Peteasauras
Registered Member
Well, I've been reading for 2 years, time to give back some picks. Picked this up Nov06. Just needed a carb and steering box, told the neighbor it would be running in a week..... famous last words.
CK5
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Pete's 70
- Thread starter Peteasauras
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Peteasauras
Registered Member
Dam I already got my pics out of order. I picked it up for $1600. 350\465\205
Peteasauras
Registered Member
It was missing a carb when I got it. Rats had gotten down into the intake and made a nest. I figured they probably got junk into the cylinders so I had to pull the heads. If I'm pulling the heads I might as well rebuild or better yet add some good cheap vortec heads. The snowball ends at a full rebulid and $3k later. I also decided to go with the latest serpentine drive setup of a 96 chevy truck. This was supposed to be the last and best version of the belt system for the first gen small block. It's supposed to be very quiet and reliable. Time will tell. I also went with a HEI. Didn't realize until after I got it that there was a clearance issue with the firewall. I suppose it's hammer time.
Peteasauras
Registered Member
The rust didn't look that bad when I got it........ And the rats FILLED the rockers with junk.
Peteasauras
Registered Member
Rocker repair. I didn't go for show quality on what you can't see.
Peteasauras
Registered Member
rocker repair. I added some 2" square tubing to help strengthen the boxes.
Peteasauras
Registered Member
I bought a nice floor from a long bed and sectioned it to fit the blazer. I used a makita metal cutting circular saw to make very stright cuts. I had to cut the section by the tailgate to fit it together. without removing the quarters. (anybody notice the "storage unit" in the garage. lol)
Peteasauras
Registered Member
I added a 4" lift, tuff country easyrides in the front and a shackle flip in the rear with 3/4 ton axles. Since I didn't know the ride height I didn't want to spend $ on rear springs yet. But my factory springs had a broken lower leaf. I replaced the lower leafs with ones from a 3/4 ton truck. They are about an inch thick so I probably got another 5/8 lift. I also used some 3/4 ton rear shackles and boxed them with 1/4 plate.
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It's obvious you need some room in your garage! I will get that little red car out of your way for you!!! Just here to help.
here is what I did for firewall clearance. Darn could't find pics. I had a box made with tabs that went about 3 inches in toward the cab and cut a square out of the firewall behind the dizzy. I riveted the box in and the HEI dizzy cap had plenty of room. Hammer didn't quite cut it.
here is what I did for firewall clearance. Darn could't find pics. I had a box made with tabs that went about 3 inches in toward the cab and cut a square out of the firewall behind the dizzy. I riveted the box in and the HEI dizzy cap had plenty of room. Hammer didn't quite cut it.
Peteasauras
Registered Member
I removed a monster rear reciever hitch. I would have been good for plowing fields or catching rocks. Since the frame on these old trucks is paper thin I decided to make a bumper to strengthen the rear frame area and tie the rear shackle mounts together. And be very high. I used 1/2 plate and ran about 27" forward of the end of the frame. I cut out the rear x member and welded a new x member to the plates with 3x1/4 box. The final bumper is 2x4x3/16 square tubing. I don't know how it will work but It's very strong and I think it will help the rear frame from flexing. My goal is to make the suspension take the flex not the body\frame.
Peteasauras
Registered Member
Some day the car will get done. Trying not to do two projects at once. I also could move the engine crossmember forward to get HEI clearance. I'm planning on running a doubler an 7004r so I will need new drivelines anyway. I haven't decided what the ups and downs of moving the motor is. I though it was only a little that the firewall needed to be massaged, I don't want to beat it back 2" inches without cutting a box like you said.
chevy wrangler
1/2 ton status
where is the gas tank going??
Peteasauras
Registered Member
Aaaaa, That's the next set of pics. Actually The bumper I made moved the rear x member back about 2". So I can run the stock tank if I want. What I really want is to build a huge gas tank. I'm thinking of building a tank that uses the stock location plus the extra 2" I gained with my bumper and saddling over the rear end for extra capacity. My quick calcs show about 48 gallons with keeping the stock tank bottom height. Here are some pics of my cardboard mock up. Don't beat me up yet it's still only an idea. I'm also thinking about aluminum with a skid or all steel. My preferance is all steel with a bolt on aluminum top and two chambers to simulate dual tanks (If I can find a good gasket material). Either way the whole thing would be tig welded. I'm not positive how much the rear will flex. The bottom of the tank will contact the rear end after the stock rubber bump stops are compressed about 2". Any thoughts?????????
Peteasauras
Registered Member
More tank pics. If I just made my whole blazer out of cardboard it would be way cheeper. lol
chevy wrangler
1/2 ton status
looks cool, how will all the gas come out??
Peteasauras
Registered Member
I would put a pickup in the front edge of the lower part of the tank (right behind the diff). Or if I made it two sections I would use the pickup above and a second pickup for the part of the tank that extends over the axle. I would need to make a chamber to connect the two lower parts of the saddle shape, probably at the back protruding into the rear section of the tank. My concern is if the tank is one chamber, on an extreme downhill on a half empty tank all the gas would run into the front half starving the pickup. (Although I haven't checked the angles yet.) This is another reason for two chambers. Another nice thing about two chambers is I could do two electric fuel pumps. So a pump failure or tank hole in the middle of nowhere would not leave me stranded. I'm building the truck for long excursions from civilization, so the more redundancy the better.
RGV72BLAZER
1/2 ton status
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looks cool...my next one will be a '70, love those front clips...IMO, the best front end outta the first gens 
Might reconsider the 'lowest point' of the fuel tank.
Looks like trouble waiting to happen.
Probably 'the' most likely spot to take a big rock is behind the rear diff.
Good idea on the cardboard mock-up, it really lets you see what's going on.
When you said "be running in a couple days", I SO knew where this was going!
Great progress on the build, keep the pics coming.
Looks like trouble waiting to happen.
Probably 'the' most likely spot to take a big rock is behind the rear diff.
Good idea on the cardboard mock-up, it really lets you see what's going on.
When you said "be running in a couple days", I SO knew where this was going!
Great progress on the build, keep the pics coming.
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
I do hear a lot of people say you need to clearance the firewall for thebig cap HEI, but mine has one on there fine with no clearancing. It's close, but not a problem.
matt96shee
Registered Member
hey man, what part of az are you in?? i'm down in queen creek. any chance you'd want to build another rear bumper setup like that???
