Project: Polished Turd

[thor]

Well, after a few years of cruising here, I thought it would be fun to track all that I've done and all I will be doing to my 1972 Chevy Blazer CST. The name for this project came about along time ago when someone told me I was trying to polish a turd. Actually, I took no offense then and I still don't today. So, like many slurs, the name kinda stuck. I mean, the body panels have never hung true and the paint is well weathered, and more than likely she will stay that way. This is a rig meant for wheeling, camping, and just having fun. Besides, it's a theft deterant. Here's some pics as she stands today.

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/...s6-6-11003.jpg
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/...s6-6-11001.jpg

I bought this rig back in '95 at the age of 20. It is a CST but many of the upgraded parts were already gone. It came with the 4" rancho lift springs up front and blocks in the rear and a different 33" tire on each corner. The battery was so bad I left it running while fueling up on the trip back home.

I drove it for a year as it was, enjoying the summer days with the top off, having water balloon wars (waaay more fun at speed) and playing a hide-and-seek game involving our rigs and CB's that we called Rabbit. Then I blew-up the tranny pump in the TH-350. The coolant lines running to the radiator were smashed - not sure if it was me or the PO. So I took this time to install a TH-700R4 for its lower first gear and OD. I bought this tranny from a co-worker who had it rebuilt with a 27 spline output to match an NP205 and with a serious shift kit. Nice, crisp shifts at speed!

In the driveway, we made a lift using 4x4's for posts and a beam, removed the tranny cover, and used an engine hoist. We bolted the new tranny to the engine, bolted the x-member, and began drilling the new holes back ~2" on the frame. Like many of you I got to experience hot shavings on skin. Ouch! Once in, I also installed an Art Carr shifter so I could bang thru the gears, and a Bowtie Overdrives linkage kit to hook-up to the new Edelbrock q-jet carb (they began remaking them - not sure if they still do or not).

I also did other things like replacing radiator hoses with those flexible metal ones, new thermostat and housing, Accel cap/rotor/wires, plugs, blah blah.

Jump ahead to a year ago and I was having fuel issues. More to the point, I wasn't getting any fuel and the filter was orange. So, I installed a new stock replacement fuel tank from LMC, sending unit, new fuel pump, and blew out the lines. Voila!

I also installed a soft top from Softopper. I really like the material. I do wish the style of the back had more of a front lean to it like the hard-tops. And like all soft-tops the fit around the doors is meh. But atleast I didn't have to try and refurb the used Kayline I bought from another member on here a year prior (love this board - great peeps!!!).

And that's where I am at today. I've lots of great ideas but I'll keep them to myself cause some/many prolly won't come to fruitition. I recently bought a house and got married and neither of those things are cheap. And I'm sure we'll be having kids soon too so all the things I do will have to be low buck. Sorry, no cool tools and awesome fabricating. All cheapie bolts-on here. But if ya like what ya see, let me know. In fact, this board is the most positive of any that I cruise. So thanks to all the great people on here!