Blazer Restoration

[1978Blazerk5]

Well I have a question for you restoration guys.i am currently restoring my 78 blazer.for a stock look do you think i should unlift it?currently rancho 2 1/2 inch lift. and 33s. i dont wanna wheel the truck. i wanna keep the body in good shape.and this is the most origanal blazer i could find for the price.

Thanks

 

[dyeager535]

Can't see the pic, but *my* opinion is that if you don't need the lift, don't run it. I don't like a lifted truck that isn't used for wheeling.

Your '78, depending on what wheels/tires you have now, may be able to run 33's with no lift, and no rubbing. The 33x10.5R15's on stock wheels fit the '81-87 trucks almost universally without rubbing, thus no need for a lift. not so sure about the '73-80 trucks, since the wheelwells are a bit different, but it should be similar.

The '73-87(91) truck wheel wells are entirely too large for small tires, and adding a lift with 33's takes away from the "full wheel well" look that I, for one, like.

If you need the lift to clear the tires on it now, run it until the tires are worn out, then ditch it and go with the largest tires you can fit with no lift and no rubbing.

 

[1978Blazerk5]

the tires are 33 12.50 by the way.

what the problem is that the p.o. put in 4.56 gears

 

[dyeager535]

Ouch. Yeah, I'd expect 33's to be a bit better on the highway than 235/75R15's.

 

[1978Blazerk5]

Ouch. Yeah, I'd expect 33's to be a bit better on the highway than 235/75R15's.

if i ever regear i might unlift it then

i was just thinking about it,is it really worth all the trouble and money to get the truck like 4 inches lower

 

[Xtremegmc80]

if i ever regear i might unlift it then

i was just thinking about it,is it really worth all the trouble and money to get the truck like 4 inches lower

i think it looks good right now, u can keep it like that just in case u ever go in a very light wheeling like a nice peaceful trail ride n etc.

 

[snkplssskin]

i think it looks good like the way it is, i also want to do a two inch lift which lift are you running.

 

[1978Blazerk5]

i think it looks good like the way it is, i also want to do a two inch lift which lift are you running.

its from rancho
really stiff spring tho

the front is all springs
the rear is a small lift block and a add a leaf

(i am not sure on the add a leaf. the lift was installed by the P.O.)

 

[dyeager535]

Now that I can see the pics, that doesn't look too bad. Not stock wheels, so probably not going to get narrower 33's to fit with no lift anyways.

If you go back to stock wheels, maybe. But the height it is now isn't as bad as I expected.

 

[1978Blazerk5]

Now that I can see the pics, that doesn't look too bad. Not stock wheels, so probably not going to get narrower 33's to fit with no lift anyways.

If you go back to stock wheels, maybe. But the height it is now isn't as bad as I expected.

i am going to be running stock hub caps (like Craig artzer's 74')

or the stock white wagon wheels with center caps

 

[lochenjons]

if i ever regear i might unlift it then

i was just thinking about it,is it really worth all the trouble and money to get the truck like 4 inches lower

Don't just regear what you have now. If I were you I'd trade the both axles for someones with 3.73 gears or something because therell be a lot of people out there wanting 4.56 and it wouldnt cost you anything, would be much easier than regearing what you have IMO, and you could probably even get a little extra cash out of it too. Oh and if your taking the lift off anyway, then you already have to unbolt the axles so it would take only a little more work to put different ones under there

 

[SilverMiner]

For some reason, I can't view the picture either, although obviously others can...

+1 on the restoration idea, at least that's my opinion - I get a huge kick out of the full-blown trail rigs I see here, and I definitely get lots of ideas from them, but at the same time it's good to have something set up factory original to use as a base line to compare against. You've obviously already read the Craig Artzner threads, so you know how much everyone has drooled over his '74 - - - it will take a bit longer, but the day is coming where we'll all be excited to see a super clean 76-80 half-top too. So I say, go for it!

But I'm not sure you really need to ditch the lift (unless you really don't like the stiffness). Original arch springs are tricky to track down, and they're fairly expensive. Also, keep in mind that if your lift has any age or miles on it, it may have sagged to the point where it isn't much higher than factory anyway (I can't see your photo, so I'm guessing here).

Plus there's the fact that back in the day they didn't all sit the same height right off the dealer's lot. I've got some old 35mm slides I should scan of some GM dealers lots in Montana I took back in 79-80 (I was in Jr. High, but foolishly thought I'd be marching down and buying a band spanking new one soon) that clearly show a wide range of stock ride heights. One of the reasons I took the pictures was to figure out why some looked better than others (ya know, so I could fill out the dealer option sheet right - man, was I dreaming!). I happen to prefer the slightly taller stance (2 to 2-1/2") as long as you run a 33" tire to fill the fender well, especially with the ralleye rims! I tell ya, that was THE look back then.

lochenjons had an excellent suggestion - sell off your 4.56's to someone building a trail rig, and swap in some factory 3.73's. I've run 33's on 3.73's for years, and you'll probably love them around town and on the highway - I've been pretty pleased with them on the trail as well, although I'm nowhere as near hardcore as most of the guys here.

Post more pictures so I can see too!

Well I have a question for you restoration guys.i am currently restoring my 78 blazer.for a stock look do you think i should unlift it?currently rancho 2 1/2 inch lift. and 33s. i dont wanna wheel the truck. i wanna keep the body in good shape.and this is the most origanal blazer i could find for the price.

Thanks

 

[1978Blazerk5]

here another picture

heres a pic of the wheel i am trying to track down(stock Styled Wheels) This is my spare tire

heres the Brochures for 1978 first one is blazer second one is for the jimmy(you can see the wheels)

and the other pic should be fixed

 

[1978Blazerk5]

Plus there's the fact that back in the day they didn't all sit the same height right off the dealer's lot. I've got some old 35mm slides I should scan of some GM dealers lots in Montana I took back in 79-80 (I was in Jr. High, but foolishly thought I'd be marching down and buying a band spanking new one soon) that clearly show a wide range of stock ride heights. One of the reasons I took the pictures was to figure out why some looked better than others (ya know, so I could fill out the dealer option sheet right - man, was I dreaming!). I happen to prefer the slightly taller stance (2 to 2-1/2") as long as you run a 33" tire to fill the fender well, especially with the ralleye rims! I tell ya, that was THE look back then

thats interesting my dad was telling my that back in the late 70's and early 80's that alot of people were using 2 inch lift blocks.

 

[1978Blazerk5]

you know what i dont see many blazer restored ive seen a 75 that was restored but that was it.i guess maybe thats the reason i am redoing mine.and the fact that the truck has sentamental value to me. (probaly spelled that wrong)

 

[Craig Artzner]

I don't know Dylan, I think if it were me I'd keep the lift and continue running 33s on whatever rim choice you decide on. 15x8s would definitely be the ideal rim size for you.

My truck has 3.08 gears in the back . Great on the freeway but a little too sluggish on the acceleration...I'd like to graduate up to 3:73 possibly but it's not a big priority.

 

[1978Blazerk5]

well the factory locker is not really in the best shape anymore, i think when that finaly goes i might downgrade to 4:10

 

[1978Blazerk5]

regearing is not my top priority.the things i love about the tall gears,
1.good for nice low-end torque
2.really good acceleration.
3.the look on peoples face when i tell them i got 4.56 gears with 33s lol

what i dont like about 4.56 gears
1.sucks on the highway (just under 3000rpms at 60mph)
2.bad gas milage (average of 8 or 9 mpg)