Converting a k-5 4x4 to a 2wd

[Jlo1986]

I am looking to purchase a 2 WD Chevy Blazer (69-72). I am finding many more 4x4 than 2WD. I was wondering how much work it would be to convert a 4x4 to a 2WD. Is it Expensive? Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[skorpioskorpio]

I'm converting one, but there are many ways to skin this cat. The frames are actually different:


You can pretty much bolt in either an original C10 front cross member or one of several aftermarket ones (Scotts Hotrods, Porterbuilt, No limit). The engine sits differently between the 2 so the trans cross member will need to move or be changed, there is also aftermarket options there. Drive shaft will need to be altered. If you leave it leaf in the rear it's easier, it's all a matter of what you want to do and how far you want to take it. There are guys on here that have done this just about anyway you can think of, from all adapted OEM parts, to all aftermarket (my route), to taking a 2wd C10 frame and lopping 2 ft out of it.

[Jlo1986]

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

I'm converting one, but there are many ways to skin this cat. The frames are actually different:
Attachment 1225232
Attachment 1225233
You can pretty much bolt in either an original C10 front cross member or one of several aftermarket ones (Scotts Hotrods, Porterbuilt, No limit). The engine sits differently between the 2 so the trans cross member will need to move or be changed, there is also aftermarket options there. Drive shaft will need to be altered. If you leave it leaf in the rear it's easier, it's all a matter of what you want to do and how far you want to take it. There are guys on here that have done this just about anyway you can think of, from all adapted OEM parts, to all aftermarket (my route), to taking a 2wd C10 frame and lopping 2 ft out of it.

What would i be looking at as far as cash goes? Thanks.

[Livrat]

Converting one does involve a good amount of work, I have done 26 conversions in the last 30 years, I have done it in every conceivable configuration, from using OEM donor parts, to aftermarket crossmembers to 4 link rear suspension, The easiest and least costly way is to use a 71/72 donor truck.

I usually charge $2500 (including donor parts) to do the basic conversion.

[skorpioskorpio]

Originally Posted by Jlo1986

What would i be looking at as far as cash goes? Thanks.

If you are very resourceful, very lucky, a good fabricator, have a place to work and not a perfectionist you might be able to pull it off for less than a couple grand. If you are starting from nothing, I doubt you can do it for any less, this route means either cut down a C10 frame or do the front only and keep the leafs and drums in the back. However if you need to ask that's probably not you.

If you want to buy all the parts off the shelf and send them somewhere and have some one do the work for you, you can easily be in the $10-20 thousand or more range. Complete aftermarket front ends ready to bolt on go for $3-6 thousand depending on vendor and features, complete aftermarket chassis are also available starting in the $12-15 thousand range. Even if you buy a complete chassis you'll probably still need to change the wheels, drive shaft and trans. You'll need a motivated shop to do the work, as most will think you're insane and the ones that don't will either see it as a challenge (good) or see you as pile of money (bad). Very very few shops would be willing to cut down a frame or build a 2 wheel drive frame from junkyard parts. Again if you have to ask...

You will also have to decide what your budget is for what you start with. Looks like you are in California so you may be able to find a fairly rust free truck but probably not for under $10K and it will likely be worse than you think it is. I've heard tales of rust free Blazers and seen some that claim to be and they wern't, even in the Southwest. Mine was in the desert in the Central Valley all it's life and appeared to only have a couple bubbles in the paint on the passenger rocker but once off the rockers were a horror show inside, needing floor ends, rockers, lower A pillar gone, lower B pillar gone and windshield frame corners are in need of some reconstruction. The rest of my truck was very solid. Ignorance is bliss, consider ignoring the bubbles and going with a patinaed truck. I've seen the same bubbles in almost every "rust free" truck I've seen.

