"Project S" - My boy Sam's '72 2wd Blazer -The Red Sled

[notsolo]

Nice Hood is that color Ocean Fire, by any chance....

[k5hart]

You find some great stuff up there! I really think there is no question you should go with the '68 front clip.

[jeffg1010]

Originally Posted by notsolo

Nice Hood is that color Ocean Fire, by any chance....

Not sure. He had it painted to go on a pickup, but there was a disagreement and he bagged the cowl hood. Thanks!

Originally Posted by k5hart

You find some great stuff up there! I really think there is no question you should go with the '68 front clip.

I'm glad to hear some feedback, because I am really torn. I'm actually trying to convince myself it would be cheaper to go with the '68 clip since I'd only need half the trim.
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[k5hart]

As much as I like the '71-2 front ends (and it's a lot) I do think that 2 wheel drive Blazers looks awesome with the earlier front clips. I guess because they never were made. Since you have the whole clip and now that *****in' cowl hood I would go that route for sure.

[babyblueoval]

Nah....I've decided I don't like the early front clips. At least not on your truck. Now on mine the early front clip looks AWESOME! and if you don't have one that'll make mine, right down the road from you, even more unique....lol

You definitely need to go 67-68. It's way more awesomer.

It looks great! The zebra paint job with the airbrushed windows that look kinda like a relection of the side of your house is kinda weird though. I liked the original paint better. lol

[Andriod8]

Im jealous. ill trade you my 78 Blazer with 454 .30 over, roller cam, Edlebrock 750 carb, high rise intake, Sanderson headers, Flowmaster exhaust, 20" BOSS wheels, Rear Air bags, front 4" drop and, 13" CCP brakes.

[jeffg1010]

Originally Posted by Andriod8

Im jealous. ill trade you my 78 Blazer with 454 .30 over, roller cam, Edlebrock 750 carb, high rise intake, Sanderson headers, Flowmaster exhaust, 20" BOSS wheels, Rear Air bags, front 4" drop and, 13" CCP brakes.

man, that sounds cool! But, I dont know, this one has grown on me.

Added a new part to the pile today. Tach dash! Pics coming soon. The Blazer had a tach from the factory, but at some point, it was robbed out.

[jeffg1010]

BAM! Restored tach dash!


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[Rusbuilt]

Thats nice!

[mrweld]

Originally Posted by jeffg1010

My little boy Sam loves the Superman logo. It's become his trademark And we've even been known to call him SuperSam. He turned 7 in December, I guess as he grows and this build develops, that name may change. But, this will be his build... eventually

Alright... a few have already read about it. I've been talking about it since um... October? November? But, I finally got it delivered two weeks ago and I have been "tinkering" on it. And as I was grinding in the garage tonight, I thought "I've done some small things to it and haven't even started a build thread"

So, here's the story ... I will back up and start from the beginning of where the Blazer came from. Have a seat, because this intro is in depth.

For months, I had been getting my (then) six year old little boy pumped up about a Blazer project. Ya know, maybe your dad did it to you when you were a kid : "We are gonna build you one of those...blah, blah, blah" (come to think of it, I never got the '57 Chevy I was promised) -haha. OK, so I took him to the Fall Auto Fair at Charlotte Motor Speedway in August and I wanted him to see one. (to build the dream!) We had a great time and even found a couple. -but none in our price range!

And yeah that's Sam... posing (um... is he pickin' his nose?!?)

This one is owned by a board member... um... rustybucket? It was owned by Blazester when this photo was taken:




And this Blazer is owned by board member, bashed ...


SO, while I was talking to Jerrett (a.k.a.- bashed), I told him I was hoping to get one for a project this Spring. AND, he said he had another 2wd he was going to sell. So I gave him my card and told him to email me some pictures. I was pretty pumped up!

OK, so WEEKS went by and I never heard from him. I didnt have his name, his number. (yep, idiot move on my part) All I had was a photo of his Blazer and he had mentioned to me that he was at the show with the East Coast Cruisers. So, I finally Googled the East Coast Cruisers website and emailed them to tell them I was looking for a member who was at the Auto Fair. The only info I had was his Ochre Yellow Blazer. After a few days, (and apparently a few email forwards) I got contact info.

