New Life for an Old Goose

[Yukon Jack]

Wow, wow, WOW!!!!!

If you couldn't tell, I like it!

[IGOR]

That is just plain gorgeous! - I love the Road Armor bumper - and problems mounting that up?

[vtblazer]

Most excellent!

Nice work, enjoy the summer!

[Green Monster]

Impressive. The trimmed wheel well openings went unoticed until I saw the lines drawn on the body when it was primered. Well done.

[aztxk5]

Wow I am in awe! Could you help a brother out and tell me exactly what you ordered fron S&W. Also did you kick the main hoop on an angle or did it come that way? It makes for a more sporty look. Great job!

[Yukon Jack]

That bumper is sweet, post up some more close ups of it when you can.

[NuBomb]

Drooling on the keyboard. That thing looks awesome. Great job!

[72CSTC5]

Dude that thing looks like a Monster I bet going down the road. Excellent job. I bet you cant wipe the smile off of your face if you had to.

[onpman]

That thing is FREAKIN AWESOME! I've been putting together a scrapbook with bits and pieces for over three years of stuff I've wanted to include on my blazer.....yours has everything....EXACTLY the way I wanted to do mine.

[Bluegoose972]

Thanks guys...More pictures to come this weekend. Wait until you see the rear bumper and the interior.....I'll leave you in suspense!!!!

As for the question on the SW Cage. I ordered their kit for this model year...straight from the catelog. I had the rear kickdowns bent at a muffler shop since I didn't like the straight up look. As for the angle toward the back, that was something I added. You hit it on the head...gives a sportier look. The cage is actually welded to the window frame to give more support to the window and firewall from the cage itself.

[Bluegoose972]

Well, here they are guys...Lots of pictures. Three years in the making.

The first if of my door panel. Purchased the panel from Roddoors and it is made to fit our year of trucks. Installed power windows so there is no handle and the switch is mounted in the center console. Everything is covered in Marine Grade Vinyl, including the Ostrich Skin which is also Vinyl. Adds a nice touch.

The second picture is of the power seats. The interior shop did a nice job of tying in the vinyl on the doors and console. The carpet is a little lighter than I would prefer, but still looks good.

The third picture is also of the driver side interior. You can see how the dash was covered with the same Ostrich vinyl. Notice the notch above the stereo. The stereo has a pop-up screen which was hitting the dash pad. We notched out the dash pad then covered everything in vinyl. Turned out better than I expected.

Fourth picture is of the gauges. I've shown pics of this before. They have red lense covers and light up red at night.

The last picture is of the center console. This was an afterthought and turned out nicely. Mounted the light switches and the window switches here along with a boot for the transfer case and a couple of cup holders. Inside the center console is another compartment which has been sealed and insulated and can hold a six pack of pop or water and ice. It has a drain spot out the bottom, to the floor.

[Bluegoose972]

First picture is of the rear seat from a minivan. Again, the interior shop did a nice job of intergrating the vinyl design. Still need seat belts.

The next picture is of the side view of the truck. Has a nice stance. From here, you can see the triming of the fenders. Tried to have them blended in as much as practical and you have to look to notice.

The third picture is of the bikini top. I wanted it to extend to the back and protect the rear passengers. We ended up using the convertible top hoops and running it all the way back. It snaps in position and can be removed in under a minute is I want. Saving the convertible top for the winter season.

[Bluegoose972]

Here is the front bumper. I purchased it for a 73-87 Blazer/Pickup from RoadArmor. Had to modify the mounts and trim the front frame horns, but it fits up nicely. Notice the small lights on the top inside corners. These are LED turn signals from a motorcycle that I purchased on the internet. They are something a little different and didn't require any special mounting. They are pretty bright without being very large. Had the "Roadarmor" emblem painted the same color as the truck and the bumper was also painted (not powder coated). I decided to try paint with the idea that I could easily touch it up if it gets scratched. Might end up powder coating it later, but for now it works well.