When I looked for mine I was not going to spend more than about $12K, was not going to hack up someones lovingly restored truck, or a low mileage survivor. I specifically looked for a truck that had it's original California plates on it so I knew at least that much of it's history and kept one more original Cali truck in California. I personally strongly favored Jimmys over Blazers, but that's just me. I didn't care if it ran, mine did and it didn't, it ran but didn't move. I am only keeping the frame rails and the body, I've kept no other part of the chassis or drivetrain and mine will cost at least all the numbers I've quoted in this post combined by the time I'm done.

[Jlo1986]

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

If you are very resourceful, very lucky, a good fabricator, have a place to work and not a perfectionist you might be able to pull it off for less than a couple grand. If you are starting from nothing, I doubt you can do it for any less, this route means either cut down a C10 frame or do the front only and keep the leafs and drums in the back. However if you need to ask that's probably not you.

If you want to buy all the parts off the shelf and send them somewhere and have some one do the work for you, you can easily be in the $10-20 thousand or more range. Complete aftermarket front ends ready to bolt on go for $3-6 thousand depending on vendor and features, complete aftermarket chassis are also available starting in the $12-15 thousand range. Even if you buy a complete chassis you'll probably still need to change the wheels, drive shaft and trans. You'll need a motivated shop to do the work, as most will think you're insane and the ones that don't will either see it as a challenge (good) or see you as pile of money (bad). Very very few shops would be willing to cut down a frame or build a 2 wheel drive frame from junkyard parts. Again if you have to ask...

You will also have to decide what your budget is for what you start with. Looks like you are in California so you may be able to find a fairly rust free truck but probably not for under $10K and it will likely be worse than you think it is. I've heard tales of rust free Blazers and seen some that claim to be and they wern't, even in the Southwest. Mine was in the desert in the Central Valley all it's life and appeared to only have a couple bubbles in the paint on the passenger rocker but once off the rockers were a horror show inside, needing floor ends, rockers, lower A pillar gone, lower B pillar gone and windshield frame corners are in need of some reconstruction. The rest of my truck was very solid. Ignorance is bliss, consider ignoring the bubbles and going with a patinaed truck. I've seen the same bubbles in almost every "rust free" truck I've seen.

When I looked for mine I was not going to spend more than about $12K, was not going to hack up someones lovingly restored truck, or a low mileage survivor. I specifically looked for a truck that had it's original California plates on it so I knew at least that much of it's history and kept one more original Cali truck in California. I personally strongly favored Jimmys over Blazers, but that's just me. I didn't care if it ran, mine did and it didn't, it ran but didn't move. I am only keeping the frame rails and the body, I've kept no other part of the chassis or drivetrain and mine will cost at least all the numbers I've quoted in this post combined by the time I'm done.

Thanks for the input. The Blazers i have come across for sale in California, range from $3600 (no motor/tranny) on to 18k. I just figured that any blazer i purchase, i will want to paint and do interior, not to mention motor work. Hopefully i can find something that runs and relatively rust free for 5k.

[bouncytruck]

Here is an article that outlines the conversion.

http://www.sporttruck.com/techarticl...ion/index.html

[doubleb's69]

Looks like fun. Maybe something I will tackle some day.

[skorpioskorpio]

Originally Posted by Jlo1986

Thanks for the input. The Blazers i have come across for sale in California, range from $3600 (no motor/tranny) on to 18k. I just figured that any blazer i purchase, i will want to paint and do interior, not to mention motor work. Hopefully i can find something that runs and relatively rust free for 5k.

If that $3600 one is completely disassembled under a car port. I know that truck, it was one of my candidates a year or so ago, it looked pretty solid, but too far away for me in the state it was in, me being in the other end of the state.

I was amazed how hacked up most of the trucks I looked at were.

If you plan on doing paint, you may as well plan on doing rockers and probably at least pillar patches, it's the nature of the beast unless you find a truck that has already had them done.

