Bloverlanding in a Blazer

[bobs77vet]

nice work, I always wondered how quickly a person could fill up a bigger shop. I am sure I would suffer the same fate. its like old people and mice all they need is a little tunnel to get around everyting else is fair game for "treasures"

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

In all fairness to myself, I have a Blazer mostly dismantled - once it's back together and the extra parts stored away again... I'll have quite a bit more room - but it is true, chaos fills whatever space you allow it.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

lots easier to work when the inner fenders are out

zz0.ep1b2smk10ozz

it was not fun
zz0.3a3ll7t2ihxzz
truth is I didn't like the schedule 40 brackets, so I rebuilt them


and tail is now draggin

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

Oops - wasn't planning on getting this far tonight

tonight's plan was get the clutch pedals installed

then brown santa arrived, so I got distracted

figured out what the 'kit' was missing....

elbows, the pan fitting was supposed to be steel... ah well

the good news is what was sent, fits... which is actually kind of an exception

back to work
well, maybe I should put the new throwout and slave cylinder on... then realize I need another part that I thought I already had

to put the master cylinder (that I don't have) in place... I needed to remove the fender and get after all the stuff that was stored on the fender


I did have success, I put another hole in the floor

what I didn't realize was that after removing the inner fender, the fender was held on by 3 bolts...so it came off.. need to anyway but it wasn't in the plan for tonight



and never fear, there is Corvette content coming with that red one that's on the lift... bear with me... we'll be there soon

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

I have every master cylinder but the right one

I ordered the right one - forgot GM went to hydraulic clutches in these in the 80s... so I ordered a replacement and the correct line to make it all work
this poor table, as much as I am leary of HF stuff, this one has taken the abuse .... but not to clear it off to abuse it again

500 lbs lol

and it carried the truck there for a minute

strap it, lift it, move it

the hole is in the wrong spot so moving it around... I abuse my trans lift even more

I need to clear the lift, to do that means making space - so I might as well do two things at once, and get the trans in the truck

 

[bobs77vet]

i dont what surprises me more the size of the transmission or the size of the coffee containers, maybe everything is bigger on that coast

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

as the sun sets on other projects

time to get back onto completing this

but first, time to block the motor up - this stand does not give me warm fuzzies on its strength

I was reading somewhere about someone getting some lines crossed on their 6.5... didn't think much about it but decided to check while on these... good thing I did those front two were wrong

these were fine but I spent more than a little bit of time on them because those two lines that weren't right had been Bubba modified

people who know 6.2/6.5 motors will see how f**kd up lines to 2 and 4 were

close, but as long as they don't rub, they're good.... I'm also not quite done because I need to tie lines together to prevent them from contact. Do I know where all my other 6.2 lines are? yep, I scrapped them just before I moved in May *d'oh*

also started on the clutch.... a 83 c10 master cylinder... just need to figure out the thread pitch and get an AN adapter

strangely, the easy part was getting the adapter to the throwout.... it interchanges with pretty much any manual transmission circa the 90s


as part of 'clearing the shop out' I figured I might as well put the right top on it and the 'other' top outside

have I mentioned how much I love the crane?

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

tonight's fun and games - install the EGT sensor

weld the oil return to the blank where the mechanical fuel pump installs

and build a CAD template for the oil feed - explanation - the oil feed for the 6.5 TD (van edition, aka h1 hummer edition) is in front of the oil drive. Can't use the drain, for obvious reasons) but might as well use the feed for the new turbo since it avoids the perilous route that the stock system uses on trucks.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

while Paul was working on his motor or on polishing my C3 - I spent a few minutes on the Blazer
cardboard becomes steel

then welded

carefully weld with just a touch proud so it compresses the rubber seal in the block

view of how it runs


truth be told, I'm probably not going to do much painting.... why? my plan is wear the axles to knubs and make this my go-to-go-anywhere rig. The bare metal, yeah, a bit but nothing like the '40. If it needs to be show-worthy, it'll get pulled apart again and just painted.... body gets paint because I hate driving cars that look like crap... but it will be pretty understated - and likely a refresh of what it already looks like.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

motor is pretty much ready to drop in - just need to get some fuel hose and finish the oil drain



of course the problem is when? I might be able to sneak a couple hours tomorrow during the day - but the week gets really busy until Thursday.... then I need to finish the Corvette and get it into the trailer.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

first order of business was pressure wash in a windstorm - I'd like you to note that left gate looks functional.... it won't at the end of this post
but it's being pressure washed because I am not replacing the core support for 2, 2x4" rusted out pieces of metal. SEMA quality? no. Care? no.

