tjs 72 Blazer Build

[DeadheadNM]

Nice!! Curious if 15" OEM steel wheels share same diameter center and could be harvested to build the same.

[tjsblazer]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Nice!! Curious if 15" OEM steel wheels share same diameter center and could be harvested to build the same.

Unfortunately not. It sure would make it easier, there is a pile of 15x6 rims out there.

In rough measurements the 16" factory wheel centers are 15.625. The 15" factory centers are only 15.125". All 16" aftermarket hoops are 15.5" in the valley. They can't build the feet of the 15" centers up enough to work.
When using the 16" centers they actually turn them down slightly so they will fit in the new hoop. They then lay a big bead of weld behind the foot to strengthen where it was machined down slightly. Finally they press them in setting the back space, true them up, and weld them in.

[grillzy]

Where did you have those done?

[tjsblazer]

Originally Posted by grillzy

Where did you have those done?

Stockton Wheel

[hemi43]

Was that the rims I was looking for at Syracuse last year?

[tjsblazer]

Originally Posted by hemi43

Was that the rims I was looking for at Syracuse last year?

Those 16x5 originals. Yes.

[Maximus]

fantastic build. Most people would be happy to just own and drive the truck you started with (as I would!), im sure even more people would kill for the finished product you end up with. Good to see that the classics that are getting picked up and shipped north are at least being well cared for!

[72K5CSTDarkOlive]

Nicely done on the wheels! I'm jeally

[jlsanborn]

Appreciate what you're doing there with the wheels. That's a lot of messin for poverty caps They're exactly what you wanted and will look sharp!

[tjsblazer]

Originally Posted by 72K5CSTDarkOlive

Nicely done on the wheels! I'm jeally

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

Appreciate what you're doing there with the wheels. That's a lot of messin for poverty caps They're exactly what you wanted and will look sharp!

Thanks guys. It is just one of a few things I really got hung up on when I was planning it out. It wasn't exactly cost effective but really not much about a nut and bolt frame off type resto is no matter what you are doing.

[tjsblazer]

Originally Posted by Maximus

fantastic build. Most people would be happy to just own and drive the truck you started with (as I would!), im sure even more people would kill for the finished product you end up with. Good to see that the classics that are getting picked up and shipped north are at least being well cared for!

I liked the truck the way it was. It was well cared for over the years and spent most of its life with the original owner. Second owner only had it for about 3 years before I got it. I just always have a need to make my vehicles my own after I get them regardless of what they start out like. So far so good ...

[tjsblazer]

So the interior was painted on Friday evening as we thought it would. The body shop owner sent me this picture after they removed it from the booth on Sunday night. Bright eh !!!

It was in the booth again this afternoon when I stopped by just getting the top of the dash painted black so I couldn't get anymore pictures.

Now that they are painting colour it is moving along reasonably well. Fingers crossed they will paint the exterior this Friday.

They said they want to paint the tub, hood, tailgate, fenders, doors, basically all exterior pieces at the same time. He says they will do the Tub in one booth and all the other loose exterior pieces in their second booth. His reasoning is that while the paint mix is the same regardless, however, painting all the exterior panels at the same time ensures the enviromental conditions are identical which can contribute to how the paint looks.
I don't know much about painting but with the little I do, he seems to very diligent in everything they have done so far.

[IronCanine]

Looks great. Nice and shiny!

[tjsblazer]

Originally Posted by IronCanine

Looks great. Nice and shiny!

Thanks. You had a hard act to follow there.

[hemi43]

Looks great Jeff !! You'll have this thing on the road for the May 24 weekend. LOL

[tjsblazer]

Originally Posted by hemi43

Looks great Jeff !! You'll have this thing on the road for the May 24 weekend. LOL

Ha, not a chance. Hopefully sometime this summer. It will depend on how much truck time I get outside of Work and Family. Wiring and Assembly is all on me ...

[DeadheadNM]

Nice progress - any plans for undercoating?

[tjsblazer]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Nice progress - any plans for undercoating?

Pete the underside of both the Inner Fenders and Rear wheel well area are going to get a black bed-liner (Linex or something similar) just to toughen them up from stone chips.

This is strictly going to be a Summer time fun vehicle so it will be pampered.
The paint is covering at least as much as was removed during soda blasting and sanding. I may spray inside some of the U -channel shape floor reinforcements, etc. a dripless type rust coating. This will just prevent any possible rusty orange coloured bleeding if something way deep got missed.

[East Tex]

Very nice work sir. Subscribed

[gringoloco]

Dig it. Lots.

[tjsblazer]

Went to the platers today to pick up some hardware and other small parts I was getting redone in zinc. They only had the clear done. I have a bunch of other stuff being done in black zinc but it wasn't ready yet.

Mostly hardware for seatbelts, heater boxes, locksets, and the tailgate latches and handle and the ashtray which came out really nice. The face of the ashtray and handle will have to be scuffed to get repainted body colour.

[DeadheadNM]

Love it! Hatch latches also? Please post pics of the black zinc pieces when done.

[tjsblazer]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Love it! Hatch latches also? Please post pics of the black zinc pieces when done.

Pete, the Top for me will be a project for next winter. It is actually in really good shape but I will have to give it the once over to match the truck once all redone. My goal is to just get the truck back together and running asap for this year if at all possible.
The way the tailgate latches and handle turned out I think you could do just about anything. I did the fuel filler pipe earlier with the Chassis stuff if you remember from a previous picture. Plating like this will not flow inside areas too much or in between layers so that is its limitation. For the tailgate latches there isn't new zinc on the inside under the rubbers that gets exposed when you compress the latch bolt and spring because it can't flow under that but I didn't media blast it under there to start with and that is all well buried inside the tailgate that you will never see after assembly.

So far I'm loving everything I have replated. I will post pictures of the black probably on the weekend. I got way more done this time around in it.
The Blazer speaker grill is what I'm most anxious to see how it turned out.

[tjsblazer]

Wheel pics for Paul

First pic you can see the lower bead that is simply to the backside of the original foot.
Second pic shows at the left edge of the weld you can see where the foot has been turned down a bit.
Third pic is just a wide shot of the whole area.

The guy I dealt with indicated that while that reinforcement weld bead may not be necessary, he always liked to do it that way in this scenario.

[jlsanborn]

Man the plating is awesome! Was the $$ painful? I'd love to do some of my bits and pieces up like that.