My 72 blazer

[ekajkrats]

Hi All,

Been reading a bunch on this site as I was looking for a first gen Blazer. Just under a month ago I took the plunge and purchased my first blazer, a white 1972 K5 Blazer. I am absolutely loving it. At times I can get a little overwhelmed with the work that needs to go into it, but remind myself, one step at a time.

Be forewarned...I am a total noob at this. I know the basics about cars, but figured I can read and have a great resource in CK5, then why not get something I can work on.

So first I am going to get the engine to run as best it can. Just a little nudging needed to do that.

 

[NorCal69]

Nudge, Nudge....



Pics...

 

[ekajkrats]

getting to 5 posts...

So here is a list of what I want to do, in rough order:

1) Fix up bad rust areas, PO already replaced rockers
2) Get a roll cage/bar in
3) Lift it a bit (I liked Greg's recommendation of tough country and shackle flip)
4) Repair/replace windshield frame
5) Make a bikini top
6) Put in exhaust from headers back

While doing work on it I want to keep it drivable, so nothing too major to keep it out of commission.

Thanks for any feedback you may have.
-Jacob

 

[ekajkrats]

now for pics

had to get to 5 posts!

I hear you like 'em (I'll talk about them as I go, knew you wanted some, so I had this ready before I started the thread):

View of passenger front corner

Rear passenger corner, PO had scrunched it up with a trailer, now gate doesn't latch too well on that side:

Front view, winch underneath, PO said it was off a newer blazer and actually a "Blazer winch" was there such a thing?

Rear view:

Better pic of the damage to rear corner:

Rear open:

Front cab:

Cab from the other side:

Was told this is a 400ci, but not quite sure how to tell:

Other side of the engine bay:

Before I started clearing out some paint and rust on the passenger floor:

After some paint/rust removal:

Under the passenger seat:

Your comments and questions are welcome!

-Jacob

 

[Z71paramedic]

Welcome to the site man. Congrats on the nice first gen

Looking forward to seeing the progress!

 

[ekajkrats]

Thanks Z, loved reading your whole thread, amazing work you have done.

Mike - hope those pics work for now

 

[K85 Octane]

ooo that's pretty

drivetrain? What makes it gooooooooooooooooo

Only real way to tell if it's a 400 is the stamped number on the back of the block, near the dizzy. Oh I wish I could remember my own stamp

 

[ekajkrats]

Thanks K85, I'll check that tomorrow as I am replacing the distributor. I do know it has a th350, and think the transfer case is a np205 based on the shift pattern.

Don't know how to tell the gear rations, guessing that would require removing covers, etc.

 

[K85 Octane]

Don't know how to tell the gear rations, guessing that would require removing covers, etc.

Nah, just pick up one tire, put trans in neutral, and spin. Count number of times driveshaft goes around before getting one full turn of the wheel. That will be your ratio.

4.56:1 = ~4.5 driveshaft turns per one wheel turn. If you can't turn one wheel (make sure parking brake is off!) you may need to pick up both wheels. Make sure to chock the front tires.

 

[ashman]

right on man, glad to see you jump in. looking forward to watching your progress!

 

[NorCal69]

Looks good, Jacob. I like your plan of fixing the rig and keeping her on the road too. Just watch out on your repairs.

You never know when the "Might as Well's" kick in. They just appear and you end up with garage art for a year or two.

Drop me a line if your up in this area again looking for some parts.

 

[sponsoredbydad]

Lets not talk about garage art Welcome Drive it,Drive it,Drive it

PS. What is that wiring harness on the floor from stereo speakers?

 

[ekajkrats]

Thanks for the welcome everyone.

SBD: Exactly. The PO put 2 amps under the seat in the back. Watched a couple of your vids and don't think I will ever drive it like you, but will definitely enjoy it.

 

[scotto0609]

I believe 400,s have 3 freeze plugs per side,but I have been drinking tonight! that is all,,,,,,,,

 

[Greg72]

You never know when the "Might as Well's" kick in. They just appear and you end up with garage art for a year or two...

....or three, or four, or five [/sigh]


-G

 

[trav0302]

looks good bro! My 72 has become garage art so watch out it can happen fast!

 

[ekajkrats]

since we last spoke

Put in a new distributor, wires, and rebuilt the carb. Have never done the distributor and carb before but was fun figuring it out. Had two days of it not wanting to keep running but after some float adjustment and tightening the bolt to hold the dizzy was able to get the timing right and the engine running way better. Though it was simple things to do, I went from that ohh crap feeling to loving to drive it all over again.

Also found a temporary place to mount a coolant reservoir.

Pics I have below are my first attempt at welding in a small patch to replace some rusted out floor under the passenger seat.

here is a before of the area I worked on:

floor cut up

with donor metal

ouch...who welded this?

did about 3 passes of welding and grinding, but not sure which one this was:

and now primed

 

[Greg72]

Weird.

That was the exact spot that I first attempted sheetmetal repair on too!

I remember that small "tab" to support the floor was broken at the welds so the floor felt even more spongy in that area.

A trick you can try for simple fitment of patches is to cut the patch FIRST, then lay it over the area you intend to repair. Using your 4-1/2" grinder and a .040" cutoff wheel, carefully run run the wheel along the protruding edge of the patch piece using it as a cutting guide. You'll end up with a perfectly matched hole, and the disc width will provide the perfect gap for the welding process.

Sheetmetal is a tricky balance. You want enough heat to penetrate fully, but not so much that it warps everything. Wire speed needs to be slow enough that it doesn't give you big blobs on the surface.

Good first project! Rust repair is no fun, but it's satisfying when you know everything is solid.

-G

 

[trav0302]

Good fix. Here's one I picked up to stop warping also in those sheet metal spots. Go around it just tacking it first. 1-2" apart then just come back around tacking more and more till you get to a point that either you can run a few short easy beads or grind and maybe you tacked enough you dont need a bead.

 

[NorCal69]

Good job, bud. Pretty nerve racking the first time you cut into your rig, huh? I cut six inches the first time and had to go sit down and drink a beer, figuring I just destroyed my truck. Little did I know at that time, in the long run, I was going to end up using the cut-off wheel on the rig like a surgeon. Basically getting rid of half of the tub by the time I was satisfied that there wasn't any more rust...

Are you using Flux core wire? I see a lot of splatter around your welds.

I don't know if it's just the picture, but it also looks like your patch has paint on it. Make sure that you clean the area that you're going to weld really well. Like Trav said, lots of little tacks around and you'll eventually have the entire thing filled in.

Here is the beginning pass on my area...