1972 Blazer - 'Bullet' Project

[lks dcvn]

I am waiting for my neighbor to get back from his vacation (he travels all the time since he is retired) so I can paint my Dad's truck and get it out of my project list...

In the mean time I washed the outside of the blazer this weekend - the top had moss and was black from sitting so long - it took me about an hour to go over the top and clean it up so it was white again.

I also tried to fix the gas gauge over the weekend - but I want to drop the tank to check the sending unit - since the guy I got it from put in a poly tank - not sure if he replaced the sending unit or just put back in the old one - I need to set aside a few hours of time - since when I do this I will likely find some other stuff that needs attention or cleaning or repaired (every project I have is like that it seems).

Some time ago I took a 3M strip disk on my angle grinder and cleaned the rust out of the passenger side floor - then treated it with some Ospho I had in the garage...after that I painted the passenger side floor with some extra Master Series Coating (www.nomorerust.com) I had laying around...it has held up really well. It is a good test since the windshield frame is toast in spots and leaks water onto the floor when it rains - yes I need to get that replaced...

There is still pitting in the floor after cleaning up the rust - but I have a replacement floor pan section coming and I wanted to test it out something before the replacement happened. Once the new metal is welded in - I will be painting the floor with this stuff prior to adding carpet back in...

I need to get some pix of the cleaning, and the floor now...

In about a month or so - I will need to get a picture of the 3 blazers in my collection

1969 Blazer 4x4 - 6" lift with 35" tires
1972 Blazer 4x4 - Stock Suspension with 33" tires
1972 Blazer 2WD - static drop = 2.5" front and 4" in the back

Should make for a good picture in the driveway...

[lks dcvn]

pix...

top cleaning (before) and floor shot - I guess I didn't get an after shot...duh.

You can see my Dad's truck waiting in the back yard to get some time with the paint gun -

[BLUE THUNDER]

Dude, if I was anywhere near I'd give you a hand. Well, I'd at least show up and watch.

[lks dcvn]

Thanks Mario - just need to get one of these things done.

I started cleaning out the 67 SWB GMC last night since I had about an hour to kill after dinner.

That will be an interesting project...

[lks dcvn]

Since I had some free time over the weekend I decided to try and get the gas gauge working...pull the tan wire from the fuse box - no change in the needle when the key is in the on position...grounded out somewhere.

I checked the ground - cleaned up the metal and then reinstalled it - whoever thought that the design of these things was a good idea - was an idiot - If I had smaller hands that would have helped, but nonetheless - I was able to get it back together...no dice - still grounded out somewhere.

I didn't want to drop the tank since that would have taken a lot more time so I traced the wiring and didn't find anything suspect...so I figured the only good way would be to drop the tank and check the sending unit.

My last experience with this was draining the tank, dropping the tank, and then replacing the sending unit. The last one I changed had a broken float and the thing was black and corroded - so it needed replaced anyway.

Well - I had a spare poly tank that I was going to use in another project in the garage with a new sending unit - so I figured it would be an easy swap...wrong.

Drained the tank - 17 gals later (I have only put in a few gals from my gas cans since I have owned it) - so thanks to the PO for filling it up right before delivery - - I don't think that he intended to do this. That took about 30-45 mins.

To do this - I had to cut the factory line from the tank to the fill neck since the line was ripped up a bit from the clamps and the POs work on it...last time - so it needed to be replaced anyway. New hose and new clamps on the grocery list at NAPA.

Then I move onto the bolts that hold the tank straps to the frame - I put my socket on the bolt - one turn and the damn thing breaks off -

I then loosen the bolt that is holding the tank on so I can drop it down and remove the wires from the sending unit - no dice - guess I will have to try the other bolt - that breaks off as well - so now I drop the tank and figure I will come back and take care of the bolts at reinstall time...

I drop the tank to see the entire sending unit rusted beyond belief. I got a few pix of it and will post them later. I was actually surprised to see it was that bad. Anything I can put on the new one to prevent this (dielectric grease on the ground and sending unit connection)? Also there was a splice/reconnection in the sending unit wire near the connector - not sure why somebody would do that - - so that will be inspected and fixed prior to putting this back up in the frame rails.

