Accessories for a 72 Blazer

[skeeter_byte]

Hello all,

I am the proud new owner of a 72 Blazer. Last week I drove it from Chicago to its new Canadian home in Regina, Saskatchewan (over 1000 miles) and am very excited about it.

I'd like to get some accessories for it. Push bar, bushwacker flares, steps, etc. I've discovered that no one carries accessories for trucks this old. Where do I get them? Or can accessories from another year be modified easily to fit? Any advice or help you can offer would be much appreciated.

The Blazer is a 350 w/ 4spd. Not much else for options. Have some work to do that owner didn't disclose on Ebay -- SURPRISE! Windshield washer doesn't work. Driver's door doesn't close properly if the window is up -- not sure what's going on there -- it's also missing a little piece of rubber/weatherstriping at the bottom edge of the window on the driver's side. Overall though it's really nice and it runs like a top.

This forum is excellent -- good to know there are folks who are fellow blazer lovers like me. I always wanted one of this vintage -- I've had a bunch of newer burbs, yukons, and chev trucks, but this was what I always wanted for a toy.

Grant Bastedo
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
[email protected]

 

[Greg72]

Grant,

Congrats on your purchase!

I wouldn't spend too much time complaining about things like a wiper motor with a truck that looks so nice....most of us are already jealous, and you won't get much sympathy!

Beyond that, I'd suggest spending some time with the new K5 to let the love affair blossom. Some of the ideas you threw out (like Bushwacker flares) sound a bit disturbing and are going to dramatically change the look and character of your truck.... so take some time to consider what you're after and let the "classic look" of your 1st Gen sink into your brain for a while.

You might find over time that you are unwilling to do all the cutting and modifications, and may prefer a more "respectful" interpretation of the original vehicle.

Breathe in......breathe out........ just take some time to enjoy what you bought.

 

[skeeter_byte]

Glad you like it.

I am wanting to keep it nice, but still want to use it. That's why I'm thinking of the flares -- do they require a bunch of cutting of fenders? I ruined my new trucks paint with tires that stick out -- wanted to avoid on this one that's why I was looking into them. I don't want to do anything that isn't reversible. I'm going to do big mud flaps, but they can only do so much -- my new truck is proof of that!!

Definitely need some sort of steps or running boards too-- it's pretty high to get in for people smaller than me. I'm 6'2" and it's a project for me to get in.

I'd like a push bar, because I want to put a winch and off road lights on it.

BTW will I need a bigger alternator with a winch and lights -- anyone know?

G

 

[AJs72K5]

Welcome to the board. Very nice 1st gen. You scored a nice ebay find like I did...and by the way, they all come with surprises.

I agree with Greg on this. The flares are going to drastically change the look and will require cutting, or drilling, or possibly both, into your fenders. And to be honest, I haven't seen a 1st gen Blazer that looked good with flares. But don't take my word for it. Search the board, you'll find a wealth of information and pictures.

 

[BobK]

x-nay on the flare-nay

Maybe Ford's and Jeep's look ok with flares but not this vintage of Blazer...my opinion only.

Great looking ride!

Glad to see there are at least 2 now in Canada.
Drove mine back from Tucson,Az.

My 33's have about a 10"-11" footprint without sticking past the fenders.
How big a tire do you want to run?

 

[bigblock72]

That's a nice looking rig you have, I love the color combination.

Welcome to the group, hopefully your Blazer will treat you good for a long time.

Bigger alternators are easy to find and a pretty good idea. You'll likely need to do some minor rewiring to eliminate the external voltage regulator. Check places like Summitt Racing and Jeg's for a new higher output alternator, or you could even adapt one from a mid 80s truck or suburban.

Bolt on accessories are few and far between for the first gen, you may have to have stuff custom made depending on your exact needs.

Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase don't bolt on any fender flares. Most require drilling and cutting to install, so once they're on there's no turning back. I think most of us would cry if you bolted on a set of Bushwackers.

Good luck and have lots of fun with the new ride!


Chad

 

[bp71k5]

You can search for a user named Makovai? He had some fender flares on there and took them off. Once you find out how few of these trucks they made, cutting them up becomes really hard.

I got a 90 amp alt from a 87 Suburban from a parts store. It's easy to do if you get rid of the external regulator. I can give you a diagram on how to do it without the conversion kit, but it's pretty cheap and worth it.

 

[vtblazer]

most of us are already jealous,

so take some time to consider what you're after and let the "classic look" of your 1st Gen sink into your brain for a while.

You might find over time that you are unwilling to do all the cutting and modifications, and may prefer a more "respectful" interpretation of the original vehicle.

Breathe in......breathe out........ just take some time to enjoy what you bought.

Agree with the other guys here, drive it and enjoy it for awhile prior to doing any major changes.

A very common mistake that guys make is to tear into a new truck with the intent of only doing small mods and the next thing ya know...it's a frame off resto that takes 3 years and a ton of cash to complete or worse yet, never does.

Welcome to the board, enjoy the ride!

If you feel the need to be changing something right off, look into rear bumpers.

 

[Yukon Jack]

What a beautiful K5! Welcome to the board. My 70 K5 has some type of fender flare on it, they are minimal and don't bug me too much but I wouldn't have installed them and will take them off at some point when I get around to it. If you go to my sig below you can go to my website and see a link to my Blazer pics to see what my fender flares look like.

