Off-roading makes me sad

[Bigb401]

I always feel sad when I see these old blazers cut up and getting thrashed from rock climbing and mudding! Don't get me wrong I love off-roading and grew up mudding trucks. I know blazers were ment to be a utility vehicle and go anywhere was there motto, but there just aren't as many of them as there are trucks. And being that they have alot of body flex and such I would think a shortbed pickup would be a better application. I'm not raggin on anyone or upset at anyone and I'm all for guys havin fun with there rides however they do it (that's the whole goal) but it just makes me a little sad to see these old blazers get beat up. I was just wonderin what everyone else thinks and just wrote this to be a conversation piece. Not tryin to offend anyone.
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[SamMargritz00]

to be honost i hardly ever see anyone tear up a 1st gen blazer. couple pictures and videos ive seen but in person i only see old trucks and 70's and 80's blazer. I used to use mine sledding behind it in a pasture in the snow, wheelin' on the beach and sand dunes, but never hardcore offroading. now that i restored it, it will hardly ever see dirt again, maybe the beach during summer at the lake.

[orangek5]

Originally Posted by Bigb401

I always feel sad when I see these old blazers cut up and getting thrashed from rock climbing and mudding! Don't get me wrong I love off-roading and grew up mudding trucks. I know blazers were ment to be a utility vehicle and go anywhere was there motto, but there just aren't as many of them as there are trucks. And being that they have alot of body flex and such I would think a shortbed pickup would be a better application. I'm not raggin on anyone or upset at anyone and I'm all for guys havin fun with there rides however they do it (that's the whole goal) but it just makes me a little sad to see these old blazers get beat up. I was just wonderin what everyone else thinks and just wrote this to be a conversation piece. Not tryin to offend anyone.
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I do. But because of rust more then anything.

[Burt4x4]

YYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
The only time offroading has made me sad is when I brake my rig

As for my trail trophys (dents) I'll fix thoes some time down the road after my road trips slowdown
My rig is my rig fer life so I can make it into whatever I want. I could even spend a year and turn it into a 2x4 street queen...
Naa I like the mountains too much!

[Firebirdjones]

We off road ours, but it's for recreational purposes only. Living up in the mountains we enjoy the old ghost towns, metal detecting, old mining camps and basically just the history around here. We've also spent time up at Moab, but nothing too extreme.

Mine is too nice to tear up, so we stick to fire roads, (some are rather rough) and alot of roads aren't maintained (think wagon trails ) some are very rocky. We take our time and enjoy it. Sometimes we climb a hill or two but I'm in no way interested in finding out the limitations of the blazer and I won't risk scratching the paint or tossing a rock up into the lower rockers. Generally we find a spot, get out and hike around if the trail gets too tight. Besides, it's my daily driver, I can't risk breaking it, and paint jobs are expensive

We also only go out during the weekdays, to avoid unwanted traffic. Believe it or not, it actually gets a little busy on the weekends out in the middle of nowhere. People from the valley come up to escape the heat. Alot of them drive like idiots back there (I nearly killed one, long story). I also don't want to risk getting rocks and things tossed at me,,,,that's just how people drive up there. No respect for property.

So if it makes ya feel better, mine will be around a long time to come.

[Firebirdjones]

As a matter of fact, here is a pic of just last weekend (Friday morning) that I posted in another thread. My son wanted to go out and do some shooting, so we went up in the mountains and found a nice spot to ourselves and had some fun.

[BOHICA]

What I hate seeing is people turn 4x4 Blazers into 2WD. To me that's like buying a V6 Mustang (a few years ago when they sucked) or putting 26" chrome wheels with rubber band tires on a 4x4 truck, it defeats the purpose. Plus, it's harder to switch it back to 4WD than vice versa since there are so many 2WD trucks.

But, it's their vehicle to do with as they wish.

[Firebirdjones]

2wd blazers are nice, and I can understand why people convert (hard to find them) but honestly I have no use for them. I have plenty of 2wd cars to drive here so a 2wd blazer wouldn't be any different.

