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Fiberglass panels on the Blazer

Sandman

Sandman

3/4 ton status
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Pocatello, ID
Anybody done massive fiberglass changes on the a Blazer? I'm talking the hood, fenders and maybe doors and anything else? I thinking about this to cut down on the weight. How much weight have people lost (your Blazer/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)? Thanks.
 
you can go to http://www.up22.com and get weight for fiberglass panels, dont know about the weight on steel, have you thought about makin your own, there are places that sell all the materials and give ya instructions, been a long time since i have messed with fiberglass, not too hard really /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
you could lose a few hundred pounds with using fiberglass.the bad part is if you like to run trails it will be easy to brush up against a tree and lose a fender.i like steel myself but it is twice as heavy as fiberglass depending on the thickness ofit
 
Thanks for the link. The hood I think would be a good move since That weight is high up. the fender might help as well. Maybe next summer I'll look back into it.
 
I'd consider the hood and tailgate, they're both relatively safe on the trail. The doors I'd remove for trail. Fenders I dent up pretty regular so steel is best there for me anyways./forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Rene
 
Shawn has a fiberglass hood on the Potent Rodent and isn't too happy with the fit. I think it was great when new, but has warped with age. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif He's looking for a factory steel hood to replace it with....
 
I actually plan on dumping the tailgate as well. The fenders I havent made up my mind yet. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
you cut your fenders up anyway /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gifwhy not just do what the race car drivers do and get some 18 gauge and just make a few sets to have on hand /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
It's got a little bow to it. Didn't really help it when I slammed it on my ARB compressor with the fitting still attached. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

The hood sucked when I first installed it. It had hairline cracks and needed alot of prep time just to look decent. Body lines still don't line up exactly. The hood is made by Unlimited Fiberglass. I will never buy another product from them again. Hoods like Harwood would be a better choice but usually costs more money. I was going back to a stock hood but I hate to spend the money on paint so I may just live with the crappy fiberglass hood for awhile.
 
It doesn't line up with the tops of the fenders when it's closed. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif There's maybe a 1/2-3/4 inch gap there. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
 
Ack. I guess you get what you pay for. I still might do it to help shave off the top heavy weight.
 
I have a fiberglass cowl hood. I have had it for about 3-4 years and havent had a problem with it cracking or any other problems. I have it latched down with hood pins, this way I can take off the entire hood to work in the engine compartment, makes it alot easier when you can stand up in there /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif, the hood only ways about 10 lbs, so it very light. Its probly taken about 30-40 lbs off of the truck weight when you consider all of the hood springs and latches that are now gone. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif. I thougth about doing fiberglass doors but Im not sure if I will or not.
 
I like how your cage goes through the dash. Very nice! How much weight do you think you lost going to the glass panels?
 
Somewhere I read that you can dump 1500 lbs. if you do the whole thing in fiber glass. Tub and all. If you were too hit a fender on the trail it might crack. Then you can drill a hole at the end of the crack to stop it from continuing. Put on some aluminum stitching. No worse than a big dent. If the part is made right out of fiberglass I would doubt it would even crack. That stuff can be very strong. Like I said though if it is done right. I work with it every day. Try US body source. I hear they make really good parts. They have all kinds of interesting options. NO, I don't work for US body source. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
There is no way the body of a K5 weighs 1500 lbs. I'd say it's 1000 lbs max and a lot of that would be going back on the fibreglass replacement. I'd say realistically you could shave off 500 lbs comparing apples to apples, that means tailgate goes back on doors go back on etc etc. The only way to drop 1500 lbs would be to remove the entire body and interior completely and replace it with nothing.

Rene
 
I can shed 225# off mine just by climbing my fat tail out of the truck /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
I understand that the guys that convert to S10 blazer bodies loose about a thousand pounds. There must be some weight there somewhere.
 
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