I ordered 12x1.0mm to - 4 an, the receipt even says so... the only bright side here

is that I can weld


and works

then onto door hinges... should be simple, right?

no but I won....

for a diesel, they said... uh, no... again, some modification will be required

evening was going bad enough that I figured I might as well swap pedals

you know, the engineer who decided to bolt these things in two directions - I don't care if he saved Mother Theresa, that bastard will burn in hell longer then the devil

just have to take out a few parts

this is pedals mostly out

didn't get an out picture because of what came next
about 5 minutes after this picture the gate blew open (broke the hydraulics) and mini-terrorist went off to visit the horses.... of course, I didn't know any of this for about 30 minutes

I was busy trying to remove the first part GM put into the truck after the keel was laid.

 

[Red77]

I think you're right about the pedals, it looks like you have the just about strip everything off the firewall in any GM car just to get the assembly out. Sailor language required for the job!

 

[bobs77vet]

its good that you winning, although non of us had any doubts about that.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

there was some judicious cutting done... adapting the clutch to the 86 tree

and more chopping

clamping

rewelded and now waiting for new bushings.... they're worn and it'll be a cold day in Hawaii before I pull this apart to fix it
on to the next bit... a brace

this holds the master cylinder to the firewall

and paint...

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

sorry FGZ... there's little left of the 'other' brake tree... that said, I might have another... but... not quite sure where


note to self - pull the master cylinder before trying to put the tree in...

fun how the master cylinder just blends into the firewall..


to make the old fit in the new - take the return spring bracket off

then the part off the clutch arm

the hard part - connecting the clutch master cylinder... many parts were reused
but the benefit is the clutch arm bolts on - thus if I don't like the action of the throwout - I can move its pivot point

to remind - the problem - the throttle cable/cruise control solenoid occupy the same space as the dual thermostat crossover

flipping it over solves several problems - but there are others... first of which the bleeder is now under the thermostat...

plumbing this will be entertaining and I'm likely going to re-aim the inlet so that the throttle position sensor has room to rotate. In addition, there will be provisions for bleeder lines from the back of the head to the crossover (along with another bleed port).
despite my stupid camera not opening its lens... this is the dual thermostat crossover for a 6.5 - clever solution, actually, I'm going to make it even better but here is one of the ways to make a Detroit diesel survive.

now the fast idle solenoid hits (and I'll truly need to figure that one out)

getting close to a solution

this gets the throttle cable to attach and leaves just figuring out the cruise control (which I'll probably just move up

all clears so far

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

nothing warms my heart more then household electrical wire ties.

now the tree is back... in black

and installed

then time to remove the wiring nightmare....


an overview is the prior owner added a bunch of extra grounds... and had bare wires dangling under the dash... oh Bubba - you obviously stopped with Corvettes and went to Blazers...
now let me whip out this big thing... and steal bolts off it


the 6.5 crossover - will work fine but I'm going to add a flex joint in an attempt to save exhaust seals


The steering column would be back in but I'm replacing some parts - and they haven't yet arrived (won't be here until next week)... if I remember, I'll show how one threads the cruise control wire back down the column... it's not fun. then convert it to manual

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

worked on 3 things tonight... throttle bracket, turbo oil return and coolant (which is related to the throttle bracket



I welded the wrong bung on the oil return... the right one


all ready to go

after moving the fuel bypass line... it works

cut at 22.5 degrees

reweld the piece back on

not pretty but it will do

installed.. we have clearance

 

[bobs77vet]

that looks like a fuel pump blanking plate, does it matter where you return the oil to in the sump?