So, I called him to follow up and sure enough, he was still looking to sell it. He sent me these photos the following weekend...






So... I had to have it. The only trouble is, I just started my own business. We are definitely ... in the red. But when I decide I want something, I will do anything to get it.

He said he wasn't in a hurry to sell it, in fact he wasnt even trying to sell it, so I didn't commit right away. BUT it stayed on my mind.

Fast forward to November, I finally got a little bit of cash saved up and I offered to make a deposit on the Blazer. He agreed. So, on paper my ownership began on Tues, November 8th, 2011. Our deal was he would hold it at his place until I got my tax return and I would pay off the rest. Sounded crazy even to me at the time.

SO, when I went to his place on the 8th, I shot ALL of these photos: (yeah, he had it in primer by then)


















In the meantime, I spent my Christmas holiday parting out a '71 that I talked my dad into buying. I wanted to go ahead and score the top (for a donor-sliding sunroof project) and hatch (mine is shot) and the rear seat (mine is a rear seat delete and yeah... I have 3 kids) In the process, I also kept a box load of small parts because to be honest, I really had no idea what mine needed at the time. At the time, I had never even driven mine. haha!

Compared to the rest of the Blazer, the seat and hatch were mint.



SO... then we fast forward ahead again. I met up with Jerrett (bashed) a once to give him a little more money so he didn't think I evaporated, but I NEEDED that tax money. After the first of the year, I started working on my taxes, and when I received the last of my documents at the end of January, I filed them as quickly as possible... HOWEVER, Uncle Sam had other opinions. My return was e-filed on 2/2/12 and my return was estimated to be in on 2/19 but at some point I guess I pulled the short straw and my return was picked for "review". I guess our investment to buy the Charlotte franchise division of our company threw up a red flag and that began a chain of tax events that had me pulling my hair out. 2/19 turned into 3/23, then for a few weeks we didn't even have an estimated date. And then finally we got a date in April. When it finally came, they didn't even direct deposit it They sent it via check,(which I think I paid for-maybe I should look into that - I'll leave that rant for another thread)

At this point, I should probably give a shout out to board member bashed. He was a real understanding super guy to work with, even when it came to dealing with a broke fool like myself.

So, FINALLY the ball started rolling again. (7 months after our first meeting-ha!) In fact, it moved pretty quickly. I set it up to have it shipped directly to my dads, since he is all pumped up about building Sam having a Blazer. Of course, the shipping had it's own little issues.. I talked about it in another thread (if you're bored, feel free to indulge yourself) http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=520173

Here is the photos of when the shipper arrived at my dads work...

It arrived sharing trailer space with a pretty sweet '55







So, the first weekend I had it, I drove up to my dads without checking the forecast, and I got nothing done. Although I DID finally get to drive it ... illegally. As of now, it is still there and I am getting little done, but it's MINE now *bwahahaha*, AND I have 8 years to get it finished
(although, I may throw paint on it, so I can break it in for him now!)




I guess that gets it up to speed on how the whole deal came together. I guess I will now jump ahead to plans.

Hey that is a picture of my Blazer at Charlotte, I just bought it a couple of months ago. Its the second one down, primed in rockers...

[jeffg1010]

Originally Posted by mrweld

Hey that is a picture of my Blazer at Charlotte, I just bought it a couple of months ago. Its the second one down, primed in rockers...

The Ochre one? Did you buy Jerretts Blazer in Albemarle? That thing was sweet!
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[mrweld]

Yes I did. Got it home and drove it around a bit, looking at wheel and tire options now. I did buy Corvette style 8 & 10 inch ralleys for it but dont have them on yet. I pulled the engine to put a camshaft in that you can hear a tad bit, fix the oil leaks, and do some painting and found major troubles with the engine. The bottom timing gear key was about to shear, timing chain was wore out and 34% leakdown on the rings. That was the reason the oil pan was leaking so bad Im sure. I have got a replacement engine, 355, Eagle crank and H-beam rods, TRW forged flattop pistons, Thumper cam, Airgap intake, Coated headers, Hushpower mufflers in process of going back in. Im replacing the inner fender wells and battery tray, doing a major makeover on the engine compartment while I have it out.
I have to say Jerrett is a great guy to deal with. My timing was terrible on picking up the Blazer, I was setting in his driveway as he pulled in comming home from the hospital from his new baby being born. I felt terrible but we did the deal and we were both happy and on our way..

