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71 Blazer Resto

H

headlessrooster

Registered Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2012
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Location
Elizabeth City, NC
Hello!

I'm soon to be the proud, second-owner of a 1971 Blazer. It was my grandpa's truck and carries a lot of personal history. My grandpa was an agent for the local union, and drove the Blazer as his sort of signature vehicle, despite getting a company car. He'd been chased off of mountains, shot at in it, and had it bugged by union-busters trying to find out what he was up to. Still, he drove it when making site visits because when the green Blazer showed up at at a job-site, "the members and the companies knew the union meant business." I was able to get the vehicle for the price of shipping, and the promise that it'd stay in the family.

What I didn't expect was the condition it had deteriorated to. My dad took some pictures, and the once-green Blazer is now mostly white and rust. The original interior is split, the wiring is an absolute mess, and the "custom" A/C install apparently involved some parts out of an old freezer. The good news is that mechanically, the engine and drive train are in great shape. The bad news is, it is increasingly looking like I'm going to have to strip her down and start from the ground up.
 
Here are a few of the better pictures. She's sandwiched between a fence and a tree currently, and due to get hosed off and loaded up with spare parts before I get the shipping company involved. As my wife asked me, "Just how in deep over [my] head [am I]?"

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You're pretty deep brother. Nice score though, pretty cool deal with the family history and all that.
 
The electrical, I'm not too worried about. I teach helicopter wiring for the Coast Guard. The windshield frame is nearly completely rusted through though, and I've read that can get expensive to custom-fab if a suitable donor can't be found. Most of the rest of the rust can be cleaned up, or patch panels welded in pretty cheap. I've got a feeling that my future children will probably have to go my route for college, though. The trouble is convincing my wife that that's acceptable.
 
welcome to the looney bin man:waytogo:

I think most of us here have done our share of rust repair/wiring on these old trucks.
 
like he said, you're in deep! that said, everything that you could possibly need to do, has been done by someone here at one time or another. with the personal history, it could be a labor of love, but just be aware of how much work you are really in for.

for what it's worth, I'm the one that found the windshield frame in a junk yard. I've been too busy to go pick it up, but I'm hopeful it's still there and I can get it sunday. if you're interested, let me know. (in Utah btw)
 
I've got some trips to make to find out what the local metal shops can do, first. I have found a few places that sell a patch panel for the windshield frame... has anyone had any experience with these? I've got a few options for the frame, if the patch is acceptable.
 
Got my dad to finally make his way up to my grandpa's place, and got the paperwork finally transferred over. I thought I'd share a couple of pictures from the sides. She actually doesn't look so bad from these angles. Just so surface rust... little does one know that the rocker boxes and windshield are just about rusted away.
Even better news, she runs! Remarkably well! The alternator isn't charging the battery and the belts are hard and slipping, but she fires right up (with two starter solenoids wired in parallel to two batteries? I don't get it, but hey, surprises!) and doesn't leak a drop.

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love the rims. My first blazer had those same rims and I've always loved the look. Wouldn't mind getting my hands on another set someday.
 
So, I got her in here in North Cackalacky today. I took a good walk-around, fired her up and went around the block. Unfortunately, when I did my post-drive walk-around, things were not so good. I've got oil leaking from a couple of the filter and possibly the rear main seal. I've got the transmission leaking most likely from the front seal. The transfer case is leaking from somewhere. The 40-gallon fuel tank lines (the tank itself is close enough to the exhaust pipes that the paint is bubbled off) are leaking. The differential lines are all eaten up. The brake lines, same thing. Same with the radiator. The A/C condenser is beat up, and likely has no freon left in it.

The electrical system has a lot of extra wires and a short somewhere under the dash. The shocks are rubbing the exhaust pipes, and the exhaust is full of leaks. Body mounts are shot, as well as just about every other rubber mount. Paint is pretty much gone, obviously, and shell needs to be sanded and new gel-coat applied.

On the rust front, I was pleasantly surprised. I'll need two new fenders and at least a set of rocker boxes. Probably two sets, if the right side can't be welded up. I'll need all new hardware for pretty much everything, and a lot of pieces re-chromed. The windshield frame is iffy. I may be able to have it patched. The doors look ok, and should only need small patches welded in.

All in all, it's a lot of small to medium stuff! Unfortunately, added up, I think the body's not long to be on the frame. I'll get some pictures this weekend, once I get the garage cleaned and fire her up for the last time in her present shape.
 
Just go one step at a time unless you go nuts and frame off...

And yes we want more pics :rolleyes:
 
I hope your optimism is rewarded with a simple rebuild, but I gotta tell ya the odds are against you....

We'll be here for moral support if/when you need it. This truck has a great family story behind it, so even if it needs a lot of tough love to get it back into shape it will all be worth it.


-G
 
So, to fill in some of the back story...

I talked to my grandmother, who was married to my grandfather at the time but got divorced from him in the mid-70s. Same age, but her family is known for retaining their mental sharpness in their old age. Apparently, my grandpa had a buddy who drove around California buying up barrels of used/unused oil. The buddy got caught cheating on his wife, and had some several thousand barrels of this stuff sitting in his backyard when she decided that he had to go. While the proceedings were going through, he opted to reduce his liability.

Anyhow, he owed my grandpa more than a few favors, and asked to pawn off these old drums on him in repayment. My grandpa was a surveyor with no experience in selling petroleum, but accepting he wasn't ever going to make any money from this guy, he might as well try to do something. Over the course of a couple of years, he ended up selling back all of this oil (as a side job) and he bought the Blazer brand-new, with cash, before he bought my grandma her house. I should point out that these weren't my grandparents until I was four years old. My grandmother still has the house, which will likely be the companion-piece to the Blazer when I retire from the military in a few years.

To the Blazer: I could replace some seals and lines and run it as is, at least for a while. After seeing a truck that I had so revered for its exclusivity and pristine condition (into the early 00's) reduced to such a woeful state; however... I cannot help but consider that she must be torn apart and rebuilt in her entirety. It is a bitter pill to swallow, but after enough liquid courage, I've concluded that this will have to be a "from the ground up" rebuild.

May whatever parts that are still solid and repaintable pull me through...
 
Nice story. Go for it. My advice would keep it as stock as possible. The more you decide modify from the original design, the more incidental changes you are required to make and it snowballs on you. Otherwise known as the "might as well" effect. Really not a bad thing, but can cause severe frustration, burnout, and heavy drinking if you don't have the skills to manage it.
 
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