Z's 1972 K5 CST Blazer Rebuild

[elzombo]

And so it begins...

I bought her about 3 years ago and just then I had to PCS to Oklahoma. On top of which I then deployed for 15 months and so unfortunately she sat out at my brother-in-law's ranch. Upon return from my deployment I did plan on bringing her up to Oklahoma, but never really had the opportunity. Well I moved back to Austin about a year ago but with the move, etc, etc, etc...she stayed sitting out in the country alone. Well I am so happy that FINALLY earlier this week I brought her home. She needs a lot of TLC and I plan to give it to her little by little.

Plans...
Well I am not going to turn her into a daily driver, but I also am not looking for a show truck. My plans are more along the Sunday cruiser and family recreation. Plan is to keep her mostly stock and I'm going to re-use any and all parts that I can (with the exception of motor and tranny at this point). I don't want to half a$$ this restoration though. Anything worth doing is worth doing right. Why invest my time and money into something only to have part after part that should have been replaced fail a year or two down the road. I am VERY new to auto work (mechanical and body). By new...I mean I know little to nothing. But what better way to learn than to jump into the deep end of the pool. I am HIGHLY motivated and never quit anything once I start. I am going to be asking a LOT of questions on here and hope to track her progress as it goes along.

[Infanti]

Nice Blazer to start off with.Good luck with your project,i know you will have lot's of fun and memories.Lot's of good people on this board with a ton of knowledge if you need any help.
Gerry

[elzombo]

Small steps...

So baby steps is all that I'm really able to start with now. The previous owner put in some home-fabbed side rear panels made from what appears to be particle board and cheap carpet. The bed was also lined with the same cheap carpet and carpet pad. It was glued on with some adhesive. I decided to remove it all as well as remove the rear bench seat. Now when I bought her 3 years ago there wasn't much rust. There was rust in the two rocker panels (both driver and passenger sides) and some surface rust in the bed. When I looked underneath the body seemed to have "normal" surface rust as well.
Since I'm new to all of this, thought I'd post to some pics to get some opinions. Is this rust minimal? normal? bad? Will I probably need to do a lot of metal work to cut out the cancer? My tentative plans (if the rust is in fact minimal surface rust) are to remove as possible and then Line-X the entire interior floor of the Blazer along with the interior side panels, the firewall, and the bottom of the shell. Is this do-able? If so is it a good idea/plan? I know I do not want carpet inside the Blazer.

Here are those pics

[elzombo]

More pics

[elzombo]

These are from the underside of the body. I don't think the rust is all the way thru. Why I believe it's surface rust.

[dccarpenter]

That looks pretty similar to my interior and like you I don't believe it is surface rust either. My plan is the same as yours, I'm going to wirebrush off as much of the rust as I can , I'm thinking of using a rust inhibiting/sealing primer prior to the Line-X on both the top and bottom of the cab floor sheet metal. Also, you may not need to remove the axles when you work on the frame, it's sometimes handy to have it rollable to move it around.

Your Blazer looks to be in pretty good condition, are you sure the changes you want to make aren't doable without pulling the whole body off? Might be overkill in this instance, you could probably get it up on high jackstands and replace all the brake lines/bushings/suspension parts from below.

Might be able to find a undercoating place that can pressure wash/wirebrush/paint your frame and underbody for not that much.

[tonypaul]

Nice Project!!!! What your plans for the drivetrain?

[VA72C10]

Looking forward to following along with the project!

[elzombo]

So I've worked on disassembly little by little (not fast progress, especially compared to other projects here) but I seem to have reached a point that is driving me crazy...over the stupidest thing...the wiper arms.

These damned things just won't seem to come off, no matter what I do. I'm very seriously contemplating just sawing them off or ripping them out due to frustration. Any suggestions????

I've searched some previous threads that say, "Lift up on the tab and pull off" and that sounds all warm and fuzzy but it's just not working out like that for me. Anyone have any experience in dealing with crappy wiper arms that didn't want to come off?

[elzombo]

Well here's a close up of the wiper arm base and here's where I'm at currently. I know it's not much but for someone who's never done anything like this before and who is basically learning as he goes...I think I could be doing a whole lot worse.

[elzombo]

The current 350. Will be coming out hopefully very soon.

[elzombo]

So I was able to do a little today (despite the wiper set back...still hoping to get some advice on how to deal with those mofos).

Took off the front fenders and was VERY happy to see they are in excellent shape inside as well as out. Also took off the inner fenders and although I knew they weren't in the best shape, they are worse off than I thought. I was wondering, should I just go ahead and replace them now or just leave them and if and when the time comes, replace them?

You can see how they're already pretty rough and the PO welded what appears to be some sort of brace/bracket to ensure the fender didn't eventually just fall off into the tire while the vehicle was driving. Don't want that to happen to me...You can see in the pics that part of the fender is just toast.

[elzombo]

As I was removing the inner fenders, I noticed the driver's side fender has this cylinder bolted to it. I figured it was some sort of reservoir but had no idea for what. It sounds empty and it has two hoses coming out of it. One hose went into the brake booster and the other hose goes to a T and goes into each of the valve covers. Just wondering what the heck this is.

