89 s10 blazer budget project
 

hi Ya'll,
I am starting a project with a 89 s10 blazer 4.3l 4x4. I plan to customize the interior, repair the poor condition of the body, and bring the motor back to proper working condition. I have started making a list of things that need to be done to the truck and found that list to be long already. Well itemized enough to seem like a lot of stuff but actually fairly easy to do. I have some pics of primer sprayed interior parts to test adhesion to the plastic. I think it came out nicely so far myself. I lightly sanded the surface with 400 grit sandpaper and used rustoleum matte black primer in two coats. I have also found time to start restoring the wheels to a better shine then they were before. I have pictures of the way they started and how they look now. I just need to finish the other two wheels and then buff them to a clear shine with a buffer wheel. I may consider at that time to clear coat the wheels to protect the surface. I also need to respray the black spokes on the wheels. It gets the front bumper replaced due to an accident pulling it out of the back yard with a small toyota pickup first and not just getting the 4x4 bronco that was able to succeed.
(Sorry ... lol:icon_couchhide: )
The support bracket and the drivers side corner of the bumper are pretty messed up. I also need to replace the lug nuts as they are all marred and some are missing. I need to replace the grille, hood latch cable, spare tire carrier, new tires, window seals, conrods, serpentine belt, body work, sheet metal repair, flares, passenger door lock cylinder, headliner, seats reupholstered, either all carpet cleaned and painted with fabric spray paint or replaced if it does not come out ok, plastic parts and vinyl parts throughout the interior painted or dyed to give the interior some new life, steering column tilt is loose, lower steering bowl that connects to the shift indicator is broke, needs a new stereo with better install, new dome light cover and maybe upgrade to LEDS instead, replace the stained seat belts, upgrade the exhaust, and a matte black paint job to finish off the start of something grand (I hope!) Eventually I would like to get a brush guard for the bumper with some good fog lights and maybe a winch, I am also thinking of adding some fiberglass pods to the headliner in the rear of the cabin. I also want to convert the R-12 A/C to R-134a refrigerant and am getting to understand how that may get to happen. Putting a lot of phone time and internet research to find someone who can reclaim the R-12 and flush the system or maybe having to replace everything at once options and its looking bleak for the first one.

im kinda digging that rusty body, looks mean lol. looks like a lot of work

right now the theme is road warrior post apocalyptic style. lol ... Actually the work needed to bring this body back to a good look is not going to be too bad and will be the part I actually know how to do. Its the mechanical work I am learning as I go. Replacing parts a monkey can do ya know. i want to look at this truck and know I made it look good. A bit more respect and pride in the truck if I do it and I needed another project to focus on.

Kinda of excited, I went to a new junkyard today and found just about all the parts I need for my blazer. The stuff wlll total about 335.00 for everything. I did want to know though? - Will pick and pull junk yards haggle with you about the price if you get several things at once? I think I could talk them down at least 75$ for the stuff I want. I did find my connecting rod bearings online for 20.00 including shipping. The big part for me was that I found the spare tire carrier for the tailgate and it's only 35.00. I found some stuff that my blazer does not have like a headliner console for starters. I started to think about fabricating some speaker pods for the headliner at the rear of the vehicle as well. My brain has started to spin wildly with all the things I could do with this truck but I have to remember I am going to take this at baby steps and see how things are at each stage of the build.

its worth a try, the only thing they can say is no.

Thats the way I look at it. I have nothing to lose by trying. I happen to see a couple of the digital instrument clusters from a 1991 and I think 1993 blazer there and was wondering if anyone knew how much conversion was needed to install one of those in my truck. It's just a thought and something i am willing to explore.

Ehh i wouldnt,they were a bad design and constantly had problems. You could pay the $100 to have them repaired,or keep what you have now. i actually had the digital dash in mine then converted it to analog.

I read that tutorial and researched some stuff about the issues you mentioned with the digital gauges. Not as much out there as you would think but there are issues and so I think i will stay with the analog gauges.

The interior is nice, I hope your build will be succesful.

Thanks I think it will be a success. The interior is not too bad but the seats are tore up and the carpet has severe dirt issues. I plan to replace both and go with a darker interior anyway. I am going to paint the interior plastics and and recover the cloth portions. I hope to also either paint or recover the vinyl portions as well. I am debating on the color scheme I want to use on the inside but it will be a blue and black for all of it i am sure. I have as you can see in one pic above already sprayed the 4x4 shift cover plate with matte black primer. I think it looks pretty good that color but I dont think it would survive everyday use in the slightest like that. so I am gonna still paint it matte black and clear coat it afterwords.