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

that looks like a fuel pump blanking plate, does it matter where you return the oil to in the sump?

as long as there is a way to the pan, it doesn't matter. For the 6.5 diesel, you could put a tap in the pan - but if it's already on, that makes a mess.... this you just weld the adapter to the plate, seal it and bolt it on.... very little problem or mess.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

so it was finally time to get the shop more reasonably organized... and get the Suburban inside to work on it

injection pump is bad - so going to use the one that came with the H1 motor

so in the front shop, the Sledanette is gone and in its place work space and Paul's C3


in real work, filling everything

yes, I tied it up

how to fill a transfer case - a hose adapter and drill bit

I told myself there was no way my flexifunnel would reach down to fill the transmission
and yet it did


and since I can't find the adapters - time to make something far more hokey

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

back to the Suburban... need crows feet wrenches...

believe it or not, these help me with the blazer too

and now I realize I need to take another picture again... stupid camera...

onto something else
time to blow out some flanges so i can move the turbo

there is a lot of grinding


somewhere in this neighborhood

ordered a 90* 2 1/2" schedule 40 stainless pipe
and that's it for tonight

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

In today's story, we're talking wind

swinging or flapping dog doors blow open on our slightly-breezy 40 mph wind days... so now we have an electric door.... but what does this have to do with the Blazer?
I need to make this windmaker fit

but first, 24v isn't going to do, so find a core that fits

first with the CAD

then positioning the turbo where it should fit

to be honest, I don't know - this is the crankcast vent - and that hole to shoot the exhaust down looks very tight

it does clear the hood

schedule 40 stainless bend.

so that's it for today, I also spent the day on my wife's JunK ... what did you get done today?

 

[bobs77vet]

as for what I got done, I helped my son frame his basement

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

for today's fun... getting rubber covers on pedals

easy, no?


time to sand and paint... and no, this is NOT a SEMA build - this is a truck I'm going to drive the tires off

a bit of paint


and now for that great game of "where do I plug this together... it works in 3d because not only do you have to know where the plugs go but also how to route them.. otherwise the column won't fit

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

more boring stuff....
this one doesn't work with the 6.2 manifold... at least not as it sits...

hold that thought, though, need to get a few more things dialed in.. like the offset for the turbo

and get the wiring routed to figure out how much stock I'm buying in DEI this time

with my attention span we finish with connecting the power steering pump

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

okay, play time is over... I was a bit annoyed to notice this, now... I have others so it would have been easy to fix... thankfully, it doesn't leak

ebrake stuff from the swap meet... don't need it for this build but it is good backstock

will probably only use the rod ends but traction kit paid less then one heim price for all of it

I always buy sheet metal stuff, especially when it's $10 for the entire boxes

and found rubbers for a suburban... so there are some extras... who cares, it's not like I won't own another

and the piece de resistance (or something)

I paid nearly swap meet retail for this, but it's for an 86 - so it has all the brackets and such. There will be substantial modifications and additions to it... but the basics are here

more backstock.... wonder if I can get LMC to trade for the right ones?

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

oil lines part 2
flare

use liquid steel as a shim

and it's now adapted.


electric fuel pump install - apparently another 'fix'

to install this

for some reason this ragged edge was under the hose

but with a trim and a flare - pump fits fine

and clamped

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

oil lines... sorted
had to take the bend out to make it fit

 

[bobs77vet]

where was the original fuel pump in the tank? nice retro fit

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

reconsidering my life choices... there's so many considerations doing this... it will fit, but wow what a pain.... and I love it.
of course, having to screw with heatshield doesn't make me happy

form and fit

but it's necessary


time to figure out the upper coolant tube

more bits

there are issues because that is where I planned on running the pressurized line for the turbo

it would be a bit annoying to have to remake the intake to a flat plate and round hole


oh but wait, there's more

what you can't see is the 2 1/2 hole that needs to be there for the turbo's exhaust


you have no idea the temptation to put the turbo where the muffler would reside... it would solve some problems. That said, that means there would be another 2 1/2 tube that would need to fit up through that nonexistent hole

I wish I had a muffler shop tube bender....