What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

New to group and project

S

SMK5

Registered Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2021
Posts
16
Reaction score
18
Location
Tabernash, CO
Hey,
Ok, sorry for the newbie message. I am new to this world and my son and I are just beginning a project on a 1984 blazer. I was wondering if there were any individuals in Colorado that I might make contact with to chat through our plans and ideas. I am old and online communication is a struggle for me. We live in Tabernash, CO. Out of the gate, looking for recommendations on someone that can help with body and paint. We are hoping to have the body off the frame in the next couple of weeks. Then will be looking for advisement as to help us with suspension and such. It has a 6" lift on it with 35" tires. Looking to bring down to a 4" lift and a little smaller tire, maybe. On the fence on this one. Thank you!! SteveBubba1.jpg
 
Welcome to the site. Offroad Design over in Carbondale is a good place to call and talk to you about what you want to do with changing your suspension. They have lots of options and experience.

As for paint and body work, I don't know of any active members in that area that could give some recommendations. One of the members @fishnk5 used to live in Tabernash, but he's moved to Montrose now and not active on the site.
 
Body shops that do good restoration work are difficult to find. I have no help for you there.
And I can't remember where your town is, but you will probably want some place close enough that you can stop by to check on things occasionally.

As far as the lift height, it will depend on your preference for the fender openings. If you are ok with a slight amount of trimming, you could drop down to stock height and use 33" tires. So a short lift of 2" will probably clear well.
 
6872xtc said:
Body shops that do good restoration work are difficult to find. I have no help for you there.
And I can't remember where your town is, but you will probably want some place close enough that you can stop by to check on things occasionally.

As far as the lift height, it will depend on your preference for the fender openings. If you are ok with a slight amount of trimming, you could drop down to stock height and use 33" tires. So a short lift of 2" will probably clear well.
Click to expand...
Tabernash is over by Fraser and Granby.
 
6872xtc said:
Body shops that do good restoration work are difficult to find. I have no help for you there.
And I can't remember where your town is, but you will probably want some place close enough that you can stop by to check on things occasionally.

As far as the lift height, it will depend on your preference for the fender openings. If you are ok with a slight amount of trimming, you could drop down to stock height and use 33" tires. So a short lift of 2" will probably clear well.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the quick replies, already helpful. I understand I will have to travel. We have to for everything else for the most part.
 
Welcome aboard
There is lots of experience here on this site with these trucks.
Great to see a father/son project going!
what is the end goal for body/paint? Is it a show truck a daily, a mall crawler, trail truck?
Depending on that choice, you could make an investment in some paint and body tools and they would more than pay for themselves over hiring a pro shop to do the work.
Good luck, keep posting up….especially pics!
 
SMK5 said:
Thank you for the quick replies, already helpful. I understand I will have to travel. We have to for everything else for the most part.
Click to expand...
So hiring a shop close to you probably isn't going to happen. You may want to consider what @76zimmer suggested. Unless you are wanting a super clean job. As far as any rust repair or body work, you will probably want to do it yourself after researching it. Lots of help around here for that.
Try looking into some of the build threads in the driveway section. There is some amazing stuff!
 
Thank you, beginning of the process. Already fun as we are discussing our end goal which I am guessing will be a moving target as we move along. We do not want a show truck or a crawler. We live in the mtn and fish alot, so more of a trail truck for driving around our area. Will be a summer truck with a soft top, but want the option to put the topper back on if needed. We are debating if we want to take on the body work. Neither of us can weld, but are eager to learn. It is pretty clean so we might give it a go. Thank you.
 
Stop for a minute before you pull the body off. Figure out what you want for suspension and tire now. A lot of us cut the sheet metal for tire clearance. This may sound extreme but it doesn't have to be. Chevy wheel wells are square and designed around a small tire. Trimming just an inch here and there can make a huge difference in the lift/ tire combo. You want to figure it out BEFORE paint and body work. I am running a 37" tire with room to spare with only a 4" lift and some offset holes for the spring perches. I cut a bunch of sheet metal but its very clean looking.

For a 33"- 35" tire you have LOTS of options to get the clearance you need. Stock height with a lot of cutting, 2" lift with a little cutting, 2" lift with a 1" zero rate on the spring perch for 3" total lift, 2" spring with 1" zero rate and a 1" body spacer for 4" total lift and some extra drivetrain clearance, 4" all spring lift, etc, etc, etc. The front axle can easily be moved an inch forward for some clearance too.