I don't have any decent before pics, but mine had no rust showing through on the rockers just 2 little bubbles about 3/8th" diameter in the original paint and only on the passenger side, this is what was behind the rockers:



..and this was after removing a 2 gal bucket of rust from both sides. The drivers side showed no outside signs of rust at all until after removing the carpet and sile plates. After blasting the A & B pillars below rocker level are basically gone. Bear in mind that originally there is a panel that goes from the floor to the torque box, and that panel was almost completely gone on both sides.

These are before pics of the other surprise areas, the windshield corners, look perfectly solid:



But after blasting the top edges are gone, and there is some Alpine Lace Swiss cheese action going on under the windshield gasket but it's minor. There is also a bit in the kick panels and under the passenger seat in the floor. Other than that there was no blow through anywhere else and not even a trace in the cowl plenum or bed floor. Anyway these are the areas to pay close attention to.

Here is a pic of the parts involved in a 2WD conversion with a trailing arm rear, using Porterbuilt components. There is also a Moser 9" housing, a CPP hitch reciever (used in place of the last rear crossmember) and a Hotchkis trailing arm mounted rear sway bar. Ridetech coilovers, Corvette Z51 brakes and CPP modular spindles are not in the pic, and this setup will put the truck at a ride stance of about 9" off the ground at the frame at the center of the wheel base with a slight rake with 28.5" tall tires. This setup starts with bare frame rails with all crossmembers, and any 4WD mounts removed, leaving only the body mounts, the furthest forward of which will need to be modified as it also serves as the front leaf support.

[MrGoodpliers]

Hey, Livrat, I have been thinking about converting my Blazer as well. The plan would be a Porterbuilt trailing arm crossmember, stock trailing arms, adjustable track bar and 5 or 6 inch drop springs. Due to the 4x4 frame being straight, where will the coil springs line up? I know that a bracket will have to be made for the upper spring mount, but I'm wondering if there is enough room for the mounting bolt on the outside of the frame. Any pics of some of the conversions you have done would be great.

[Livrat]

You are correct on having to make a bracket for the upper spring mount to fit on the outside of the frame, I have not used a coil spring on a conversion before but all of the airbagged ones there was enough room for the upper mounting bolt which is in the center of the bag. so I do not see any issues on using a coil spring.
Unfortunately due to a computer crash I am without any conversion pictures, You may send a PM to Twisted78SS and ask about some pictures of the trailing arm/airbag conversion we did on his 70 Blazer pictured in his avatar.

[skorpioskorpio]

Originally Posted by MrGoodpliers

Hey, Livrat, I have been thinking about converting my Blazer as well. The plan would be a Porterbuilt trailing arm crossmember, stock trailing arms, adjustable track bar and 5 or 6 inch drop springs. Due to the 4x4 frame being straight, where will the coil springs line up? I know that a bracket will have to be made for the upper spring mount, but I'm wondering if there is enough room for the mounting bolt on the outside of the frame. Any pics of some of the conversions you have done would be great.

In a mild spring drop, Porterbuilt makes it 3 ways, coils on the trailing arm with inboard mounted shocks in front of the axle, inboard coilovers with no springs on the trailing arms or coil overs at the end of the trailing arms with outboard mounts. I purchased the latter....However they never did deliver the upper shock mounts, well they sort of did but they were all wrong and for something unrelated, they also sent me a crossmember for inboard shocks that I now have to cut up to remove the mounts. At first they sent me a setup for a 2wd frame, which was all wrong.

When you are talking Blazers and converting from 4wd to 2wd, inches of drop seems kind of nonsense, mine will be about a 12" drop from where it started, and still be able to (just) slide a long neck beer bottle under the frame at mid point with a 28 1/2 inch tire. That's about the same as my factory lowered ZQ8 sport suspension optioned Sonoma (which would sit an inch higher than that with the same tires). Mine started with maybe a 3 to 4 inch lift and 33x12.50s. That puts the top of the tire at about 2 inches below the fender lip with the tread 2 inches in from it at the top.

In the end I'm not sure I'd do Porterbuilt again but that's another story.

