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Blazer as first truck

diesel4me said:
How about getting an old Suburban and chop the roof off behind the rear seat--weld in a pickup cab rear wall...make an 80's Avalanche...
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Like this, but cleaner, less chopped up, and not so overpriced. I thought about it, but have no clue how to weld.

http://spokane.craigslist.org/cto/4690498596.html

I like these blazers a lot
http://spokane.craigslist.org/cto/4690498596.html With maybe a tad smaller lift http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5zA7ivanihA/TV0WSQKqqwI/AAAAAAAABH0/xVo0DwZdOys/s1600/Picture+6.png

Like I said I am willing to compromise and get a blazer. Working on things is a nonissue for me... seems like fun. A 4cylinder station wagon will not be happening. And the ford trucks aren't completely ruled out
 
Also, you guys make it seem like these blazers are so unreliable. My dad has a 1982 k30 and the only problem he has EVER had with it was power steering pumps and belts. He had the engine rebuilt, due to user error- the engine didn't get enough oil don't remember the whole story.
As for saying the cab is noisy... Do you mean as in from the engine, or do mean rattling or stuff clinking around in the cargo area?
 
I would only look at 1987-1991 K5 gas burners, or 1982-1991 6.2 diesels.

You'll get over the diesel being slow when it gets 20mpg.

Martin
 
You take the carpet out, they get loud and obnoxious inside.

Martin
 
3j3j3j said:
Also, you guys make it seem like these blazers are so unreliable. My dad has a 1982 k30 and the only problem he has EVER had with it was power steering pumps and belts. He had the engine rebuilt, due to user error- the engine didn't get enough oil don't remember the whole story.
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A properly maintained and unmodified blazer is very reliable, IMO.
Good luck finding a properly maintained and unmodified blazer though. Most of these trucks are downright *antiques* by now. And 90% of them have been turned into somebody's hillbilly hot-rod years ago. The newest one you will find is what, 23 years old? Think about it, many 30 year old trucks have had 5 or 10 previous owners or more!

Most of the problems I have had with my trucks over the years were caused by either poor or nonexistent maintenance by previous owners, or complete hack job repairs done by previous owners. That is the biggest thing you have to look out for in these trucks.
 
Exactly. Look for one that is as close to stock as possible.

Martin
 
3j3j3j said:
Also, you guys make it seem like these blazers are so unreliable. My dad has a 1982 k30 and the only problem he has EVER had with it was power steering pumps and belts. He had the engine rebuilt, due to user error- the engine didn't get enough oil don't remember the whole story.
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The previous 2 posters have correctly identified the issue. Even new vehicles vary in quality from truck to truck. After 30 years of compounding that with owner maintenance habits, the variation between trucks gets to be downright huge. I'll give you two examples, from my own life:

I have done multiple thousand mile trips in my stock K10 with mostly original drivetrain. And I wouldn't hesitate to drive another long distance trip with it whenever the need arose. It's even on loan right now, 350 miles away. I bought it from family friends that had owned the truck since it was fairly new. Their maintenance wasn't perfect, but it was good, and the engine compartment still looked like new under its thick layer of dust/grime. Its history was known ahead of time, and that has helped me out quite a bit over the last few years.

My Suburban, OTOH, came with a whole host of problems inherited from its previous owners. Mostly due to shoddy maintenance and a hacked-up engine swap. :doah: I'm still discovering problems, and plans/trips have been aborted multiple times due to unforeseen issues arising. I'm passing up the opportunity to take it wheeling tomorrow because it still hasn't earned my trust yet. I don't wanna end up stranded half-way across the state.


Two similar trucks, two drastically different outcomes. The K10 can do no wrong. But even now, the Suburban still can't quite do anything right (yet :)).


If you have a good mechanical background and a solid understanding of maintenance procedures (vs. the lazy habits that most drivers follow), you may be able to spot issues before they happen. I've anticipated several (though not all) of the Suburban's issues. I would have given up in despair long ago if I had been expecting a reliable and driveable truck out of it right away. But other folks looking to buy that truck would not have seen the issues ahead of time. Those folks would probably get fed up within 6 months and think they had bought the worst truck in the world.

