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New guy with a Jimmy has questions

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DubyasSixta

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Nov 6, 2011
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I've had the basic membership for awhile and love the site! I recently purchased an '88 Jimmy with a TBI 350, th400, 241 t-case, and 3.73 gears. It also has a 6 inch lift and 35 inch boggers. The truck is mechanically sound, but after removing the carpet I discovered more rust than previously thought. I live in the south, so rust is rather minimal with these trucks. The rust came from not pressure washing the mud off the body, not salt. My intended goal was a driver/mild mudder, not a full-time beater for the mud. Given my intentions, I would like to hear opinions from seasoned k5 veterans as to fix it vs. sell it. I have attached pics with filenames denoting rust locations. I can upload more pics/info if necessary. Thanks to everyone in advance for the help!

driverrearfloor.jpg

drivertailpan.jpg

passrearfloor.jpg

passtailpan.jpg
 
If you are really good with metal work, body work, and welding, go for it.

But, unless you are heart and soul in love with this truck, sell it / part it out, and buy another cleaner rust free truck to start with.

THis is made even easier by the fact that you live in a dry area. Find a rust free one, and you'll be MILES ahead.
 
that is not am impossible task, but you have more rust holes than I did in the rear. I would seriously price out the patch panels and cost to either buy a welder and fix yourself or contact a local welder and find a price for install. Then figure out if it cost effective for you to stay in the game with this truck.

I am wiling to bet your rocker panels are shot too considering how much rust I have seen so far. Also look at the front floorboards under the rubberized coating... I bet you find some there as well.

Good luck.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, the rockers and parts (rear) of floorpans are bad, just didn't want to overload with pictures. I have a friend who can weld but not sure if he has been in a project this large. I'm still pricing panels now.
 
ive been there...
its a ton of work, countless hours of cutting,grinding fabricating welding etc..etc
what rust you see now, once you realy start getting into it you will find twice the amount of rot you originaly thought you had.

sugestion....4x4bodies.com
i wouldnt do it again
 
Been there. Doing basic math I figured it would cost in the neighborhood of $5k to do it right.

For $5k I bought another K5 from CA that has zero rust, look in my profile album. The worst problem I've had to deal with has been a tune-up and putting in a new stereo. That's the way to go.

I'd get rid of your truck ASAP.
 
Dump it fast

I have been in the restoration business for years and from what you have you are going to end up on the losing end on this one! That is way too much work to do. And if the Blazer was driven around like that your body is going to have some major alignment problems! You would dump all that cash and time in her and then the gremlins would visit your house every night and give you something new to fix. If you were going to make a rock crawler or all out mud truck it would probably be alright but if you planned on using it as a driver you would definetly be in trouble later on down the road. If you can't sell the whole truck offer up some parts for sale and you may make more that way and then take the shell to the local scrap yard. Sorry to see you got stung on it! It sucks when you think you have a decent project and it turns out to be a total flop. I almost guarantee that the PO knew about the rust issues and if he didn't tell you that is total BS and hopefully he'll get his in the end. Let us know how it goes. If you need help in looking for the right Blazer I can give you a few pointers as I have been restoring and building these trucks for over 20 years now. Not being pushy I just hate to see someone get messed over and if I can help you avoid another POS I don't mind taking the time to help you out.
 
I appreciate all of the advice. I could tell it needed rockers when I got it and while it made me a bit nervous, I figured rockers "alone" would have been ok. Being in the south, surface rust and maybe a small patch panel is the worst normally seen, so this was a first. I guess I should have trusted my gut. Lesson learned. I'll probably put it up for sale shortly. Thanks again to all previous and future replies!
 
I call bull$hit. Cut everything out, make panels, tack em in, seam seal, bedline and call it a day. Doesnt need to look good.
 
I'd grab a parts rig that's the opposite, great body, dead engine, tranny, etc. Then put all your goodies in it, and scrap the rusty rig. You'd be money ahead, and definitly time ahead.
 
This has definitely crossed my mind, but space is a bit of a problem. It could be done, but my living arrangement, auto-wise, is cramped. If I can't sell it, I'll definitely be looking for a rust free one.
 
DubyasSixta said:
This has definitely crossed my mind, but space is a bit of a problem. It could be done, but my living arrangement, auto-wise, is cramped. If I can't sell it, I'll definitely be looking for a rust free one.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I hear ya. We have a single two car driveway, and there's currently 5 vehicles outside, perhaps another tonight. :doah: I think they multiply when it rains.
 
Blazer project

If you let me know where you are located I asked around for you after reading your story and know a guy that is looking for a Blazer like yours to make a crawler out of and has a really decent Blazer that would be a much better project for you. He would probably trade with a little cash to make the difference. Let me know.
 
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