78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..

[phillipm]

Had a weird thing happen last night. I say it's weird because before tearing it apart we had driven this to Vegas and back so really thought all was well in this department.

Yesterday I was making some changes to the transmission tune and noticed the A/C got warm, then I heard the safety switch cutting the compressor off. Hopped out there and noticed the fans we'rent on. Checked the fuse real quick and all was fine there. Reached down and moved the harness around for the fans and saw it spark and smoke some as they came on!

Got lucky that it was only a high in the 80s yesterday so I decided to unplug them and make the 25 mile drive back to our shop after work. Made it about 90% there before having to pull over and open the hood for a few minutes. After that I only had to shut it off at 1 stop light and then made it in. Which was suprising as it's like 20 stop lights along the route. Figured out that the ground wire had somehow built up a bunch of resistance and completely melted the Metri Pack 630 housing and melted the wire jacket right off of it. Ended up redoing the grounding strategy and should be good to go now.

[phillipm]

Here is what I did with the ground circuit. I pulled it back out of the harness and went straight to the chassis. We got a little out of hand with the paint stripping so I need to touch that back up, however that's just an update to how I reworked it.

[dragonball98312]

The trim sets it off nicely

[phillipm]

Originally Posted by dragonball98312

The trim sets it off nicely

Appreciate that. Thx.

[aboesec10]

what did that steering box set you back?

[phillipm]

Originally Posted by aboesec10

what did that steering box set you back?

Well it turned out that my steering gear was cracked (most likely from a previous accident) and I needed to purchase a new core as well. Total with the new core and the rebuild using the heavier valve and the PS pump flow was about $800. Not cheap, that's for sure. In fact I'm pretty sure with all the parts I've done I probably could've put a pb fab drop member in this thing for not much more money.

However, with that said I've never not been satisfied with the guys at Lee's Steering. They, in my opinion, are the best of the best!

Phillip

[lolife99]

Originally Posted by phillipm

Well it turned out that my steering gear was cracked (most likely from a previous accident) and I needed to purchase a new core as well. Total with the new core and the rebuild using the heavier valve and the PS pump flow was about $800. Not cheap, that's for sure. In fact I'm pretty sure with all the parts I've done I probably could've put a pb fab drop member in this thing for not much more money.

However, with that said I've never not been satisfied with the guys at Lee's Steering. They, in my opinion, are the best of the best!

Phillip

You joke about running a Dropmember,...
but the Extreme version now requires NO FRAME NOTCH.
Plus it gets you 3" of extra ground clearance compared to a stock crossmember/a-arm set up.
And the addition of rack and pinion steering.

Seriously,... for guys wanting a low static drop these are the ticket.
Run your stock spindles and get the coilover dropmember and go.
That 3" of extra ground clearance is worth it.
Especially if you are looking at "rack and pinion swaps" anyway.
(the only down side is you have to run Porterbuilt tubular a-arms)
But the option to go lower with drop spindles and/or bags in the future is easy.

[phillipm]

Originally Posted by lolife99

You joke about running a Dropmember,...
but the Extreme version now requires NO FRAME NOTCH.
Plus it gets you 3" of extra ground clearance compared to a stock crossmember/a-arm set up.
And the addition of rack and pinion steering.
Seriously,... for guys wanting a low static drop these are the ticket.
Run your stock spindles and get the coilover dropmember and go.
That 3" of extra ground clearance is worth it.
Especially if you are looking at rack and pinion swaps anyway.
(the only down side is you have to run Porterbuilt tubular a-arms)
But the option to go lower with drop spindles and/or bags in the future is easy.

Oh I'm not joking! LOL. That's what I would've done knowing what I know now.. Hopefully someone else can read through this and make the right decision up front.

[lolife99]

Originally Posted by phillipm

Oh I'm not joking! LOL. That's what I would've done knowing what I know now.. Hopefully someone else can read through this and make the right decision up front.

Its not too late,...

[phillipm]

Well we're in DEEP!!!

Probably enjoy it like this for the moment. It drives absolutely great so if I don't plan to go lower at the moment then I don't see a reason to change.

Side note, I laser the logos onto the PB Fab parts so those guys aren't far from me. If you've got a tie rod adjuster with the PB fab logo on it, it came through my shop on it's way out there.

[phillipm]

Okay I take that back, that's way more than I'm into this setup for!!!! Wow. I do understand how much better the PB stuff is. Just can't split with that kind of cash right now. Never realized how expensive the parts were.

[lolife99]

I got 4300.00 without drop spindles and brakes.
I added a sway bar too.
Coil over shocks definitely add o the price compared to bags.

Still love your blazer.

[Dads79GMC]

I searched your thread and couldn't find it; what radiator are you using? You mentioned you purchased your fans from Cooling Components. I like the combo! Thanks Mike

[phillipm]

Originally Posted by Dads79GMC

I searched your thread and couldn't find it; what radiator are you using? You mentioned you purchased your fans from Cooling Components. I like the combo! Thanks Mike

The radiator was a unit from rock auto that was originally for a 70 chevelle. The unit was actually about 1.5" too short so I had to build some stations to raise it up. I tried to look for it but don't see it offered now.

[Dads79GMC]

Thanks. I appreciate the information

[phillipm]

Originally Posted by Dads79GMC

Thanks. I appreciate the information

No problem! If anyone has questions just let me know.

[phillipm]

Well we braved the 118* weather and did the Squarebody Syndicate run to Brother's over the weekend. While it was hot I definitely didn't complain as many braved it without A/C! Unbelievable, but hats off to those guys. Here are a few pics from the weekend. We had a great time and really enjoyed meeting and talking with so many cool people. Here are some pics.

[lolife99]

Great pics!!!

[OutlawDrifter]

Very cool, thanks for sharing!

[Dads79GMC]

Last time I just skimmed through this build; tonight, I read all of it! Awesome build! I took from it a tons of info to stick in my kit-bag! Would loved to have seen a detailed how-to on the cluster. Maybe I'll try that on my second pile of truck? Mike

[phillipm]

Originally Posted by Dads79GMC

Last time I just skimmed through this build; tonight, I read all of it! Awesome build! I took from it a tons of info to stick in my kit-bag! Would loved to have seen a detailed how-to on the cluster. Maybe I'll try that on my second pile of truck? Mike

Thanks a lot. I appreciate that. Which part of the gauges were you wanting to see more on, the speedo and tach or the smaller ones?

[68Timber]

So many cool trucks...

[schpeen]

way cool

[Dads79GMC]

Originally Posted by phillipm

Thanks a lot. I appreciate that. Which part of the gauges were you wanting to see more on, the speedo and tach or the smaller ones?

I would like to know specifics on the speedo and tach. Thought you mentioned you purchased the smaller ones, not five inch?? Did you direct wire all the gauges?

Thanks Mike

[phillipm]

Originally Posted by Dads79GMC

I would like to know specifics on the speedo and tach. Thought you mentioned you purchased the smaller ones, not five inch?? Did you direct wire all the gauges?

Thanks Mike

Yes I started with the 3 3/8" or so gauges. I didn't want a needle as long as what comes on the 5". However the movements are the same. After pulling the housings apart, I pulled the needles and the movements. After that I created my own faces and then mounted them into the factory housing. This did require hacking away quite a bit of the factory housing. The toughest part really was reinstalling the ODO/Trip reset rod. I had to lengthen it and I ended up using a ballpoint pen ink rod to do that.

After that I used HP tuners to line up the RPM needle and then played with the Speedo needle to get it on the correct spot.