[jeffg1010]

Originally Posted by mrweld

Yes I did. Got it home and drove it around a bit, looking at wheel and tire options now. I did buy Corvette style 8 & 10 inch ralleys for it but dont have them on yet. I pulled the engine to put a camshaft in that you can hear a tad bit, fix the oil leaks, and do some painting and found major troubles with the engine. The bottom timing gear key was about to shear, timing chain was wore out and 34% leakdown on the rings. That was the reason the oil pan was leaking so bad Im sure. I have got a replacement engine, 355, Eagle crank and H-beam rods, TRW forged flattop pistons, Thumper cam, Airgap intake, Coated headers, Hushpower mufflers in process of going back in. Im replacing the inner fender wells and battery tray, doing a major makeover on the engine compartment while I have it out.
I have to say Jerrett is a great guy to deal with. My timing was terrible on picking up the Blazer, I was setting in his driveway as he pulled in comming home from the hospital from his new baby being born. I felt terrible but we did the deal and we were both happy and on our way..

Jerrett is a really cool guy. Hate to see he sold it, but he'll end up with something else.

Make sure you get the June 8th Forum Get Together on your calendar. It is here in Mooresville. You should bring that sweet Blazer to it. So get that thing back on the road before June!

[mrweld]

Originally Posted by jeffg1010

Jerrett is a really cool guy. Hate to see he sold it, but he'll end up with something else.

Make sure you get the June 8th Forum Get Together on your calendar. It is here in Mooresville. You should bring that sweet Blazer to it. So get that thing back on the road before June!

Funny you said that, I just talked to my wife about Power Tour, start in Chattanooga and drive to Charlotte the 7th. of June so we would be there anyway.. Ill try to do that !!

[skorpioskorpio]

Still planning the fabric top?

[jeffg1010]

Originally Posted by mrweld

Funny you said that, I just talked to my wife about Power Tour, start in Chattanooga and drive to Charlotte the 7th. of June so we would be there anyway.. Ill try to do that !!

Sounds good!

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

Still planning the fabric top?

Yep, SMS sent me samples. I think I am gonna do black/ white houndstooth canvas material. SMS is sponsoring the forums C10 Tour and they are offering forum members 10% off I emailed Rick at slidingragtops.com a few weeks ago to see how much material I would need. When I talked to him on the phone last year he said they could make it with custom material.
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[skorpioskorpio]

I was originally looking at the Webesco electric sliding top to replace the cheesy 70's popup on mine but once I had my Jimmy in hand figured that my top was too saggy to support it. Slidingragtops can make a top that is big enough to eliminate all the sag. My top probably has 2 1/2 to 3 inches of sag in the middle because of the weakened structure caused by the popup, it's enough that it cracked the front support for the Hickey roof rack that is on it. I also have a hole big enough to put 3 fingers through. I had just came to the decision that I'd need a new top, but the full slider could be it's savior. Until you get up so that you can see the top of it, it actually looks, not so bad.

[jeffg1010]

OK, Spring is here. A little work has commenced. Since Sam is only 8 ... and I love this Blazer, I am considering a quick shoot of paint to get it on the road. I am thinking a matte orange with a logo'ed rat rod theme. I can't say I've seen a rat rod Blazer, so it would make for some cool conversation.

My dad had a dozen Blazers through the late 70's and early 80's. They were all company trucks for the coal mine he worked at. In fact, it is partly what made me want a Blazer. SO... I've made a door logo up on the computer that would make the truck logo'ed as the "Westinghouse Coal Mine Safety Team" for his old company. My dad was on the mine safety team when I was a kid (he was the safety man, not a coal miner) The company closed down in the mid-80's and left us living on unemployment for a year...yep, gov't cheese and rice. (WV sucked) Thought it would be a cool tribute to how I grew up. Because growing up there has changed the way I look at my career today. I started my company because I realized at a young age that no matter how hard of a worker you are, you are never safe when it comes to someone else writing your paycheck.

