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Blazer chalet off road rig build advice

a77blazerchalet said:
Chalet #0580, built in 8/76, I posted the first Craigslist ad I saw for it last August, seen here.

When you got it, you took off the aftermarket wheels with the round holes seen in that August ad and put on the angle 5-spoke wheels that are now on it, or did it have the current wheels on it when you bought it?
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a77blazerchalet said:
Chalet #0580, built in 8/76, I posted the first Craigslist ad I saw for it last August, seen here.

When you got it, you took off the aftermarket wheels with the round holes seen in that August ad and put on the angle 5-spoke wheels that are now on it, or did it have the current wheels on it when you bought it?
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I bought it from some guy named mike, he said he was selling it for his Neighbor, never spoke to the lady personally. Deal was through him only. I got it for 3500. He went back and got some lil stuff that it was missing, pink was under her name and signed for. And he must have changed the wheels. Over all. I think i got a good deal 3500. Over all. I think i got a deal.
 
rom67 said:
I bought it from some guy named mike, he said he was selling it for his Neighbor, never spoke to the lady personally. Deal was through him only. I got it for 3500. He went back and got some lil stuff that it was missing, pink was under her name and signed for. And he must have changed the wheels. Over all. I think i got a good deal 3500. Over all. I think i got a deal.
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I'd sure say you did.
 
rom67 said:
I bought it from some guy named mike, he said he was selling it for his Neighbor, never spoke to the lady personally...
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Mike Young, from what I have. The way I learned about it was that a guy named Kent (never got his last name) joined our Chalet owners forum (free-to-join, you are welcome there) to say he had one to sell. When I asked for more info, he said he was over at his girlfriend's cousin's house property which had a few old cars out back including this one. He figured out they were a bit rare and the cousin lady asked him if he could sell it. Probably was a commission in for him there. Popped up in Craigslist for $3 grand days later under Kent's number, and then 10 days later under Mike's number with the big price hike and new wheels, but then the price began tapering off in subsequent listings. Not an overly bad price, but the cleanup will be a chore. Be sure to replace the short rubber expansion part of the fuel lines under the where the passenger side door area is on the frame. My former Chalet blessed me with a big gas leak there one morning, those bits of rubber hose were cracked to dust, it's a wonder they held together.

Check under the cab carpet for rusted floor panels. Another think you might want to consider, if the interior is not especially bad and if you can salvage the truck paint with a proper polish, is to restore it to factory showroom original new. Among what I consider legit 'sales to private owners' (as opposed to dealer/flippers who sucker in big dollar spenders who do no research - don't get me started on my opinion of those guys), Chalet #0023 is probably the highest sale for a restored one at $12 grand. Values could go up if we get out of this semi-stagnant economy.

Never got the VIN for the Blazer from Kent. Could you share that? PM me if you prefer to keep it non-public, although I think it isn't possible to glean personal info from VIN numbers. One of these days I hope to dredge up a GM factory or Chinook factory list which cross references the VINs with the camper serial numbers.
 
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diesel4me said:
Another Chalet listed in CT on craigslist--just the camper only ! RARE Factory k5 chalet camper
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Orphaned unit #0524 built in 8/76, saved from the crusher from an old welder shop business, but - no offense to the seller - priced about $1200 more than it is worth in that condition. Without the original truck, there's hardly any value to the campers.
 
a77blazerchalet said:
Mike Young, from what I have. The way I learned about it was that a guy named Kent (never got his last name) joined our Chalet owners forum (free-to-join, you are welcome there) to say he had one to sell. When I asked for more info, he said he was over at his girlfriend's cousin's house property which had a few old cars out back including this one. He figured out they were a bit rare and the cousin lady asked him if he could sell it. Probably was a commission in for him there. Popped up in Craigslist for $3 grand days later under Kent's number, and then 10 days later under Mike's number with the big price hike and new wheels, but then the price began tapering off in subsequent listings. Not an overly bad price, but the cleanup will be a chore. Be sure to replace the short rubber expansion part of the fuel lines under the where the passenger side door area is on the frame. My former Chalet blessed me with a big gas leak there one morning, those bits of rubber hose were cracked to dust, it's a wonder they held together.

