Hemi's 70 Blazer build

[hemi43]

I'm a real military buff and would have loved to paint it flat drab olive, but then everything on the truck would have to blacked out and needless to say any flat colours (color for my American friends) are extremely difficult to maintain. I knew I wanted a solid colour, and driving home one day I spotted a 2015 Jeep which from far away looked black. It was actually a real dark olive green, and although it was shiny, it still had that military look to it.
It's called "Tank" green, and although the paint formula says there's metal flake in it, it's in such a low amount that you can't even see it.
I had a buddy photoshop a Blazer with it and it looked good especially with the black soft top.
I'm a couple of weeks away from having to buy the paint, and so far I can't seem to be able to talk myself out of it.
It would be different, but not so different that it would make it stand out.

[IronCanine]

That sounds cool...next question...interior colour(my spell check really doesn't like that word): green, saddle or black?

[hemi43]

Originally Posted by IronCanine

That sounds cool...next question...interior colour(my spell check really doesn't like that word): green, saddle or black?

The interior is originally black, so it will stay that way. The original seat are the utility buckets, and although I would prefer the smaller buckets, I'll keep them. I'll upholster a small pleat design into them so they don't look so...well...utility looking !
Even though I've upgrade the drivetrain and a few other things, I still want this truck to look to be as close to original right down to the AM radio. The stereo will be in the console, and I have a WW2 era anti tank mine box that will be a permanent storage box behind the rear seat. I also have a WW2 metal gas can that will become the housing for the subwoofer and this will be clamped to the rear part of the roll bar by the tailgate.

[Big J]

Brother your progress is phenomenal. You've built half a blazer, rotisserie, and other stuff in 3 pages. Your thread is awesome, can't wait to see more progress. I've been thinking about a 5.3 or 6.0 for mine, maybe even a turbo.

[hemi43]

Thanks BigJ;

Here's more boring primer pictures.
All original panels like the doors, hood and body were sprayed with Featherfill after the epoxy cured for 3 days. The fenders and tailgate as well as a few other pieces that needed no major blocking were epoxied then Urethane primed wet on wet.
All the priming is now finished, and now I need to wait a month before blocking. This is crucial because urethane needs time to gas off or else it will sink and show sanding scratches down the road. I will however paint the firewall so that I can put the body back on the chassis.

[lyrikz]

Originally Posted by hemi43

Thanks BigJ;

Here's more boring primer pictures.
All original panels like the doors, hood and body were sprayed with Featherfill after the epoxy cured for 3 days. The fenders and tailgate as well as a few other pieces that needed no major blocking were epoxied then Urethane primed wet on wet.
All the priming is now finished, and now I need to wait a month before blocking. This is crucial because urethane needs time to gas off or else it will sink and show sanding scratches down the road. I will however paint the firewall so that I can put the body back on the chassis.

I love your build. One thing that caught my eye was you said you waited 3 days to paint over the epoxy. Epoxy has a cure time that you cant exceed or the top layer will not stick. HOpe that doesnt come back to bite you.
As for the sand marks, thats not necessarily true either. If you use the correct sanding stages the shrinkage you speak of will not happen(or better yet wont be seen)

Cant wait for more updates.


** I posted this before i had reached the end of your thread. That thing came out amazing. Using a 19 year or urethane seems a bit sketchy, but holy hell it came out perfect. Do you have a paint code for that
tank color you used?****

[hemi43]

Originally Posted by lyrikz

I love your build. One thing that caught my eye was you said you waited 3 days to paint over the epoxy. Epoxy has a cure time that you cant exceed or the top layer will not stick. HOpe that doesnt come back to bite you.
As for the sand marks, thats not necessarily true either. If you use the correct sanding stages the shrinkage you speak of will not happen(or better yet wont be seen)

Cant wait for more updates.


** I posted this before i had reached the end of your thread. That thing came out amazing. Using a 19 year or urethane seems a bit sketchy, but holy hell it came out perfect. Do you have a paint code for that
tank color you used?****

Epoxy primer MUST be cured 72hrs before applying Featherfill which is polyester based. The epoxy was sanded before I applied the Featherfill because it was outside it's recoat window.
As far as urethane primer, it will always shrink regardless of how well the substrate is sanded. I agree fine sanding scratches probably wouldn't show up, but why take a chance. If it was a daily driver I was painting, I would sand it the next day.
The paint code for "Tank" is 2014-2015 NGK(Jeep only). Don't paint a Blazer this color because it's already been done !!

