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Longer Drive

20 December 2008, 11:15 am

So Friday I was able to take the Blazer for a longer drive, ~15 miles one way.  Back roads are great at seeing how the suspension works over bumps, pot holes, and wash boarding.  Nothing but smooth driving.  The snow made it a little bit of a challenge on the way back as the 33×12.5×15 BF Goodrich Radial Mud/Terrain tires are just too wide and aggressive to get any bite on snow covered asphalt. 

I did notice that the speedometer is noticeably off.  I am assuming that the gear ratio is left unchanged and since the original tires for this truck were H78-15B which had around a 27.8″ outside diameter, the speedometer is off by ~20%.  This was using the information on the following websites:

NovaResource.org – Speedo & ChevelleEngineer – Speedo

My next task before I actually put this truck on the road is to patch the hole in the bed floor which at this point in time will just include some silicon sealer and sheet metal screws.  I will also have to get the exhaust so it exits out behind the rear wheels to pass an inspection.  I am not sure if I am going to slap on the headers just yet as the temps outside have been quite frigged and I will need the cooperation of the weather to get it done.  Time will tell.

Filed under Blazer, Exhaust, Interior, Metal Working, Tires, Transmission, Wheels.
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Carb Rebuild

16 December 2008, 1:08 am

Today I removed the carb and treated it to a complete rebuild.  After cleaning everything as best I could on my bench, I pinged down the original well plugs on the bottom of the main body, then cleaned these areas again, finishing with some brake cleaner for a residue free surface.  I then applied some JB Weld to the plugs and surrounding surfaces to seal them up, hopefully for good. 

After allowing the JB Weld to setup firm, I reassembled the carb and reinstalled it on the motor.  I will have to wait until midday tomorrow before I can put some fuel to it and see how well it responds.

Next on my list is to remove the old points style distributor and install the HEI distributor out of my Chevelle. 

 

I will be picking up a freeze plug block heater tomorrow to install when I remove the manifolds to install the headers.

Filed under Blazer, Engine.
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Gall Bladder Be Gone!

12 December 2008, 1:23 am

So my surgery went well I suppose.  Had a bit of a rough patch coming out of the anesthesia, but that was solved by a nice pain killer shot.  The nurse was a bit ambitious flushing my IV line and my hand is still burning from the first flush, but I was quick to scold her that I was already in pain and did not need more added onto it to save a few seconds.

Filed under Uncategorized.
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Some Progress

2 December 2008, 11:23 am

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I was able to get some work done to the Blazer.

I received a new manual rear window crank handle to replace the broken piece that was on the tailgate when I purchased the truck.  In the process, I had some fun with some of the bolts in the tailgate.  If I had of thought of how to properly attack this, I would not have gone through all of the trouble that I did.  I ended up removing the window, regulator, and latch to get down to the bolts that hold the crank handle in. 

As I did not get the lock cylinder, I also did not get the latch pawl and spring.  I was able to fit a 1/4-20 x 1/2” long bolt into the clutch portion of the crank handle assembly so that the outer crank would drive the regulator.  The window can now be opened by anyone.  At this point in time, that is not a concern.  Before I actually put the truck on the road, I will have to remove the crank handle assembly again and install the proper lock cylinder, spring, and pawl.

In the process of messing around with the crank handle, I realized that some one had done a “modification” to the tailgate latch assembly which consisted of drilling a hole through the top of the tailgate and welding a screw driver to the latch lever inside the tailgate.  I guess that the original latch handle had broken and it must have been easier for them to do this “fix” instead of replacing the original components.

Prior to doing any work on the tailgate, I removed the spare tire carrier from the back.  The carrier itself is bent up pretty good and was often in the way of the tailgate when you would drop it down.  Once I had finished working on the tailgate, I took some time to attempt to straighten the tire carrier.  I was successful in straightening the lower bar, however, I have come to find that it really should have some degree of a bend in it to maintain the alignment with the bracket on the back of the tailgate.  This bracket on the tailgate also has to come off and undergo some straightening as it is bent a bit as well.  I also noticed that the bolts that hold the bracket inside the tailgate are prohibiting the window from fully retracting into the tailgate. 

I did not take any pictures (I know shame on me!), but hopefully next time I will remember to take the camera out there with me.

Filed under Blazer, Exterior.
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Engine & Exhaust Work

24 November 2008, 11:39 am

After doing some reading on ColoradoK5.com, I have come to the conclusion that the headers from my Chevelle would fit the Blazer just fine!  I almost took them to the scrap yard with a load of other scrap metal a few weeks ago and was glad that I had not.  They have light surface rust on them and can be cleaned up for the purposes of my Blazer, but I was going to be getting either stainless steel, or ceramic coated headers for the Chevelle.  When I was down to my dad’s house a few days ago, I grabbed the set of headers.

I took the Blazer for a spin down to the tire/exhaust shop at the end of the road to have them give me an idea of how much it would cost to have an exhaust system installed.  They use heavy pipe for their exhaust systems and bend it up right there, but they are quite expensive.

On that drive, I still had a pronounced bog at initial throttle opening.  WOT was good and it revved freely with greater throttle.  I have found several references for tuning the Rochester Quadrajet carb and all signs point to a malfunctioning accelerator pump.  I will be pulling the carb again soon and will likely be fully rebuilding it.

I definitely need to get the exhaust fixed up and then move on to tuning things up.  It is difficult to hear what is actually going on with the motor when the exhaust is leaking out of several places! 

