Short Stuff building a '65 Blazer

[65sublime]

Next on the repair list was the windshield frame. The overhang and roof panel had rust through.



I purchased a section of pickup truck roof to do the repair.



The big hole. There is no turning back now.



I didn’t think about the roofs being different until I saw it. The pickup is quite a bit flatter than the sub. [sorry, having technical difficulties with picture sizes]



Here a couple of 2x4’s come to the rescue to help push roof into the right shape.



The patch just had to work. A little slice and dice was in order.





The inside had to be difficult too.



Okay, with that done what’s next? Weld up the channel on the firewall?
A reverse opening hood? One-piece power windows?
...stay tuned to this channel!

[killthewabbit]

Wow! You're a madman. What a cool project!

[ksbrktracer]

Please keep up the work and the pictures, always had one of these in mind, thought about a lift off roof from right behind the doors, Very cool seeing it come to life, awesome quality of work also

[62 short step]

Wow! Damn nice job, keep it up!

[joe231]

looks to me you have done some sheet-metal work before, eh?

nice work!!

[gulfcoast66]

Originally Posted by killthewabbit

Wow! You're a madman. What a cool project!

SICK burb.....iM LOVING IT.....do ever Sleep?????? (LOL).....

[65sublime]

Response to Jonzcustomshop...
The pieces that went into the gas filler door mechanism were local hardware store parts and some homemade pieces. A '55 chevy taillight should be too hard to hinge. If my memory serves correctly, when I was at the Blue Suede Cruise [Summit Dragstrip, Ohio] last summer, a vendor had a powered version of a '55 chevy tailight popper. Lots of milled aluminum, very trick. Write me if you want to talk over some ideas.

[65sublime]

To Slimegreeeeeen...
Now I see where GM got the styling for the Chevy van. It was off the shelf truck parts, squooshed together.

[65sublime]

Do any of you know if the tie rod from the '64-66 chevy truck is the same as the '67-72 version? I've replaced the original power steering box with a '67-72 powered version. The original powered tie rod from my '65 has the tapered pin in the tie rod itself [part of the slave cylinder valve apparatus]and the hole in the pitman arm. Now I need a different tie rod that has a tapered hole to accept the newer pitman arm joint. Is the pitman arm tapered pin the same from '60-72? What do I need?

[502tripower]

Look in the suspension forum. There is a thread over there discussing that very issue.

[gulfcoast66]

Whats up 65sublime, I ran into the same problem, I just used the whole center link from a 72 with the power gear-box still attached. If you not changing spindles I would use cpp tie-rod adapter sleeves, Use the 72 center link and inner tie-rods and adapt the 65 outter tie-rods to the 72 inner tie-rods and out to the 65 spindles..Chris...[IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]

[jonzcustomshop]

thanks, I was able to build the taillight idea like yours, $35 of parts at ACE hardware. the trick folding aluminum one was what we wanted, but not for $375

very interesting about the roof, I knew they were a little different , but did not know that!
good save on it btw.

[66Z71]

Originally Posted by jonzcustomshop

very interesting about the roof, I knew they were a little different , but did not know that!
good save on it btw.

VERY interesting... not in a good way for me. I'm getting a Suburban roof to fill in the pickup roof in my crewcab. looks like nothing is as easy as it first looks.

BTW, Nice looking short bus I like it.

[65sublime]

66Z71,
Where you planning on replacing the entire roof panel with one from a suburban? If so, some extra crown may not look so bad on such a big vehicle. If you were to leave several inches of the pickup roof along the edge, the sub roof I think would mate up nicely. I think the height is made up in the outer edges only. For what it's worth????

[66Z71]

The current plan (subject to change) is seperate the suburban roof at the drip rail, and attach the top skin to the extended pickup drip rail. You might be right too, about the extra height looking ok on the bigger cab.


I'll be watching the progress on your blazer.

[Joey~AP]

Allsome!

Body work is not one of my strong points. Yall amaze me!

[shrunken66stroker]

hell of an undertaking. i cut a long to short bed but it was nothing like what you've done, sheet metal wise. Nice work.

[sswitzke]

keep up the good work.

[65sublime]

More updates….
Here are some shots of the firewall and the wireway in detail.



I had made up some “L” sections of 18 gage steel and used a stretcher to get the angle to match the curve of the wireway. I bent a larger radius than a break would typically give create. I thought using “L” shaped pieces would be easier to fit up to the vertical face of the firewall than trying to tack an unsupported edge.



Here the joint is ground and should blend in easily with a little mud.



I fab’d a recess on the right side to accommodate the clunky stock heater box as I am intending on rehab’ing the original a/c package.



I’ve gotten the front sheet metal back on and adjusted things somewhat.



A 1989 Buick donated hood hinge parts as a base to start from. My initial idea was to cob the mounting of the Buick parts to confirm the proper position and motion of the hood. The truck is wider at the point I wanted to set the hinges. Also the inner fenders have an inverted channel that tapers outward as it runs to the radiator support. I cut a 6” section out to create a parallel and level a mounting surface.



I replaced the Buick spreader tube with some “on hand” length of square tubing.

[65sublime]

Again out of that square tubing, I fab’d bars to connect the front and back reinforcing of the hood, making use of several of the original hinge hidden nuts. The upper pivots would be mounted to these.




The hook portion of the hood latch system gets mounted near the cowl and receives a pin on either rear corner of the hood. I tacked the hooks in several positions but found the best place was as low and rearward as possible. This was because the [lower, rear] tip of the hood would dig into the fender top as it slid along the long part of the hook detail if the pin was further away from that corner. The middle of the hood does not pinch the cowl first. The motion of the hood in the last ¼ of an inch of travel is back and down, identical to the motion of the stock hinges. As a matter of fact I’m using the stock latch, at the grill, untouched.

Wrong!


Better! [But still digs into fender]




This works!



Temporary pin setup on hood.

[65sublime]

This is going to work nice!



The weight of the truck hood is considerably more than the Buick. The stock rubber bumpers that stop the forward motion were too small and soft. I found some 1/8 inch thick rubber and made a square pad 1-1/2 x 1-1/2”. The arms and cross bar were strengthened also. I had to add some flair to the cross bar.




I went back and redid the bracket to the hood and put nuts behind the hood reinforcing to bolt the bars to. The final pin detail is welded and cleaned up.




I did some finishing touches to the inside of the inner fenders near the hinge.




That’s where I’m at right now. I have several little things to clean up with the hood but I'm ready to move on. I think I’ll add lift cylinders to the hatch and cables to the tailgate, then start sand blasting parts of the main body now that winter has broken here.

[collins10672]

great looking custom work.that will be one fine blazer when finished.can't wait to see more progress.you have masterful skills with sheetmetal man.

[joe231]

very cool!!
thanks for the how to!!!

[Alan's Classic]

Man you do some awesome work. Great pix and details. It's really lookin' great.

[protrash64]

Subscribed.......usually this kills the thread!!!! Im interested in the hatch supports if you do that type of project. The originals are impossible to find. I did some research on struts and found it was difficult to find a good throw, as the factory assembly closes in on itself, therefore making it very short when collapsed and long when extended. Perhaps a rotating mount to make up the space??
Nice work on the hood.........