New Blazer project. And a question....

[67Steven]

Well, not a lot of questions. After searching and searching, I finally found (read: got tired of looking) a blazer project for the family to work on.

It is a 1972 CST Cheyenne packaged truck. It was last licensed in 1986, and apparently has been torn apart since then in a shop. Looks as though most of the parts are there, minus the dash and steering column that were kept by the lying piece of **** guy I bought it from. (Story for later)



The body seems in really good condition, and except for the rust through I found on the inner rocker, I have found just surface rust. The original PO had stripped the body, primed it and then it sat. The fenders and doors are PERFECT.



He had also cut holes in the floor for an extra fuel tank, so I will be looking for a small patch panel I can weld back in.



The top is not so good, I will try to rehab it, I have wanted an excuse to play with fiberglass and resin. Here is my son helping out:



Question: Can I cut back on the floor, remove and replace the inner rocker and patch the floor back in without removing the outer rocker, as it looks solid? (Except the pin holes, heh)






The drivers side floor/inner rocker looks the worst, but I am going to do both sides.

Couple more pics:

[VA72C10]

looks like a solid blazer to start with.

[jjbiggers2]

i would just replace the outer as well

[Tom Vogel]

Wow... that is/was a highly optioned truck. Id geit it media blasted and cover it with epoxy primer/sealer first. That will stop the rust progress and show you what youve really got in the rust damage department. Thats what the previous owner should have done to begin with. Standard primers have a porous texture to get the color coat to adhere to... it also invites moisture penitration in a big way and should go over the epoxy primer base coat.

[1949gmc]

Originally Posted by 67Steven

Question: Can I cut back on the floor, remove and replace the inner rocker and patch the floor back in without removing the outer rocker, as it looks solid? (Except the pin holes, heh)

Trying to get to the inner rocker would be a sincere PITA without having the outer out of the way. The inner rocker gets sandwiched in between the outer rocker and the torsion box. If the inner is already rusted thru, the outer may not be far behind. If it were me, I'd get the outer rocker removed and work on it that way.... it also gives you a chance to see what else is going on in there (A pillar).

[67Steven]

Thanks for the replies!

I have read a few threads on rocker replacement to get familiar with the task, and I have a few questions:

I believe I need the outer floor patch panel, inner rocker and outer rocker, is that correct? (barring unforeseen pillar issues) Is Goodmark a decent brand? Recommendations?

Would there be any issues with putting the truck on the rotisserie before I cut into the floor? The body is not bolted to the frame, just sitting on top.

I only plan on cutting one side at a time, does this necessitate I brace the dash/firewall cowl area before working on it?

Thanks again.

[FRENCHBLUE72]

I would brace the whole tub if your going to put it on a rotisserie. Also that is a single wall top hard to find in oregon as far as parts give wes a call at classic heartbeat he is very close to us oregon folks..

[Jtrux]

Sucks that he kept the tach dash and tilt!

[67Steven]

Originally Posted by Jtrux

Sucks that he kept the tach dash and tilt!

Yeah. Story warning. I looked at this blazer last year when the guy (Jim)had it sitting in a shed with tons of crap around it. He had bought it, I think drove it for a while and then tore it apart, where it sat for years. He had all the parts, including the dash and tilt wheel. The only thing missing he said was the windshield, which was cracked anyway.

We did not come to an agreement on price, and I continued searching.

About a month ago, it came back up on craigslist, with a much lower price. Before I could get out there, it sold. The new owner (Ethan) put it back up for sale on craigslist, with a price close to what I wanted to pay. Called him up, talked to him at length about it. Asked him what he knew was missing, and he told me the windshield for sure, but 98% of the parts were there. I asked if it was a true CST and he said yes, so I said it comes with a tilt column, correct? He said yes. Made an offer, and he accepted.

