1972 blazer build/driver

[hunter_507]

so i bought this blazer in the summer of 2011, and have finally gotten around to getting into it. It has a lot of rust issues like a lot of them do, floor, rocker boxes, etc. But i'm motivated and excited, its my first car, (well, truck) and i really enjoy working on it! i haven't really decided if i'm going to have a sort of theme, i like the color it is, and most stuff is in the distant future with my budget. So hope you guys are interested in following along! any advice or help is well welcome.

[hunter_507]

so far i have got floor pans, side floor pans, a replacement quarter panel, floor supports, and a few other parts i acquired along with them. i'm starting to get pretty good with welding so hopefully i'll start this all soon. also, does anybody know what order its best to replace floor parts in? as seen in the pictures, almost everything has rust.

[72 Beast]

Looks a lot like mine! I have a 69 and a 72 Blazer. Probably end up using the 69 as a parts doner for the 72 just because the rust has not reached the window frame on the 72 like it has on the 69.

[notsolo]

Hopefully others will chime in with rebuilding from the ground up...and who has the best replacement parts. You probably know it is best to leave the top on to keep the body strait... 67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=142041 ... Also This page from LMC gives an idea of what is needed. ..

[JustLearnin]

Hey Hunter. I don't have any advice, but I look forward to watching yours come together. Good luck and keep us updated!

[lks dcvn]

Oh man...you have a lot of work ahead of you.

Many of the members on this forum will take a look at a few of these pictures and know the amount of time and patience needed to do this.

Now - don't get me wrong, it is all fixable and there is a wealth of knowledge on this board so keep the questions coming.

There are many build threads that will take you through all of this work and point out where to find parts.

A few to reference for good advice/steps (in no particular order):

1956cameo - http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=376589

hgs_notes - http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=242701

Big J - http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=264226

jaros44sr - http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=210641

turp mcspray - http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=505987

1949gmc - http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=350929

Lks Dcvn (mine) - http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=341224

You will have hours into reading these and going over them again and again to see how things go together.

These all know their stuff and helped me immensely by documenting their work.

Spend some time reviewing these builds to save yourself some headaches along the way. I did and many of these guys saved my hide a few times.

Congrats on your new truck.

[hunter_507]

this weekend i didn't get a lot done, i changed the spark plugs which all looked fine. the motor is a crate motor that someone put in and it runs, just not very good. i changed the oil and gasket in the rear differential, only to find out that you need a really weird bit for the filler cap also, here is the options on this truck, i don't know if any really jump out as something special but they're there!

[hunter_507]

Well, I have really bad news. I peeled back the weatherstripping around the windshield and... well the picture says it all. I'm currently looking for a rust free body I guess...

[72 Beast]

Originally Posted by hunter_507

Well, I have really bad news. I peeled back the weatherstripping around the windshield and... well the picture says it all. I'm currently looking for a rust free body I guess...

No es bueno, my 69 CST has the same issue. My buddy and I are currently trying to fabricate another top window frame from one off of a 71 chevy pick up. I am looking at replacing the bolt holes with lever or cam locks similar to those on a jeep to hold the top to the window frame. As a back up I have a 72 Blazer body that I can use but it would be nice if I can save them both.

[hunter_507]

Originally Posted by 72 Beast

No es bueno, my 69 CST has the same issue. My buddy and I are currently trying to fabricate another top window frame from one off of a 71 chevy pick up. I am looking at replacing the bolt holes with lever or cam locks similar to those on a jeep to hold the top to the window frame. As a back up I have a 72 Blazer body that I can use but it would be nice if I can save them both.

How different is the truck top, I mean I know it would take a lot of fabrication but would it be worth trying? Seems a lot easier to come by. I looked at 2 blazer bodies a guy was selling, one was a 72 cst. I was surprised to see the rocker boxes were rust free as we're the floors and pretty much everything but what I needed, the windshield frame. The other body was a 69 and was in really rough shape, rusted out firewall, rockers rusted out, etc. oh well. Might go to look at one that the guy "says" only has surface rust this week. Will see
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[jaros44sr]

I thought i just read that someone was getting ready the repop the ws frame, it might have been wes @classic heartbeats...give him a call, ill need one in the future as well

[Big J]

If there isn't a repop yet you can cut inner and outer pieces out of a truck to fix your issues. I replaced the whole outer on mine. It sucked, but got it done, lol. No need to look for a rust free body, just start cuttin' and weldin', eventually you will run out of rust to fix.

[72 Beast]

Here is a novice question... What does repop mean?

[hunter_507]

I'm not sure cause I'm a novice also, but I'm pretty sure just reproduction parts. Also an update: I passed my drivers test and officially am a licensed driver!
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[hunter_507]

Currently waiting for my gasket sealer to seal. I ended up taking the rear differential cover off, drilling a hole and welding a nut inside of it, then putting a foam washer on the outside between the screw and the cover. Hopefully it holds up until I buy a real one, but I think my dad and I did a pretty decent job for never fabbing something like that before. I will post some pictures later when I take it out
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[hunter_507]

sorry about being absent from this thread for a while, i've been busy with school and finishing up the year. only 1 more day! i haven't gotten much done other then fixing some of the wiring, the lights now work. also drove it to the lake, i think i got about 12-13 mpg, highway. (need to remember to keep off the secondaries on the q-jet ) also, here are some pictures (top is now off for the summer)
i plan on getting the exhaust done this summer, and mostly just gathering parts i need to get rid of the rust. this winter i will be tearing into it a lot more, for now i will just be doing minor things.

[Ol Blue K20]

Subscribed and watching
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[hunter_507]

here's a few pictures.

[hunter_507]

for those wondering why its on the trailer in the last pic, i was having some car troubles to say the least.. i was getting ready to go to the lake, put radiator fluid in, and didnt twist the radiator cap on all the way... (STUPID mistake) drove about 50 miles, and it overheated. i wasnt paying attention to my temp gauge (another REALLY stupid mistake) the needle was buried when i got to the lake. so we flushed the radiator out, and what we thought was oil came back out. so we figured either a gasket got moved or the block cracked, so we went home got the trailer and trailered it home. well while we messed with it, cleaned the radiator out, and there was no more black in it. turns out the radiator was just really filthy. ive been driving it the same as before, and so far nothings gone wrong that ive noticed except for the exhaust leak on the right manifold has gotten worse.

[jaros44sr]

Congrats on getting the truck running, looks good. I like the pic with the bike in it. If you have exhaust work coming up soon, you may want to start soaking the bolts now with pb power blaster

Glad to see ya got to enjoy it for the summer

[hunter_507]

picked up a red louvered hood for 200 at a swap meet. opinions?