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1977 Chevrolet K5 Blazer

mbood82

mbood82

Registered Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2007
Posts
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Location
Gurnee, IL
I picked up a 1977 Chevrolet K5 Blazer over the summer. I bought it "pre-built" and at this point "pre-loved" with a bit of deferred maintenance needed. Original build appears to have been done in 2006 by a gentleman out of Montana, and had touched nearly every aspect of the truck.

Major mods:
- D60 front, 14b rear, 4.88s with Detroit locker and discs in rear
- ORD crossover steering and brace
- Mild rebuild on stock 350; .040 over with 8.8:1 compression, head work, mild cam
- Upgraded to TBI fuel system, appears to be factory style injection with a custom tune.
- TH350 with shift kit, NP203 TC with part time conversion
- Hydroboost brakes

Lots of other upgrades though, you can tell the original builder really put time, effort and love into it. Everything from reinforcing the hood where the early ones normally bend to adding intermittent wipers, power seats from a 1995 Yukon, and other niceties that are unexpected but show someone cared about the vehicle as a driver and knew the foibles of the platform.

As I picked it up in June:

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So far I've started work on fixing the many leaks as almost everything but the brake lines had a leak. Worst was the rear axle seals, but I still need to tackle some other areas before my driveway will stop gaining new stains.

I did do one "upgrade" to enjoy over the summer:

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And one photo with my other car:

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Since I live in Illinois, I have it up for the winter currently in the garage. It barely fit so what I can work on will be limited until I can move it out for springtime but I have a few things I'll try to get done and work on the larger list this spring.

Current list, in no particular order, of work required:
- Try to swap locally for a set of 37 or 38 inch tires so it will fit in the garage without airing down
- Repair remaining leaks
- Timing cover seal
- T-case output seal
- Rear pinion seal
- Full tuneup (plugs, wires, cap, etc.)
- Rock sliders (more for my 5' 1" wife than for the abundant rocks in northern Illinois)
- Rust repair/mitigation (drivers side rocker, rear wheel wells, bottom of tail gate the primary concern)
- Re-attach door mirrors (bolts keep backing out, one completely missing on passenger side)
- Fix gas gauge (only goes up to 1/4 at a full tank
- Fix tachometer (reads at least 50% fast)
- New stereo/speakers
 
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So far I've achieved door mirror reinforcement out of my list!

Working on replacing the front leaf spring bushings (including frame side shackle) this weekend after an aborted attempt last weekend with the wrong parts. If time allows I'll do the tuneup as well. It's running well enough that hasn't been a priority but should be as the plugs are literally rusty(!).

It really didn't leak that offensively as it sat all winter, it's tempting to just clean up the mess and see how bad the leaks really are as it may have simply been years of gunk caked all over it, making it look worse than it is. I intend to try to take that on while I'm under it this weekend.
 
Is there rust coming out, or are you trying to keep it away by treating the normal spots?

What size tires are on it now?

Nice truck!
 
nice looking Blazer, lots of good stuff there! :thumb:
 
nvrenuf said:
nice looking Blazer, lots of good stuff there! :thumb:
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Fastereddie said:
Good looking rig!
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Thanks!

6872xtc said:
Is there rust coming out, or are you trying to keep it away by treating the normal spots?

What size tires are on it now?

Nice truck!
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The rust was already into the truck when I bought it. It's weird, and I think indicative of the original builders work and how its been used since, as the frame doesn't even have surface rust, and the floorboards are all completely solid. Not a single bolt has fought me to come out, all body mounts look new, yet the drivers side rocker, fender openings and rear tailgate all are perforated.

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The worst parts are the drivers rocker (first picture) and the forward edge of the wheel well on the passenger side. Almost everything else is completely solid. I believe it got a repaint in 2006 but if I had to guess the body was done on the cheap as it was intended to be built for wheeling. There appears to be bondo coming off in both spots. I have to make the decision if I want to spend the money to repair those parts "right", and if so limit any off-pavement adventures to wider venues or if I just stabilize the rust from pushing any further and don't worry about keeping it too pretty.

Current tires are 40x13.5x17s. A set of 37s on the same wheels would work quite well I think.

I got the new bushings installed in the front leaf springs this weekend. The old bushings were completely shot, worn completely through in some areas and paper thin in other areas. I'm shocked it drove as nicely as it did, with minimal death wobble, given how bad those were. I took it on a good drive yesterday and the steering is way tighter now and no hint of death wobble.

I think the next project has to be some grab handles and rocker guards with a lip to help my 5' 1" wife get into it, she's tired of climbing in like a monkey. Suggestions on easily installed interior grab handles?
 
I have no help on the grab handles. I need to install some in my '90, but keep pushing them down the list.

@ZooMad75 was going to, or did something in his, I believe. But I don't know where you would find it in his build thread.
 
Photos are on my Flickr account. But the solution is pretty easy. Just get some basic grab handles for a Jeep made out of nylon webbing. A quick trip through the jungle website will net solid results. Ideally, you get some with the metal grommets to avoid the nylon webbing from tearing through the bolt.
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Step 2. Punch some holes in your a-pillar. It's been a while but I think I used 7/16" grade 8 hardware (because I'm a big boy). The spacing is purely up to you. Too far apart and the handle has no slack to it. Too close and it bunches up. Let your eyecrometer be your guide.
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Step 3. Reinforcement. I used some 1/8" flat stock drilled to match the holes. My reasoning is you can see how thin the sheetmetal is when you drill the holes. Plus did I mention I'm a big boy? It's just a little support, but it's held for a really long time in my rig.
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The other side is a matter of lather, rinse, repeat. But for your own inner ocd, please make an effort to put the holes in the same place side to side so they match.
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If you managed to get a 4 pack of grab handles from Bezos, you can put an extra one up on the passenger side. My '91 had existing threaded holes in the roof for a factory grab handle. I added some oversized fender washers to ensure the handle didn't pull over the bolt. Though, mine is a cheap base level Cheyanne truck so no fancy headliner to hide this spot. If yours is a Silverado trim level you might have to pull the headliner down to see if you have the holes there if there isn't an existing grab handle already there.

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My ex was barely 5 foot tall and my truck is sitting on 35's with 4" of lift, so not nearly as high as one on 40's for sure. Even with the handles she still couldn't get in without using a step stool I carried with the truck. The roof mount was out of her reach for sure. However, the one on the driver's side has saved the tilt mechanism in my steering column from getting wrecked by me using the steering wheel to yank on to get in.
 
Thanks for the photos! Those definitely look fairly straight forward.

Do you have any issues with the seal integrity along the door on the a-pillar handles due to the bolt heads? My truck doesn't fit in the garage and sits outside, I'm mostly worried about allowing another point of ingress for rain.
 
mbood82 said:
Thanks for the photos! Those definitely look fairly straight forward.

Do you have any issues with the seal integrity along the door on the a-pillar handles due to the bolt heads? My truck doesn't fit in the garage and sits outside, I'm mostly worried about allowing another point of ingress for rain.
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None at all. The door seal flops right over the bolts and covers it up. You could use button head fasteners if you wanted a smoother head for the rubber to cover up but I don’t think it’s a big deal.

Mine sits outside 24/7 and I’ve not had a problem with leakage there. As long as the weatherstripping is fresh and pliable it will conform over the bolts.
 
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