If you aren't good at spotting signs of shoddy maintenance, buying a vehicle is a crap-shoot. You may get a good one, or you may get a bad one. And the odds get worse and worse as the vehicles get older.
 
3j3j3j said:
I would consider the diesel.
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Whether or not you like the diesel will depend on your driving style. My own position is that I'd never actually enjoy driving my truck if I had to pay for having terrible mileage. 15MPG would be a deal breaker for me. Getting 20-24MPG (and occasionally higher) lets me drive the truck far more than I could justify driving anything at 13MPG (which seems to be about average for many of the non-crazy square-bodied sbc trucks on here).

But 6.2 trucks are a bit slower than typical gasser trucks. And noticeably slower than a nicely built one. I don't usually lag behind traffic, but if speed running is your thing, a 6.2 will likely prove frustrating (aside from adding a turbine it's not nearly as easy to get HP out of when compared to a 350).

You will have to decide what is important to you when picking a truck.
 
This is true. I drove a square body 6.2L 1 ton dually for work for 4 years when I was in high school. That thing couldn't get out of its own way but it did get great mileage.
 
campfire said:
Whether or not you like the diesel will depend on your driving style. My own position is that I'd never actually enjoy driving my truck if I had to pay for having terrible mileage. 15MPG would be a deal breaker for me. Getting 20-24MPG (and occasionally higher) lets me drive the truck far more than I could justify driving anything at 13MPG (which seems to be about average for many of the non-crazy square-bodied sbc trucks on here).

But 6.2 trucks are a bit slower than typical gasser trucks. And noticeably slower than a nicely built one. I don't usually lag behind traffic, but if speed running is your thing, a 6.2 will likely prove frustrating (aside from adding a turbine it's not nearly as easy to get HP out of when compared to a 350).

You will have to decide what is important to you when picking a truck.
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Yep. I would likely have to drive the 6.2l. I will just have to see my preference. I will ride my bike lots of places too. As far as gas mileage, I don't know of any full size truck that gets much better than 13 unless its fords new ecoboost
 
Not much new to offer, but a few things offered by others ring true in my 15 years of owning K trucks:

1. They're not the most rational first vehicle, but they can be reliable and the lessons you learn working on it are far more valuable in the long run. And if you have your heart set on it, nothing else will do.

2. Gas mileage sucks. It's a condition of ownership. HOWEVER, from the time I was about 20-25, mine was a daily driver and my entire life existed within about a 10 mile radius - work, school, apt, girlfriends apt, etc. The mileage never really bothered me then. Now, I have more money, but I commute about 50 miles a day to work and back. It definitely doesn't make sense in that case.

3. Be very choosy about which one you buy. As stated, these are old trucks. The stock ones were rarely maintained well and the modified ones can have some shoddy workmanship. Also, trucks with a bunch of swapped-in parts makes it hard to find replacement parts when necessary. For example, that blue and grey 88 you posted looks really good, rust free, 3/4 ton axle swap, carb, intake, etc. However, you've got to know that truck came with TBI fuel injection. So how well was it converted to carb....and why? There are still solid trucks to be had, but they're getting harder to find so make sure you're getting exactly what you want. If you do, you won't regret it.

I've got more money in my truck than I could ever hope to get out of it, but I still love it. And to me, it doesn't matter b/c I don't plan on getting rid of it. Plus there's the cool factor of driving old iron around vs. all of the shiny new same-ness that's on the road. For example, my daily driver is a $40,000 Duramax and I drive my Blazer once or twice a week. Guess which one gets all the looks and thumbs-up.

To close, get a K-truck, but be selective. If there's a couple you're looking at, maybe even ask one of the guys on the forum to go with you if they're nearby. Getting the right foundation makes all the difference.
 
3j3j3j said:
Yep. I would likely have to drive the 6.2l. I will just have to see my preference. I will ride my bike lots of places too. As far as gas mileage, I don't know of any full size truck that gets much better than 13 unless its fords new ecoboost
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Others have mentioned a K10 but you might be able to pick up an early Silverado extended cab for $3500 or so that would solve many of your issues (I may have missed the budget post).

