78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..

[eighteenninetytwo]

They do look great. Are they original??

[phillipm]

Yes these are original from what I can tell. Do they usually get pretty destroyed? We had talked about recovering them but we didn't want to loose all the details. So we just cleaned them up.

[68Timber]

If they get much exposure to humidity the "chrome" will peel off the plastic accent trim and the backing will warp where possible.

[phillipm]

Okay, got a couple more photos of the rear with the new upholstery on the seat. Really starting to look great.





Also got picked up this grille from a forum member up in Canada. Much better shape than the ones sitting out in the desert here in Phoenix!

[eighteenninetytwo]

That grille looks GREAT. I am still looking without any luck for a 75/76 grille in condition like that. Forum members are simply the best resource.

[phillipm]

Originally Posted by eighteenninetytwo

That grille looks GREAT. I am still looking without any luck for a 75/76 grille in condition like that. Forum members are simply the best resource.

I bought a 75/76 that was in this condition and the seller shipped it wrapped in paper and tape! Arrived in more than 1 piece. Very disappointing. I got my money back but it was sad to see a nice piece just destroyed by improper planning and execution.

[Lsx32]

Holy crap. Man this build is sick. This is pretty much exactly the build I want to do to mine. I have a 79, its in pretty good shape, but its my daily driver and I'm doing a little at a time to it on a tight budget. Next thing I want to do is lower it. I assume it's all factory but I think the suspension is settled down and it sits about 30.5" from ground to bottom of the fender front and rear, on 275/60r15s. I'm trying to figure out how much i want to lower it but I'm afraid a flip kit with spindles and springs might be too much with the old factory leafs. Are yours the original leafs? Any measurements that you can give me? Components you used?

[phillipm]

Originally Posted by Lsx32

Holy crap. Man this build is sick. This is pretty much exactly the build I want to do to mine. I have a 79, its in pretty good shape, but its my daily driver and I'm doing a little at a time to it on a tight budget. Next thing I want to do is lower it. I assume it's all factory but I think the suspension is settled down and it sits about 30.5" from ground to bottom of the fender front and rear, on 275/60r15s. I'm trying to figure out how much i want to lower it but I'm afraid a flip kit with spindles and springs might be too much with the old factory leafs. Are yours the original leafs? Any measurements that you can give me? Components you used?

Thanks man. We're using Mcgaughys 2.5" spindle in the front with a 2" spring. In the back its currently a standard flip kit on the original leaf springs. I'm also running a 275/60/15 in the back but currently do not have it on the ground. Once it's done and on the ground I can confirm the measurements you're looking for.
Phillip

[phillipm]

I believe I mentioned that with the E38 ECM I needed an electronic speedo. That's not a big deal and then I tested my Tach and that didn't work either. So, rather than try and find originals that work, or plop down for reproductions, I decided to stick with my method of burying Autometer gauges inside the stock housing. The fuel wasn't too bad as the scale stayed the same, however both the tach and the speedo scale are completely different on the new gauges. So, I used Adobe Illustrator to design these new faces after scanning in the old ones.



They should fit in the 4" bezel and also work with the smaller needle of he 3 5/8 gauge. I think using the smaller needle will keep it looking closer to original. Plus the smaller gauges were considerably cheaper than the big boys.

After that I laser cut them out on my Universal Laser X2 660 CO2 cutter. Turned out really nice. Product I'm using is Rowmark Lasermax microsufaced plastic.



Next step is to get the original gauge face cut to accept the new digital display and the trip reset button. Then bolt it all together!

[phillipm]

We also got the fuse/relay panel installed last night up front. I threw a couple fuses in for the power windows as well as the power door locks so we could test them. All seems well so now we can finally get the windows put back into the truck. A few items I've still got to button up are the Trinary switch wiring as well as making some new battery cable and grounding the core support. Definitely starting to make some real progress on the wiring now.

[phillipm]

And that's never a good sign! In all the years we've been doing this we've never had this happen. This is the bolt that holds the cross pin into the carrier.



After doing a little looking online and "phoning a friend" we decided since we're replacing the carrier anyways to just drill a hole in it and then walk the rest of the parts out with a pick. Luckily it broke after the threads so it slid right out. But not without wasting about 3 hours of the day.



Hoping to get the new gears and posi unit in it today or tomorrow. Thankfully the axles are in good shape so new bearings and seals should button up the ends.

[68Timber]

I'd heard those would break with enough miles on them. I helped a friend replace axle seals on his 96 and suggested he pick a new one up. Sure enough the shank was worn. That was a later 10-bolt though.

[68Timber]

I've never seen anyone make their own custom gauges like that, looking forward to seeing those done.

[Lsx32]

Me either that is one of my bigger concerns in doing a LS swap. I don't want to lose my factory gauges or at least the look.
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[phillipm]

Here is a set that I did for my 69 Camaro. I was just wanting something custom so I put my business logo on them.

[phillipm]

I've also made other pieces like this. This is the HVAC Controls off my Camaro. I was going for more of an aeronautics looks. Plus the original was looks haggard.

[tinydb84]

Love the build. Great work!

[phillipm]

Got the windows installed yesterday. Need to still final adjust them as the drivers side is kind of going up outside the channel in the rear.



I also worked on redrawing the plate which will be inside the cover of the fuse center under the hood. I'll laser etch this out of the same romark lasermax material and double stick tape it in.

[BLOWN73]

Having a 2WD LS swap Jimmy myself I can say you are doing a kick ass job on this blazer. Looks like time was taken to do everything the right way!

[phillipm]

Originally Posted by BLOWN73

Having a 2WD LS swap Jimmy myself I can say you are doing a kick ass job on this blazer. Looks like time was taken to do everything the right way!

Thanks! We've definitely learned it's cheaper to just do it right the first time than to do it over and over again. It's a tough lesson to learn.

[phillipm]

Finally got around to doing the tranny cooler lines. The stock lines are 3/8 and the radiator is 5/16" so I decided to step it down in the middles so I don't have adapters showing right out of the radiator. I've got the lines completely finished now but forgot to take a final pic.





I also picked up this grille. I thought I would like the darker color with the trim but honestly, now that I have both I'm kind of leaning back towards the silver color grille for this application.



We also threw the wheels and tires on and rolled it outside as quite a few people we're wanting a shot of it. SO... here it is currently!

[Lsx32]

It's coming along nice. I may have to make the trip over to Gonzales, La. To check it out.
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[68Timber]

Damn that's sweet!

[PEDROSKI]

So sweet

[COS399]

Nice work.

I am picking up a one owner 1981 GMC Jimmy 4x4 in a few weeks and have been kicking around the ideal of doing one of these swaps. It has been sitting for several years but should make for a nice daily driver. Keep up the good work and keep us posted.