I'm going with a tbi 350 most likely which won't mind spinning higher revs of the 3.73's which is nice. I'm curious to see what kind of mileage youll get from your blazer as is
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The Great Smaug
- Thread starter campfire
- Start date
I'm going with a tbi 350 most likely which won't mind spinning higher revs of the 3.73's which is nice. I'm curious to see what kind of mileage youll get from your blazer as is
I think you'll be fine. It's my diesel that will be unhappy with the situation.
3.08/0.70/29" is fine for cruising, but it could use more gearing overall, and it's not set up for towing much.
3.73/0.73/31" feels like too much.
I think the ideal lies between them.
I forgot to upload the gearing charts for the trucks in question. 55MPH = 1375RPM vs. 1625RPM.
I'd rather have 65MPH @ 1800RPM in overdrive, based on my reading and story swapping with folks around here (and either 3.42 gears or 33" tires would make it nearly perfect). The world certainly won't end over 120RPM, and overall I'm pretty happy with it. But if I could magically conjure up more pleasing numbers that is what I would be aiming for.
Nuts. I see that the chart didn't update. I hate open office, it has mangled this excel spreadsheet so much.
I need to sit down with Excel and rebuild it properly. And yet I feel like I'm done needing to use it, so why bother?
I'd rather have 65MPH @ 1800RPM in overdrive, based on my reading and story swapping with folks around here (and either 3.42 gears or 33" tires would make it nearly perfect). The world certainly won't end over 120RPM, and overall I'm pretty happy with it. But if I could magically conjure up more pleasing numbers that is what I would be aiming for.
Nuts. I see that the chart didn't update. I hate open office, it has mangled this excel spreadsheet so much.
I need to sit down with Excel and rebuild it properly. And yet I feel like I'm done needing to use it, so why bother?
Nice finds! Getting closer.Yesterday I went to buy this:
View attachment 220745
And it turned out that the seller still had the donor truck, too. So I spent an hour pulling off parts and left with much more than I had planned.
New parts:
Hydro bell housing
W-crossmember (So I don't hafta roadkill a trans mount next time).
32-spline NP208.
These are the 3 things I needed to pull off the NV4500-swap in this truck, so that is now in the plans. In a few months when weather breaks, that is.
But I also wound up with these other parts:
late-model SM465
Manual steering column & steering shaft
set of hydo-clutch vacuum-boost pedals
Front driveshaft
The 2-prong weatherpack connector that I couldn't find cheaply. I grabbed 2 of them, but upon getting home I found out that they aren't the same.
A speedometer cable (which has already been installed in the Blazer).
A hood release cable (Big Blue's has had a broken sheath since before I got it).
And a few odds & ends.
@78K30
And getting further away. Outside projects are officially done for the year (unless something breaks).
Looks cold but fun. I love a ton of snow.
Our weather forecasts are highly variable. Not at all like growing up on the prairie, where forecasts are generally correct from hour to hour, and even from day to day (most of the time). Here the forecasts change hourly. Last night we were forecast for no snow this coming week, now we're told to expect a 9-15" snowstorm on Friday. But Friday is still 5 days away, so the forecast will have changed at least 5 times before then. Who knows what will actually happen?
Found a lost cache of 2014 pictures. Back in the good 'ol 6-lug days. Before the zero-rate helped level out the rear.
Skinny rear.
Trying out the special standard/metric hybrid lug nuts with the new cap.
Using the Blazer axle for measurements prior to the axle swap.
"New" axles.
The donor 8-lug D44. Which wasn't actually a D44.
I did some tear down and inspection before mounting up the new axle.
Donor hubs off & ready to swap.
I'm not gonna re-post the axle swap pictures, but I was happy to find some 6-lug shots.
Also, here is one of my favorite traveling souvenirs.
Skinny rear.
Trying out the special standard/metric hybrid lug nuts with the new cap.
Using the Blazer axle for measurements prior to the axle swap.
"New" axles.
The donor 8-lug D44. Which wasn't actually a D44.
I did some tear down and inspection before mounting up the new axle.
Donor hubs off & ready to swap.
I'm not gonna re-post the axle swap pictures, but I was happy to find some 6-lug shots.
Also, here is one of my favorite traveling souvenirs.
