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1980 Blazer w/ 15" lift

M

MaddHatter

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Plano, Tx
1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

I have the opportunity to purchase a 1980 Chevy Blazer 4x4 with a 12" Suspension, 3" body lift and 38" Super Swampers. It has a rebuilt 5.7L 350 4bbl with 20,000 miles. Its a NP208 Transfer Case w/ part-time 4WD. It's a chain drive with 2.61:1 Low Gear Ratio. Has a 14bolt rear with 4.10 gears. A/C and everything power works. Only issue is front driveshaft needs to be lengthened since the lift but has the driveshaft already. Anything I should be weary of or check out? Any questions to ask? He's asking $5000

I have pics at http://www.dfwstangs.net/hosting/MaddHatter/
 
Re: 1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

Cracks in the frame at the steering box and in the middle by the tranny crossmember. Look for typical leaks, rust, and such like any other rig. Check the inside of the rockers and see what you can of the floor for rust. Also around the windshield.

At 15in of lift it should have 44s on it. Im at 11 and 38s look too small now. 38s have gotta look tiny on 15.

And your links not working for me.
 
Re: 1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

4.11s and and 38s alone aren't that great. If you go bigger you will definetally need want gears.
 
Re: 1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

Make sure that front shaft will line up w/o hitting anything, if there are issues lower the price. It will need gears so figgure that into your offer.
 
Re: 1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

15 inches of lift is all fine and dandy but what axles are under it? I agree with that much lift 44's are in order and some 5.13 gears and possibly a locker of some sort. What tranny is it using? I am not a fan of 208's and running that size of tire you will want to upgrade to something stronger as with the tranny. If the body is rust free and looks great and other then a few upgrades I would say 3500, imo. There is a truck I keep seeing with 15 inches of lift, 44" boggers, 454, long bed, 1 ton axles, T400, 205, good body for sale for $2500. I paid $5000 for my 75 blazer with 17 inches of lift, new paint, new 44" swampers, new 454, 4 speed, 205, 1/2 ton axles, perfect body and a full convert. I already had everything to 1 ton it and put an AT in. Its all in how bad do you want it? Where are you going to use it? How much are you going to use it? Are you willing to do work your butt off on it weekend in and weekend out? If so heck go for it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

btw....your link still doesn't work /forums/images/graemlins/1zhelp.gif
Also Welcome to the site /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif
 
Re: 1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

Also w/ that much lift and a rear slip yoke case like the 208 you may have rear driveshaft issues, too.
 
Re: 1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

What type of front axle does it have??
 
Re: 1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

Ok I'm a little confused on the transfer case as two different references have told me its either a 208 or a 205 and I'm not sure which. the front diff is a factory 10bolt rebuilt with new gears and bearings, the rear is a rebuilt 14bolt with new gears, axles and it has a locker. the trans and motor were rebuilt 20k miles ago. it has new brakes, and front calipers. tires are about 4-5k miles old and there is little to no rust on the truck. comes with hard top cover and has power windows and door locks. carpet was removed but otherwise int is in good condition with a few minor cracks in the dashboard. the suspension is about 4mos old and was done professionally by Pellete Off-Road Performance.

What are gears going to run me and while 38s do look small, I believe 42 is the max to be street legal in Dallas, Tx. The trans is a TH400, the axles I believe are 1/2ton but not sure, I will ask for sure.

JDBlazer454-where is this truck you keep seeing? I also have a 1985 Ford Ranger with a 429/c6 combo supported by a Ford 9" with 3.73 gearing setup for the dragstrip.
 
Re: 1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

OK the links say Bronco...whats up with that? LOL!

Also you now have 4 links that dont work. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
Re: 1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

Sorry - forgot to metion...

The truck will be used mostly for mudding and trails and the occasional lifeguard duty of pulling my buddies out... I'll keep my ears /forums/images/graemlins/ears.gif and hope to hear what you guys think. the pics link dont work unless you type em in - dont know why but its being gay...

