I figured I'd go ahead and post up a build thread. I'm getting out of the Marine Corps later this year, and my salary will at least double so I should be throwing tons of money at it very soon. SAS/V8 swap eventually.

What I traded for the ZR2:




Great truck, and I loved it. Only 2wd so I decided to move on. I nearly went to a 4Runner, but I saw this thing sitting on the lot. Glad I didn't buy that 4Runner. Picked up my 2003 ZR2 Blazer July 8th, 2008 with 57k on the odometer. In nearly 4 years I've put about 20k on it. Sitting right about 77k as I type this.

The day I bought it:






The first thing I did to it was install the old audio system from my Trailblazer. I installed eDead over the entire interior and put in my Pioneer/Alpine stereo.

Torn apart:






Not more than a few weeks after I bought it, I decided to test it's limits. Went out and got it stuck. This was on very bald Long Trails.



I needed new tires, so I researched and settled on 31" BFG KM2 MTs:


Also mounted up some KCs, did some appearance stuff to the front end with bedliner and installed 2" rear shackles:






Next up was a trip to Uwharrie National Forest. Great trip and I was really impressed with the Blazer out there. I did put a nice dent in my rocker and knocked something in the steering loose that I'm trying to track down to this day.







After coming down to Florida and finding a group to wheel with, I finally managed to get the KM2s stuck...in a swamp. And everywhere else. Not a huge fan of mud, but that's really all there is down here.









Doing work:


Mounted some sliders and receiver tubes:





Cleaning the mud off:


The previous mounts were way too shaky, so I bent some thicker metal and made new mounts for the KCs:





Also thought about mounting them by the side mirrors:




Finally found some rocks:




...and more mud:




Got a little angry at my air dam, so I took it off. Also added some quick disconnects for the sway bar:





How it sits today:

 

Looks really good! I'm about to do a 2in shackle and z71 shocks to mine soon!

 

Congrats & it looks like you're well on your way to having a nice rig!
1st thing you said you did was the stereo & e-dead but the 1st thing I saw that was different were the KM2's lol. Love those tires, they really are a great all around on/off highway tire.
I'm glad you mounted the KC's differently than how you had them before. First off it was wrong because the rubber cushions are supposed to be on either side of the mounting surface to isolate vibration to protect the lights & the beam patterns.
Looks much better with the stands & I bet the beam pattern doesn't bounce around as much. Hopefully they won't anyway, but mounted on the plastic grille they may break it.
That annoying front air damn/valence helps with airflow to the rad & engine although I've read of people running without it & not having issues. Removed, it makes the truck look taller & gives you a little better approach angle, more serious commercial/off road look.
I don't have that option unless I bolt the license plate to the bumper because legally a front plate has to be fixed to the front of a vehicle here.
You have some nice pics there! The one with the front anti sway bar dissconects... you take the bolts out before wheeling, right?! lol Probably left them in just for the pics.

I'm going to keep an eye on this build... again WTG!

 

Sounds good. Keep me updated on those Z71 shocks. I know some guys put them in the Trailblazers and are happy with the way they handle a loaded down truck. Mine still sags a bit, so I need something stiffer.

 

Nice truck

 

Yeah I did all that 4 years ago, and thought I did the audio stuff first thing. Guess it took me a few weeks to get to it, haha.

Not sure where you got that about the lights, but they were mounted correctly. The bracket I had them mounted to was the weak point, not the way I installed them. New bracket and they're good now. Also, the new brackets aren't mounted to the grill. They are bolted right into the bumper underneath the grill and there is a very slight amount of room between the light's bolt and the grill.

Not too worried about the airflow as most of my driving in it is done at a speed that doesn't produce much airflow anyways. I plan on installing an LT1 electric down the road to help keep it cooler on the trails, especially when the wife is riding along and insists on blasting the AC.

Yeah I will definitely remove the bolts and bushings from the sway bar when I disconnect it. Haven't had a chance to use it yet. The sway bar also swings up behind the bumper and gets shackled to the brackets, out of the way.

I also have a front plate that is required. Just bolted an old frame I had to the bumper:

 

I suppose I should mention that I rarely drive this thing on pavement. The only time I really drive it anywhere is when I want to feel like a man again. You can see my DD in the background here.

2011 Cruze Eco (42mpg)


The wife's

 

I think the pics were 11, 21 & 24 where it seems like the lights were mounted in an odd way.
Anyway I was wrong, just looked odd in my view.

 

where did you get that shackle lift from i have been looking for one and i have had luck locating one for my 99

 

Try looking in Lifting Tech - Blazer Forum - Chevy Blazer Forums
There are lots on ebay etc.