72/68 blazer 4x4 dream/nightmare

[Madtrucker]

So back in march I had this blazer shipped from AZ to MI after looking at junk for months. I had my uncle and cousin check it out, they assured me it was great truck that ran and drove flawlessly. They drove the truck 150 miles on the freeway with no issues and parked it til pickup a week later. Unfortunately after getting the truck i've had nothing but problems. It had wicked vibrations, would max out at 35mph, the wiring is a joke, trans wont up shift to 3rd, and who knows what else i'll find. This was supposed to be a fun summer driver while i finished building a jeep.

The blazer has a stock 350, 700r4 and 205 tc. It has a 4" lift with 35" bfg's and so far i had the rear geared with 4:56 and a detroit trutrac.

Future plans include possible trans overhall, installing my 355 roller motor with 350-400hp, front gears, wheels/tires, interior work, body and paint. I plan on using it mostly for shows and cruises with an occasional laid back trail ride.

[flashed]

Sorry to hear about your problems but it sure looks good .

[briank]

I would rather start with a solid rust free body than a good runner.....both would be nice. I understand that you were told about how well it rode and drove. Looks good though, you'll work out the bugs.

[Madtrucker]

I managed to install 2008 rear tahoe seats with integrated shoulder belts for the kids. I made some brackets for $30 instead of the $100-150 online. They flip forward and remove which makes them nice.

Last night I decided to start removing the front clip to pull the motor and trans. I'm kinda hoping I can just pull the core support and leave the fenders bolted at the tub, I just hope they wont buckle under their own weight. I'm hoping to have the trans rebuilt and motor swapped before the warm weather hits, at this rate I'll seem to have plenty of time. I also plan to clean and paint the firewall while everything is out. I'll probably do satin black since I'm not sure what color I'll end up painting it.

[Madtrucker]

A few pics of the rear seat installation.

[Madtrucker]

I'd also like to take care of braking upgrades while everything will be out of the way. Stopping power with the 35's leaves a lot to be desired. I'm considering going with a hydroboost setup or converting the rear to disc. If anyone has experience or knows of a good setup for either your opinions and knowledge will be greatly appreciated. I Hope to have it roadworthy by May, then I'll plan to start the bodywork in the fall.

[Madtrucker]

I found a nice pair of 08 trailblazer ss seats to go with the rears. I just wish the 08 suv models would've used the same upholstery patterns. Eventually I plan to reshape the headrest and and have them reupholstered to match. Hopefully they're not to difficult to bolt in.

[Madtrucker]

I did a little more deconstruction the other night. I was pleased with how solid the lower hinge pillars are, but the missing bolts lead me to believe the inner supports have deteriorated. It's also clear the rockers have been done at some point. I guess thats a project for another time. The core support is also decent, it needs about a 6" patch on the lower flange under the battery tray. I need to make sure it's a 67/68 core support first though. The headlights dont line up well in the buckets so I dont know that it was ever swapped.

If anyone can help identify the core support it would be much appreciated.

[Mr Banshee]

Very nice truck, like that roll bar design!

[Madtrucker]

Originally Posted by Mr Banshee

Very nice truck, like that roll bar design!

Thanks, that's one of the things i liked about it too.

I bought this little 355 roller motor from a buddy a few years ago. First it was going in my 77 vette, then I was putting it in my 68 k10, but now it's gonna find a home for real. It's nice having a buddy that has built engines for years. We went through it just to double check everything, It only has about 3000 miles on it and still looks brand new inside. 350-400hp with 4:56 gears should be respectable, and maybe a little fun. It's not the ls motor i'd like, but it'll work for now.

[Madtrucker]

The deconstruction is done for now, the frame on this thing is scale free. It should be pretty easy to degrease and paint everything, think I'm doing semigloss black on the frame and firewall. It's nice working on a pretty clean AZ truck, everything unbolted nice and came out in about 1 1/2 hours. Hopefully I get the trans off to a decent trans shop this week. I might do the t-case myself if I can find a rebuild kit for a reasonable price, and get it fast.

[Chulisohombre]

Got a good start there. 4.56 will be perfect on that setup. I have 4.10 and 35s and it works great everywhere but the highway. Sm465 so no od. If you stick with the 700 you should be pretty happy. Did you try adjusting the tv cable of the trans? If not adjusted correct it will not shift correct and burn up the transmission. Maybe that's all it needed. I have the same rollbar as you. Havnt installed it yet so it's nice to see how it'll look on yours.

[Bladeboy1998]

Nice! Subbed

[Madtrucker]

The tv cable was the first thing I messed with, then I had 2 separate shops look at it before I pulled it. Both said it felt like the 2/4 clutch packs burned up. My problem now is finding a shop I feel good about. I asked them how they're gonna fix the short shifting issue associated with the 700r4 and the motor I'm installing. Neither had a clue, so now I gotta call around or maybe try a monster trans. It's not a job I want to do again. Hopefully after all that is done this thing will cruise the highway nicely.