[GMC-YA68]

Your thread almost makes me want to tear mine back down and paint it!!! I've got about 70 miles on mine with no issues except for an odd case with my steering. You are going to love how it performs. Can't wait to see the subwoofer idea.

[hemi43]

Today was powder coating day. The most difficult part is blasting the parts, and I'd recommend anyone that can blast at home to set themselves up for powder coating. It's such a quick way to finish parts and the results are excellent. The best part is that it's dirt cheap to do. All the parts in the pics probably took less than $5 in powder.
I also ordered my exterior paint, so it's a done deal and it's going "Tank" green. I sure hope I made the right choice. Choosing paint colour or rim style can make or break the look of a vehicle.

[tjsblazer]

Dan. Looking good. I'm impressed at your timetable so far.
How do you find the time?
Next time I get east of Toronto, I'm stopping by to compare notes.
Cheers, Jeff.

[hemi43]

Originally Posted by tjsblazer

Dan. Looking good. I'm impressed at your timetable so far.
How do you find the time?
Next time I get east of Toronto, I'm stopping by to compare notes.
Cheers, Jeff.

Time? I retired at 47
My door is always open if you're out this way.

[tjsblazer]

Originally Posted by hemi43

Time? I retired at 47
My door is always open if you're out this way.

47. Wow that is awesome. I work for your previous employers competitor down the 401 here in Cambridge. I got 3 more years to freedom 49. Can't wait.

[04sshd]

Impressive build, very nice work!

[hemi43]

Got a bit more done !! Top of dash is now painted as well as the roll bar. Also got some colour on it too. Nice to see, but the main reason was to paint the firewall so that next week I can get the body back on it's chassis. I need the room too because having them separated is like having to store 2 vehicles.

[tjsblazer]

Looks like an interesting colour. Looking forward to seeing it when complete. Remind me what you are thinking for wheels ?

[hemi43]

Will be using Ralley rims. I didn't really want to go to an aftermarket wheel, but I'll have to wait and see what they look like when installed.

[jaros44sr]

Originally Posted by hemi43

Will be using Ralley rims. I didn't really want to go to an aftermarket wheel, but I'll have to wait and see what they look like when installed.

I have 4, if you pay shipping, they're yours

[hemi43]

Originally Posted by jaros44sr

I have 4, if you pay shipping, they're yours

Thanks, but the truck came with a set. I appreciate the offer.

[jaros44sr]

Originally Posted by hemi43

Thanks, but the truck came with a set. I appreciate the offer.

Oh yeah, forgot that. how's the beauty rings
Neat idea with oven

[hemi43]

Originally Posted by jaros44sr

Oh yeah, forgot that. how's the beauty rings
Neat idea with oven

Beauty rings are toast, but will get new ones. Already got new centers for them.

[HARDCORECASH]

Hemi what kind of powder coating oven do you have??

[hemi43]

Originally Posted by HARDCORECASH

Hemi what kind of powder coating oven do you have??

I built from an old safety cabinet, the yellow ones used to store flammables. They are double walled, so I stuffed Roxul insulation in the cavities. I put 4 oven elements in (2 on top,2 on bottom) and I can get 400 degrees in about 10 minutes.

[HARDCORECASH]

Originally Posted by hemi43

I built from an old safety cabinet, the yellow ones used to store flammables. They are double walled, so I stuffed Roxul insulation in the cavities. I put 4 oven elements in (2 on top,2 on bottom) and I can get 400 degrees in about 10 minutes.

Damn thats pretty cool!!! Nice build you have going!!!

[Chad22873]

It's looking great. Love all the pics. It appears as if you get more done Ina day then I get done in a week. I will just be so glad to finally get all the rust cut out of mine so that the shop floor is not a$$ deep in rust.

[hemi43]

Sorry for the slow progress !!
I know you Guys like pictures, so here's some more.I just checked the date, and so far I've been working exactly 6 months on my build. Can't wait till spring !!