Blazer

MY VERY OWN GAS HOG...	My Project 83 Blazer Never Ending Evolution
Yeah I got another project going on again. You those of you who are asking what about the 4 Runner. Let's just say that the future don't look good for it (I parted it out). I got the Blazer from a guy who was just wanted to get rid of it. He was driving this daily on 39's and lets just say the gas mileage isn't that great-LOL. I got it from him with a 14 bolt already in the back due to his 12 bolt coming apart. I sold him the rear axle that I had and while he was putting it in he kept saying he outta sell it. When I was at home I got tired of the 4 runner mods to get it heavy duty so I made a call and struck a deal to purchase the blazer. The next day it was delivered to my house (cool huh). It was riding on "borrowed tires" from my bud Dave "Cornbread Suspension". After it got in my driveway it was put on stock tires for it's transformation. The 1'st thing I had planned was to put the 10 Bolt front axle out and switch it with a rebuilt 44 HD 8 lug front I had laying around. A locker was put in the front at the same time as the install. Now I had matching gears in it again so I could at least be able to use 4WD if needed.
	<--After the 44HD was installed in the front Hooking up the stock steering for now until I do X-Over-->
I kept the stock steering mainly because I'm building a "Bulletproof" Dana 60 Front for it already and I don't want to redo the steering as soon as I get it installed. I figure only having this axle in there for a few weeks. I plan on doing my Hi-Steer Cross Over on the 60 at the same time of the axle install. I got to have the truck able to move instead of tying up the driveway (like it's been doing). I am currently building a "Bullet proof" Dana 60 axle using top notch components. I'm just about done getting all the parts together for the rebuild. While I had the truck in the driveway I went ahead and put my 14 Bolt disc Conversion on the rear axle. It's a real easy install to do yourself. While I had all the brake lines disconnected I went ahead and did all of them with Stainless Steel Lines to replace all the stock rubber ones. I also installed a proportioning valve on the rear line up close to the master cylinder and attached it to the firewall. I then took a "Line Lock" and put it on the front line on the master cylinder to use as a temporary E-Brake until I get my "Doubler" installed with the "High Angle Driveline" E-Brake on the rear of the 205. :) I also did a "Shackle Reversal" for the rear to get rid of that 4 in. block in the rear. I will to put it in when I put the truck on blocks again for the 60/Doubler install. You get the impression yet that this thing is never going to end-I am...LOL.
	<--My 14 Bolt Disc Conv. Everything mounted in engine bay->
While the Blazer was on blocks getting the brakes all done the UPS man brings me my "Doubler" from ORD. I been waiting a while for this to get delivered so I can start putting it together to install it. In the meantime the 203 was salvaged from my 4x4 collection. Before the "Doubler" was delivered I had my Turbo 350 trans. rebuilt with all TCI parts including a "Reverse Pattern Valve Body" for crisp shifts and better off road control. With the help of a friend (Paul) we put the 203 section of it together and come to a holding point because of the 205 modifications I got planned. I got a 32 spline front output conversion from "High Angle" to put in the 205 so I can run 1410 U-joints on both shafts (Yes I love BEEFY). I am going to change the front "input" shaft to the famous 32 spline from the Turbo 400 Trans. This is going to be fun because you got to tear the 205 case apart and machine the "housing" because of the bearing differences. While I'm in there I might as well go ahead and do the "Twin Stick" conversion to control the axles apart from each other. I'll get a few pictures of the "Doubler" as I put mine together for you.
