some acetone to dry it once I get it cleaned. The plan is to Clean the inside and outside, prep and paint the outside and get new parts installed prior to reinstalling it.

Tonight I also ordered the fuel tank sending unit.

One step closer to getting it running right.

[babyblueoval]

Yikes! That sucks. But at least you found the problem and in the grand scheme of problems with old cars, it wasnt that bad.

[jeffg1010]

Originally Posted by babyblueoval

Yikes! That sucks. But at least you found the problem and in the grand scheme of problems with old cars, it wasnt that bad.

True. And after removing the tank and crawling underneath more, I was shocked at how little rust there was. It is definitely a diamond in the rough.

This is what my neighbors get to look at for a few days.

[babyblueoval]

That's great to hear. Mine is still sitting so hopefully it doesn't get too bad before I get to work on it.

[jeffg1010]

I can relate. I finally got to the point it was time to build or sell. Sam had a meltdown so build it is.

You ever moving out this way?

[babyblueoval]

Probably not. Hurricane Sandy almost completely wiped out my friend so those plans never materialized. He's building his company back up but NC is out of the picture now.

[jeffg1010]

Oh man, bummer! Hate to hear that.

[jeffg1010]

So, the tank sat overnight with the MEK in it. This morning most of the rough stuff had broken up but the rust remained. Today after work I took my pressure washer and cranked it up to 3800 psi and cleaned it outside and in. I used the wand to clean off a TON of rust in the tank. Then I drained the water, dried it and added a half gallon of acetone to remove any moisture.

I also pressure washed the outside, primed it and painted it black.

I started replacing all of the rubber sections of fuel line and picked up the fuel tank sending unit that I ordered from the auto parts store. From a fuel perspective, it will be ready to roll in a few days.

Before I reinstall it, I want to media blast and paint the brackets and strap. But that will be Sunday or Monday at the earliest.

[smbrouss70]

Looks good! That makes me want to try and save my original tank. The re-pops just don't fit quite right and of course have a horrible filler neck on them.

[jeffg1010]

Check it out! A heat gun running on high - pointing in a used fuel tank! Run for the hills! Ok, so I saw this on YouTube so it must be safe right?

Actually this is late in the process, so I’ll explain. I cleaned the tank, pressure washed it and then acetone dried it. It cleaned out the old fuel gunk, but left a lot of flaking rust. So my dad told me about a show on tv where they put bolts and nuts in a tank and moved it around a lot and it removed the rust. I was skeptical so I looked it up. After watching a YouTube video I went with the redneck mentality of “how much could it hurt it?” Well... I guess not much, so this morning I gave it a shot. It actually worked great! I used large bolts and worked them around in the tank for 30-45 minutes. I then flushed it again with water to remove most of the sediment. Now I am drying with a heat gun. Which is why I figure it’s safe. The solvents have been removed at this point.

Wish I could’ve gotten a pic of the interior before and after but the before came out lousy. So, the best pic I can get you is a tank and a heat gun.

[parb]

Great pics and story. I ended up in the same spot, once I checked out what I just bought and found very little rust it went from "lets repaint it" to frame off restoration. I'm doing very little of the work myself (no garage and even less time) but I am also not using a classic restoration shop. i'm taking different parts to different companies to do the work on the build (Eg. I have a guy who is cutting out the rockers and weld in a new one, a guy who is doing the electrical, a paint shop).

I'm 10 months post purchase and about 6 months into the restoration. I expect it to be done by mid October.

[jeffg1010]

Originally Posted by parb

Great pics and story. I ended up in the same spot, once I checked out what I just bought and found very little rust it went from "lets repaint it" to frame off restoration. I'm doing very little of the work myself (no garage and even less time) but I am also not using a classic restoration shop. i'm taking different parts to different companies to do the work on the build (Eg. I have a guy who is cutting out the rockers and weld in a new one, a guy who is doing the electrical, a paint shop).

I'm 10 months post purchase and about 6 months into the restoration. I expect it to be done by mid October.

Thanks for checking it out. I'm sure mine will go frame off before it's over with. The more I dig, the more I see things I would like to do before I paint it. But it is definitely fun to tinker on. I just want to get it driveable to enjoy it a little before it gets cold!

[jeffg1010]

Aren’t all fuel pumps suppose to ooze liquids like this?

[babyblueoval]

Originally Posted by jeffg1010

I'm sure mine will go frame off before it's over with. The more I dig, the more I see things I would like to do before I paint it.

I wanted to drop it, add the LS/4L60 I have and get it driveable while I kept working one it...

First 2 are what it looks like now, 3rd is how I bought it, 4th is my goal that I've had for too many years.

[jeffg1010]

Originally Posted by babyblueoval

I wanted to drop it, add the LS/4L60 I have and get it driveable while I kept working one it...

First 2 are what it looks like now, 3rd is how I bought it, 4th is my goal that I've had for too many years.

Thanks for the pics. Your blazer plans have been my inspiration from the start - with a red spin

[babyblueoval]

Originally Posted by jeffg1010

Thanks for the pics. Your blazer plans have been my inspiration from the start - with a red spin

Yeah, I remember the conversations we had when I was up there.
I just hope I'm able to finish it one day.