Check under the cab carpet for rusted floor panels. Another think you might want to consider, if the interior is not especially bad and if you can salvage the truck paint with a proper polish, is to restore it to factory showroom original new. Among what I consider legit 'sales to private owners' (as opposed to dealer/flippers who sucker in big dollar spenders who do no research - don't get me started on my opinion of those guys), Chalet #0023 is probably the highest sale for a restored one at $12 grand. Values could go up if we get out of this semi-stagnant economy.
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Yes thats his name. Nice guy. Didn't give me a hard time. I think 3.5 is good considering everything was there and only missing the front spare tire mount. Bunk beads were never used. The fridge is probably the only thing that looks dirty and replaceable.
I started the tare down the interior, only rust i found is on the rear qrt panels. Floor, rocker and lower doors are in great shape. All interior are in good shape except the passenger fron seat, That has a tear. Other than that, rear seats and cabinets are all good. My plans are to re do it all to my personal likings. Repair the lil rust it has and upgrade interior to something to fit my needs.
 
rom67 said:
Yes thats his name. Nice guy. Didn't give me a hard time. I think 3.5 is good considering everything was there and only missing the front spare tire mount. Bunk beads were never used. The fridge is probably the only thing that looks dirty and replaceable.
I started the tare down the interior, only rust i found is on the rear qrt panels. Floor, rocker and lower doors are in great shape. All interior are in good shape except the passenger fron seat, That has a tear. Other than that, rear seats and cabinets are all good. My plans are to re do it all to my personal likings. Repair the lil rust it has and upgrade interior to something to fit my needs.
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Im also keeping all the interior in safe storing, just incase i ever decide to restore to factory O.E.. spec.
 
Good plan. Mine was essentially the same, dilemma was to mod it to suit my tastes or go factory original, but I lacked storage space for the old parts .... then I ran into a situation where I needed the money worse than the rig. Probably broke even for the work I had in it when I sold it for $8500. Your engine is probably original, save that for the future 'Barrett-Jackson numbers-matching aficionados' who base values off such things. Funny deal is the GMC Casa Grande versions are probably as rare as Yenko Camaros, but the collector car crowd hasn't latched onto these yet. #0058 was a dud at that auction in 2009 after being another dealer/flipper drama story for a couple of years.
 
a77blazerchalet said:
Good plan. Mine was essentially the same, dilemma was to mod it to suit my tastes or go factory original, but I lacked storage space for the old parts .... then I ran into a situation where I needed the money worse than the rig. Probably broke even for the work I had in it when I sold it for $8500. Your engine is probably original, save that for the future 'Barrett-Jackson numbers-matching aficionados' who base values off such things. Funny deal is the GMC Casa Grande versions are probably as rare as Yenko Camaros, but the collector car crowd hasn't latched onto these yet. #0058 was a dud at that auction in 2009 after being another dealer/flipper drama story for a couple of years.
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not sure yet to keep the 400 or swap to something different. Taking in advice. I want to build a good overland vehicle
 
How many miles are you ever going to drive this thing? The fallacy of "buying fuel savings" has been discussed here many times. Sometimes a tune up and driving slow is the true maximum savings. Granted, EFI gives you some advantages other than MPG which are worth something, but the time to do the conversion is also worth something. Have you considered a GM TBI system? Gives the basic EFI advantages with good bang for the buck. For overlanding, improving MPG does have the added benefit of increasing range. Still think you'd be travelling fairly slow to keep double digit MPG with any gas engine.

Anybody ever put a 6.5TD in a Chalet? Seems like you could get 15MPG in one of these?
 
I'd keep it simple for your stated goals. Lessons that I've learned: (1) Simple mods often turn into rabbit holes that take a long time to emerge from, if you ever do. Large suspension lifts cause driveline, steering and brake issues. The 1-tons lead to brake issues, etc. Even TBI may lead to some weird compromises in fuel delivery or elsewhere that will nag at you.. (2) Nothing is free. It's easy to get swept up making your truck more off-road capable, but you pay for it with on-road quirks, bad mileage, poor braking, bumpsteer, etc.

Consider just a short 2-2.5" lift targeting 33's. This would avoid most all issues and be fine for trail driving. Custom springs would probably simplify life if you can afford it, since you can get what you need for the extra weight in back. You could leave it at that (after getting what you have in good working order) and see what seems lacking. Just my 2 cents.
 
Blue85 said:
Anybody ever put a 6.5TD in a Chalet? Seems like you could get 15MPG in one of these?
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I've thought about it quite a bit, but decided I would be better off starting with a Suburban platform, the Chalet just wasn't big enough for my growing family. Yeah, 15MPG shouldn't be too hard. It kinda lines up with what @GWeakland620 is getting with his 6.5TD CCLB camper.
 
Id keep the chalet mostly stock drivetrain personally. change all the fluids front to
Back first off and see if the engine fires. If it runs and moves I'd stay with the 400 and turbo 400. With a 33 inch tire it will drop your final drive ratio a bit and also your rpm a bit. More than likely you have 3.73 gears in the axles. Seems to be normal for back then. I would do a 2-3 inch lift on 33s Personnaly. The chalet is already topheavy without adding more lift to it. Basically if it's not a daily driver I wouldn't nessesarily worry about mileage. But throwing a fuel injection system on it in place of the carb will get you a better running engine and a couple mph. Problem with swapping engines is yours is still sniffed for inspection and must pass visual as well. Good luck with it and post up if you put a build in the driveway section. I would go to the smog place in your area and ask them specifics about what you can and can't mod in yours legally.
 