	<--203/205 "Doubler" adapter new in the box 203 X-case with the doubler installed on it waiting for the 205 to be done-->
	<--Pro Street 350 Trans. ready for the "Doubler" to be installed... My Hummer rims I plan on making a custom set for the blazer-->

While I am putting the 60 front together I decided I wanted to make a custom set of "Hummer" rims for "Off Road" use. After looking around I found 4 of them with the magnesium run flats so I jumped on them. These rims are starting to be the "in" thing with Rockcrawlers. These allow you to have "beadlocks" on the inside as well as the outside of the rim. With these you can run single digit air pressures and not have any problems with "breaking" a bead. The main thing that needs to be modified is the amount of "back spacing" that these have (about 7 in.) compared to the stock 8 lug rim which is 3 3/4 in. I plan on running about a 4 in. backspacing on them because that doesn't leave your front hub exposed to getting bashed by anything on the trail. I will post a pic of my rims after I finish painting them up below. Using these rims are killer when mounting a tire it took about 5 min. to mount a 39.5 Bogger on these and air them up. While I'm swapping in the 60 I'll be putting another 14 Bolt in the back "again" with a Detroit & 4.56 gears to match the front 60. For those of you who need the part # for the Detroit it's ( Part # 225S-10 ) they only make 1 kind so there is no mistake getting the right part. Here is a picture below of the Detroit before the install. They are real easy to install the just fit inside your "Open Diff.ONLY" replacing your spider gears. The way you can tell a "Open Diff" from a "Gov. Loc" (Limited Slip) is that there are 4 "round" pins every 90 degrees instead of 3 "round" pins every 120 degrees. .Anyone who "wheel's" will tell you a 14 Bolt is VERY HARD to break and can take A LOT of abuse. Keep reading below....
	<--My custom hummer rims rolling on 39.5x18 Boggers Here's the 14 Bolt Detroit-->
	<--Here's what they look like with the 39's mounted...look at the diff. between the 35's mounted on the truck now-LOL Johnny Joints for the custom 14 Bolt traction bars coming-->
I decided to tear the rear axle out (sold it) and install the new 14 bolt & shackle flip kit to get rid of the (Bad Idea) lift block in the rear. In the process of taking the rear axle out all of the bolts that hang the rear springs in are rusted into the sleeve in the bushing (OH GREAT!!) so when the impact gun gets on the bolt it twists the rusted bolt/sleeve inside the bushing! Of course it isn't able to come out either because the "sleeve" acts like a shoulder to keep the bolt from coming out anyways! Now you got to drop the tank and all the "rusted" hose clamps in order to use the torch so you don't EXPLODE doing this. Now you can use the TORCH to "melt" the bolt heads/nuts off and of course when you do this the rear bushings CATCH ON FIRE! Another additional cost to add onto this "project". I look around on the internet for bushings on the rear of this and then you run into the PITA of which ones will fit your truck. There are 2 different shackle bushing sizes that they used on the rear of these. I go outside and measure the ID of my shackle bushing and I got the 1 3/8 ID bushing for my truck instead of the 1 1/2 ID. I order the kit that will fit my bushings (Energy Suspension Kit # 3.2108G). Another week passes while the rear is tore out (pics below). Now that the springs are torched/melted out you got to take a press (best way) and press the bushing/sleeve out of the eyelets. Now that gas tank and rear springs are out you take the torch to the "rivets" that hold the rear shackle hanger on the frame. Cut the heads off the rivets and take a punch to knock them out thorough the frame. Hang the new brackets in the rear where the original hanger once was. Put a few bolts in to keep it there. You will have to "enlarge" a few of the holes with a drill to get all the bolts in before you can tighten them down. I didn't have to cut the exhaust off any because the "bend' is after the new bracket. I will cut this pieced together crap out eventually when the "Doubler" is installed and run all new exhaust in between the frame rails. I plan on eventually having a 3/8 flat belly pan under the frame rails to "help" going over obstacles. I even put a "Zero Rate" lift block under the rear spring pack to move the axle back 1 in. to center it in the wheel well. Now the tank is back in with new hoses and the rear springs have all new bushings/bolts in them ready to install the "new" 14 bolt with 4.56's to match the new 60 front to come soon. More Below..
	<-Underside before "Doubler" install Missing anything->
Here are a few pictures below of when has been done since the last update. I even had time to install the 60 in the front also. I still have to tap the steering box for hydro assist also and install it. I also plan on welding reinforcing plates on the steering box area in the frame because it is a known problem for "cracking" on Chevy trucks. My frame isn't cracked yet but I rather be safe than sorry. I can't wait to install everything in and call Jesse and have him send me my d-shafts then it's on to the inside modifications.

