69-72 blazer questions for a new buyer

[petev]

Howdy fellas: I'm in the market for a first gen Blazer and would like to get as much information as I can before I make the plunge. If anyone could give me a coupla hints on what I should look out for- you know, common areas for damage, rust, wear and such. Also what should I pay? Let me qualify what I'm looking for- I'm interested in a 2wd but would "settle" (sorry) for a 4wd if I thought I was getting a good price. I'm in the south so A/C would be very nice, as would a four speed tranny. As I said, I live in Atlanta, have about 6K to play with and am willing to travel to all south east states to find the perfect truck. I know my way around an engine compartment and am generally adept with mechanical matters but I am a total auto body repair idiot. Any advice?
What web sites should I go to to find blazers for sale? I've found autotraders classic cars page to have some but this can't be all the country has to offer

Also- I'm trying to track down as many URL's that I can so I can learn as much as possible. I went through the archives of this board and saw a lot of folks referring to this URL- http://www.beseen.com/board/itw_beseen.html?acct=mb134427 for first gen blazer info. I went there and the board has gone under- did it move somewhere else?
Are there any other first gen links that you can point me to?
Thanks for your time and any help you can give-
Have a great Wednesday-
Pete
[email protected]

By the way, thanks to Paul (CanmoreK5) for pointing me towards this board!

 

[Dieselmh]

Rocker boxes, rocker boxes, rocker boxes. They are notorious for rusting out. Also, all the other usual places for any truck, bottoms of the doors, fender wells, cab corners etc. Also check the frame where the steering box mounts. First gens aren't as prone to cracking as the rest, but it does happen.

Diesel

Shouldn't it be called uncommon sense?

 

[Greg72]

PeteV,

There is a guy on this list currently selling his 1st Gen for $6500....he is in Raliegh, NC. Not an impossible drive for you.

The tricky parts are rust....outer rockers look scary but they are superficial to replace. By contrast if the "inner" rocker is rusted, that will be more serious work.

Floor sections are commonly rusted because of the leaky roofs in the upper windshield corners....draw a line straight down from there and you'll ususally see a rusty floor beneath it.

By far the worst rust is in the windshield frame....either across the top, or where it mounts near the cowl....these are by far the most expensive to repair (due to complexity) and the only way to get a replacement part is to cut up another Blazer....(not likely to find one)....

I passed on a couple with windshield problems....mine already had the outer rockers replaced....I could use a little more patchwork on the footwells, but that basically it....mine went for $7K, so your budget seems realistic.

Beyond rust....all the standard criteria apply. Get reciepts for all major work that was done, have a mechanic check all the major systems to ensure that you are getting what you expect.

Then go for it! Even a 2WD Blazer is better than NO Blazer at all....!

-Greg72

'72 K5 Blazer - 427BB/TH350/NP205/6" Lift/35x12.50's
<font color=blue>See it here: </font color=blue><a target="_blank" href=http://coloradok5.com/gallery/albun38>http://coloradok5.com/gallery/albun38</a>

 

[bouncytruck]

Check out http://blazerworld.net/, but it doesn't get nearly a much traffic as this ColoradoK5 or 67-72chevytrucks. When I was searching I also checked the auto trader classic car site. <a target="_blank" href=http://www.collectorcartraderonline.com/adsearchprocess.html>http://www.collectorcartraderonline.com/adsearchprocess.html</a>

Good luck

'69 K-5/350/TH350/35's & 6" Lift

 

[Ryan B.]

Well, Greg72 pretty much summed it up.
Look at the:
-Rocker panels
-Rocker boxes. IT's almost impossible to find these boxes, you'd be better off having em fabricated.
-Definatly the windsheild frame!!! Mine is rusted out and I fortunatly have a new frame 100% rust free cut out of another blazer- Thank god. Damn hard to find!
-Lift up the carpet and check the floor.
-Check the rearmost part of the bed near the corners and the tailgate.
-Stick your head inside all the wheel wells and look for rust and bondo! It's not very hard to spot.
-Check these things out when it is daylight and bring a good flashlight with you.
-Get under the truck and see what it looks like if things look freshly painted, pretty new and rebuilt, cool deal. But you'll probally find some with 30 years of mud under em too.
Check out all the leaks... Front &amp; rear diff covers and axle seals, engine front &amp; rear main seals, tranny &amp; transfer case leaks.
Good luck dude!

 

[petev]

Pardon my stupidity- I'm rather new at this whole truck thing. what do y'all mean by "rocker boxes"?

 

[Greg72]

PeteV,

The rockers are the thing you step over as you get into the truck....it is a structural element that helps form the door opening. The "outer" rocker is the part you see when you are looking at the side of the truck...it is mostly a cosmetic part. If you crawl underneath the truck and look UP, you will see a HUGE box section behind that with a few drainage holes that runs from the front wheelwell to the real wheelwell.....It's welded to the floorpans and other structural parts.

THAT's the one to be most careful of....!!! Once you see it, you'll understand how much trouble it would be to cut out and replace it.....especially since nobody makes a replacement part. 1st Gen Blazers are rare.....but NOT so rare that you should buy a truck with serious problems on the "inner rockers".

Hope that helps you to picture it.

-Greg72

'72 K5 Blazer - 427BB/TH350/NP205/6" Lift/35x12.50's
<font color=blue>See it here: </font color=blue><a target="_blank" href=http://coloradok5.com/gallery/albun38>http://coloradok5.com/gallery/albun38</a>

 

[Steve_Chin]

The "inner rockers" or "rocker boxes" are there to support the Blazer's shape when the top is removed. If they weren't there, you'd have what basically amounts to a big hinge under the doors, the doors'd get jammed up, the thing would likely drive funny, etc.

In addition to the above, check the differential covers and axle tubes for any signs of damage (a sure bet that the thing's been wheeled hard if it is a 4x4, probably too hard). Check the radiator support under the battery for rust. If it is really badly rusted, the front wheel house is probably rusted out too. Not insurmountable, but a pain to get parts and replace. Also ccheck the wiring to ensure that it hasn't been hacked and slashed too much by an incompetent "pro" stereo installer (I had a "pro" install a stereo in one of my cars because the store said they wouldn't warranty the stereo if I did it and three months later the thing suffered an under-dash fire that destroyed the dash board and almost all of the instruments).

 

[highwaydevil]

I've got a 72 blazer 4wd in Colorado that passes all the tests. I have rust in the front bed panels, and the lower doors, but have patch panels for them. My windshield frame is rust free, as is my rocker boxes, (As far as I can tell). Rebuilt drive-train. Anyone interested, also have spare parts. $3900.

 

[Ryan B.]

HEY!
Speaking of my windshield frame,
Whats up Highway devil? Thanks Man!
I bought that rust free windshield frame off him a year ago... through this message board.
It's getting closer to the time to repair all the rust!

 

[69jimmyhendrix]

Hey Pete, you might try E Bay auction on line, I just picked up a '72 Jimmy out of Idaho that was in pretty good shape all around for under 5 grand. Good luck..........

 

[highwaydevil]

Ryan B.
Not much. My wife finally won, the blazer's going in exchange for a tow vehicle with a longer wheel base. Hate to see it happen considering the $$ and effort I put into it, but logic prevails....