I then went to get the bolts off the frame for the straps - that snapped off a bit ago - they were carriage bolts so I had nothing to get them off and the other bolts were not going anywhere since the threads of the bolts were solid rust - I love Ohio.

I get the sawsall out and try to get a decent angle on the bolts - not happening - so I get out the cut off wheel and they grudgingly came out after 15 mins of cutting and trying not to burn the truck down.

Now, the last time I did this my local Napa had the fuel hose in stock so I drive down there to get it - nope - other store has it though (20-25 mins across town) - so I figure - why not. I show up and they don't have any either - special order only. Now the other one close to home is closed...next time I will call and have them confirm that they have it.

I will have to call it in today and get the hose later on my way home...hopefully I can get to it tonight when I get home. If not, it might not happen this week - since I am booked solid for the remainder of it.

Also - when this was driven up from Columbus the PO said that he had the console and the rear side panels (crappy shape - but could be used for a template) - and he would be up near me again sometime he would drop them off...that was in April.

I have called every now and again to see when he would be up and he called me on Saturday to tell me he found some other things as well..

1. Beauty Rings for the 6 lug rallys
2. A/C Brackets for a 350 - not sure if all 7 are there - we will see.
3. A/C lines for the system

He will be up in 2-3 weeks and will bring it with him. So if this stuff is in good shape - the deal just got sweeter.

[hgs_notes]

Two steps forward, 3 steps back. I used hydraulic hose for the gas filler line because of the odd size. I hope it holds up to the fuel rather than oil.

[lks dcvn]

Few pix of the process...

Stopped by Napa on the way home last night to pick up the fuel hose - didn't come in for some reason - which means I couldn't get this thing fixed yet...

It does look pretty clean underneath though - only some surface rust.

Any issues with not using the charcoal canister line when I put the replacement stuff back in?

[lks dcvn]

Got the tank back in today since I was out of town for the long weekend - dodged the rain and had an hour to spare...met up with board member badboy007 since he was heading up to Ann Arbor with a floor pan that I bought a bit ago from him.

Gas gauge works again - - however, now I need to replace the bolts on the straps so that they cinch the tank up a bit since I ran out of thread on the ones that came with the tank I bought - They hold the tank up OK - but the straps aren't solid on the tank...so while I am in there - might as well make it right - I will probably pick up some bolts from TSC.

Everything else looks good though - just can't fill up the tank yet so if the rain stays at bay this week - I can get this replacement tank project wrapped up and move on to the next 'headache'.

[jaros44sr]

So is the poly tank a direct replacement? How about the filler neck, does that line up OK?

[lks dcvn]

Direct replacement - sorta - filler neck - thankfully, the PO or somebody down the line when they went over to the poly tank they cut the metal line off the old tank and then used fuel line to bridge the gaps to the fill neck.

I included a pic that indicates what I am talking about...I just loosened the hose clamp and moved the whole assembly over to the new tank kit.

It never leaked when I put gas in it - and when I put a few gals in it today there were no leaks again - so I would consider it good to go (minus those damn bolts).

Now I will just need to get a replacement sending unit for the old one and it should be good to go again for another project.

Did I ever mention that dropping these tanks is a PITA.

[Burt4x4]

"Direct replacement - sorta - filler neck - thankfully, the PO or somebody down the line when they went over to the poly tank they cut the metal line off the old tank and then used fuel line to bridge the gaps to the fill neck."

Yup, that is exactly what I did when I went from steel to poly. I went back to steel for a larger tank..

[Thealien]

I have a motorcycle jack (about $100 at sears) that works great for raising/lowering the gas tank.

When you get the shorter bolts and the tank up where you want it carefull tightening the l bolts that come with the tank/straps. I like things tight and broke the L right off the bolt. Dropped the tank AGAIN welded the bolt better than it ever was and installed the tank AGAIN (I was getting good at it by now.

Good luck

As far as the charcoal cannister, I redid all my lines and rubber hoses and am using it. Venting can't hurt? I still have to go slow filling the tank and my vent line is new, straight, and not kinked?