From the last picture, you can see how the sides fit to the body. There is a slight gap, but with my tire combo, I fits nicely. After receiving the bumper from RoadArmor, all the interior joints were rewelded. They do a nice job of welding and finishing off the outside visible portion, but don't feel they need to weld up the opposite, interior seams. I wanted it all welded and it took about 8 hours to get it prepped, welded, and prepped again for paint.

[Bluegoose972]

Here's the rear bumper. I designed this unit and between myself and two different shops (one built a portion of the bumper and the other assisted in fitting it to the truck), we built what my mind was envisioning. The lower bumper is made of 8"x3" C-Channel with the ends beveled 18" from each side. The top as a piece of diamond plate welded in position and then end caps were applied. I receiver hitch assembly was found at a wrecking yard and cut down to fit between two 1/2" plate mounting brackets on the rear, providing lateral stability. The hinge assembly is from "rockcrusher"? in Colorado and works great. I fab'd the top section so that the tire would sit at an angle (sportier looking) and would also leave room for the 60" high-lift jack assembly. There is a speed bolt on the end of the swing out carrier so that the system bolts down in place and doesn't move or rattle while driving. I still need to mount a couple of brackets for my "D" rings on the back then it will be complete.

[Bluegoose972]

A couple more photos. The front corner from two diferent looks. Kinda menacing, eh? And with 500 hp on tap and 40 series flow masters, it sounds as menacing as it looks!

Thanks for the support guys...Couldn't have done it without you.

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Looks damn good congrats on all the hard work paying off.

[72CSTC5]

WOW, talk about freaking awesome. Very, very nice.

[IGOR]

That Blazer is among the top 10 nicest I've ever seen - maybe even top 5 -

Very cool!

[onpman]

Thanks for the great write up and all the pictures....this is just what I needed to motivate me to get my three year project finished. I hope mine will turn out as nice as yours did when I'm finished. I've got a couple of questions if you don't mind.

1. With the six inches of lift and 36' what is your overall height to top of the windshield frame? ( Will it fit in your garage without airing down the tires? )

2. How much did the weight of the bumpers affect overall ride height?

3.Did you start with a S@W six point cage and modify from there or did you start with an eight point cage?

Thanks again and enjoy your AWESOME ride

[orangeuavol]

Awsome!

[Medicanman71]

Awsome pics, Awsome Blazer! Thanks for posting

ROLL BAR POSTS
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...9&postcount=52
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...3&postcount=55

Originally Posted by Bluegoose972

Yes...That's a SW Cage. I made a few mods and didn't add all the pieces. Very happy with the final results. I had the rear kick downs bent at a muffler shop since I didn't want them running all the way to the top bar. I had it powdercoated black at a local shop and will have padding all the way around when it's done.

[krue]

Great Blazer! I love the bumpers!

[Bluegoose972]

ONPMAN...To address some of your questions:

1. With the six inches of lift and 36' what is your overall height to top of the windshield frame? ( Will it fit in your garage without airing down the tires? )

I'll try and get the measurement tonight. I barely fit. With the bikini top on, I rub on the rubber trim around the door. My driveway is on an incline, which helps for the rollcage to clear before the rear tires jump up onto the slab for the garage....You know your tight when that occurs.

2. How much did the weight of the bumpers affect overall ride height?
I really have no idea. Everything was done in stages and I never measured the height without the bumpers in position. I'd guess that the overall height dropped about an inch, after both bumpers were installed and the spare tire was mounted (close to 100# for the spare alone)

3.Did you start with a S@W six point cage and modify from there or did you start with an eight point cage?
Started with one of their eight point cages. Actually ended up with several extra bars. I just used the pieces I wanted then discarded the rest. If I was going to be doing any real 4 wheeling, I'd probably add some gussets and some additonal cross bracing as an added measure of safety.

[Pop's72]

Simply Beautiful

So what's the next project?

[boundstaffpress]

That looks amazing. I love the leather interior.