Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

I'm so gonna lose this race. You need timelapse video to verify movement of my setup.

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Okay time for another update!

I've been running the Cooling Components CCI-1228 fans for a while now (which can be found HERE). And while they cool very very well, they are kinda loud for my taste, even on low. So, I decided to move to an OEM fan solution. I've used GM fans in the past and I'm always impressed with the amount of air they can move and for how quiet they are, even at full speed which is currently how I've got them wired.

The fans I'm using came from a 2004-2007 Cadillac CTS-V. I've got one of these cars so it made taking pre-measurements much easier. The fans are 12" diameter fans with 160W motors on each. This lines up pretty well with the 28x18" radiator core I've got in the truck.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/p...ictureid=24203

My original plan was to use the factory shroud and everything. That's by far the easiest way to go. However, with the fan on the right being in the raised position this ran right into my air induction tube from the engine. I could shove the shroud down and all the way to the passenger side and make it fit, however this left a large gap at the top and along the driver's side. That would probably be okay in 98% of the country, but in Phoenix that's not good. That's precious area that I'm loosing when you're parked in 120*+ weather..

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/p...ictureid=24202

So, I decided just to build a shroud that would meet my needs and fit my core perfectly. I first used 5052 aluminum to bend up the general shroud. It's 1" deep and has flanges on the top and bottom that will be used to mount the unit to the radiator. The dimensions of the raised area came out to 16" x 28" and flange to flange the unit is 18" tall.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/p...ictureid=24201

Next I stripped the fans and motors out of the OE shroud and used some 6061 solid rod bent on each end to create a mounting structure. The center pieces are some .090 5052 I had laying around that I used a 4.5" hole saw to cut the hole for the electric motors to pass through. Another key feature when purchasing used OEM fans is to get them with the electrical plugs still in them. Many of the OEM's use Yazaki terminal plugs which are hard to find in the US as well as online. And, when you do, they want too much money for them.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/p...ictureid=24200

I copied the 1/2" stand off from the tip of the blades to the core that the original shroud gave. However, this left another 3/4" of blade sticking out of the shroud. While I don't think this would be an issue for performance it's certainly a safety issue. So next I made some 90* pieces that were 41" long and used my stretcher to turn them into guards.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/p...ictureid=24198

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/p...ictureid=24199

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/p...ictureid=24197

From there it was a whole bunch of welding and a whole bunch of drilling to finish it off. All of the holes are for SPAL wind flaps that relieve pressure from the non aero design of a flat shroud. At speed they open and allow more air to pass, and when you're stopped they close from their own weight as well as suction from the fans. I added a separator on the back side so I can run just one fan at a time and not get bypass air just looping around as well.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/p...ictureid=24195

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/p...ictureid=24196

Finally it's hard to get a good picture in there but here they are finished up and mounted in the truck. A friend had asked me how long I thought it would take me to build them. I laughed and said I think it will take me 2.5 hours so it will probably take me 5. In the end it took me 12 hours to build the shroud not including painting and wiring it which was easily another hour or two.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/p...ictureid=24194

In the end I've now got a fan setup that doesn't sound like a 747 coming in for a landing. However I'll have to wait till next summer to really put it through the tests!

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Nice work!

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Your craftsmanship is epic.

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Thanks bud, I appreciate that.

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

If you're not an electrical engineer, you should have been. Your knowledge of system needs and aftermarket vs OEM stuff is refreshing.

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

You know I think I'm the classic case of not applying yourself in school. When I went to my counselor and said I wanted to go into the Engineering School, she just laughed as she looked at my test scores... LOL. My wife has asked me to go back to school for my Engineering Degree but I haven't done it. So, instead I'm the Director of Marketing and Communications for a few Harley-Davidson® locations.

For me, in school I never made the connection of how studies and real world applications meet until much later.. Never say never though right?

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Are you the guy I complaint to about all the motor clothes being overpriced for not being Made in America... just kidding .. sort of...

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Out of the blue I was driving the Blazer home one night and bam, it wanted to die and was puffing plumes of smoke out the back. After making a U-Turn and finding a safe place to pull over I pulled out the laptop and started poking around in HP Tuners to see what was happening. Turned out the fuel trims were -25% which is basically pulling as much fuel as possible and it's still too rich. On the way home it died again and I had trouble getting it started. Had to give it about 1/2 throttle to get it running.

After doing some more research Dad and I realized it was possibly the carbon EVAP canister and system that were where the faults could be. Pulled the old canister out and turned it over, sure enough fuel rolled out of it! Well shoot, that's not good. A few things transpired from that. First we realized that I plumbed the system wrong. The neck vent should not have been teed into the EVAP supply line. It should of been plumbed to the fuel module liquid separator port. And two, where I had the canister guaranteed that if fuel did make it into the line it would roll all the way down to the canister.

So, after re-plumbing the neck vent we got to work remounting the canister in the rear of the truck just behind the drivers rear tire. I made a shelf that holds the back half of the canister and then riveted on a plate to the floor which included two TIG welded 3/8" studs to run flange nuts on to. Now the canister is just above the top of the tank and we should no longer have issues with the fuel, fingers crossed!

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/p...ictureid=24321

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

I just read every word and looked at every photo in this thread. Wow. Beautiful. You and your dad are truly talented. Great job.

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Appreciate the kind words!! I enjoy sharing our builds and I've learned a lot over the years. Hopefully some of this community can save some time and money by our mistakes over the years. Currently I'm putting a new rocker on my Dad's 71 C/10 so I've been a little quiet on the Blazer. However I've got plans to work on a rear lighting control mod so I can see when I'm putting gear in the back and some other upgrades. Stay tuned!

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Got to see this awesome rig in person. These 2wd K5s are so much fun on the road. The 6 speed auto is like magic sauce. Phillip and his father Paul were killer hosts. They have a drool-worthy collection of toys. And as always, Phillip taught me something new...freakin' door striker bushings!!!

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/gallery/...-1600x1200.jpg

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

This is cool. You didn't get to drive your Blazer over?

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Such a good time! Really glad you guys popped in for a few. I love sharing knowledge and learning new stuff! I wish I had Buffy's face on video when he closed the doors on the blazer. Hehe Door striker bushings for the win.

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

such a great thread. thanks for posting. would love to have a 2wd set up like this..

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Very cool build. I appreciated watching you work out all the details.

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

phillipm, any updates on the upper door seals? Did they make any difference in wind noise?

I just got back into the K5 world with a 55K original mile 1989 Jimmy. Trying to decide whether to take the gamble on new weatherstripping on the cab, or just try the upper auxiliary door seals. It's tight for the most part, and only seems to make "extra" wind noise with a "crosswind".

I would say they offered a 10% improvement. This was on top of brand new weather stripping in the entire truck. So if your other pieces are not in good condition I don’t think they’ll help all that much.
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Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Door seals are great, just seems like a crosswind causes the bulk of the issues.

Thank you for replying back!

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

How did you know where to but the bottom molding? Do you have the measurements for the location of them?

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

I used the hockey stick moulding at the front of the truck to get the distance top to bottom.

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Phillip, I'm wondering if you can give a re-cap on your learnings with the A/C and given the chance to start over, what you'd recommend? Sounds like you would advocate for the Vintage Air from the beginning, what about compressor choice? I'm about to start my 5.3 install in my suburban, and I'm aiming for cool air when done. Besides the interior volume difference between my suburban and your blazer, I've also got the rear air I'd like to include in the mix. Thanks for any advice you can provide after your experimentation.

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

You know I can't say that I put any effort into getting the factory system to work. However yes, looking back I would likely do the same thing and jump straight to a Vintage Air or Restomod Air system. Both are great. I will say that the smaller evaporator and TXV style of the aftermarket systems are not a good match for the later model bigger compressors like the 10s17 and 10s20 that I was trying to use. What would happen is it would work great at idle or low rpm around town, but the second you got on the freeway and I was running closer to 2k-2200 rpm, when the TXV would open the inrush of freon would be so fast that it would cool too quickly and then close again. If you're familiar with home systems it was like having a 5ton unit on a home that needs a 2ton. So the air would be ice cold but then the compressor would turn off and effectively not cool the truck. Now, it took me almost 2 years of research and trial and error to fully figure that all out. Now I have a 709 compressor and it works great. I say all of that because, with you having a rear air system as well that will help but I still fear that the main system will not work properly if you have everything on low as that's when the problem got real bad. Additionally, I can say that with the factory 78 orifice tube system I didn't have any issues and I think that's because of the style of metering. Late model trucks also use orifice tube and I think that's what that factory compressor is better matched to.

Side note, I'm building a rear air system that will sit within my center console. I don't have much to share at the moment and I've been working slowly on it for a few years now but maybe I'll actually finish it this year and can share that too.

Hopefully that answers your questions. Let me know if it doesn't.

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Thank you!!

Will the addition of your rear air materially change your compressor requirements, do you know? What is the unit out of? I wondered if I should explore one out of a newer suburban or tahoe, vs. the original unit.

Sounds like I should abandon my hopes of running the LS compressor before I start, that's helpful to know now. I have a 10SE18F compressor, which I've been able to find zero information on the internet for.

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

I've spent some time talking with Rick Love from Vintage air and he said that no, the 709 should be capable of handling the second evaporator as well. I have the same one in my OBS Tahoe which has much larger evaporators so I can confirm he's right. The bigger thing is getting a condenser that can get rid of the heat. So I'm upgrading that too at the same time. I don't know anything about that compressor but I'd assume it's an update to the two that I listed. You could use it if you're going to use the factory front system (as long as it's not a variable compressor) but if going VA or RM on the system go ahead and put in a 709. Do not use a 508, it will be too small as I tested that one as well. Wouldn't cool the truck at an idle. Too much of a heat load. I have 508's in all of my muscle cars and it works great there. End of the day it's just about sizing everything to match and work with the truck. Much like home HVAC systems. As for a newer unit out of a Tahoe or suburban, I'm sure it could be made to work but IMO wouldn't be worth the effort. Just refurb the stock rear unit and run it. Anything it can do to help cool the Sub will be great.

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Sounds good! Looking into universal condensers, but I plan to run the largest one I can come up with. I'm also not above completely remaking the core support to allow something larger if needs be.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/A-C-Univers...wAAOSwQKdchroG

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Just run this then. It's a true 1" thick core. Don't be fooled by many MFG's who claim 1" thick. Including RestoMod. They're are only 3/4" and the tanks are 1". (I've bought from them before).

https://www.vintageair.com/accessori...er%20SuperFlow

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Will do! Are you running the 709 in the low mount position? Or did you have to move it up on the passenger side?

And I'll stop polluting your build thread with my questions, but your retrospectives have been extremely valuable to me as I'm sure it has been for others too. Thanks again!

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

phillip,
I just happen to check out the blazer/sub builds on here and came across your build. you guys (you & dad) are very talented purposeful builders ;). It is nice to see another local builder. I am currently building a C10 (build thread on here). I am learning alot (1st time LS build):o . I am struggling with the electrical...LOL!!. Please feel free to take a look at my thread & give me some pointers....:metal:

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

phillip, I went to good guys, but I forgot to look for you... sorry I didn't - aarrggg. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was surprised by the lack of vendors though. my friend (who had never been to a show before) really enjoyed it & is now hooked!..LOL How is the blazer doing now with a few miles under it's belt?

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

No worries. Yeah the Rona had a lot of vendors staying home, that's for sure. If your friend liked that show, he'll really like the fall one. Blazer is doing well. Just got it back together after rebuilding the 6L90e and adding a 1-off, rear AC system. Ready for summer now!

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Thought I'd take a moment to highlight a new upgrade. We started in 2019 planning out a rear a/c system for the blazer after my infant son was sweating beads and very unhappy in the back seat! Well, it took some time but it's now all in the truck and working. System is a Socoro and is plumbed in parallel with the front Vintage Air system. It's running a refrigerant solenoid for freeze protection on the rear and has it's own drier per V/As recommendation. I had to do a little trimming to the inside of my console but as you can see, my console was no show piece before with the bottom broken as it was. I'm running a Sanden sd7H15 compressor, a 16x26" condenser and dual CTS-V GM fans. Here are some pictures. I don't have any final photos with the wires all wrapped and cleaned up but you get the idea. Haha So far it's blowing high 40*s out of the rear and makes it much more comfortable in the back seat.

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Very cool idea! How is it for noise when running the unit?

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

This unit is 2 speed. On low it's barely audible over the front a/c on medium or higher with the radio on. On high, it's a little louder but not obnoxious IMO. Again, going down the road with wind noise, front a/c, radio, and everything.. still not really adding much noise. But, I think all of that is personal preference. I'm used to my OBS Tahoe rear air and this is not as loud as that is.

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Very cool upgrade! (pun intended)

For that blower, where is it getting its intake air from outside the console? Is there openings that can't be seen after its all installed?

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Correct, I opened up the bottom of the console under the unit for pulling air in off the bottom side of the console..

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Show them a picture of the redyed dash, Phillip. Things are looking great.

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

It's been a while, however I thought I'd post a couple pictures of the Blazer. We ended up moving to a Ridetech coil spring and a CPP modular spindle on the truck as well as installed some Slosh Tubz to make more room (gained almost 3" of clearance with those). I can say with the Ridetech spring the car came up about an inch vs the same drop McGauphy's spring and it rides much better because of that and now we've got a total of 5" of clearance from the top of the tire to the fender well making it much more enjoyable on uneven roads. We also installed some American Racing wheels and wider tires to compliment the new Baer 14" brakes up front and 13" in the rear. Here's a few photos of how she sits now as well as a shot from the most recent GoodGuys Hall of Fame Tour it was on. To date the truck has almost 50,000 miles on it since we've finished it and we've enjoyed everyone of them! (well, almost every one)

Re: 78 2wd Blazer - LS Swap and more..
 

Phillip: I so love your updates. I trashed my TH350 merging into traffic today. I think I'm finally gonna go with a 700R4. I hope you and the family are going well.