My build has finaly started

[woodymm3]

So as a few of you know i called a guy about two weeks ago that was holding some parts for me, When i called he informed me that if i gave him another hundred dollars i could take the "whole blasted thing". Guess his wife wanted it out of his driveway. So i get on the horn and call up a buddy that had previously told me i could work on my blazer in his shop. Guess what he said... "bring em on over". So fast forward a bit, i get the thing home and fix mine up enough to drive the 30 or so minutes out to his house. Last weekend we got them both there.

Mine: good body, bad frame, great suspension, 35 bfg all terrains, 350/203 combo 5.7 350 hmm what else... oh yeah po made seats and rusty floor pans, but good rocker boxes... hopefully. dana 44 front and rear, rotting front clip with no inner fender wells brand new aftermarket wiring from front to back done by me.

Junker i picked up for parts; good frame 350/205 combo 5.7 350 set of original utility buckets, good inner fender wells good hood good front clip with good fender wells, full complete original wire harness, good heater cotrols, extra heater controls, good guage cluster brand new heater box and heater core, brand new body mounts

between the two i have started to make one good one....


as you know first part of a body swap is getting the junker body off the good frame... after about an hour and two beer apiece we had the junker body ready to come off the frame. Little did we know it was heavy! Heavy Heavy! we devised many plans but in the end the most simple and destructive one was what we did. we put boards between the frame and the body and lifted the frame up on one side rolling it off of the frame. we then dragged the frame out and then sat the body back down on a huge rolly cart that is nonrolly. once the frame was free we yanked the engine and set it aside.

so now i have one body off and one to go....

the next day we took the front clip off of the driveable one and disconnected the motor from the transmission.... we decided that the first days labors were too labor intensive and decided to mount a winch inside the shop so that we can just lift the body using winch power instead of arm power. great idea i think... we shall see soon. so that is the progress so far. I know this thread is worthless without pictures. i will get some up as soon as possible i forgot the camera on the first weekend of this because i was way too exited about starting. I should be going over there early next week to scrape the keeper frame free of debris and using some por 15 to ensure many roads ahead.

Pictures to come soon!

[Burt4x4]

Man, sounds like fun!
and yes PICS!!!!!!!!!

[Thealien]

pics

[woodymm3]

alright so as promised here are some pics so far of what i have gotten done bear with me cause i am trying here.
\
tha daily driver...













These are all of the donor body.... will be parting most of this out later





New doors!!

[woodymm3]

New Hump!


Old engine........



With a new tranny!


Old doors.



got the top off and found a couple things....





Someone put holes in it......




Causing this to happen!!!! but no worries...


It hadnt spread yet.

[lks dcvn]

That looks pretty good - If it was in the MidWest and not stored inside - it would be junk by now.

Looks to be a lot of work - but at least you might save some time with the body work -

Keep the pix and updates coming.

[woodymm3]

so here we go i got some more progress pics, i been trying to clean the frame with a brush and a bucket.... man i really need a power washer for that job. anyways i got the body mount holes cleaned up and por 15 on em...

my buddy's uncle just gave him a 1970 chevy snubnose van ... its pretty sweet that is our other project... i got a few pics of it ill put up.


BEFORE




AFTER






PROJECT NUMBER TWO.

[Jtrux]

Nice project, keep us posted. Is that a single wall top?

[woodymm3]

No its a double unfortianately and it needs a little work... i have seen worse but i have seen better..... i will get to it eventually i am sure... i still got alot of work on the tub and the frame...I will be posting up pics as i get em and letting you guys know where i sit... i got my son this weekend so no progress but next weekend will be another full weekend of pulling a motor and poppin off the tub swapping axles and maybe remounting the tub.... who knows i guess it depends on how much beer i take over there.

[LUV2XCLR8]

That van is freaking

[woodymm3]

Thanks man.... we got it for free and we are turning it into our team rugby van. I will put pictures up of it as we go along too.

[woodymm3]

Just a heads up for anyone decideing to clean a frame... be careful the chemicals you use... my skin is still peeling off my hand!

[Yukon Jack]

That van is very pimp IMO!

The blue is the donor body? Looks like it is in prett good shape - are the pics deceiving?

[woodymm3]

The van is very shagidellic The pics may be a little decieving but in all it really isnt in too bad of shape... i plan on salvaging and selling everything i can and the rest ill scrap or use as patch panels.

H

[71jimmy]

woodymm3, sent you a PM.

[woodymm3]

Ok guys, So been a little over a year. I ended up moving to OKC and here I am. I have my blazer at a storage facility, for now, I am about to start working on it again thougha little at a time. I will keep you posted. Anyone know a good media guy in OKC?

[woodymm3]

Been working on the back hatch some. Looks like I may need a new handle and spring assembly for it... Anyone know where I can get one? I heard garage door handles work. how long is the shank? Also about to cut into my hatch seperate it and replace the guts and then fiberglass it together. Not doing it the way most do and spliting at the seams.... I am going to saw it apart where the seals normally go and pray that it goes back together ok.

[Bentblazer]

Garage door handles do work, the one I got at Lowes matched pretty good screw holes included, shank will have to be cut and drilled for cotter pin.

[woodymm3]

whats the length? I am going to have to hack saw mine just to get it out.

[red71cheyenne]

You just cut the shank of the new one off long enough to hold the metal piece and spring that open the side latches. Its around an inch and a half. You'll have to eyeball it to get it where you want it. When I did mine, the metal collar broke, so had to make a new one and I left the spring off. If I can find some pics I'll post them.

[woodymm3]

Mine rust welded the handle to the spring mechanism it looks like. I am probably going to have a tough time replacing that mechanism. I may just make a new one.