	<--700R4 & 208 out for the doubler install 205 ready to machine case for 32 spline input conversion-->
	<--205 done with the 32 spline conversion ready for doubler T350/203/205 together ready for the install-->
	<--205 "High Angle Driveline" E-brake for the 205. I'll be running all 1410 U-Bolt yokes on both shafts (look at the quarter-LOL) BEEFY-->
	<-Interior stripped out in back showing rusty floor Front of cab was in good shape except the door jams->
Well now that the Trans. & Doubler are installed and it's time to begin working on a custom X-member to keep everything in place. I got my measurements for my front & rear d-shafts and called "Jesse" at "High Angle Driveline" to order up the BIG 1410 Shafts for both ends of the Doubler. They should be here this week so I can set my rear pinion angle to weld the 14 bolt perches solid to the axle. I will also be able to get a idea of how much of a loop I need to put on the front X-member "notch" to clear the D-shaft going to the 60 up front. While waiting for these I decided to tear out the interior and see what kind of surprises were waiting underneath. Just like I expected the floors were ate up bad with rust so they were cut out and I ordered some 1/8 steel plate to weld in their place. This means time to drop the gas tank "again" to be safe when welding in the new panels. While it's out I'm going to POR15 on the inside/outside of the rear frame to stop rust from doing anything later. As it is sitting now the front Poly body bushings & 2 in. BL are installed on the front 2 cab mounts and the rest are still out waiting on the new floor to arrive/go in. After the new floor is welded in I decided to spray in a "bedliner" to prevent rust and to help make it easy to clean out after having some fun. I'm going to also put floor mats in it so you can just yank them out and hit them with a water hose to clean it out. I'll get pics of the floor cut out here soon. I'm will also begin making the seat "mounts" for the new "Corbeau Ultra Baja SS" seats I got to put in front and I decided to put another set in back where the bench seat once was. I'm also mounting the Art Carr shifter up high in the middle of the seats so it's easy to handle.
	Interior pics after the floor <-was cut out->

	<-My 1410 "High Angle Driveline" d-shafts came in while the floor surgery was going on The 60 is finally bolted in now I just gotta get the steering converted->
As you guys can see not much has been done to the blazer. I'm kind of loosing the inspiration to work on it :( . The weeks keep flying by getting closer to winter. I am also in the middle of Getting the 385 put together when I can get it done. I still got to weld the floor in the back of it and install the gas tank and rear axle. I am also in the process of making the two X-members for the Doubler also and incorporating a skid plate into the bottom of the frame. I have been real busy here lately now that spring has begun around here. The new floor is just about finished being welded in the 1/8 steel floor in the back with some 1 in box tubing for x-members in the floor. The internal roll cage is done but still have to gusset it up for strength. I still have to make the mounts for the seats to tie into the cage later. The Stroker motor is done and bolted in and hooked up to the tranny with a few buds helping me out. BIG thanks to ( Seth, Aaron, Bobby, Gordy, Kenny, Mike ). Still have to put another set of headers on the engine to clear everything. I have a set of "Shorty" headers that Edelbrock makes coming in then I can get the custom exhaust bent up. I was also able to get my bud Mark at " 3'rd Eye Customs" to paint my hood and install my decal on the hood so it now matches my truck. I also plan to get the whole inside "bedlined" to be off road worthy. Below will be a few pictures of everything that has been done. Enjoy-Tim
	<-Cage mounted inside the cab Engine bay painted up ready for motor->
	<-New Hydro steering set up bolted in place-frame plated also behind steering box New 385 Stroker ready for install->
	If it runs 1/2 as good as it looks look out! I can't wait to get this thing fired and rolling around this summer.
Now that the motor is installed and the front clip is now back on it looks much better. I also installed a new "Be Cool" radiator along with a Aluminum transmission cooler along with braided lines on the new core support. I put some electric fans on the motor to keep the engine cool in low speed traveling. I also put a new cross member under the motor between the frame rails so if and when I need to drop the oil pan and look at things I can unbolt it with no problems. While I was in the front welding up stuff I decided to fully box the frame forward of the front spring mounts. I also put a new a whole new custom cross member in there to prevent the frame from "tweaking" itself when the the winch gets installed. I also put all new Poly body bushings (Energy Suspension Part # 3.4118G) along with a 2in. body lift on it also for more lift to clear the 40's and also to give me clearance on the 205 that I clocked up for flat belly pan. I also put the rear e-brake on the 205 along with my new heavy duty rear drive shaft. The rear floor was finally welded in fully and is waiting to get the bed liner installed. Under the new floor I also decided to put a new 31 gallon gas tank in along with a new sending unit to hook up to all the Auto Meter Gauges in the dash. I decided to put all the MSD ignition inside the cab on the tranny hump to keep it somewhat safe from harms way. The front Corbeau seats are in and VERY comfortable. I also put another set in back for passengers. It is now sitting on the 35 Boggers and moving under it's own power sitting legal on the bumper laws in VA. I'll put some pics below to show you the progress so far.

