Ptjsk '72 Jimmy Build

[Ptjsk]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

I believe the cables have enough available slack. Eyeball the front rubber hoses to see if there is enough perceived slack though.

Just to be the devil’s advocate, why add lift? Fresh springs and 33” tires give a nice stance but keep it easy to get in and out. Even so, I added auxiliary steps so my wife would tear off the GB door scrambling inside.

Look for wheels with a 4” back space as that allows room to clear the front brake calipers. With 12” width tires you’ll probably have to go with at least 8” wheel width. Some guys have mounted 33 x 10.5 tires on 6” steel wheels.

Thanks for the information.

It looks like there's enough for the what minimal lift I'm going with.

I just wanted a bit higher lift than stock, but didn't wish to go 4", or 6".

I may start with the 8" Rally Wheels I already have, but those steelies….

Thanks again, Pat

[DeadheadNM]

So clean and rust free! What’s the bolt look like that attaches the fuel sending unit ground to the frame?

[Ptjsk]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

So clean and rust free! What’s the bolt look like that attaches the fuel sending unit ground to the frame?

It looks pretty good to me. What do you think?

Pat

[DeadheadNM]

Awesome thanks. I recall my bolt being funky just like yours - thin head and long thread. Thanks for posting.

[special-K]

Your yoke will be on it's way today! Nice Jimmy. You don't see many white, now that I'm thinking about it

[jaros44sr]

It's like Christmas everyday, you can't decide which part you like best, then you add another part and you like that one better. great build so far, keep going

[Ptjsk]

Originally Posted by special-K

Your yoke will be on it's way today! Nice Jimmy. You don't see many white, now that I'm thinking about it

Thanks Tim!

Originally Posted by jaros44sr

It's like Christmas everyday, you can't decide which part you like best, then you add another part and you like that one better. great build so far, keep going

Thanks for the comments. The motor and transmission is going in next.

Pat

[C.I.Blazer]

Great Job! Interested to follow along with a build that leaves the body on the frame. I am doing the same as I have no room to take it off. Thanks for sharing.

[Ptjsk]

Originally Posted by C.I.Blazer

Great Job! Interested to follow along with a build that leaves the body on the frame. I am doing the same as I have no room to take it off. Thanks for sharing.

LOL! Yea, I probably should have just taken the body off.

The whole idea was to just rebuild the motor, do a few things and get it going.

Unfortunately, it just grows and I may as well do this now.....and so on.

Pat

[Ptjsk]

Motor and transmission installed!

Pat

[7D2N]

Very nice work, the engine looks great installed.

[1956cameo]

Everything is looking great! Amazing original condition.

[DeadheadNM]

Looks great! Don’t forget the frame stop bumpers

[Ptjsk]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Looks great! Don’t forget the frame stop bumpers

Yea, thanks. I just observed them in my parts box today.

Also, working on the AC dog house. Turning our pretty darn good. That Harrison sticker is the original one that was on the unit.

The seal kit I ordered was not good at all. Definitely wasn't the correct one for my AC Dog House. I'll have to check the order, as I need to make sure I ordered for an AC unit.

I just ended up fabricating my own.

Pat

[Ptjsk]

More progress pics!

Sandblasted the fenders and fortunately there were no surprises at all!

Pat

[SeventyOne]

oooh that stepper looks pretty nice as well!

[jaros44sr]

Originally Posted by SeventyOne

oooh that stepper looks pretty nice as well!

x2, that is what I wanted to buy, before I found my Jimmy

[Ol Blue K20]

Looking good.

[Ptjsk]

Damn.....Removed both rocker panels only to find more damage than I thought it would be.

Looks like I have a bit of work ahead.

Pat

[Ptjsk]

Remaining pics.

[Ptjsk]

It is coming along nicely.

Final fitting on the rockers.

Pat

[jimbosprint]

Excellent build. Bummer about the hidden rust, but it looks like you are taking good care of fixing it right. At the rate you are going you will probably be on the trail before my 4x4 project gets started.

[7D2N]

Nice build Pat, I think all these old blazers have rust, would you mind sharing where you got the replacement rockers. I have fought mine all the way.

[Ptjsk]

Originally Posted by jimbosprint

Excellent build. Bummer about the hidden rust, but it looks like you are taking good care of fixing it right. At the rate you are going you will probably be on the trail before my 4x4 project gets started.

I don't know, this has taken me longer than I anticipated (as usual), but I'm getting closer. It started out as just a simple motor rebuild. Of course that went into the transmission, front and rear axles, and takes off from there! Project creep! I did finish the rockers today, and replaced small patches behind the rear tires. So now, I should be back to finishing the AC unit and move onto assembling the front fenders and such.

Originally Posted by 7D2N

Nice build Pat, I think all these old blazers have rust, would you mind sharing where you got the replacement rockers. I have fought mine all the way.

Thanks for the comment. I'm with you and your thoughts that all of these old Blazers/Jimmy's have hidden rust. Fortunately, I think I was able to capture it all.

Kind of crazy how it happened, but I ended up using two different manufacturers for the rockers.

On the passenger side, I utilized GMC Paul's for the part. On the drivers side, I contacted Summit and utilized the manufacturer of AMD (Auto Metal Direct).

I did have to message and splice both of the pieces, but I think the one from Paul's was a tad bit easier. But that's not really saying much, as both of them worked out pretty darn good.

The reason I went with Summit on the drivers side was the fact that I was unsure I was going to replace that one. When I did finally decide to move forward, I wanted it as soon as possible. I'm definitely glad I did as I found problems underneath of that side too. Anyway, I went with Summit simply due to the fact that shipping was much cheaper, and I was able to obtain it the very next day. If you order at least $100.00 dollars worth of items, shipping is free of charge. So I just ordered items that I know I was going to need totaling just over $100.00.

The two pieces that were rusted completely out (at the bottom of the "A" pillars), were ordered from Orange Trucks. You can see in the pics that I spliced them in just under the bottom hinges. Definitely not the same quality as being built by GM, but it was still pretty easy to make them work.

I did shave/cut down the edge where the inner rocker, the structural box, and the outer rocker all meet. I only removed about an 1/8" of an inch but it made a huge difference on my ability to obtain the proper gap along the bottom of my doors. I also used a 4" x 6" block, and a bottle jack to help push it up and hold it in place while I welded it. I pulled the inside edge into the door with the use of wide jawed vice grips. You can see it in my pic when I was test fitting.

I'm definitely no expert at all with metal replacement, but what problems are you running into?

Pat

[7D2N]

I had to massage them also. I had to relief cut spots so the rocker would fit in the right spot at the kick panel. The stamping wasn't very good with rounded edges where they attach at the A-pillar in the door opening.