I introduced myself and my mini Blazer some time ago, and since my other two cars already have threads on their own elsewhere, its just fair to make one dedicated to her.

As I mentioned earlier, it has been on the family since day one. It first was bought brand new from my fathers uncle. He had it for many years, always stored in a garage Then he passed away and the truck was almost unused by his wife, who then later gave it to my grandfather. He had it for some more years and he passed it on to my dad since 2003, IIRC.

It rolled flawlessly, without major issues, only a persistent oil leak from the tq converter seal, a problem it had for years, that was just solved by a new oil seal. But the last times it was a yearly issue. Then, it only lasted six months! So I figured out that something was definitively wrong. In 06 I tackled the tranny removal and when I took out the tq converter for a closer inspection, it confirmed my suspicions, worn out pump bushings. I replaced both the 'verter and pump and droped back the tranny. Then my dad suffered a cancerous tumor on his right side of his face and the project remained idle until just recently. Thank God my dad it's cured after a surgery and radio therapy. Now it's time for the Blazer to get back on the road!
Some pics;

 

These past weeks both me and my dad spent putting stuff back together, like the front plastic cover under the front bumper, TV cable, detailing and installing the carb air cleaner, and the front frame reinforcement. The front driveshaft was put on hold due to a ******* missing bolt.

In the meantime, the dash trim & HU were installed

and today I replaced the ignition lock cylinder with a new OEM unit I had laying around that was never put into a beater Sunbird I previously owned, since the one it had was badly worn.


I also "fixed" the fresh air intake hose to the carburetor housing and made a quick detailing of the engine bay. Filled up the transfer case w tranny oil too.


Things left to do:
get a new bolt to install the front driveshaft
put back the 4wd lever assy w console
weld back the exhaust system (add a flange to it while we're at it)
fix two leaking tires
a through wash inside & out

I'll update as soon as posible.

 

Went to the local Pep boys and through searching for a while, found the missing bolt. M10 x 1.0 thread, not a typical bolt there. Got a few extra ones just in case I need another one someplace else. I'll put the D shaft, clean the cooling system and get the muffler welded today before going to work. It's slowly going back together, but it's still far from where I want it to be. I'm thinking of painting it all red, and I'm not sure if I'll replace the front grille with a 91 up chrome or black grille.

 

Front d. shaft is on, muffler is welded and cooling system is clean.
I finally took her for a spin after four years, and I can just only say, I really missed driving it. Took it into a tire shop to fix the two leaking tires. On the way I noticed that the brakes barely worked so I got busy and started checking and replacing stuff. One of the wheel cylinders was locked, but I replaced both of them anyway. Bled the system but still no rear braking so that means the master cylinder is busted. Took it out and went to the local Advance to get a replacement. We'll try to finish it off today. Also my dad made a test with some wax and the paint on the sides can still give out some shine.
Pichas

Old master cylinder. As you can see, it's squeaky clean. I replaced it some years back, but since it's been just sitting, the seals crapped out.

Old wheel cylinder off. What a PITA those clips were to remove

New wheel cylinders in place w some "massaging" on the rear backing plates by my dremell. They were quite worn on some areas and that caused the rear brakes to "grab" when the truck was previously running, as on the blazer forums told me. I added some hi temp grease to those spots to prevent any more wear and rust. I'll post if the fix worked or not.


The once new left tail lamp. The chrome plating is peeling off but the lens still looks like new.
Right one is original 85. Notice the condition of the lens and the trim. The trim of the original is made of metal, that's why is in such good shape. Too bad the replacements don't have a removable trim I'll replace both of them anyway later on.

 

That old tail can be polished

 

Ya wet sand that SOB with some 2000grit and then some polishing compound. Couple coats of wax and you will be amazed. I've had battles getting the new wheel cylinder clips on. But once I finally got them I know they aren't coming off.

 

I'll try that trick then, thanks guys! If it turns out well, I'll just find a NOS left light and do the same to it. I like the metal trim the OEM ones have. The old one was replaced due to an idiot backing up onto it.

Update:

New master cylinder installed. Brakes have pressure, but the truck doesn't stop well. There's no brake assist, so the conclusion is, dead brake booster.

 

glad to hear your Dad is better, and the Blazer is back on the road (almost anyways).

 

Thanks. She's been driven short distances and slowly, due to the braking issue it's having The brake shoes were adjusted and it's braking a little better, but after some speed the brake pedal feels like it's made of wood lol. I fixed a broken vac hose and a loose one. The ventilation vents still don't quite work properly, so that means there's another one missing or broken. I also notice the idle speed on the high side, and maybe that's causing the loss of brake assist.?

And it also has blown two tires already Took out one of the Mustangs tires and used it on the spare wheel, since that one's 16". I still need to buy a 15" tire for the alloy wheel. Guess it can't be helped with such old tires.

 

If the booster is bad , then that would be a vacuum leak and be causing your high idle.