[Chulisohombre]

That or switch out to the 4l60 and use a stand alone computer to control it. The 700 is temperamental and has a few issues that if taken care of can last. The monster guys take care of all those issues. The sun gear is a problem as well as the 2-4 as you are thinking is your issue. I can remember offhand the other issues but I know a basic shift kit tightens up the shifts and helps that teams last longer as well. This place http://www.700r4l60e.com/store/home.php?cat=52 has all the upgrades listed as well as videos on how to redo the problematic issues of the 700. I would love to be able to rebuild one myself. Just so Much involved I have never tried it yet. I have the manual trans either way so Havnt had the need to rebuild yet. It is getting sloppy though so I will need to in the next few years.

[Madtrucker]

Thanks for the link.

The nightmare continues, the bell housing on the trans is broke and the front driveshaft was never replaced when they did the trans swap. I think I found a shop that has a buildable 700 case, he seems to know what he's doing. The unexpected dollars keep adding up, and it's always the things that'll never be seen.

[Chulisohombre]

I wS just giving you a list to go by. If you have the guy do the upgrades you shouldn't have any issues. Even with a decent powered engine. That slip yolk is maxed out. I think the 700 is 2 inches longer than the 350. Plus with a lift even worse. Was the crossmember not he'd for it to move? Last times heard was about 200 bucks to retube a shaft.

[Madtrucker]

I power washed the front end and started scuffing the firewall. I removed about 60ft of wires going to nowhere. I gave a few parts the old electrolysis bath, and the new trans is waiting to bolt in. I got a new seal kit for the t-case but there maybe a major twist in this build. I came across a complete 2wd frame, I love the tuff look of my truck but I've always loved them lowered with the 68 clip as well. I really need the weigh the cost of both options. I also like the idea of restoring the other frame while driving my truck.

[Madtrucker]

Decided not to deviate from my original intentions and passed on the 2wd frame. Progress is slow but I went through the t-case and resealed it, I'm just waiting on a speedo sleeve seal. After about 2hrs of degreasing and scrubbing you can see the actual case. I also painted the firewall and front of the frame, far from show but ready to go. I attempted to clean up the heater box but I'm not happy with it. Probably just strip it down and start over.

[Justin@EntropyRad]

Coming along..sorry about the grief it caused. Wonder if the gremlins showed up after they drove it

[Madtrucker]

The journey from AZ to MI was suspect. It was supposed to be on one truck the whole time. That didn't happen, it was unloaded multiple times. It arrived to me in 4lo with unlocked hubs, a broken tv cable and mud thrown up the sides like it had been driven. Unfortunately I wasn't there during loading so I couldn't prove anything. And it was to cold here to drive it and realize what was going on til later. I guess next time I'll book a flight.

[mtully79]

Originally Posted by Madtrucker

The journey from AZ to MI was suspect. It was supposed to be on one truck the whole time. That didn't happen, it was unloaded multiple times. It arrived to me in 4lo with unlocked hubs, a broken tv cable and mud thrown up the sides like it had been driven. Unfortunately I wasn't there during loading so I couldn't prove anything. And it was to cold here to drive it and realize what was going on til later. I guess next time I'll book a flight.

That's suspect. Was the shipping company reputable?

[Madtrucker]

Originally Posted by mtully79

That's suspect. Was the shipping company reputable?

The guy that brokered the transport was a local long time friend of my uncle. The first driver was excellent, he called me at pickup, with travel and weather updates. Apparently his truck broke down and he stored it in a warehouse til the next guy got it. It's my guess that's where things went wrong.

Anyway I feel like I'm at the turning point and can start reassembly. The bright side is the blazer is gonna have a lot of new parts and I now know exactly whats been done, no more guessing. Should mean a lot less worrying and enjoying the outings with my family. My next biggest concern will be the wiring gremlins. I pulled a lot of useless wires and found a ton of bad splices and melted wires. I hope this thing still starts when the time comes. I was hoping to put the wiring off til the end of the season.

For anyone rebuilding or sealing a np205 for the first time the speedo sleeve seal isn't included in any kits. And as I found it has been discontinued, and used sleeve nuts were going for $40 on ebay. So after a lot of google searching I found an oil seal that fits perfect. So now the seal is replaced, t-case has a coat of paint and is ready for installation. I've also decided to give the HF trans jack a try, hopefully I can install everything myself now.

[Chulisohombre]

The jack should help if it reaches. Mine didn't. I had to bench press the teams in and the transfer after while a buddy put in the bolts. That was a whole lotta fun. The next time I used a hydraulic desk chair to Line it up. Worked pretty good too. Lol

[Madtrucker]

I'll keep the desk chair in mind, supposedly it goes up to 23"s. Do you plan on doing a build thread? I'd like to see what you've been building.