Here is a "Not Your Typical" 4wd Blazer build

[sandking]

I bought this 1972 Blazer last summer to fulfill my "ultimate" vehicle needs. The catch was a limited budget (Do those words even work in the same sentence???). My goal for this is for the Blazer to be able to go in just about any terrain that I want it to. It will not be "the best" at anything, but at least I can do it all to a point. I like the dunes, hardpack desert and street. I come from high speed desert vehicles, trucks and buggies. This Blazer will also prerun and chase for a Class 1 truggy that a friend of mine is also building and hoping for a 2010 season of racing in the MDR series (local So Cal desert racing). Again, this will be a street friendly, all around vehicle. It will have a lower center of gravity then most of the 4x4 you typically see..............

I will be doing 95% of this work myself. The only things I need to send out to be done will be the transmission work, gearing in both axles and then the machining in the motor. Enough of the boring stuff, here are my plans.........

Full cage front to rear, top to bottom. All to be done in 1.75x.120 DOM tubing.

The front will be using the stock 44 axle (until it breaks), 14" coilovers, raduis arms, pan hard and x-over steering. It should pull about 15" of travel (not articulation).

The rear will also use the stock 12 bolt (until it breaks) and have a 4-link design with a cantileever shock set-up. I do not want the shocks to go through the bed, thats the reason for the canti design. I should be able to pull 20"-22" of travel easily with this setup.

The motor will be the original motor, but I will build it to about 400-420 hp. It will have a nice cam, aluminum heads, intake, upgraded valve train, headers, etc.

For the trans, I will be removing the 4-speed and the 205 it has now and replacing it with a th350 with the 205 xfer case. I will have the trans fitted with upgraded cltches and a manual/auto valve body. I want the auto for the luxury and the ability for my wife to drive occaisionally (sp?)

The interior will have PRP suspension seats. Buckets in the front and a 42" bench in the rear. I will have four 4-point harnesses also.

Tires are 35x12.50x15 BFG A/T with cheapie steel "Soft 8" wheels.

Here are some pics. I only have limited time and budget to do this, it will be a long build. These first pics are how it looked before I started............

[sandking]

Although these pics may not be in order, here are some progress pics........

[sandking]

More.............

[sandking]

More...........

[19gmc67]

thats one hell of a cage,keep up the great work

[sandking]

More.........

[uno67]

very sweet
subscribing to this one

[sandking]

These last few are the way it sits now...........

[sandking]

And last for now.............

[sandking]

Thanks for the kind words!! It is a work in progress. Some parts still need more bracing and/or plating. Someday, someday..............

[PBFAB.COM]

VERY impressive!!!!

First off... you have some tube bending skills! What notcher are you using?

[vtblazer]

Very sweet front section!

Definitely watching this one and steeling some ideas.

X2 on the tubing skills, nice.

[Rokcrln]

WOW!

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[Chevyman63]

Very nice...and impressive as well.

[ChiefRocka]

Great job....I was going to ask about the notcher as well....in the market for a good one...

[sandking]

Thanks for the kind words. The notcher is the JD Notchmaster. The best $249 I have ever spent.

[ChiefRocka]

Originally Posted by sandking

Thanks for the kind words. The notcher is the JD Notchmaster. The best $249 I have ever spent.

Cool man...I have a JD model 4 bender....have had it for about a year, and still haven't used it...still need a pump for it.

I will look into that notcher, when the time comes.

[nightmare]

Very nice indeed. Should be a very stout rig once finished.

One question though, how are you going to be able to get to the engine? From what I can tell, there's only one removable piece to allow for access.

[sandking]

You're right. The front bar right now is removable. The bar going across from shock mount to shock mount will have "tube connectors". I have not installed those yet untill my upper shock mounts are officially in place. These are the connectors.......

[Jtrux]

That's pretty impressive.

[Big J]

Awesome project. Looks like a solid start to a solid rig. How much room would it take up if you did go through the rear floor to mount the coilovers? Just wondering.

[nightmare]

Originally Posted by sandking

You're right. The front bar right now is removable. The bar going across from shock mount to shock mount will have "tube connectors". I have not installed those yet untill my upper shock mounts are officially in place. These are the connectors.......

Cool. I figured that this was thought of, but it never hurts to ask. Good build.

[BACKYARD88]

Holy cow! That's a lot of tubing Looks good

[tdkosta]

Wow- I can't wait to see this one finished. How much time do you have into this one? Nice job!

Can you build a tube around my 4 year old for me? He's always getting banged up after running full speed into everything. It doesn't have to have the tube connectors to let him out, I'll just leave it permanently attached to him.

[sandking]

Originally Posted by Big J

Awesome project. Looks like a solid start to a solid rig. How much room would it take up if you did go through the rear floor to mount the coilovers? Just wondering.

Its not really a space issue, its just that in order for a 2.5 coilover to go through the floor, you need at least a 6" hole. This being somewhat street legal and my daughter sitting in the back, I dont want debris going through the hole. Besides, it will allow alot more noise too. I suppose I could box around it, but I think the cantileever would be a different touch while being quite affective.