Body replacement panels

[Council Bay]

I hear horror stories about aftermarket replacement panels regarding fit and quality. Have recently purchased a 1972 blazer needing a complete floor pan and rockers, inner and outer. I have a very solid 1970 Chevy long box parts truck with excellent cab and floors.
Has anybody put a pickup cab on a blazer frame and modified the top windshield post and cab to work on a blazer. How muck of pickup cab is comparable with the blazer.
Also can pickup doors be easily modified to fit the blazer. Thanks
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[lks dcvn]

Welcome to the board - lots of good questions in your first post.

The aftermarket panels have come a LONG way over the past 3-5 years and continue to be tweaked to provide a less painful experience. Having said that - all aftermarket panels should be purchased with the thought that some work will need to be done to get them to fit as factory.

You have a few options though - given you are in WI, you can buy NOS or OEM metal body parts from out West and then install them. You also have to consider that these parts may be 50+ years old so they may need some work as well to line up on your vehicle.

Floor pan sections have been done for years - the complete pan is only a few years old and many have done them successfully after fully bracing the truck and then measuring to make sure the door openings, etc. all line up when you are done.

Before you replace any sheet metal on a blazer or jimmy - you should bolt the top on using factory holes and make sure it all is solid. Then check your body mounts as those have a tendency to rot away and then the body moves/sags in spots.

There are some differences between the truck cab and the blazer floor area including:
- windshield header
- floor to blazer 'step up'
- the firewall and floor are close, but not the same

Pickup doors can be made into Blazer doors w/ a few cuts - see this post: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=273729

If you have some pictures of the truck you are working on - post them up - many of us have been through the same challenges you may face on your project.

[Council Bay]

Thanks for the advise, was hoping truck cab pans, and rockers were the same. I’m not real computer savoy, I downloaded some pictures but I don’t know where they ended up. Always wanted a K5 blazer and this one was local, but a little rough. Came with extra parts, 2 tops, one single wall and a double wall, they both need work but are usable. Posit rear end, roll bar. It’s a start.

[lks dcvn]

All of these trucks can be fixed with enough time and money.

[Council Bay]

I always said your imagination is only limited to the balance in your checkbook😄