I bought a thing. It came in a very oversized box.
I opted for a rebuilt unit after I realized that the accumulator in the Blazer actually works, giving brake boost after the pump quits. This is a handy feature that neither of the GMC rigs has. So my hope is that the truck will be better off after the repair than it was before the breakage.
I opted for a rebuilt unit after I realized that the accumulator in the Blazer actually works, giving brake boost after the pump quits. This is a handy feature that neither of the GMC rigs has. So my hope is that the truck will be better off after the repair than it was before the breakage.
Baby steps, Bob. Baby steps.
Hydroboost swap completed. The 6 firewall bolts are all tightened up, and the brake pedal now does its thing (as far as I can tell without moving the rig). I can now start buttoning up the dash again. It will be nice to have a steering wheel again. 
Spent some time out in the HorseBarn today. I'm home sick, and it was 16* this morning, so I really shouldn't spend much time out there. But I did get some thinking in. The thrashfest right at the beginning of winter left it in disarray, which has only gotten worse. So organization is in order. I have some more junk to clear out. The Great and Smauggy Suburban needs some TLC. I now have almost all the parts for its NV4500 swap. Would still prefer an NV3500 (The 3-4 split isn't great), but I'll use what I have lying around.
As camping season approaches, the desire to have this on the road is increasing. The Blazer has proved to be as useless as I had expected. 2 doors + tailgate is just not nearly as useful as a 6-door Suburban. Can't get stuff in & out, can't get to the back seat, can't carry plywood, etc. So I hope to have this thing back on the road this season. I have been missing it.
As camping season approaches, the desire to have this on the road is increasing. The Blazer has proved to be as useless as I had expected. 2 doors + tailgate is just not nearly as useful as a 6-door Suburban. Can't get stuff in & out, can't get to the back seat, can't carry plywood, etc. So I hope to have this thing back on the road this season. I have been missing it.
So what are you going to do with the blazer after the sub is done?
I'm not sure, Dean. The sub's sheet metal is still pretty good by Wisconsin standards. And the Blazer is a rust bucket. So keeping them both as seasonal rigs makes good sense from that standpoint. Summer camper vs. winter beater. Both of them have permanent plates, so I have no registration cost (
), so that also provides incentive to keep what I already have. The Blazer may not be a great kid-hauler, but it is able to do the job.The one I can't make use of right now is Big Blue. I can't fit the growing family in there, so it's just not as useful as it was 7 years ago. It's also the one with the tiredest engine and saggiest springs. And the shot batteries. Aside from being the family heirloom and having an emotional attachment, I really don't have need for it anymore.
Good plan with the blazer and sub... the truck is a tough one. I hear you with kids, makes them useless but for a work truck. I got two of them! Lol!
At least you don't live in town and got a place to park it till you make a decision.
I'd just keep it.
At least you don't live in town and got a place to park it till you make a decision.
I'd just keep it.
2 work trucks? Or 2 kids?
Yeah, letting it sit is an option. The HorseBarn isn't configured for vehicle storage, but I can still get 2/3rds of it out of the rain.
But we both know that sitting is brutal for vehicles. I think a couple of low-charge freezes finished off the weak batteries, they're pretty near useless now.
2 work trucks? Or 2 kids?
Yeah, letting it sit is an option. The HorseBarn isn't configured for vehicle storage, but I can still get 2/3rds of it out of the rain.
But we both know that sitting is brutal for vehicles. I think a couple of low-charge freezes finished off the weak batteries, they're pretty near useless now.
Both...two kids...two standard cab k20s. Lol!
There all twins too Boy and Girl 15 years old and two 77 Trucks. 
Build a lean-to off the side of the horse barn.
I bring my batteries inside for winter.
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Build a lean-to off the side of the horse barn.
I could do that, but I really shouldn't have to. I have 30x50 divided into 8 horse stalls (plus the center bay where the Suburban sits). I could fit a fleet in there if I started removing some of the stall dividers. I may run some pasture animals in the future, but I don't think I'll ever need 8 segregated areas with this small of a pasture.
Minus the truck, it sounds like a good plan. The only thing you could benefit from is maybe a crew cab instead of the standard cab. But I understand the attachment.