I know that's a rambling response but the point is there are tons of products to make your truck do exactly what you want, not just a single lift kit that will work. Off Road Design is a great place to start. You are also on the right forum, everyone here is willing to share knowledge. There are a ton of nice trucks on here with very different builds that all work well.

I highly recommend the soft top for the summer, love mine.
 
SMK5 said:
Thank you, beginning of the process. Already fun as we are discussing our end goal which I am guessing will be a moving target as we move along. We do not want a show truck or a crawler. We live in the mtn and fish alot, so more of a trail truck for driving around our area. Will be a summer truck with a soft top, but want the option to put the topper back on if needed. We are debating if we want to take on the body work. Neither of us can weld, but are eager to learn. It is pretty clean so we might give it a go. Thank you.
Click to expand...
That one picture looks like it is in pretty good condition for a trail runner then. If there's rust in the floor and some cracks around the seat mount holes, that is easier since it isn't very visible.
If you can post some pictures of the areas that need attention, we can steer you right down the rabbit hole!!

I had 33's on my '90 with no lift at all. I only trimmed the inside front of the front fenders. So deciding the height and tire size is definitely first, as @HankScorpio suggested.
 
Welcome!
Father & son, fishin' light trail rig, doin it by yourself, I like the direction!
Holding back and doing LOTS of research here is an awesome piece of advice. The knowledge of the members here can save you in so many ways ,with time and money being on the top of the long list.
Good luck, and enjoy!
 
Welcome to the boards! Looks like a nice rig. As long as its all one color I'd just call it good enough as well.
Cracked floors is pretty common - seems GM didn't want to put enough ribs in the floorpan to make it strong.
 
Oh my gosh, you guys rock already. Thank you. My son and I made the decision last night to take on body work ourselves. We have unfortunately already removed the body. I really like the idea of getting ride height and wheels set before final prep and paint, so will put the body back on before paint and final prep. Removing the body does help as we are taking out the engine, tranny (doesn't have park) and transfer case. I am on the fence if we want a crate motor or to rebuild what we have. This might sound crazy, but thinking of converting to a manual from the automatic. The only reason is that I really enjoy driving a manual. Have done zero research on this one, just my thoughts. We have come across very little rust thus far. There are small spots as identified above around the seatbelt mounts that look easy to fix and work on. For the most part, all corners are in good shape. Moving on to look at the driveway area to see what I can find and learn. Thank you again for your time and advise thus far.
 
I converted my '91 to manual. There are mechanical linkages (pre '85) and hydraulic linkages ('85-'91) for the square body clutches. The mechanical works fine but the hydraulic works a lot better 4 wheeling and flexing the suspension. The frame actually flexes a lot and can make it so the clutch wont disengage properly. Its more of a crawling issue but something to keep in mind. The hydraulic parts are getting harder to find and more expensive. The bellhousing and pedal set are specific parts that are not reproduced. Clutch, slave cylinder, master cylinder are all available new. I went hydraulic, works great but the bellhousing and pedal set cost around $600 and were somewhat hard to find. The classifieds here are a good source and ebay often has those parts.
 
SMK5 said:
Oh my gosh, you guys rock already. Thank you. My son and I made the decision last night to take on body work ourselves. We have unfortunately already removed the body. I really like the idea of getting ride height and wheels set before final prep and paint, so will put the body back on before paint and final prep. Removing the body does help as we are taking out the engine, tranny (doesn't have park) and transfer case. I am on the fence if we want a crate motor or to rebuild what we have. This might sound crazy, but thinking of converting to a manual from the automatic. The only reason is that I really enjoy driving a manual. Have done zero research on this one, just my thoughts. We have come across very little rust thus far. There are small spots as identified above around the seatbelt mounts that look easy to fix and work on. For the most part, all corners are in good shape. Moving on to look at the driveway area to see what I can find and learn. Thank you again for your time and advise thus far.
Click to expand...
Many kudos for you and your son for wanting to do this project together. Not too many Dad's and kids are willing to do this anymore and my hats are off to both of you. Keep at it and it will pay off in the end.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom