1973 Blazer Build/Resto... Input please!

[Keyblazer]

I have owned this '73 Blazer for about 7 years, and she has been stored away, driven little, but now its coming time to give her some TLC.

Looking forward to some constructive, experienced advice, and opinions!

This is how she was when I bought her.


Very little history, and can only go on what I see and feel, so I just spent some time looking at what I have and trying to figure out a direction/budget.

FYI: The dumb visor/shade is gone already.

Overview of Body condition...

Seems like it is CA/AZ vehicle... so for her 42 years, she is not bad!
Paint is toast, so I have to plan/budget for that.
A quick sand on front fender and a rear quarter, tells me she was always been black, and maybe one repaint.

Drivers side fender.


Drivers side rear quarter.


Front edge of hood rusted thru maybe due to chrome panel that was mounted..
Replace with OEM quality part?


Both front fenders look good enough to keep, but pass side is different color...


Both doors have rust bubbles on lower edge and extra mirror holes.
Replace with OEM quality part?


Base of tailgate is rusted thru in the center.


Rear bumper is slightly bent, and tow hitch is an ugly mess.

Pulled up the drivers and passengers carpet... which were glued down and was greeted by this similar sight.


Replacement panel will be needed

Rockers have a diamond plate cover, so I will have to remove them to see. No sign of rust looking underneath... so far!

More post to come in a few mins.

[Keyblazer]

Overview cont:

Chassis and Mechanicals:

Motor is a 350, based upon paint, maybe it was freshened...
Edelbrock carb, on stock cast iron manifold, MSD distributor and HEI coil, long tube headers and dual exhausts.


Trans is a TH350 and NP205 TC.
Front axle is a Dana 44 wearing a weird "bolt on" truss...


Rear axle looks like a 12 bolt.



There is a plate on the chassis leg at the steering box... Don't like the look of it, so I will have to remove it and do it properly!


I see lift blocks in the rear, SS brake flex lines, and rancho shocks, so I think a 4".
Truck was on 35'x 12.5x 15 tires on chrome steels, but the tires were toast, so I have 33' Procomps from my other truck on for now.

Driving impressions:

Engine starts well, and settles down to a fast, but slightly lumpy idle... feels slightly cammy...
Oil pressure is good hot and cold. Oil IS old, but looks clean.
No serious oil or trans leaks.
Off idle it hesitates/bogs, then runs HARD until a belt squeal starts at about 4000rpm by ear cos the tach is not working.
Trans shifts correctly, and slightly firm... maybe has a shift kit..

Steering is vague and sloppy.
Brakes are soft, and pull to pass side slightly... maybe bleeding and use will settle the back in.


Maybe carb tuning and accelerator pump issue.

[Keyblazer]

Interior Overview:

Dash needs retrimming and I have a LOVELY OEM burgundy colored dash pad ready.
Glovebox door covered/missing.
Instruments NF... but it has the OEM tach!
Steering wheel is sticky, and toast.

Original looking front seats are here... but some nice modern leather seats are included...



I think the original rear bench is here, but I also have a 87 Suburban 3rd row seat in good shape.

There is a basic roll hoop bolted behind the front seats.

Hardtop is there, but needs some TLC.

Drivers side and tailgate glasses lift poorly... needs new mechanisms.
All glass, door and window seals need replacement.

[Keyblazer]

So that's the overview.
A little about me...
Gear head, mechanic, engine builder, wannabe fabricator, trimmer, and painter... done some of it all, but no expert!

Have a good selection of tools, including TIG, and MIG welders, Plasma Cutter, sheet metal brake, shear, slip roll. Big air compressor, air tools, big media blasting cabinet, spray guns of most types.
AC gear.
Powder coating gear and oven.
Industrial sewing machine indoors.
Planning to add a few more tools, including a tube bender.

Here is my basic plan:
I want the truck to look/drive/stop nice, have "enough" power.
Not a show truck, but not a disgrace either.
Has to perform on road and reasonably offroad too....
Roll cage with Bikini top, that will go under the hardtop.
Functional heater and AC(it is an AC truck, but compressor missing)

To do list:
Remove and replace the hood and tailgate.
Reskin doors.
Remove glass and interior.
Weld in new floor pans.
R&R patch on steering box chassis, with ORD kit.
R&R suspension as needed.
Refinish chassis/ underside.
Fabricate/buy rollcage.

Strip to body to bare metal, repair panels as needed, etch prime, primer finish.
Send out for final paint.
I am favoring Black, maybe with burgundy metallic two-tone.
Refinish Hardtop.
Check and assess engine/trans/TC/axles/electrical, as needed.
R&R Dash, Instruments, weather seals.
Recover floor with sound deadener/pad/carpet or rubber.
Retrim seats, doortrims and side trims.

Drive and enjoy the California Lifestyle!

[Keyblazer]

So, with all that said...

Opinions/input on the plan and other stuff are welcome...
I am hard working, but not rich!

Keep the 350, or put a 454/TH400 in(I have them stashed, but they need rebuilding), or put an LS or Vortec in?
Retrim the original seats or go custom?
White or black top?
How good is the OEM AC... upgrades?
Engine cross member upgrade?
Crossover steering worthwhile?
Any good input on rollcage idea?
Should I do a body lift to go to 35's or 37s?

My head is full!

[Keyblazer]

Thanks for the fast input SilverMiner!

Restomod is where I am at.
Lots of pics to come, I LOVE pics in atread... threads are worthless without them!

Here are a couple more showing the general condition...
Remember, this is kinda "as is" after I pulled it out of its open air storage where it sat for 5+ years, so It looks kinda sad.

I put 5 gallons of fresh gas in it and a new battery, and after a couple of splutting starts, brake tests, I drove it 10 miles home!

Pass side.




Missing brackets for the header connection of hardtop.


Drivers side underfloor.


Under the rear end... Nice gas tank skid... ugly tow hitch!



The modern seats I have are nice, but sit too low, and the 4x2 wood front mount is not where I want to be...
I will need to fab something if I want to use them.
3 point seatbelts are mandatory for front seats too.

On road, 60mph cruise on the freeway without drama, but able to go on the beach or dunes or back roads, as none are far away..
Not sure if there is a locker in the rear, but that's on my list... the tire size and gearing will dictate that.

I have some "Tripod Mirrors" but the holes don't line up either!
Also an odd bubble near the door handles!
Reskin or patch?

The hood and tailgate are holed right thru...
I am off to the Junkyard with my list in hand soon... maybe I will find something!
If I am gonna spend $ on paint, I want it done as best I can... no rust coming thru in 3 years!


I am a lover of the C/K series, and have owned several, inc this '73, K10 that I built into a cheap hack/camper... and still use and abuse... some people might recognize it from other forums..

Starting point was this $50 non runner...
Note the similar rust in the hood!




This is how it progressed thru bodywork, Rustoleum roller paintjob, lift, wheels and camper shell

[SilverMiner]

Looks to me like you have an excellent base for just about whatever you'd like to do - so the question is, what are your plans? Restore to original, a full blown rock-crawler ultimate 4x4, or a resto-mod with modern luxury that looks mostly original?

Other than the rust-through on the floors, I'm not sure that the rest is much of a problem. Particularly compared to what some of our brethren have to deal with in the rust belt. The extra door mirror holes don't bother me in the least - easy to weld up and seal. I'm weird, but I happen to prefer the "tripod" style mirrors that those holes are for The tailgate is another matter. The hood rust is kind of odd - I wonder if it might be due to whatever adhesive the chrome hood geegaw might have used? I wonder if it might not grind out easily. Seems unlikely that it might be rusted all the way through.

How about more pictures of the dash and interior? Do you like the late model seats, and plan to keep them? It looks like at least the passenger door has a speaker installed in the upper rear portion - is that correct? Has the dash been cut for a DIN head unit or is it original?

Keep us informed, and as always POST LOTS OF PICTURES.

[SilverMiner]

I forgot to mention, I actually kinda like the visor. Back in the 70's, they were quite the thing, so as a "period correct" piece it has some value if thats something that floats your boat. I've seen some that had a visor that may have helped preserve the dash somewhat. I like the chrome push bar too - also very period correct, and in my eye still looks darn good.

Do you have a photo of your SPID from the glove box? I'm fascinated to learn what options were on your rig, because I'm not sure I've seen one with A/C and a tach dash from that era that didn't also have woodgrain trim. Great rig, and I'm glad to see you're going to put some love back into it.

[Liberty]

One cool quick tip for the stock steering wheel.

I picked up a very sticky steering wheel from a pic and pull for my 1982 C10.

I tried soap, car wax, lotion, all sorts of stuff to get the sticky off.

Soap helped a little, wax did nothing, lotion helped a lot for a few minutes which gave me the idea to use boot polish. Specifically Doc Martins Wonder Balsam.
That Wonder Balsam completely got rid of all the sticky and has stayed perfect for a few months now.

[Keyblazer]

Great Info, Thanks!

[Keyblazer]

Busy busy.

Been doing some engine work so I can get a baseline on this motor.
The engine runs ok, but bogs down when you hit the gas, so I think the carb might need a rebuild.
Oil pressure seems strong... 30+psi cold at idle with old oil in there... I will change it today with some high quality Diesel oil.
I put a Mallory HEI ignition in it a while back, but I was not sure I had the timing set correctly. Upon trying, found the idle speed was too high 1200/1500rpm. This explained why it sometimes diesels after turning the engine off when hot. Cured that... when the normal idle screw made no difference, it turned out to be the choke fast idle screw.
Once I have it set up better I will run a compression test, and that will be a chance to put new plugs in her.

I did discover why the belts squealed like a banshee at 3000rpm and above!
The engine fan had one of those aftermarket solid fan spacers.
I had a near new Viscous coupling, so that went back in instead... much better.
I have no instrument panel function beyond oil pressure... the tach is stuck at 1500rpm but does move when I turn on the ignition... need to check the Mallory distributor connections again. I cannot even find the wire that should go to the coolant sensor under the hood!

Dropped by at The Truck Shop in Orange County and picked up a pair of front floor pans... I may need the rear part as well, but wanted to see what these cover before I decided.


This is the rear seat I plan to put in... its the 3rd row item from my '87 suburban.

[Keyblazer]

Changed the oil, and after a warmup, she reads at least 30psi at idle and almost 60psi at what I guess is 2500/3000 rpm.

I found the cables for the tach and coolant sensor looped over the brake booster...
Reconnecting the Tach to the tach output on the Mallory HEI made no difference.
The coolant sensor wire was in bad shape... cracked and missing insulation, so I will have to chase the wire back and replace it before I can test.

I noticed the coolant level had dropped... and a leak from the thermostat housing was fixed, but I still didn't see any pressure developing in the cooling system as it got warm... the cause became obvious when I saw coolant on the driveway from the passenger side door.... Heater core is toast!

[Keyblazer]

Looks like I made a mistake...

It has an NP203 TC, not a 205.
I assumed it was a 205 because my 73 K10 has a 205...

The blazer also has a pair of hub locks... maybe it had a part time kit fitted...
How can you tell?

[lowrodderchev]

driveline, I may be wrong but if it still spins while unlocked its a 203. I have a203 in mine with a part time kit in it. I think I saw a 205 on craigslist in your area

[SilverMiner]

Keyblazer - the rust pattern in your K5 is totally different to my experience with those found in the norther-tier states like Idaho & Montana. The spot on the hood and the narrow spot in the rear on the tailgate are things I haven't seen before. Both seem to be more easily fixed than having debilitating rust at connecting points.

Good job keeping us up to date on your work. I look forward to watching your progress proceed.

[Keyblazer]

Yes indeed.
Having spent a couple of hours under her, it still amazing to find so little rust.

I have been sick the last week, so not much done really.

Pulled out the Instrument cluster today to look at the Printed circuit board as most of the instruments are not working. Looking for clues!



The one that worries me the most is the Tach... They are the most expensive to replace!
Why do my searches turn up pictures of these tach's stuck on 1500rpm??
Is this the common failure mode?

[Keyblazer]

203 for sure.

[mickeykreg]

Try here on your tach

http://www.tachman.com/oldsun.htm

[Keyblazer]

Originally Posted by mickeykreg

Try here on your tach

http://www.tachman.com/oldsun.htm

Thanks for that.
I actually found this guy about 10 days ago, and emailed him... Not had a reply yet!

['68 Newtricks]

How did you find something so rusty, local? lol I'd have to look really really hard to find that kind of rust around here.

Boy, ya got a project. Nice black truck, the future for the blazer looks good

[mongoose45056]

Great project! I am building a 1975 Blazer. Would you consider selling me the rocker panel skid plates? Please let me know as I have been looking for a while for a pair. Thanks again.

[Keyblazer]

Originally Posted by mongoose45056

Great project! I am building a 1975 Blazer. Would you consider selling me the rocker panel skid plates? Please let me know as I have been looking for a while for a pair. Thanks again.

Thanks for the offer, but I planned to put them on my K10, shortened a little. I already started to re-polish them too!

[bmchevy1979]

That rust is pretty common on these trucks in the central valley my 74 is exactly the same but my frame hadn't been fixed yet but was broken. I also have 75 with similar rust issues not quite as bad though. I think the rockers and floor pans get like that from normal off road use the drains get clogged and dirt packs up in rocker area my hood on 74 was the same and on the tailgate the top seal goes bad and dust settles at bottom of tailgate rotting it out

[Keyblazer]

Did anyone have any thoughts on those cracks in the rear X member?
See Page 1, Post #19.

[68Timber]

I've seen someone here remove that piece and repair it. If I remember right, theirs was rusty. I don't recall what's involved getting it out for repair though. Think you could weld it up without taking it off?