	<-Front as it sits right now until bumper is made Front of frame boxed waiting for winch bumper->
	<-Front together rolling on 35's fenders trimmed Rear axle out making ladder bar brackets->
	<-1410 U-bolts after I ripped them out on the beach Trans. housing broke in front of adapter-twisted splines also->
	<-203 adapter with the broke trans. housing still bolted on it Here is the x-member cradle that was made for the doubler->
As you can see above it has been a very costly tally on the parts since the truck has been rolling under its own power. I have about 1,900 miles on the truck now and it's running great. The power that the motor has is great but it has broke my transmission twice. The first time I was on the interstate "flying" I went from 2nd into 3rd and heard a loud "BANG" and lost all forward momentum. After looking over everything after being towed home it was narrowed down to the transmission. The trans. was pulled out and taken to my "trans. guy" and he told me I broke the main shaft that presses into the drum. It has a very tight press fit and it broke the drum in a few places allowing it to free spin. Look at the picture above to see the drum all cracked up. I ordered some HD Alloy parts for it after it was all put back together and running great it was doing good until it started to "leak" trans. fluid all over the place. I thought it was were the adapter bolts to the transmission so I got new seals to pull it out once AGAIN to fix the leak. After the transfer cases were unbolted and moved out of the way it turns out that the whole top of the transmission housing is broke off on top in front of the 203 adapter (pic above). I also noticed that the rear output shaft is "twisted" too....GREAT....so I ordered a new heat treated one to swap it out AGAIN. Out comes the tranny AGAIN and back to my transmission guru "Robert". Lucky for me that I had given him a few of the same "cases" earlier this year because I knew he could use them. He had one left that he could switch my "guts" into and get my junk rolling again. I was also down in Carolla in NC. one day with a few friends when on the beach I ripped the 1410 u-bolts in 1/2 throwing my driveshaft out of the yoke breaking a ear off of it in the process. We had to take the rear shaft out and drove off the beach using the front axle back to the road before the entrance so we could fix the rear shaft. I had a few u-joints in my tool bag so I used 2 caps off of one to put the rear shaft back in with some new straps and limped it back home taking it easy. I called my driveline "king" Jesse at High angle and we came up with some top fuel girdles for the 1410 yoke that should solve the ripped out u bolts. I sent the rear shaft back to Jesse to check everything out and to put a new slip yoke on it that got banged up when it was banging around. As of right now I'm waiting for my transmission to get back from getting swapped out and waiting for the rear driveshaft.
	Here are two pics that were taken recently that looked pretty good. It's bad when your truck looks better in the dark than in the daytime-LOL

I have received my new rear d-shaft from Jesse and it was bent pretty bad so he built me another one along with the new 1410 yoke and girdles. I also got my transmission back with a new case and new heat treated rear output shaft in it. I also had the 2'nd gear spring swapped out because I didn't want it slamming into 2'nd gear as hard as it did. Everything is installed and running great again. I have been working on a few customers trucks lately so mine has the back burner. I plan on making the ladder bars here soon with a new design built into them. I even sold the 35 boggers above and then put a NEW set of the 38.5 x 15 x 15 Boggers with the built in "sipping" to help in rainy conditions and to "bite" smooth surfaces while wheeling. These tires ride like a dream and balance with very little weight. Interco got their crap together when they made these. I finally got some time to make the front Bumper in between different jobs and it turned out really nice in my opinion. I had my bud "Brandon" aka Schooney help me out welding-notching-fitting it to the front of the "Ghost". He helped out a great deal on it when I finally made my mind up which way I wanted to build it. We took some 6 in channel to fully box the front frame rails all the way back to the front cross member. Inside that we took some 2x4 1/4 wall box tubing and put 2 extra cross members in front of the factory cross member and fully welded them together. I had a Warn 8274 winch that I wanted to mount in between the frame as tight as possible. We made the winch plate out of some 1/2 in. thick steel plate fully welded inside the frame extension. Of course anyone who has this kind of winch knows that it mounts differently than any other brands. It sits more vertical than the other manufacturers on the market. Here are a few pictures below during construction the center bar has not been welded in yet because I designed it to go in after the winch to keep it from getting stolen. We also put some 10K rated D-rings on each corner to have a mounting point for the winch. We even put a receiver hitch to use as a vice mount for trail repairs and as another tow point. During construction I even let Schooney take his date to to prom using my truck as the limo....yes she loves big trucks also :)~ .