With the higher COG from the extra height and weight of the camper I would shy away from a lift kit. I run 32" tires with a stock height suspension and heavier springs. I also installed a rear sway bar which made a huge difference on the highway.
As for fuel economy, I looked into installing an OD trans, but it would be years before you recouped the cost and the amount of work required. If it were a daily driver maybe but the is a limited use vehicle. I get about 10mpg, if I install OD what do you think I'd get 12-13 ,15 at best.
I see by your picture ou have np203 full time t case. Converting to part time with locking hubs will help a bit.
I would work on safety and dependability issues first. Then creature comforts.
I gutted the inside, pulled all the vinyl off the walls , put down New plywood floor and covered with a one piece vinyl floor instead of carpet. Makes it much easier to sweep the sand out.
Built New cabinets to suit my needs , kept the sink, it's nice to be able to wash up nd brush your teeth in the morning. Also kept the heater and have used in many times. Took out the 2 burner stove and the fridge. Also removed the closet on the other side and replaced with some storagebins and a bench seat, so now it's not so claustrophobic inside.
The possibilities are endless. Enjoy
 
Have you read about fitech fuel injection? I have no personal experience, but they have some kits that look simple-ish. Obviously do a compression test before you start looking at putting money into that 400.

I'd have to guess the body mounts, spring bushings, front upper shackle hangers(which are known to wear right through the bushing and start riding up against the bracket) and sway bar rubber are all good projects to start on to make your rig safer.

New springs are easier than replacing the bushings and a front upper shackle mount kit is almost a must on these trucks. When you do springs, replace all your rubber break hoses and inspect all the brake lines.

That's where I would start. You may find you uncover other things that have immediate need in the process.

I forgot to add, if this truck hasn't been driven in awhile, make sure you do the u-joints in the rear driveshaft. They are probably dried out and while your test driving it as you work, it won't be fun to hear the driveshaft slapping around.
 
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First of all 400's are great engines. However they are extremely heat sensitive due to siamese cylinders. So they are not very forgiving when they over heat. Pictured is the 400 that came with my 76. I re drilled the center manifold bolts and did a tbi swap. This was with 31's and 3.73's. No od trans but on long trips ant 70ish i could almost break the 12 mpg mark. I wish i had od trans swapped it but tbi is antiquated like the carburator so i'd save my pennies and go the 5.3L-4L80e-NP241c route in the future. Currently my 90 Jimmy is 6 inches of lift...35's with 4.88's with a 6.0L-4l80e-NP241c combo and i can almost break the 12 mpg window going to denver from grand junction. Not to shabby.
I have always felt that a 4 inch lift with 33 inch tires and 4.10's was the best combo out there. You can stuff tires without cutting fenders and the 4.10/33" combo is perfect.
Axles and tires. The problem with chalets is the weight of the camper. GM should have up graded the K5 to 3/4 gear to get more sidewall rating to handle the weight. All you needs is a 14b FF you can score somewhere and convert the front 44 to 8 lug outer hubs etc and call it good. You can add a posi in the rear if you like since chalets are not going to excel on rough trails...or do they? The added weight of the camper makes for some impressive traction in the rear. I have takin mine places in arizona most would not have and she did great. Anyways...the 3/4 ton swap that allows the step up in tires is the best mod you will do and the pay back in road manners is worth the pennies. I have driven my 76 all the way to canada from colorado so i can atest to that. :0)
Sadly my 76 has seen better days. And since my life isn't as good as it was a few years back i will be unable to restore my 76. The body is rotted like swiss cheese and a donor body is the only solution that a normal none rich person could afford. That being said i am still technically the working homeless so i am going to be transfering the camper to my 90 Jimmy that is fully built and my current dd. I have 2 more pay checks to save and then off to the boat (fiberglass) shop she goes. I am going to glass in the front windows that do nothing but leak on a yearly basis and i might also eliminate the side windows and or go with a modern square design that is affordable. A new rear door will be hung and a few other holes filled so i can plan out the durabak paint job and ulitamtelly rebuild the interior with modern tech. :0)

DW
 
No to hijack, but @azblazer didn't you have a 4wheel pop up on another blazer? How was that one to wheel?
 
ZooMad75 said:
No to hijack, but @azblazer didn't you have a 4wheel pop up on another blazer? How was that one to wheel?
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Indeed i did sir. Much lighter than the chalet. However since it is not aero like the front of the chalet...trying to maintain 75 mph on the highway was a bitch. That led to a whipple/tbi supercharging effort that ended up with a blown motor due to lack of time and tuning.
 
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