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