Several local and online retailers have a performance dual exhaust system that would bolt up to the headers so I will likely be going with that arrangement.

Filed under Blazer, Engine, Exhaust.
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No progress…

14 October 2008, 12:45 pm

I am sorry to say that there has been little progress made on any of the projects that I currently have started.  A lot of other things are currently taking precedence.  Being a volunteer fire fighter and training associated with that and an increasing requirement for time at work have taken a large chunk out of my free and family time.  As a result I have not been able to do a lot of the work on my various projects that I was expecting to have completed by now.

One thing is for sure, I have to get the lawn mower deck finished for a co-worker before it gets too cold outside.  That way I can move in the Blazer and get to cutting on that thing.

I did just pickup a new 1/8” thick steel counter top for my main work bench.  This will allow me to use the bench for more than just a junk accumulation point.  I will be able to cut, weld, and grind on it.  I had a piece of 1/8” thick steel sheet bent to conform to the bench with an 11” back splash and a 2” lip on the front.  I will post up pictures of the top as well as installed photos once I get it put in.  Only thing prohibiting me at the moment is the amount of junk that is on my bench!!  LOL

Filed under Blazer, Chevelle, Metal Working, Welding.
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First Real Drive

2 October 2008, 8:54 pm

So I took the Blazer for the first real drive ever.  This afternoon I drove it down to a friends house about a mile down the road.  Drove quite nice on the road, but the tires sing!  Not just a hum!!  I maybe got it up to around 50MPH and it was loud!  They sing over the exhaust that leaks out of many holes before and after the mufflers.  The hole in the back of the bed make the effect even worse!

Anyway, it was an enjoyable drive.  A new exhaust is definitely on my TO DO list!!

Filed under Blazer.
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Used Parts!

28 September 2008, 9:07 pm

Earlier last week I had found an eBay auction with original 1976 K5 Blazer front seats, complete.  The seats looked decent and had the complete bases which is more than I can say for the seats that came with my Blazer.  More on that on the ‘Interior’ page.  I purchased the seats for $10 and $90 delivery charge.  We had agreed to a $1/mile (one-way) charge and that I would meet the seller just south of Binghamton, NY to pick up the parts.

After talking with seller, I found that he also had a pair of doors, and a set of later model chrome mirrors.  For an extra $100, I purchased these parts as well.

Filed under Blazer, Exterior, Interior.
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Some Progress

24 September 2008, 8:50 am

Well, Monday night I got the whole back end stripped down and cleaned up as best I could with a vacuum.  Someone decided to cut a hole in the bed to swap out the sending unit in the tank so I will need to get a patch panel for that (junkyard).  I also got the passenger seat out and floor stripped down.  The seats were not original and there are quite a few extra holes in the floor that I will need to weld up before I am all said and done, but all in all it is quite clean.  Surface rust is all that is there.

Instead of putting carpet down inside, I think I am just going to throw down some bed liner on both sides of the floor (inside and underside) and call it a day.  That way I will not have to do anything but prime and cover with bed liner!

I was able to partially identify the motor as well, details of which can be found on the Drivetrain page.  Since it is a car engine, I am not sure if it will be a 4-bolt main.  I may just build up my other engine and drop it in, then do something else with this one…  Not sure yet.

Other bad news is that none of the seats are original.  The back seat looks to have come from another Blazer so that is good, but the front seats are from something different entirely. 

Here are some pics of the progress from Monday night:

Last night I did a carb cleaning and general tune up.  I did not mess with the plugs or wires, but I adjusted the timing and carb jets so it was running better.  Started it this morning (38*F outside), fired right off with no pumping of the pedal, and it sat up on the high idle for a few seconds.  Tweaked the throttle and it dropped down to normal idle and stayed.

Now I need to get an HEI distributor for this thing.  I will not mess around with points.  For the time being, I will probably just steal the distributor from my Chevelle.

Filed under Blazer, Interior.
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Picked Up

22 September 2008, 8:51 am

The trip down to NYC and back was quite uneventful.  Traffic was almost non-existent until we reached Route 87 and even then, it was moving along quite well.  The round trip was ~11 hours covering 523 miles with five stops total; breakfast (30), fuel (15), pick-up the Blazer (60), lunch (30), and fuel (15).  We left at 5AM and were in Tarrytown at 9:45AM.  Tom (seller) arrived at around 10:15AM. 

Before loading up, I took the truck for a slow spin around the block just to see how things were running.  The engine needs a good tune up and will need to have the carb tuned as well.  There was a noticeable bog with a quick stab of the throttle which may be caused by a faulty accelerator pump.  Rust was a bit more substantial than I had originally thought, but all of the panels are reproduced so replacement will not be a problem.  The last thing I noted was that the steering was quite free.  I do not want to say that it was loose because it really was not.  It just takes very little effort to steer even when idling in park which leads to it being touchy while driving.  I will look into tightening up the steering box prior to putting the vehicle on the road.

After we were all loaded up, we dropped Tom off at the train station and were pulling onto Route 87 at around 10:45AM.  We made the trip a bit longer by getting off of Route 87 too soon and having to drive down narrow Route 17 for about 25 miles.  It was amusing watching the faces of oncoming and overtaken motorists!  I am sure that this stint was nerve racking for my father as the lanes were only as wide as the trailer.  Other than that, nothing worth noting.  We pulled into my dad’s place at around 4PM to pickup my Rainier and then were at my place around 4:30PM to unload the truck.

Filed under Blazer.
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