71 Jimmy

[Treachera]

Hello guys,

My first project thread. Swapping everything I can off a 76 blazer into my 71 Jimmy. I'm not a pro, by any means, so this should be fun. I figured step one was tearing down my Jimmy.. I pulled out the carpet..and *gasp* soooo much rust, right!.... kidding..I know how lucky I am. And after reading through Jaros PO has me PO'd thread..I feel invincible.

[Treachera]

Small Update* Engine just about ready to pull. then, need to start planning the addition of the clutch pedal. I thought I'd be further along than this by now. Was working on it last night when my girlfriend came out and asked "When do you think you'll be at a good stopping point", which is girl code for "get done now."

will update again as soon as something exciting happens.;

[mtully79]

At least she understands the lingo!

Subscribed, good luck with the project!

[A1971Blazer]

First thing to do......get a new girlfriend.... just kidding.

I tell my wife when I go to the shop to work on mine, "see ya later doll , I gonna go make love to my Blazer".

When it comes to rust, these old Blazers/Jimmys are like an onion......the more layers you peel back the more you'll find.

Good luck with it!

[Treachera]

Originally Posted by A1971Blazer

First thing to do......get a new girlfriend.... just kidding.

I tell my wife when I go to the shop to work on mine, "see ya later doll , I gonna go make love to my Blazer".

When it comes to rust, these old Blazers/Jimmys are like an onion......the more layers you peel back the more you'll find.

Good luck with it!

HA! I totally agree with the onion metaphor, and not just rust..found out the body mounts are wrecked.. body sags without the top on so much that the doors are next to impossible to open.

[jaros44sr]

Im in.....

Your about three years ahead of where i started
Hope i didnt bore you to death
What was wrong with the engine

[Treachera]

Originally Posted by jaros44sr

Im in.....

Your about three years ahead of where i started
Hope i didnt bore you to death
What was wrong with the engine

Hey Jaros! 3 years, you say? It'll take me 3 years of constant practice to do body work half as good as you do! Your thread had me glued to my computer taking notes!

The 350 in the truck has a serious water leak going on. The exhaust port on cylinder 7 was spraying water like a lawn sprinkler. I'm debating on if I should get that engine rebuilt, or throw in the 305 from the donor truck (which seems to only need valve stem seals replaced) and call it a day. decisions, decisions.

[jaros44sr]

Originally Posted by Treachera

Hey Jaros! 3 years, you say? It'll take me 3 years of constant practice to do body work half as good as you do! Your thread had me glued to my computer taking notes!

The 350 in the truck has a serious water leak going on. The exhaust port on cylinder 7 was spraying water like a lawn sprinkler. I'm debating on if I should get that engine rebuilt, or throw in the 305 from the donor truck (which seems to only need valve stem seals replaced) and call it a day. decisions, decisions.

Thanks for the comps, but the real credit goes to the guys on this board! They keep me motivated to turn out a truck that is worthy of this forum.....alot of help from guys ill never meet have been patient with all my dumb questions i am truly amazed at the talent and skill level of guys that hang out here

JMHO, but i would go the easy button. Youll have enough challenges through the rest of the build. Put the 305 in it and at a later time build or buy a engine you want. These crate motors are unbelievably cheap, and a warranty

Good look with you build, mine is stuck in electronics prison

[Treachera]

Smaller update. Got the th350 and xfer case out of my 71... was delighted to find that the frame on the donor 76 blazer and my 71 were the same width.. a few pics attached.. I am wondering which trans cross member to use and if they are interchangeable. The 71 cross member seems a bit more heavy duty. Cant wait to get that sm465 in my 71.

[pd1219]

Looks like a good start. More over all pictures of the ride please. Love those Jimmys.

[Treachera]

Originally Posted by pd1219

Looks like a good start. More over all pictures of the ride please. Love those Jimmys.

Yeah, I'm starting to love it more myself. The radiator support, both inner fenders and one of the Outer fenders has rust. The perfectionist in me wants to buy all new ... the cheap dude in me who buys all his clothes at Target wants to try and fix the rust.

[Treachera]

Hey Guys,

Dug into my truck some yesterday after playing hooky from work. Pulled off the inner and outer fender to get a better look. Found some trouble spots and busted out the grinder. The further I cut, the more I found. I'm going to try and weld a legit piece back on..I figure, If I screw this up, I'll buy a replacement.

[Treachera]

Here are some pictures of the bottom of that same fender.

[Treachera]

And finally, The inner fender. I'd have to guess the Prev-o had some kind of battery issue at one point? because the metal is totally gone directly under the battery and , the battery tray seems fairly new..but I'm no chemist.

[jaros44sr]

That area is pretty indicative of a battery spewing acid, mine went all the way back to the heater box. One of the reasons i put in a gell core battery.

Keep plugging away, you ll find all kinds of things the PO neglected over the years
Good luck with your build
I ll watch

[warbucket]

I have this if you don't want to make one, actually I have both sides. I've been making a pile of parts to sell.

[Treachera]

Originally Posted by warbucket

I have this if you don't want to make one, actually I have both sides. I've been making a pile of parts to sell.

Hi warbucket! I truly appreciate the offer..but I bit the bullet and ordered a radiator support, inner and an outer fender. I'm notvery confident that my welds would be up to snuff.

[Treachera]

Updates and questions and info..oh my.

So, I dropped the 305/sm465/np205 from my '76 donor Blazer into my '71 Jimmy that had the 350/th350/np205. Some things I noted:

1. The stock exhaust manifolds on the 305 had to be removed to allow the engine to sit flush on the mounts

2. After removing the exhaust manifold, I noticed the oil pan had to be removed as it was resting on the cross member below the engine...

3. The sm465/np205 line up on the tranny cross member in the same spot as the th350/np205 did but, I had to remove the rubber to make it fit though

My question for you pros out there.. how different are the stock auto and manual transmission cross members for the '71? The only thing I can assume is that the manual ones are a bit deeper. I'm going to get my search function on and see if this has come up in any other threads.