[Wasted Income]

I also ordered up a bunch of Porterbuilt stuff for my 2wd conversion....and ended up butchering the chit out of it to get any of it to fit my 4x4 blazer frame.

[Special-Ed]

you guys are scaring the crap out of me...

so what is the best way to convert 4wheel to 2 wheel?

i was under the assumption that porterbuilt had a solution that works well

i am already planning on using aftermarket 3rd party front and rear suspension with bags and mild drop...

so what should i use?

i aint scar'ed of a little fab work , cuttin or welding...

[Wasted Income]

Perhaps PB does now have a decent solution, but at the time I ordered my stuff ( about a year and a half ago) they had ZERO blazer specific parts. I had to rework C-10 parts to work for me, build my own c-notch, etc.

[MrGoodpliers]

I was looking at just the trailing arm crossmember because of its fore/aft adjustability. I was thinking that there aren't any 4wd/2wd specific conversion parts and the track bar and shock mounts would have to be fabbed. Or does anyone offer conversion parts for this?

[lolife99]

Porterbuilt parts were used to convert Project Larry's 4x4 blazer to 2wd.
Delmo used a Porterbuilt 4-link rear suspension and step notch to make it work with the 4x4's "straight" rear frame rails.
Give Porerbuilt a call.
They have the conversion figured out now.

Delmo's thread:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=593323

[skorpioskorpio]

Well, when I ordered my stuff from Porterbuilt I was told orders were running 7 weeks, took 8 months and a lot of phone calls, for the most part messages were never answered, required luck of the draw. I ordered the whole deal, mild drop front, outboard coilover rear, all new tubular crossovers, with the intention that Delmo who is their guy in LA would do the setup. By the time I actually got everything, he was too backloged to do it, and eventually told me he didn't know if or when he would ever be able to do it.

As I said rear suspension was totally wrong, and when I look at what they did send me, I'm not sure they even sent that complete enough to work even if it was a 2wd frame. Anyway, so they resent the rear, and the bolt in notch is really too wide for the frame rail which makes me wonder if the overall width will be correct. Usable upper shock mounts never showed up (probably a couple dozen calls on that alone, always to be sent out "this week"). Core support cross member doesn't fit (frame horns are a half inch taller than the crossmember)and seems randomly drilled. As stated sent cross member for inboard shocks and trailing arms for outboard shocks. Front cross member is well made but does not take into account the flaring of the frame in that area and requires it to sandwich the frame between pieces that from the factory aren't flat. Trans mount is pretty light duty compared to everything else.

So now it's sitting on a fabrication table, there is going to be lots of rework needed. At least 2 of the tubular cross members will need to be refabed. I reduced the frame to rails assuming this would all just go together, which it's now looking to not be the case.

Now had I had it to do over again, I would have got a Scotts front which is pretty much a bolt on assembly, OR just bought one of No Limits complete ready to go frames, OR treat the frone and back seperately and commited to fabbing more or mix and matching parts from the 3 vendors. The prize of the Porterbuilt stuff is the trailing arm cross member and the trailing arms them selves. What this is going to cost me in the end I could have bought a full frame for the same amount from No Limit or a couple other vendors. Live and learn.

Oh and to top it off, no directions of any sort, and the little reference there was, their forum, has been taken down. So it's now kind of a random collection of parts that I hope turns into a chassis.

[MrGoodpliers]

Wow, thanks for the heads-up. Since mine will be a mild build with no intensions of bagging/laying frame, I'll stick with ECE and factory 2wd parts.

[Wasted Income]

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

outboard coilover rear

Sonofa....that wasn't an option when I ordered my stuff either...ended up spending a lot of quality time with my welder, level, tape measure to make my own setup.

