frame swp, please advise!!!

[rexroadr]

i purchased a 1991 blazer 350 tbi back in 1995ish last august my ex girlfriend drove it into a telephone pole at about 45mph, and i was in the passenger seat less my seatbelt, to make a long story short i was pissed off and my frame was bent, my transfer case was in about 300 pieces and the front end and winshield were all a mess. after about a week it was drivable again but now i want to do a frame swap...... it was not worth having a body shop pull it around because they wont gaurentte any thing..... so i bought a 77' k5 for the swap, the body is shot on the 77, i want to swap all motor axles t-case and body over to the 77 frame. unfortunatly i noticed the rear shackles were different and that one of the body mount crossmembers were different? does any one know what i am getting myself into? are there any things i am going to regret while attempting the swap? ...

 

[BoondocK5]

First off... welcome aboard! glad to have ya.

I won't pretend to know what years will swap directly. but the engine and drive train should swap in directly(might need a a different crossmember at the trans.)
sounds like your GF just gave you the chance to swap up to a real built blazer;
77 frame
91 engine and trans
find yourself a 205 transfer case (gonna have to adapt it to fit the 700r trans probably)
find yourself a front D60 and a 14 bolt rear (axles)
swap in what ever sheet metal you want!
sounds like something I might try, Your gonna have to willing to fab things like body mounts and linkages. But, it will be worth it in the end.
I did it, all the drivetrain in mine is mostly furd equipment, plus I used to have a caddy big block under the hood. some seriuos fab time went into that thing of mine. Good luck and happy hunting!

 

[dremu]

The 73-77 frame is a bit different than the 78-91, particularly in the area of the rear floor area. I *think* yours is the bad combo, i.e. the new style floor doesn't fit on the old-style frame, but someone else will post up for this. That's the body mount crossmember you mention, I bet.

Assuming that the '77 is a 4WD, the suspension is largely interchangeable between the two. The fron springs' rear shackle is a bit different on the later trucks, but a common upgrade is to transplant those onto the earlier ones, so you can mix and match.

If the '77 had a lift kit or something it might be different, but as I said, you can mix and match from both sets of parts to make one good set. The issue is gonna be that floor pan... it might be easier to junk the '77 and look for a rusted out '78-91 to use the frame from.

-- A

 

[JEBSR]

I have a 77 frame under my 87. Yes they are different, yes it can be done fairly easily. The easiest way is to put the frames side by side and swap the body mount bracket that is just in front of the rear springs. On the 77 frame the body mount is farther forward and between the frame rails on the cross member. the 91 mounts farther back and to the outside of the frame rails. All you need to do remove the mounts from the 91 and bolt them to the 77 frame. If I remember correctly you don't even have to move the 77 cross-member due to having more floor clearance with the 91 body. All other mount positions are the same and the body will simply bolt right on. While the body is off make sure you swap all the fuel lines and filter mount and fuel tank from the 91 frame.