Also, the PO had tried to put in some speakers in the kick panel...well to do this he cut out holes and now I've got to patch them up. Anyone in the Austin area want to help teach me how to weld? I'm sure that for some this is a kindergarten project but for a guy who's never welded before.....

On a brighter note, got the dash cluster out, looks to be in pretty good shape, just needs a little cleaning up. The dash as a whole looks solid, no rust or wear. The only pain is the cut out where there was a stereo. Wanted to go for a more stock radio look, but looks like I'll have to stick with an updated stereo. Could be worse

[elzombo]

Although I'm not building this to be a daily driver or show truck, I do want to be able to hit the road for long trips and not worry about things, such as the steering. Does anyone have any suggestions as far as an old steering gear? The one in the blazer now is rusty and the last time I drove her (about 3 years ago) the steering didn't feel too bad. But like most other things in this rebuild, I'm hoping that my skill level and budget will allow me to "might as well rebuild/replace now" before it is a problem.

Are steering gears normally something that should be replaced (or rebuilt)? How would I know if it needed to be? Would it be extremely difficult to attempt a "maintenance" myself?

[6772owner]

Looks like a good start to me, now on to your questions....

Inner fenders: My opinion is to replace them if that is in the budget, you could also look into having someone repair them or find some better stock examples.

That vacuum canister is scary, I dont even see how you have power brakes. The brake booster line should be connected to the base of the carb itself (back side) or the intake manifold between the carb and dizzy. The PCV valve (the part in your valve cover) should be hooked up to the front of the carb to pull vacuum on the crankcase. (I think!)


Edit: I just noticed you have a Demon (?) carb, I have no idea if that is the same vacuum line configuration as the Edelbrocks I am used too, hopefully someone else will chime in.


The steering boxes can be rebuilt, but most people opt to get a replacement box (either at the parts store or a supplier like Early Classic Enterprises (ECE)) I have never rebuilt one, but wouldnt truct myself to do it correctly on a safety item such as steering. Just my .02!

Hope this helps!

[elzombo]

You are correct, sir, it's a demon carb.

The fenders, my plan is to look around junk yards, perhaps find some in decent shape.

The steering box, how would I know if I actually needed it to be replaced though?

And THANK YOU for any and all advice. I've NEVER worked on vehicles or anything. This is definitely all new to me. Just trying to learn as I go.

[6772owner]

Im not sure on the Demon set up, sorry.

The boxes are usually worn out by now if not previously replaced or low miles. But you can mostly tell by driving it LOL The box will have play in it between the steering shaft and the pitman arm (the input and output basically) some play may also be present in the rag joint. The rubber coupler between the box and the steering shaft.

Anytime, I commend your honesty and willingness to dive in! Enjoy it and learn everything you can along the way!

[spike38]

Originally Posted by elzombo

Well here's a close up of the wiper arm base and here's where I'm at currently. I know it's not much but for someone who's never done anything like this before and who is basically learning as he goes...I think I could be doing a whole lot worse.

My wiper arms were pretty stuck also. I used a small peice of scrap,
To lay up next to the shaft, And a small flat bar(pry bar) to pull it loose.
Hope this helps.

Spike

[1956cameo]

Cool Blazer!

The steering gear boxes will usually whine, leak, and not work very well when the vehicle is at a stop when they are starting to go out. If yours was doing any of that than I would definately get a new one while the front fenders are off. You can get a new power steering box at AutoZone or O' Reillys for $100-150.

I would definately get new inner fenders. Some people run without them, but in my opinion doing so is asking for trouble. You shouldn't have much trouble finding a drivers side fender, but the passenger side inner fenders are much harder to find used. That is because they sit under the battery and the acid eventually leaks onto the fenders causing them to rot. If you can't find a used one you can get a reproduction fender for $85-125.

The only way I am able to get the windshield wipers off is to pry that tab back with a screw driver; then I push the screw driver up on the wiper arm while the bottom of the screw driver is against the cowl (WARINING: This will chip the paint) and it usually slides up.


Good luck with everything! I am looking forward to seeing more progress.

[6772owner]

I want to say that I have seen a special puller tool for the wiper arms, I believe that Snap-On makes it.

[elzombo]

Something small but one of those things that keeps you motivated. Amazing how big of a difference such a small thing makes.

[elzombo]

So it's been a while since my last post. Probably b/c the progress I've made was relatively insignificant to some of the awesome work others do in such a short amount of time, but it took me a while. Anyhow, I've managed to get the tub/frame separated...NOT an easy chore when you attempt it alone (had to draft the wife into Blazer service...hahaha). Well I'm almost down to just the frame but for now I'm SUPER excited to be where I'm at. I'll just post a few pics and let them do the talking.

[elzombo]

Finally just a mock up of the new 350 that I'll be putting in. Like I said before, not looking to make her a beast, just a reliable weekend warrior that could drive coast to coast if asked to...

[VA72C10]

nice progress and that engine has a nice clean purposeful look

[vk_chevy]

nice progress,