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

OR just bought one of No Limits complete ready to go frames,

You'd swear we were working on Mopars here or something...nothing seems to fit right, even after a $$$$ cash outlay. My No Limit front needed some love with my plasma in order for the suspension to be able to sweep it's full travel without binding/interference. I also had to get REAL creative with the steering shaft and butchered my stock column to make it work. Some parts were also omitted from my "kit".
In the end, I got my stuff, and a front suspension that seems to work pretty well, but damn....building stuff is frustrating sometimes.

[PBFAB.COM]

Originally Posted by Wasted Income

Perhaps PB does now have a decent solution, but at the time I ordered my stuff ( about a year and a half ago) they had ZERO blazer specific parts. I had to rework C-10 parts to work for me, build my own c-notch, etc.

Wasted Income.... you are correct. At the time we didn't make a rear kit that would do what you wanted it to do on the 4WD blazer. We discussed this and made some recommendations for the parts that we did have that would be compatible... you pulled the trigger and we got you what we could, and for the most part I thought it worked out well for you.

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

Well, when I ordered my stuff from Porterbuilt I was told orders were running 7 weeks, took 8 months and a lot of phone calls, for the most part messages were never answered, required luck of the draw. I ordered the whole deal, mild drop front, outboard coilover rear, all new tubular crossovers, with the intention that Delmo who is their guy in LA would do the setup. By the time I actually got everything, he was too backloged to do it, and eventually told me he didn't know if or when he would ever be able to do it.

As I said rear suspension was totally wrong, and when I look at what they did send me, I'm not sure they even sent that complete enough to work even if it was a 2wd frame. Anyway, so they resent the rear, and the bolt in notch is really too wide for the frame rail which makes me wonder if the overall width will be correct. Usable upper shock mounts never showed up (probably a couple dozen calls on that alone, always to be sent out "this week"). Core support cross member doesn't fit (frame horns are a half inch taller than the crossmember)and seems randomly drilled. As stated sent cross member for inboard shocks and trailing arms for outboard shocks. Front cross member is well made but does not take into account the flaring of the frame in that area and requires it to sandwich the frame between pieces that from the factory aren't flat. Trans mount is pretty light duty compared to everything else.

So now it's sitting on a fabrication table, there is going to be lots of rework needed. At least 2 of the tubular cross members will need to be refabed. I reduced the frame to rails assuming this would all just go together, which it's now looking to not be the case.

Now had I had it to do over again, I would have got a Scotts front which is pretty much a bolt on assembly, OR just bought one of No Limits complete ready to go frames, OR treat the frone and back seperately and commited to fabbing more or mix and matching parts from the 3 vendors. The prize of the Porterbuilt stuff is the trailing arm cross member and the trailing arms them selves. What this is going to cost me in the end I could have bought a full frame for the same amount from No Limit or a couple other vendors. Live and learn.

Oh and to top it off, no directions of any sort, and the little reference there was, their forum, has been taken down. So it's now kind of a random collection of parts that I hope turns into a chassis.

Ken-

In the end, you are the customer... and you obviously aren't 100% satisfied. So we need to address this.

However, the part that surprises me most is the fact that this is the FIRST time we have heard about you not being satisfied. We get a PM from a forum member (not a phone call or an email from YOU) asking if I have seen this thread. I make my way over here and am actually pretty surprised at what I am reading.

The reason I am so surprised is because we were perfectly clear up front, in our multiple conversations that we did not make a "kit" for a Stage 2 rear conversion on a 4WD blazer frame. We discussed working together with YOU and your builder to send what we had and fine tune and dial it in as necessary.

Yes, there was a delay on your parts, and yes, we did send some of the incorrect parts out for the rear (notches). However it was rectified, and each time we spoke or emailed it was never a "rush" as you were waiting to get in over at your builder. As mentioned, this is the FIRST time we are hearing about your level of dissatisfaction.

In regards to the front kit, it is not a 100% bolt-in, as the 4WD blazer frame does not have the same mounting hole provisions for the 2WD cross-member. There is the need to measure and drill. However it does fit... Not overly complicated, but all this was discussed. We even discussed how you wanted your wheels to sit (in regards to trac width). And our solution was to send out a standard length set of arms for a baseline and then we would build you what you needed to get it just how you wanted it.