[jaros44sr]

Originally Posted by Thealien

I have a motorcycle jack (about $100 at sears) that works great for raising/lowering the gas tank.

When you get the shorter bolts and the tank up where you want it carefull tightening the l bolts that come with the tank/straps. I like things tight and broke the L right off the bolt. Dropped the tank AGAIN welded the bolt better than it ever was and installed the tank AGAIN (I was getting good at it by now.

Good luck

As far as the charcoal cannister, I redid all my lines and rubber hoses and am using it. Venting can't hurt? I still have to go slow filling the tank and my vent line is new, straight, and not kinked?

Just bought a transmission jack from Harbor Freight for a 100, looked at it and thought it could double as a gas tank jack

Thanks for the info, can you take a pic of the fill side of the poly and steel tanks...your so good at removing it, just trying to see what I'm in fir

[Thealien]

I went with a steel tank. I soldered a fill tube from another tank to the new tank (kind of a pain, I would do it again though, I think it is the right way). If you use a steel tank and solder make sure you get and use tinning paste, it will make your life much easier (now you tell me).

I thought I had pics of me working on the gas tank. Installing filler tube, undercoating entire tank, rubber strips for the straps and where the tank touches the frame (hopefiully keep squeeks and rattles to a minimum) But I can't find them???

[jaros44sr]

Originally Posted by Thealien

I went with a steel tank. I soldered a fill tube from another tank to the new tank (kind of a pain, I would do it again though, I think it is the right way). If you use a steel tank and solder make sure you get and use tinning paste, it will make your life much easier (now you tell me).

I thought I had pics of me working on the gas tank. Installing filler tube, undercoating entire tank, rubber strips for the straps and where the tank touches the frame (hopefiully keep squeeks and rattles to a minimum) But I can't find them???

(Now you tell me)ROTFLMAO,BTDT
Already got the tinning butter, thanks for the heads up... can you post up a pic of your fuseblock, I would like to see where you plugged in your tach wire...sorry, got you mixed up with Thealien

[Thealien]

Originally Posted by jaros44sr

(Now you tell me)ROTFLMAO,BTDT
Already got the tinning butter, thanks for the heads up... can you post up a pic of your fuseblock, I would like to see where you plugged in your tach wire...sorry, got you mixed up with Thealien

Now I'm confused. I am thealien? (aren't I) I just plugged mine into ignition unfused (should be fused though).

Mark

[lks dcvn]

Well - thanks for thread jacking me guys...

I thought these were some more - man that looks good - or nice work posts - or hey, if you need help welding that windshield frame I will be there messages - instead it's you guys having the time of your life on my thread...

Not that you guys care - but I got the bolts on the way home from work today and got them installed and dumped some more gas in - now I am a 1/4 tank.

Onto the next problem...

[Thealien]

HEY, We're talking here!!


Just kidding, whats the next problem? At least we're keeping you up on top?

[lks dcvn]

It might be the body mounts - to get everything lined up again - and prepare it for body work. I am dreading this - because it will likely take me forever to do it and I always run into crap half way through a project that delays me.

Also - the PO when he did the brake work - he used a drum/drum MC so I will swap that over to a correct disk/drum MC since the brakes are a bit crappy...

They work - but if I had to stop quick - it would make me nervous.

I am sure that I will find more as the days go by - the fixes on this truck are pretty easy so far - considering.

[Thealien]

The body mounts are not as bad as it seems (could be if everything is rusty). I did mine in my yard with a 4X4 block of wood to span a couple of mounts and a floor jack. When I took the old ones out I POR15d the mounts and area around them which added to the install time. I have a foredom 1/4 horse flexible shaft tool (think dremel on steroids) and used it to cut the weld on my bolts (easier with the 1 1/4 cut off wheels) and no dammage to the bolts/floor.

I would do the brakes first IMHO safety first.

I want to do some rear brake work but I also need to do some rear end work (posi makes noise occaisionally). So typical for me I will want to take everything apart including brake backing plates and paint everything, maybe new brake lines? Something that should/could take a few hours will probably take me a week or two?

When I did my tilt column I ended up taking my seats apart and painted all the mounts and seat bottoms. A couple hour tilt install turned into a couple of days? I like the end result though. Like I said work on the safety first!