Steps aren't too easy to do given the torsion box under the front seating area on both sides of the K5. I'd be leary of drilling into them an inviting rust.

 

[Entropy]

I agree with all the others here on the fender flares and pretty much everything else!

 

[skeeter_byte]

But what do you really think about me adding flares to my truck! :-) Thanks for your input you guys -- I'm officially convinced that it's a bad idea and all plans have been suspended.

I noticed that a number of your trucks have pushbars -- are those original vintage. Also noticed that rear tires are often mounted outside -- was that an option that was available on some these -- because that looks like a good idea too.

If anyone is looking at selling a pushbar that fits and is in nice shape, or has a rear tire mounting kit, I'd be interested in them.

I don't want to drastically change the truck in any way, but I do want to tinker with it to make it all work properly.

1. Gas gauge doesn't work -- needs new sending unit I'm thinking -- heard this is a big project to do?
2. Windsheild washer pump needs to be fixed -- mudding isn't fun with out windshield washing capability...
3. Rear hatch key doesn't work -- locksmith says I need to try and find a whole new handle and said he was nervous taking handle off, because the fiberglass looked pretty weak.

One last question for today...my truck came of the line in Jan/72 would it be the two ply top or single ply? How can you tell the difference?

G

 

[vtblazer]

One last question for today...my truck came of the line in Jan/72 would it be the two ply top or single ply? How can you tell the difference?

Single walled top bolts from above the rear bed rails down.
Double walled top bolts from underneath the bed rail.

Also, single walled top will have dome lights on either side behind the door openings.

 

[Greg72]

Single wall tops have 2 dome lights on the driver's side. Double wall tops have none.

Can't just go by year, GM mixed them throughout with no apparent rhyme or reason.

 

[Greg72]

D'oh.....2 minutes slow

 

[skeeter_byte]

I have the single wall -- though the two dome lights don't work.

Single wall are supposedly better? Why is that?

G

 

[mr_blasto]

If you need some sort of added protection on your fenders to protect the paint, I understand you can get some rubber like they use on semi's from a truck supply store or the like and cut it to length. I haven't done it, but it seems like an easily reversible solution.

I would absolutely agree with greg though about letting the vintage thing set in a bit. I like my truck and the direction it is going, but now i appreciate the whole unmolested stock look/feel a whole lot.

As for bumpers, and most other things for that matter, you won't find a lot of aftermarket support for our trucks. A lot of people end up with fabricated pieces and share what they did on this board so others can follow.

Welcome aboard!

 

[Greg72]

But what do you really think about me adding flares to my truck! :-) ....

1. Gas gauge doesn't work -- needs new sending unit I'm thinking -- heard this is a big project to do?
2. Windsheild washer pump needs to be fixed -- mudding isn't fun with out windshield washing capability...
3. Rear hatch key doesn't work -- locksmith says I need to try and find a whole new handle and said he was nervous taking handle off, because the fiberglass looked pretty weak.

Don't worry, people around here aren't shy about sharing opinions!

Gas gauge could be something simple. Is the needle stuck at "Empty" or pegged beyond the "Full" mark? If it's past the Full side, it's probably just a broken wire somewhere. The gauge reads from 0 ohms (Empty) to 90 ohms (Full)....Obviously, if the sender wire (which is a brown wire BTW) is broken it has infinite resistance and will peg the gauge past full (Like mine is currently). Replacing a fuel sender isn't a big deal, but you will have to drop the fuel tank to get it out, so you might want to wait until you're almost out of gas before you try to remove that tank. Gas weighs 7Lbs/Gal.....I'll let you do the math and study your own biceps.

Washer pump sounds easy too....get the replacement part, and swap it in. The hoses might be old and crusty too, so you "Might As Well" replace them too while you're in there. (DISCLAIMER: the expression "Might As Well" is a registered trademark of Greg72 and also a VERY dangerous expression to ever use in the vicinity of a 69-72 era Blazer.....for clarification, see my thread in this forum with that subject line)

Rear hatch - sounds about like everyone else's hatch. The rear corners usually get blown out (my guess is from the hatch being slammed shut), and the sides near the metal slides are sometimes cracked from helpful friends who try to force the hatch closed from a "locked" position, instead of lifting first to release the catches. My strategy (at some point) is to bring my top to a boat shop for repairs, since I figure those guys have more experience with fiberglass repair than almost anyone (except maybe a Corvette specialist)

You're homework assignment for this weekend however is to go out and drive it......at least 50 miles, and just enjoy the ride.

 

[Yukon Jack]

My truck has a push bar, roll bar and rear tire carrier. I believe the rear tire carrier is a dealer added option. Not sure if the roll bar and push bar are dealer add ons or from the aftermarket.

 

[bp71k5]

1. Gas gauge doesn't work

I had the same problem and it turned out to just be the wire fell off the sender. You can reach up there and reattach it without dropping the tank if you have skinny hands.

 

[skeeter_byte]

Thanks for the info

Thanks for the info folks.

In answer to Greg's question -- the gas gauge is pegged past the full mark.

When it warms up a bit -- it's really cold here this week -- I'm going to mess with the wires coming into the gas gauge and see if I can get it to work.

Didn't get my homework done -- weather hasn't been cooperating, but I plan to go out and do some 4 wheeling soon.

G