My brother and I went out last Sunday to pick it up. He had the frame at his house, and the body and parts a mile or so away at his shop. Since I had inspected the body before, we went ahead and did the title and bill of sale. While filling out the paperwork, I noticed he had two dashes sitting on his tool box at his house. I asked if that was the dash for the truck, as I didn't want to come back to pick it up, he said no, all the parts are at the shop. (my first mistake, I trusted him)

So off we went, loaded the tub onto the frame, then the three of us started loading boxes of parts into the pickup. I was not going through the parts like I should have, (mistake #2) once again trusting that Ethan was honest. Finished, we strapped down and left for home. Once home, we unloaded and started a quick inventory of the major parts, that's when I noticed the dash and steering column were missing. At this point, I thought I had left them at the shop, so I called Ethan to let him know.

He blind-sides me with the statement "The column and dash didn't come with the truck" I was incredulous. I reminded him that I asked specifically about the column, and he says "I must have misunderstood the question" Then he says "They were sold by the PO before I bought the truck"

I decided to call Jim, the PO and I asked him if he in fact sold the dash and column before he sold the truck, and he said no, the column and dash along with the rest of the parts went with the blazer.

So, Ethan is a lying, @#%$** , &^#($&%^@!, (&*^(&^@#$(, !@&&$(#() and I am short a column and dash.

Morale of the story- trust no one and verify everything!

[packers05]

man what a ripoff, at least you have a great body to show for all that bs. BTW Those shocks are coooool.

[chevyblazer]

nice blazer did you get it with dose axles what kind is the front end

[67Steven]

Originally Posted by chevyblazer

nice blazer did you get it with dose axles what kind is the front end

Thanks. Yes the Dana 44 front and the craptastic Eaton rear came with the truck.

[pumpkin]

Why so negative about the eaton? I think they are the best truck diff out there. The only downside I can think about is the limmited gear selection, but I like 4.56's so it works fine for me. They are the strongest diff that bolts in there, and with a little trimming have more ground clearance than a 12 bolt.

[JimmyFloyd]

Yeah, your choices for the rear eaton are 4.10, 4.56, and 5.13. I sold a 5.13 No spin recently, but still have it at the house awaiting pick up if you'd like pictures. they are strong axles, and great if you plan to offroad them.

I would replace the outer rocker as well. In the picture you can see 3 small rust holes starting on the right side in the middle. Remove the inner and outer rockers, blast (if possible) and then coat the inside of the Torsion boxes (POR15 or similar) to stop more rust there, and then button it back up.

[67Steven]

Well, I am not really that negative on the Eaton, it just seems when compared to the 14 bolt that parts are more expensive and less readily available.

I had one in my 71 'burb, and it worked fine, but when it came time to re-gear and convert to disc brakes it was less expensive to buy the 14 bolt than convert the Eaton.

[JimmyFloyd]

I guess it would depend on what you want to do. I know you can use a 14 bolt detroit posi in it if you use 14 bolt axles.

You can also do disc brake swaps:
http://www.blackbirdscustomtrucks.co...x7.html#5eaton
http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/...ket-p-289.html


The eaton also has a smaller pumpkin, giving you more center clearance than a 14 bolt or a D60.

The hard parts to find are the Drum brake parts, but if you are swapping to disc, this is a non-issue. Also the "Quick change" axle is nice if you do on road and off road (it's not really quick, but easier than others.)

Here is some more info on the axles:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=455020
http://pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=771317

Not trying to convince you, just putting this info here for others to find if they search.

[67Steven]

Originally Posted by JimmyFloyd

I guess it would depend on what you want to do. I know you can use a 14 bolt detroit posi in it if you use 14 bolt axles.
-SNIP-
Not trying to convince you, just putting this info here for others to find if they search.

Thanks for the information! I knew you could do the disc brakes, but had no idea you could run 14 bolt axles.

I was under the impression that the bearings and seals (especially the pinion parts) were hard to find and costly, but maybe that is not the case any more. I will do a little more research before I decide to keep or sell the Eaton- Thanks!