Good luck, keep us informed.

[lks dcvn]

Agree on the brakes being a priority - I will likely pick up a new MC this weekend and swap it in when I get time in the next few weeks.

All of my body mount bolts are rusted solid - imagine a clean bolt and then fill up the threads with rust and then you know what mine look like - This will likely equate to cutting them out - which will likely be a pain to do in cramped quarters. It probably needs to be done since my mounts look pretty crappy and the longer I wait- the worse it will get. Maybe my door won't stick anymore - lol:

Is there a better method (front to back or back to front) to do this - I don't really feel like taking out the radiator to get to the front frame ones...

Anybody want to share their method and what worked best - always looking for tips/tricks to save some time - although that never seems to happen.

My windshield frame is toast (as in leaks into cab) and the top isn't really connected to it - so does that change my order to:

replace body mounts -
fix windshield frame - which means the top comes off - finally
secure top to body and windshield frame
rust repair on the lower body (floors, rockers, etc.)

Anybody interested in helping (that means that you will be doing most of the work) me replace a blazer windshield frame - since if I screw this up - it will be a mess. I have access to plenty of adult beverages for after you get done - Not sure I have the skill to do this kind of repair (just being honest)

[Thealien]

Sorry about your rusted bolts, mine were good enough I could reuse them (I didn't like the bolts that came with them). When I did mine I didn't do the radiator support ones. I was going to be taking the radiator support out to do additional work so I saved those two for later.

I just did one side at a time, I started in the back but it shouldn't matter. The new mounts will affect door closings and body alignment (could be better could be worse). I still have to mess with some shims the top of my doors hits the windshield frame. I am going to wait until this winter to mess with it anymore.

Do you have a new windshield frame yet?

[lks dcvn]

yes - picked up the w/s frame off another member last year when I was looking to get this Blazer. Rust free - sitting in the basement waiting to be installed at some point down the road.

The PO said he looked forever to find one - I don't remember if I mentioned it to him that I had one or not.

When it rains - water ends up in the front floor boards - so when the PO had the carpet in there - it just held the water and rusted them out - as mentioned in one of the first posts - if he would have removed the carpet - even cutting it out - would have saved the floors from rusting so bad.

Oh well - I didn't pay anything for the Blazer and swapped it out for a C/20 to get it so I don't mind putting the time and expense into it (yet).

[Arizonak5]

Even with the rust issues thats is a clean blazer man nice work on the body too, i love seeing 69-72 blazers saved! amen brother!

[lks dcvn]

Got to play the game called - "try and burn down the truck" yesterday...yikes!

I needed to move the Blazer since it was in the opening to the back yard and I got the call to paint my Dad's truck - this guy had to move out of the way.

So after replacing the gas tank - I couldn't keep the thing running. I could pour gas down the carb and it would run for a bit and then die out.

I checked the lines and found a crappy rubber line at the fuel filter (which was rusted anyway) in the engine bay and a line near the tank was kinked over...duh. Time to hit the parts store.

While I was in there I replaced the fuel filter with a metal WIX filter from O'Reilly and then fixed the line kink problem - then it fired right over -

I moved it out of the way to get the truck (70 LWB) onto the driveway for sanding/paint to follow. I parked it behind my garage and went to work on my Dad's truck for a few hours...

After painting a bit I went back to do some work on the Blazer. I wanted to check the body mounts closely and then try to clean up some other stuff while I had the time and nice weather...

So I hop in and it fires right up instantly - (it used to take a few times to start up). I get out and the strong smell of fuel hits me - I run to the hood and pop it to see the fuel line going into the carb disconnected and spewing gas all over the engine -

I cut the engine off and disconnect the battery instantly and then start the cleanup process. I had some simple green sitting right there that was mixed with hot water and so I doused the engine with it and then used some paper towels to soak/wipe up the excess - now the engine bay is a little cleaner - but that scared the crap out of me.

I fixed the line, replaced the clamps and then buttoned it back up and gave it a test fire - runs like a champ...

Just needs some TLC now - brakes, exhaust, interior, rust repair, etc.