I need a 4x4 in the stable, for possible snow, mountain adventures etc...I also need a daily driver, one that is roomy enough for the entire family, comfortable for long road and vacation trips with room for luggage, I also like the security of having some real steel around me and the ability to jump the curb and go off pavement if need be

The blazer fits all those catagories for us.

[BOHICA]

Exactly. I mean, not to bash on them, but a 2WD convertible is a dime a dozen, whereas a full convertible 4x4 truck is a little bit hard to find.

I'm not a big fan of cutting up the Blazers, but really, I think I've seen maybe 2 first gens. that were heavily cut. A lot of the stuff like cut fenders is easily fixed. I don't count modifying anything forward of the firewall since that stuff's easily replaced.

I'm trying to keep from cutting on the body of mine too much, but truth be told these things are too dangerous if they roll over, so I definitely plan on putting a cage in. Hopefully, it'll just be 6 or 8 holes cut in the floor, but we'll see. It's kind of hard to design a removable cage independent of the body without being a little bit invasive.

I am planning on doing some heavy off roading out west here in a couple years when my truck's finished, but only because it'll get painted after that and I'll fix any body damage incurred.

[Firebirdjones]

If we really plan to romp around and tear stuff up, we jump in the sand rail. What I would really like to have to keep the blazer from going off road at all, is one of those Polaris XP 4 seater side-by-sides ($15k YIKES!!) but what makes more sense for us is to find a cheap ($2K or less) late 70's 4x4 pickup truck that I don't mind getting banged here or there, throw a cap on,,,then blow up a matress to lay back there and go camping...

[BOHICA]

Yeah. My thought process with the Blazer when I got out of school and got a job was like "hey, why don't I get this thing running?" Then I was like, "Hmm, I wonder if the bed is long enough for me to sleep in..." "Oh, it is? Let's see... 4x4 that looks cool, a truck I can camp in, I've been wanting to take a cross country trip since I was in high school and now I've got something I can explore trails with. Yep, I'm fixing this thing up and driving around the country for a couple months or as long as I can afford it."

A 4Runner would be cheaper and more practical, but screw it, you only live once.

This is the stuff I'm wanting to do:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/adve...nd-trails.html

I'm praying that in a couple years when I'm ready, I'll be able to find a couple guys to meet up with me and hit some trails. Really not comfortable doing that alone.

[Firebirdjones]

I only had time to look at the first couple of pics,,,but that looks just like Arizona

[Bigb401]

Ya I know what you mean about the two wheel drive conversions. I'm not interested in them myself but I still think there cool because of there uniqueness. But like one of you guys said its harder to convert them back. Lol we all know it's easier to disassemble than reassemble lol. @firebirdjones- sounds like fun!
When I was younger mudding was big for me and all my friends. We wanted lotsa power, big lifts and tires and a good drive train. We also wanted it to look sharp, it's hard to keep a truck looking pretty when your making it work hard as a mud truck, but I was a teenager, what did I know anyway! We would go mudding on our buddies farms in the thick muddy cornfields in the fall and hit up the swamps seeing who's trucks could go the farthest and get stuck the least. When I was 16 and looking for a truck that's when I learned about the first gen blazer. ( i had never seen one before, I live in Wisconsin and rust is common here!) I thought they were the coolest and wanted one so bad, but since there were none around I found a 86 3/4t pickup and did the lift engine and tranny and bunch of other stuff. Looking back now (I'm 29 now so it wasn't to long ago but long enough) I'm glad I didn't have a nice blazer cause I woulda ruined it. I'm not a body guy so I don't know how to fix rust or dents. Since I was 16 I always would look online at the blazers and tell my friends I'd one day have one. Last year I ended up getting one from California that is pretty darn sharp. It needs a bunch of work still but is drivable and nice looking. Basically just alot of stuff is wore out or faded and needs replacing and updating. I plan on only driving in the spring summer and fall and garage it in winter. (I fear rust) I just want to keep it nice and make it last. Drive around the weekends, cruise up to the beach, take it up north on some dirt roads in the Wisconsin outback to check out the scenery. But I don't want to take it mudding or rock climbing cause like I said, I want it to stay nice and don't want dings or dents or rust to start. I guess if I was a body guy and new how to fix those things I might feel different
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[Bigb401]