I would agree that your build is very unique and very specific. In our conversations you even made the comment several times that none of the "other companies" would even talk to you about it. We discussed what we had available and what we were willing to do to help complete it and dial it in while working together. You signed off and pulled the trigger.

You were NEVER told it was a direct fit kit, but were told that we would work with you and your builder to dial it in. We spent hours and hours discussing things on the phone... over and over and over. And now here we are, reading about you *****ing about us on line when it is completely off base.

If we were any other company we would tell you to take a hike. However, we don't treat our customers that way. The original offer still stands to work together and dial in some of the components to help you reach your end goal.

Do me a favor and give us a call so we can help provide you with everything we originally discussed.

Nate

[Special-Ed]

Originally Posted by Porterbuilt Street Rods

Wasted Income.... you are correct. At the time we didn't make a rear kit that would do what you wanted it to do on the 4WD blazer. We discussed this and made some recommendations for the parts that we did have that would be compatible... you pulled the trigger and we got you what we could, and for the most part I thought it worked out well for you.



Ken-

In the end, you are the customer... and you obviously aren't 100% satisfied. So we need to address this.

However, the part that surprises me most is the fact that this is the FIRST time we have heard about you not being satisfied. We get a PM from a forum member (not a phone call or an email from YOU) asking if I have seen this thread. I make my way over here and am actually pretty surprised at what I am reading.



If we were any other company we would tell you to take a hike. However, we don't treat our customers that way. The original offer still stands to work together and dial in some of the components to help you reach your end goal.

Do me a favor and give us a call so we can help provide you with everything we originally discussed.

Nate

and this is why portbuilt will be going into my ride....

regardless how much engineering goes into this... it still requires tweeking... its all custom even though they are suposed to be the same

[thelonerife]

Originally Posted by lolife99

Porterbuilt parts were used to convert Project Larry's 4x4 blazer to 2wd.
Delmo used a Porterbuilt 4-link rear suspension and step notch to make it work with the 4x4's "straight" rear frame rails.
Give Porerbuilt a call.
They have the conversion figured out now.

Delmo's thread:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=593323

I love the way Larry sits. That sounds bad when I say it out loud but it's true lol. I will one day do my blazer like that. First I have to find a decent tub.

[PBFAB.COM]

In regards to what kits and options we have available for the 4WD to 2WD conversions:

Our front Dropmember kit does bolt into the 4WD frame on 69-87 models. However the holes need to be drilled. (We are working on making an actual conversion kit with special templates to make the install much easier) but it isn't available yet.

On the rear... we do not currently offer a "kit" but have several components that can be used to give a good base.

[Wasted Income]

Originally Posted by Porterbuilt Street Rods

Wasted Income.... you are correct. At the time we didn't make a rear kit that would do what you wanted it to do on the 4WD blazer. We discussed this and made some recommendations for the parts that we did have that would be compatible... you pulled the trigger and we got you what we could, and for the most part I thought it worked out well for you.

I'm just salty that there's a bunch of badass stuff available now, that wasn't available then....

My core gripe is that at the time, you guys weren't a one-stop shop for all your 4x4 to 2wd conversion needs, like it appears you are now. I would have preferred to buy everything from you...the quality of the stuff I did get was incredible, and I had a hard time cutting it up

I would also like to say that when I saw you guys selling the inner frame stiffeners a couple weeks back, i wanted to bash my head on my desk. That is something that I'd absolutely have bought, especially since I didn't have time to do it myself with my tight timeline for getting the truck on the road, and it's too late now. I know...i know...1st world problems, cry me a river.

I guess C-10 suspension are like electronics. As soon as it arrives at your doorstep, it's already obsolete/out of date. lol. Overall that's not a bad thing for guys wanting to build badass trucks.