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Follow Up Thread - Pics of new truck running gear for your advice...

Austin4130

Austin4130

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After finding fault with the new (to me) '91 Blazer I bought this week due to the rear end going out, you guys shined some light on the fact that my current setup is probably not above board.

I bought the truck a week ago without doing a ton of research, thinking I could start using it right away.

I would like it to run well, hold up under moderate use, and be safe for my family and I, with that being said here are some pics of the running gear for your critique. Please don't hold back, as I'm going to use this thread as a jumping off point for future mods/upgrades.
 
Questions:

Is a new driveshaft, and SYE needed right away?

Are the rear lift blocks installed correctly?

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I have a '90 Blazer, also a 4" lift, 10 bolt rear and had blocks. My driveshaft looked like that and it always made me nervous...so I installed a shackle flip and had the drive shaft lengthened 2".

Your blocks are installed correctly, and nothing else jumps out at me. I would recommend getting rid of the sway bar for a better ride and more flex off road. For street driving you'd be hard pressed to notice it is gone, other than it rides a bit nicer. Most lift springs are more than stiff enough to control body roll easily.
 
Yeah, that driveshaft looks a tad bit short. Angles are probably getting to be marginal. See if you can measure the angles out. You can use a phone app for that. Angle of the tcase, shaft, diff to work out the working angles on that shaft. Double check the u-joint straps to make sure they're not clearanceing each other.

If you're going to change out the rear to something stronger, just do the shaft and sye at the same time - they will all affect the driveline length.
 
I saw the exterior picture in your other thread, from that and the pictures you posted here I think you actually have a 4" lift. A previous owner obviously cared a lot about this truck, it's just up to you to finish the job.

Dump the rear block and go with a flip kit and have the double cardan shaft built. Decide on some gears and if you want to upgrade axles you are at the perfect junction of "forced upgrades" to dig into it. I'd drive the heck out of that thing, it's pretty. Post some more pics of the interior and body too!
 
I see the superlift flip kit around $150 by a quick google search.. Would you guys recommend that one or something else?
 
Diy4x or ORD for the flip. I don't have any problem with blocks. for years and years as an installer and a personal user they have been fine. After a poor install and poor products is when you hear horror stories.
That driveshaft has got to go. I'm surprised it hasn't already lol.

Sye is not required but it would be nice.
A cv driveshaft is in your future especially if you do 4.88 gears. The driveshaft will be spinning much faster and if it stays as is will be vibrating like crazy.
 
sway bar brackets on wrong sides .

fixed yoke rear will help get a longer shaft and take up some of the angle. but as said not needed .

figure out your needs for the rear . stay blocks or flip kit . but you will need to set the pinion angle for sure as per the requirements of what ever shaft you want to run . but a c/v shaft for the best ride / no vibe / life span .

and I cant tell from pics but if it has a transfer case drop in it remove it before shaft is measured and made . the drop is a spacer between frame and t-case crossmember to help the rear angle but it kills the front angle. there a bandaid at best .
 
Looks like you have a standard lift kit with new springs in the front and blocks in the back. Not a horrible set up. There are (or at least were at one time) thousands and thousands of these trucks running that type of set up on and off the road. Luckily, forums (and guys like ORD and DIY) like this have found a million better ways to skin the cat, but I don't think there is much you have to do immediately other than get the new axles under it and address the driveshaft length. Once those are done you can start to figure out what the limits are of your current set up and address them as needed.

Rear blocks are fine, but there are better ways to go about it. ORD or DIY for the flip kit. You can bring the brackets by my shop and I'll blast and paint them for you before you install them. However, I'd say just run it like it is for awhile and see how it does. The driveshaft issue does need to be addressed though. You probably just need to lengthen the shaft you have, and clearance the u-joint a bit if there are any binding issues at droop.
 
Northwest Drivetrain at FM529 @ Jones Rd. did mine. Very happy with their service, and a buddy of mine has had them do several for him (cars and trucks). I can't recall what I paid, but I don't think it was more than about $140 to lengthen mine. There's another shop on 610 East/610 North, but can't recall what the name is. If you take 610 around to my shop on Friday you will see it on your left side just before 610 starts to turn South.
 
I ran my old 90 blazer with that same setup for over 100k miles and no issues. but that was 15 yrs ago. I did change to 4:10 gears with no lockers in the stock axles. i use to tow my boat all over the place
The biggest bang for your buck is going to be gears first, which then may cause a vibration since the driveshaft will turn faster.(mine didn't ) you don't NEED to do a SYE but in the long run its just a better setup. I put new u joints in when i did the lift and they never failed

the cool thing about these rigs is that you can update as you want to and make them ride way better than they ever did stock, stop better and handle better, just depends on how much you want to do.
Shocks would probably be one of the first things i would get also ( good set of Bilsteins ) then decide if the ride is ok with you, if still to rough next would be front custom springs from ORD
i wouldn't even do the rear shackle flip until you drive it around awhile to see how you like the way it handles now.
 
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