	Front bumper under construction before winch and turn signals
	<-Brandon taking my truck to his prom Made driveshaft loop for rear also->
Now that we got the full bumper fitted up and welded together after painting and installing the winch I'm happy the way it turned out. I even topped the received mount off with some "Bogger" gussets for that custom detailed look. I also wanted to mount some fancy LED turn signals on the bumper so we located them on the winch cross bar on each corner. I think they look sweet on it and I can't wait to fit all the other LED lights on the new rear bumper. I also got to think of a design and fab up and some "marker" light for the tires. I will also be mounting up A LOT of lights on the front for that "Daytime" effect at dark. I also saw a new product "Winch Saver" that came out and put one on my winch as a safety device. Anyone who has ever had a winch cable or chain break under a heavy load knows that it can be a very dangerous. These act as a "safety" device in case the cable somehow breaks or comes loose under a load using the winch. I will start to carry these at my shop for trucks and ATV winches. We also had time to fabricate some ladder bars using some "Johnny Joints" on each end to eliminate axle wrap. We took some DOM that I had laying around and these are a whopping 1 1/2 in in diameter and 1/2 in thick wall thickness. These were built that way because I wanted them to survive an impact like a tree or rock while wheeling off road. They almost make the truck lift the front tires when your going into 2'nd gear under hard acceleration. In the picture below you can see the ladder bars along with my new custom made differential cover to match the front. We also fabricated up a driveshaft loop and yoke protection that bolts to the front of the 14 bolt pinion that turned out great. More pictures and write up coming soon.....
	<-Check out the rear axle and diff. cover with ladder bars mounted Picture of the front bumper finished and using the winch for the 1'st time->
Well it has been a while since I wrote anything about the things I have done to my Blazer in the past few months. I got tired of changing fuses all the time for the electric fans so I ordered all kinds of electrical items and made a custom switch panel for my truck. I had my bud "Tommy" down in NC. rewire all my "temporary" wiring that had been permanent since getting the truck rolling-funny how that stuff happens :) . He gutted my truck and did it like it should have been done the first time. I put some marine circuit breakers on the main power wires backed up by push to reset circuit breakers for each of my dedicated 5 circuits. I have 2 for my radiator fans, 1 for my tranny cooler, 2 for yet to be installed off road lights. It turned out great and I am finally able to have piece of mind that my electrical system is up to my specs. I will put a pic. of my new panel below. I also have taken my 38.5 boggers off and put them in storage in favor of some 37 in Radial Baja Claws mainly because National tire a wheel had a smoking deal on them at the time. I really wanted the 38 in. ones but at nearly $400.00 each I didn't want them that bad. I hope these last longer than my last set of 38.5 in Boggers did. I will admit that the truck has a knack to slide around A LOT. I also plan out finishing up the rear of my cage with some triangulation this summer now that I just purchased more tubing. I also have a full soft top for the rear after the hard top gets removed. I had a bud of mine "Trey" owner of A&W Upholstery in Va. Beach custom build it for me to snap onto my rollcage and the sides roll up along with the rear for ventilation keeping the top on so the sun doesn't cook you while riding around. I also decided to put a quick release steering wheel on my truck as kind of a theft prevention for this summer when I have the top off along with the doors. I also plan on hooking up my air horn that I have off of a train this summer that will surprise a few people I think-lol.

	<-New switch panel installed and ready for the 2007 Summer This is what the front looks like all finished->
	<-As it sits now on 37's for summer 2007 1'st stick with the 38.5 Boggers and had to use the winch-> more pictures below....

MORE	PICTURES	TO COME...