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My first Blazer: 1977 1-ton CL find

rbgerrish

rbgerrish

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Location
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Hi all,

Long time lurker! I love this site. I used to own a nice 1988 Suburban, and have always missed full-size Chevys. I came upon a rather good deal in the Sacramento area that I had to jump on:

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1977 Blazer
- Dana 60 F, open
- 14 Bolt rear, open, disc brake conversion
- 90% 38.5" boggers on new 15" steel wheels
- 8" lift, springs F, blocks R.
- NP 205 with extra crossmember support
- TH350
- Fox reservoir shocks F, Procomp's rear mounted inboard.
- 454 bored out to "582" (yeah right) with comp cam, lifters, edelbrock carb, holley manifold, serpentine. There were no receipts for any engine work, so who knows! It sounds good!
-Dual exhaust through 2 flowmasters
- New battery, nice bench seats F &R.

The bad:
- body rust on rockers, A pillar, etc..
- None of the gauges work.
- Hood doesnt close at the back, rear window crank is difficult.

It was $2000, which was a steal, and it runs well.

Here's my question: I'd like to end up with a NICE K5 6.2 Diesel, 4" lift, 37's on H1 beadlocks, D60, 14 bolt, doubler.

Should I have some fun with this and try to sell it for $4-$4500 as is, or pull the axles and sell it on 1/2 tons that I'd have to buy? OR just try to build this truck into my end-goal? I think I could get more than $2k for it on 1/2 tons, so I'd end up with free 1 ton axles, but that's a lot of work...

Thanks for letting me think out loud! I"m excited to be building full size again.

RYan
 
For $2000, you did good. You've got a helluva starting point. For a little bit more, you could make it really nice - rust repair, paint, get rid of lift blocks, go to crossover steering, etc.

However, If you're dead set on a 6.2 (why?) on beadlocks, etc. Maybe swap axles and sell it as you suggested. It will cost you more in time and money to convert this one. Maybe use the profit to find a rust-free truck.
 
rebelgregory said:
For $2000, you did good. You've got a helluva starting point. For a little bit more, you could make it really nice - rust repair, paint, get rid of lift blocks, go to crossover steering, etc.

However, If you're dead set on a 6.2 (why?) on beadlocks, etc. Maybe swap axles and sell it as you suggested. It will cost you more in time and money to convert this one. Maybe use the profit to find a rust-free truck.
Click to expand...

That's what I was leaning towards- finding a nicer diesel truck and just swapping the running gear from under this one. I'd like something that gets decent mileage, and the 6.2 is cheap. (I care not for speed) :)

Thanks!
 
I'd trade you one of my 6.2's for that in a heartbeat...why would you want to trade "down" to a diesel when you have that engine,besides a few MPG?..to me thats like trading Jennifer Anniston for Roseanne Barr,but to each his own I guess...for 2K you stole that truck--police or drug confiscation auction buy maybe?..
 
diesel4me said:
I'd trade you one of my 6.2's for that in a heartbeat...why would you want to trade "down" to a diesel when you have that engine,besides a few MPG?..to me thats like trading Jennifer Anniston for Roseanne Barr,but to each his own I guess...for 2K you stole that truck--police or drug confiscation auction buy maybe?..
Click to expand...

Well, this truck probably gets 5 mpg, and while it'd be a beast at the local mudfest or getting trailered to events, I couldnt afford to actually drive it anywhere. The 6.2 would make for a much more reasonable expedition/trail rig that my wife and I could actually use in town. Now ideally I'd put a small Cummins in it, but I'm on a tight budget for this rig...

Truck had to go- kid couldnt keep it at his moms house anymore or it'd get towed!

-RYan
 
Personally I'd sell that motor and drop in a fuel injected 350, build rear shackle flips, and use the lift blocks as door stops.

What gears are in the axles?
(The wrong gearing alone can kill your MPG.)

For on-road use with 38.5" tires you'll want 4.10 or 4.56 so you aren't always running wide open on the road.

I'm running TH350/3.73 gears/37" tires, and turn 2,000 RPM @55mph, I have a 4.56 rear that I was going to swap in later but I like it the way it is.
 
I would do like you said. Buy a nice (newer) 6.2 Blazer. Cobb the parts from this one for your new rig, and sell this with the left overs.

Martin
 
82355 said:
I would do like you said. Buy a nice (newer) 6.2 Blazer. Cobb the parts from this one for your new rig, and sell this with the left overs.

Martin
Click to expand...

Best advice here. I fully support the 6.2 idea. I have one. 35" tires 700 trans and 4.56s. I hear of people getting 15 -17 mpg out of gas motors but at my elevation none of my motors or any of my buddies have been able to get much more than 12. With a lift and tires. My 6.2 gets an average of 18. On a flat highway if I keep it at 65 I have gotten 20 mpg. Even with the price difference between gas and diesel it makes sense for me.

Also the 6.2 700 241 combo I have is awesome off road. I have no desire to put a doubler in it. I was super impressed the first time I took my 6.2 off road
 
AR_K5 said:
Personally I'd sell that motor and drop in a fuel injected 350, build rear shackle flips, and use the lift blocks as door stops.

