Blazer Forum - Chevy Blazer Forums

So, bought this in September '10 for $1800. Had some issues (as they all do for $1800) but I was currently working as a technician for the local Jeep dealership and had access to lifts and all that good stuff.

Attachment 35470
The day I brought her home. She was running 235/75/15 Goodyear AT's that I had swapped off my Grand Cherokee on the way home. The Jeep was a dying beast, and needed replacement. I live in the mountains of WNC, so I needed a good 4x4 especially because of the rough winters we get. We dont see much deep snow, the most I have ever had was 11", but we get tons of ice storms, and the roads become an icy slushy mess.
Attachment 35471
So I have owned two 4x4 S10's by this point, and both had open diffs and the 4wd did not function. One was a 88, one was a 95. But one day soon after I got it, it hydroplaned unexpectedly and hit a curb sideways, bending a rear axle. In the process of replacing it, I found out this model has a limited slip diff, and that winter found out just how amazing that was. Only twice did I ever put it in 4wd, and both times were to pull buddies out of ditches.

So, after a while, the Jeep died. The transmission was going bad, the suspension was horrible, the interior was shot, the motor was blown, and I was tired of it. So, borrowed a longhaul trailer from a buddy at work, loaded her up, and took her to the local scrapyard, where this whole setup tipped the scales at 10,800 lbs.
Attachment 35473

And yes, this did blow my shocks out.

About a month later, I had to go pick up a tractor my father had bought, which was 400 miles away. We rented a Uhaul and set out.

Attachment 35474

Total weight on this run was around 4,000 lbs plus the weight of two fat men in a Blazer. Luckily, when I blew the shocks out, I had replaced them with air shocks, and while it looks like I am squatting here, it was just on an incline. With the shocks pumped up to 120 psi, it rode perfectly. So began this poor SUV's life of towing. I live on a farm with horses and cattle, so we often need to get hay. My old 95 S10 did a lot of this, but it was scrapped as well since it was a free truck I had gotten and was absolutely ****. Bent frame, dying motor, had sat for two years filled with water. It served me for a few months, and I got back all the money I put into it when I scrapped it. I had and F-150 as well, but had to put a tranny in it a month after purchase and had to sell it. It was also too big to drive around our property.

Attachment 35475

Attachment 35476

For one summer, I spent a lot of time hauling a friends boat to and from Lake James, which is about two hours away. While this in not that boat, it was similar to this one, which is a different friends. Needless to say, I wore out some components doing so. All of my suspension and steering components had already been replaced when I bought it, most of which I replaced with above OEM performance, wherever I could get it. But the transmission has had its share of abuse (soon to be remedied with $400 worth of parts), and my ABS module went to ****. So, it has been turned into something only its parents could love. No rear interior, no ABS, MAF sensor unplugged and electrical tape covering the check engine light. It also had an aftermarket cat when I got it, so the downstream O2 loves to throw that light. But, she is my baby and I love her. So the time of modifying even more had come. I installed a magnaflow cat, Flowmaster super 44, and 2.5" tailpipe. I put on a brushguard, fitted my CB radio, and slapped in a CAI. And just recently, I got my buddy to help me change out the OEM wheels with 15x8 American Racing, which had 4" backspacing. My torsion bars had been cranked already, but I have no lift other than that. So with a set of 31's under it, we got to trimming the front fender. While it is not real noticeable, we removed a fair amount of metal. But, it was worth it.

Attachment 35477

Attachment 35478

Attachment 35479

So thats my baby, and I love her to death. Future plans include: 2" Body lift, 2" suspension lift with new upper control arms, 32x11.50 All Terrains, Z-pack clutch kits for better heat management, Shift Kit, Better torque converter. When this engine goes, it goes away. It is likely to be replaced by A) a 5.3L V8 327 revival, or an older 4.3 capable of handling a turbocharger, need to do more research into this. Not looking for a drag truck or monster truck, I do not expect to exceed 300hp, most likely will get somewhere around 250hp. I also plan on converting the rear brakes to disc, and getting slotted rotors for the front. Since I live in the mountains, I often get them too hot and they start fading pretty bad.

What has been replaced: Hubs & Bearings, all ball joints, inner and outer tie rod ends, idler and pitman arms, front brake pads and rotors, rear brake hardware, left rear axle, blower fan, water pump, radiator, upper radiator hose, catalytic converter, muffler, tailpipe, spark plugs, distributor cap and rotor, plug wires, fuel filter, headlights. All said and done, have not even gone over $1000, since I do all work myself and use a mixture of both new parts (which I get a discount for) and junkyard parts.

Needs to be replaced: AC compressor, AC lines from compressor to accumulator, accumulator, lines to oil filter, transmission parts for better heat management...and thats all that is actually wrong with it anymore. The transmission does have a slight noise to it, not quite a whine, but it has not gotten worse since I bought it, so I do not fret much about it. It will get fixed soon enough.