I'm all for customizing but what I really hate is when peaple cut them up. When I want to customize somthing I always make it so you can go back to the way it was if need be.
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[Bigb401]

Originally Posted by Burt4x4

YYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
The only time offroading has made me sad is when I brake my rig

As for my trail trophys (dents) I'll fix thoes some time down the road after my road trips slowdown
My rig is my rig fer life so I can make it into whatever I want. I could even spend a year and turn it into a 2x4 street queen...
Naa I like the mountains too much!

I wasn't sayin not to do it. That's a nice rig. It's cool you can do body work to fix it yourself. I would have to pay someone.
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[Bigb401]

Originally Posted by Firebirdjones

As a matter of fact, here is a pic of just last weekend (Friday morning) that I posted in another thread. My son wanted to go out and do some shooting, so we went up in the mountains and found a nice spot to ourselves and had some fun.

Nice truck!!!!!!
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[noco-k5]

Interesting discussion. I'm new to the Blazer world, but very familiar with muscle cars and you always have the numbers matching crowd versus the guys that will do anything for more horsepower and faster times. I think the first generation Blazers are pretty unique so I won't be cutting mine up.

[Bigb401]

Originally Posted by noco-k5

Interesting discussion. I'm new to the Blazer world, but very familiar with muscle cars and you always have the numbers matching crowd versus the guys that will do anything for more horsepower and faster times. I think the first generation Blazers are pretty unique so I won't be cutting mine up.

Good to hear! numbers matching doesn't concern me to much and I dont need a show truck. But I do like a clean nice ride that is basically original.
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[Bigb401]

Welcome to the board! Lots of good info and ideas for whatever you have planned for your blazer. Good place to find hard-to-find parts too and good vendors! I'm pretty new here too but I find this forum a necessity and helpful. Lots a good peaple too!
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[turp mcspray]

I had a lot of fun, and looked good doing it. My balls still ache from kicking myself afterwards! I'm trying to make up for it by doing a frame off , every last nut and bolt rebuild, on my other blazer!

[Firebirdjones]

Originally Posted by Bigb401

I want it to stay nice and don't want dings or dents or rust to start. I guess if I was a body guy and new how to fix those things I might feel different
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You probably wouldn't feel different. I'm a body/paint guy and I still don't care to go out and tear my stuff up. It's alot of time and money, even just materials are very expensive now. Does that make ya feel better?

[Firebirdjones]

Originally Posted by noco-k5

Interesting discussion. I'm new to the Blazer world, but very familiar with muscle cars and you always have the numbers matching crowd versus the guys that will do anything for more horsepower and faster times. I think the first generation Blazers are pretty unique so I won't be cutting mine up.

I fit both of those catagories. I'm more of a muscle car guy, with both numbers matching stuff and one that I squeak ever bit of HP out of. (probably why I don't fit into any particular club very well)
But when it came to the blazer, I didn't care too much about numbers matching and was more concerned with power and drivability,,,so I stuck one of these in

[Firebirdjones]

Originally Posted by turp mcspray

I had a lot of fun, and looked good doing it. My balls still ache from kicking myself afterwards! I'm trying to make up for it by doing a frame off , every last nut and bolt rebuild, on my other blazer!

Holy crap

[Bigb401]

Originally Posted by Firebirdjones

I fit both of those catagories. I'm more of a muscle car guy, with both numbers matching stuff and one that I squeak ever bit of HP out of. (probably why I don't fit into any particular club very well)
But when it came to the blazer, I didn't care too much about numbers matching and was more concerned with power and drivability,,,so I stuck one of these in

Your pic didn't show.
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[tples k5]

I especially love taking mine out just cruising the streets on a hot summer night, top down, 4x4 high in the air. I get a lot of thumbs up, It's like driving a big boat but on land. I used to off road before fixing it up, now I just go with my friends and let them tear their 4x4's up.