What gears are in the axles?
(The wrong gearing alone can kill your MPG.)

For on-road use with 38.5" tires you'll want 4.10 or 4.56 so you aren't always running wide open on the road.

I'm running TH350/3.73 gears/37" tires, and turn 2,000 RPM @55mph, I have a 4.56 rear that I was going to swap in later but I like it the way it is.
Click to expand...

I haven't had the opportunity to check the gearing yet.

I will be running 37" Goodyear military tires on my eventual truck, and will make sure the gearing is proper for mileage/RPM. Thanks!
 
Cucvnut said:
I'll trade you my 6.2 for the bbc
Click to expand...

Thanks, but I'm going to leave the engine in the Blazer and probably try to sell them together. Easier!

82355 said:
I would do like you said. Buy a nice (newer) 6.2 Blazer. Cobb the parts from this one for your new rig, and sell this with the left overs.

Martin
Click to expand...

This is what I'll probably do, and I could put the diesel 1/2 axles under this truck and sell it...
 
Last edited:
blazinzuk said:
Best advice here. I fully support the 6.2 idea. I have one. 35" tires 700 trans and 4.56s. I hear of people getting 15 -17 mpg out of gas motors but at my elevation none of my motors or any of my buddies have been able to get much more than 12. With a lift and tires. My 6.2 gets an average of 18. On a flat highway if I keep it at 65 I have gotten 20 mpg. Even with the price difference between gas and diesel it makes sense for me.

Also the 6.2 700 241 combo I have is awesome off road. I have no desire to put a doubler in it. I was super impressed the first time I took my 6.2 off road
Click to expand...

I've done boatloads of research into all the diesel options, and it's definitely what I want to do. The 6.2 is cheap, reliable if taken care of, and fuel efficient. The doubler is something I'd do later- "Phase 3" or 4 we'd call it. :)

Thanks!
 
rbgerrish said:
I haven't had the opportunity to check the gearing yet.

I will be running 37" Goodyear military tires on my eventual truck, and will make sure the gearing is proper for mileage/RPM. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Just make sure you use a tape measure before using one of the RPM-gear calculators. My 37" military tires actually measure 35" tall. That seems to be a common theme with big tires. They never measure to match the size on the tire.
 
AR_K5 said:
Just make sure you use a tape measure before using one of the RPM-gear calculators. My 37" military tires actually measure 35" tall. That seems to be a common theme with big tires. They never measure to match the size on the tire.
Click to expand...

Great advice, thanks!

I just won a lot of H1 12 bolt beadlocks and 37's from GovLiq, so I'm hoping to end up with a free set after selling the rest.
 
I'm sure you already know this, but it's worth mentioning.
If you plan to drive on the highway the transmission you use also matters.
You can gear it a bit lower with a 700r4 than a TH350 because the 700R4 has overdrive, whereas the TH350 does not.

My suggestion for 37" tires would be.
Th350 - 3.73-4.10
700r4 - 4.10-4.56
(High altitude mountain men will disagree)

On a completely unrelated note, while I think doublers are great being cast iron and all. An NP241 would give you a 2.71:1 low range and is roughly 350 lbs lighter than a 4:1 205/203 combo, and it's a whole lot easier to install.

Another option (if you are lucky) might be to look into the 4:1 NP241OR out of a Heep Rubicon, but I do not know if they can be made to work on a GM tranny.

According to these guys, you can.
http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/np241or.htm

Good luck
 
Until you start doing some pretty serious stuff a 700s 241 combo will crawl awesome with the 6.2. I have 4.56s and 35s and I think they would be fine with 37s.

I would definately try to find a later truck with a 241 though
 
AR_K5 said:
I'm sure you already know this, but it's worth mentioning.
If you plan to drive on the highway the transmission you use also matters.
You can gear it a bit lower with a 700r4 than a TH350 because the 700R4 has overdrive, whereas the TH350 does not.

My suggestion for 37" tires would be.
Th350 - 3.73-4.10
700r4 - 4.10-4.56
(High altitude mountain men will disagree)

On a completely unrelated note, while I think doublers are great being cast iron and all. An NP241 would give you a 2.71:1 low range and is roughly 350 lbs lighter than a 4:1 205/203 combo, and it's a whole lot easier to install.

Another option (if you are lucky) might be to look into the 4:1 NP241OR out of a Heep Rubicon, but I do not know if they can be made to work on a GM tranny.

According to these guys, you can.
http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/np241or.htm

Good luck
Click to expand...

blazinzuk said:
Until you start doing some pretty serious stuff a 700s 241 combo will crawl awesome with the 6.2. I have 4.56s and 35s and I think they would be fine with 37s.

I would definately try to find a later truck with a 241 though
Click to expand...

This is good information. I'll keep my eyes peeled for a 241 truck.

I'll have the Blazer in its current form until late August, so I've got some time to think about what to do!
 
Look for 88-91 Suburban's for the passenger side drop 241c. They are all drivers side drop after that.
A 208 (2.62:1 low) would work too but they claim the 241 oils better.
 
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