MaddHatter /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif
 
Re: 1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

[ QUOTE ]
OK the links say Bronco...whats up with that? LOL!

Also you now have 4 links that dont work. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Okay well it's a Blazer but I'm an idiot who'se always wanted a Bronco and it just comes naturally to say Bronco /forums/images/graemlins/ignore.gif
 
Re: 1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

..."always wanted a bronco...." Somebody get the rope!
 
Re: 1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
OK the links say Bronco...whats up with that? LOL!

Also you now have 4 links that dont work. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Okay well it's a Blazer but I'm an idiot who'se always wanted a Bronco and it just comes naturally to say Bronco /forums/images/graemlins/ignore.gif

[/ QUOTE ]Oh well we'll have to break you of that. /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif
 
Re: 1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

The truck I keep seeing is in Vancouver, Wash. and its a big baby blue sucker. Makes me miss mine sometimes.

That is a good looking rig and appears pretty rust free. The rear is definitely a 3/4 ton 14 bolt but can't tell from the pics if its a full or semi floater. As for the front the 10 bolts came as 3/4 and 1/2, is it 6 or 8 lug? Either way would be kind of weak for running a tire size over 36". I would seriously consider going dana 44 or dana 60. As for the tranny T400 is a good tranny for tires that size but the transfer case crawl under it and take a peak at the rear of it, should have 2 large plates about 8 to 10 inches in diameter each if there is a small silver dollar size plate dead center with 3 bolts in a triangle then its a 205 and its a score /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif Gearing is gonna be a must do if you plan on up'ing your tire size and it ain't cheap. My gears alone cost me $500 and installation is equal in cost. How is the steering set up in it? Mine being that size had horrid steering issues and I ended up doing a crossover setup which helped but 44's have a mind of their own and it still drove crappy.

Have you owned a truck this size before? If not I would suggest maybe passing on it and buying one with about 4 to 6" lift with 35 to 38's and learn to work on them and grow with them. I have found when they are that big there are problems beyond imagination. Seems like you are wanting to drive it daily also and one that size is harder to drive then they look. Decent size trucks will dissappear next to you. I only drove mine on the road one time and it scared the you know what outta me and I was used to 39.5's. It was trailered to every event and trail and it was a pain in the a$$ everytime.
 
Re: 1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

I used to have 15" lift on my truck. But it was extremely stiff, and did not help a whole hell of a lot on any terrain. Right now I am at about 8", and I am still going to go down more. I like it better this way.

This is what it used to look like.
fd59868d.jpg


And this is what it looks like now.
fc1b5422.jpg

fc0bd73b.jpg
 
Re: 1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

I think trucks that have the bottom of the body above the tops of the tires look a tad ridiculous. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Now that we have that out of the way... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif What type of front driveshaft that comes with the truck? The stock driveshaft just isn't going to reach down that far without some serious mods. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif It's not a case of just making it longer. You also have to do some serious work to get it to turn at the angle required up at the transfer case end. Price out a good driveshaft for a 12-inch lift from www.highangledriveline.com before you decide on the truck. You could be looking at spending another $850 or so just to make the 4WD work. /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif

If there's a slip yoke 208 transfer case in that truck, then you'll be breaking expensive parts if you plan to wheel it hard. The slip yoke just can't slip very well when subjected to angles that extreme. You'll need a fixed yoke rear output t-case (205 or a converted 241) and another expensive driveshaft in the back.

Very few 12-inch lifted trucks are done correctly. Most are major hack jobs that require tons of dollars to make them work right. There's MUCH more to it than just bolting on some new springs.
 
Re: 1980 Blazer w/ 15\" lift

The axels are stock replacements according to the guy. He said he went with the 4:10's & 38" tire combo because of $$$ The Blazer already had the 4:10's in the rear but it had 3:42's in the front so he just replaced the front gears. He only went with 38's because of the difference in price between the 38's & the 44's. The transfer case is the 205 which is the better one if I'm understanding y'all right. Its bullet proof, and there are no rear drive shaft problems with it at all, according to him.
 
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