- Seats 5/6
- Bed for motorcycles or lawn equipment, etc.
- Good gas milage - Many reports of 17/21mpg town/highway setup stock.
- Pretty reliable and don't have to plug in for cold weather like the 6.2.
- More power

I guess it ultimately depends on what you want to do. Work on an old Blazer forever (unless you buy a nice one) or get the Silverado which aren't as good off road but better for towing and they are basically finished and good to go for a young driver. They have more airbags too and are probably safer for you too.
 
Malathion said:
Others have mentioned a K10 but you might be able to pick up an early Silverado extended cab for $3500 or so that would solve many of your issues (I may have missed the budget post).

- Seats 5/6
- Bed for motorcycles or lawn equipment, etc.
- Good gas milage - Many reports of 17/21mpg town/highway setup stock.
- Pretty reliable and don't have to plug in for cold weather like the 6.2.
- More power

I guess it ultimately depends on what you want to do. Work on an old Blazer forever (unless you buy a nice one) or get the Silverado which aren't as good off road but better for towing and they are basically finished and good to go for a young driver. They have more airbags too and are probably safer for you too.
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I never really said anything about budget, but $3500 seems about right hopefully more, anything less seems to be junk. When you say getting 17/21 mpg you are referring to a 1/2 ton correct? Four wheel drive is a must for me recreationally and functionally as it can get pretty snowy around here especially if you go north at all. That being said the 90s trucks have notorious ifs front ends. I have heard 99+ are better, but it is still not the solid axle of the blazer. The Ford trucks, although reportedly get worse gas mileage, have tab which is easier to make stronger and easier to swap for a straight axle
 
Honestly if $3500 Is about all you have you are going to have a difficult time affording the maintenance and repairs of someone else's project. Don't get all hung up on IFS vs straight axle. Both are capable. If you are dead set on a blazer save up at least $5,000. Enough for an initial purchase and some left over for the repairs you will likely need to make it road ready.
 
I'm a fan of the 6.2 trucks and have owned my '90 since 1994 when it was in pristine stock condition, except for tires, with 49k on the clock. The biggest thing about the 6.2 reputation on power comes from the maintenance and the rest of the drivetrain. Most people did not understand the routine maintenance items the 6.2 needed and that is where most of the negative stories come from. Never change the glow plugs = poor starting, never change the air and fuel filters = poor running and low power, never rebuild/replace injectors and fuel pump = poor running, poor starting, poor power. People would never consider running a mid-80's gasser motor for 100,000 miles with no tune-up but it seemed perfectly acceptable with the 6.2 and then they blamed it on the engine being a turd.

Gears and transmission are another thing. Mine had 3.73 gears and the TH700r4 stock....the lower gears really helped take off and the OD made up for the lower rpm range of the 6.2. Driving anything with 3.08 gears and emissions choked engines back in the mid-80's was a lesson in patience in regards to how fast you got there. My '90 with the 6.2 felt stronger than several mid-80's gasser trucks, and I also test drove an almost identical K5 with the 350 TBI and really didn't think it felt much stronger.
 
6.2Blazer said:
I'm a fan of the 6.2 trucks and have owned my '90 since 1994 when it was in pristine stock condition, except for tires, with 49k on the clock. The biggest thing about the 6.2 reputation on power comes from the maintenance and the rest of the drivetrain. Most people did not understand the routine maintenance items the 6.2 needed and that is where most of the negative stories come from. Never change the glow plugs = poor starting, never change the air and fuel filters = poor running and low power, never rebuild/replace injectors and fuel pump = poor running, poor starting, poor power. People would never consider running a mid-80's gasser motor for 100,000 miles with no tune-up but it seemed perfectly acceptable with the 6.2 and then they blamed it on the engine being a turd.

Gears and transmission are another thing. Mine had 3.73 gears and the TH700r4 stock....the lower gears really helped take off and the OD made up for the lower rpm range of the 6.2. Driving anything with 3.08 gears and emissions choked engines back in the mid-80's was a lesson in patience in regards to how fast you got there. My '90 with the 6.2 felt stronger than several mid-80's gasser trucks, and I also test drove an almost identical K5 with the 350 TBI and really didn't think it felt much stronger.
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I understand that. The difference is the 350 can be made powerful, while the 6.2 is the way it is. You can add a turbo and do exhaust but thats about all.
 
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