So, here is a couple pics of what is going on.
I got some new trim bands from member bhelton. They are Wheel Vintiques and VERY nice. We are painting the rally's white. (for now)




And, last weekend I loaded up the '68 clip and the single wall top and shipped them to my dads house. On Monday, he took them to work and used some steam pressure cleaning system they have to get the dirt and other crap that was on them cleaned off. He sent me this pic after he was done. I have a few things to do to the top before I paint and my dad says he is going to get the clip ready to paint over the next few weeks. We'll see how it goes! There is a show up there July 17th, so I'd like to take it to it if we get some paint shot.

[Rusbuilt]

Sweet

[jeffg1010]

I believe I mentioned the Craigslist score console on here somewhere. Well, it is finally in the Blazer. I believe the seats will be the next item to receive attention. I am hoping to order the material over the next week while SMS is offering C10 Tour participants a discount.



Also got a picture of it with the new beauty rings...

[jeffg1010]

OK, had some email exchanges with Ben from SMS Fabrics yesterday about the interior and sliding ragtop. SMS Fabrics is offering C10 Tour and board members a discount on materials during the upcoming C10 Tour and Cruise In. So, I want to get this ordered while I can get it cheaper. The seats will be black vinyl with houndstooth inserts. And the sliding ragtop will be a houndstooth vinyl. While I've never seen it done, I am certain it will pop.

Then I spent some time on the phone with Rick from http://www.slidingragtops.com to get quanity estimates so I know how much material to order. So, I have it all wrote out, I just have to place the order. Expect more updates on this soon!



houndstooth vinyl top material



(in case you forgot, sliding ragtop example)




AND, our plan is to shoot some paint on the weekend of June 20th. I believe it is going to be Dupont's version of Tangering Pearlcoat Orange with a matte finish.

I believe slick67 is running this color on his longbed

[k5hart]

Wow! Your moving fast on the old Blazer. That sliding ragtop takes me back to my old mini truck days. I'll be interested to see how it turns out.

[skorpioskorpio]

Just so you are aware, seems the guys who have had those sliding tops done with vinyl have been far less happy with them than those that have had them done in canvas. Now most of this is old reviews from when these were mainly sold through Street Beat Customs, but still, I'd quiz Rick on that.

What size are you going for? I measured out the inset on the inside of the double wall at about 50x80 if I remember correctly. Are you planning to go all the way out to the inset size? This was my plan. I think that makes it like 2" larger than that for the outside hole and again 2" larger than that for the fabric, or something like that.

[Rusbuilt]

Cant wait to see it with some color!!

[jeffg1010]

Originally Posted by k5hart

Wow! Your moving fast on the old Blazer. That sliding ragtop takes me back to my old mini truck days. I'll be interested to see how it turns out.

Yeah, I was a mini truck fan back in the day too. This is the perfect opportunity for a sliding ragtop because if I screw it up... I've got another top

Hey, are you coming out to the C/10 Cruise In on June 8th here in Mooresville? You would have no problem finding it, because it is off of Mazeppa Rd, which is ironically the same road that you take to get to Detroit Speed (where I met ya)

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

Just so you are aware, seems the guys who have had those sliding tops done with vinyl have been far less happy with them than those that have had them done in canvas. Now most of this is old reviews from when these were mainly sold through Street Beat Customs, but still, I'd quiz Rick on that.

What size are you going for? I measured out the inset on the inside of the double wall at about 50x80 if I remember correctly. Are you planning to go all the way out to the inset size? This was my plan. I think that makes it like 2" larger than that for the outside hole and again 2" larger than that for the fabric, or something like that.

That is a good point... I need to ask them the specifics on this material. It has a canvas quality to it. It isn't "vinyl" as we know it for our trucks. But it IS listed as "Vinyl Top Material", so I just need to find out the fabric make up. Do you remember what they disliked about it. I can only assume that is may have cracked and not weathered good.

I was thinking 50"x70". Its been a while since I did the initial measurement, but I will have to look again.