Project Z69 offroader - 2dr 5spd Gambler 500
Project Z69 offroader - 2dr 5spd Gambler 500
Bought this this last month and have kinda thrown it together as an offroad/gambler 500 project. It's rusty garbage, but it is fun. I'll start with one current pic and go through the progress. These next posts are lifted from my Beretta group, so they're past tense now. I'll do a post every day or two until it's caught up. Let me know what you think.
Brought this rusty hunk of garbage home...but I like it! It's a 2000 Blazer 4.3/5spd 4x4 83k mi for $500...pretty nice score for an offroad beater. There's zero chance it would pass inspection to be road legal, but I'm just gonna pound on it until the frame breaks beyond repair and then keep the parts I want and sell the rest. Probably do the Gambler 500 too. I figure a Z71-2 cylinders is a Z69. haha
Needs front leaf spring brackets to really even be functional...and I'm gonna crank the torsion bars and put lift shackles in the rear to fit some 31s. It's rusty enough I won't even have to cut clearance for the tires, I can just bash it with a sledge. A mini spool for the rear is $45 so it's getting one of those, and I looked at welding the front diff, but the people who have tried it on the Blazer group say the steering flexes too much and binds. I am going to mount a 2" receiver tube for my hitch winch and build something in the back to gain some departure angle.
Once it's dead, the 8.5" rear end will be going in the Beretta for my RWD drift conversion project. Maybe the NV3500 too, gotta see how involved it is to swap 4WD to 2WD.
We got some more snow the day after I got it home so I took it for a rip as-is and it surprised me. Not too bad! Gonna be a lot of fun with tires and a locked rear.
Brought this rusty hunk of garbage home...but I like it! It's a 2000 Blazer 4.3/5spd 4x4 83k mi for $500...pretty nice score for an offroad beater. There's zero chance it would pass inspection to be road legal, but I'm just gonna pound on it until the frame breaks beyond repair and then keep the parts I want and sell the rest. Probably do the Gambler 500 too. I figure a Z71-2 cylinders is a Z69. haha
Needs front leaf spring brackets to really even be functional...and I'm gonna crank the torsion bars and put lift shackles in the rear to fit some 31s. It's rusty enough I won't even have to cut clearance for the tires, I can just bash it with a sledge. A mini spool for the rear is $45 so it's getting one of those, and I looked at welding the front diff, but the people who have tried it on the Blazer group say the steering flexes too much and binds. I am going to mount a 2" receiver tube for my hitch winch and build something in the back to gain some departure angle.
Once it's dead, the 8.5" rear end will be going in the Beretta for my RWD drift conversion project. Maybe the NV3500 too, gotta see how involved it is to swap 4WD to 2WD.
We got some more snow the day after I got it home so I took it for a rip as-is and it surprised me. Not too bad! Gonna be a lot of fun with tires and a locked rear.
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 878
From: NY
haha Z69, I love it. looking forward to seeing where this goes. I've been wanting to do the gambler 500 in my state but I just haven't been able to swing it yet. Maybe watching your gambler project will give me the motivation I need 
EDIT: i just noticed the NY plate... looks like you're in my state... maybe we can race each other in the Gambler?
EDIT: i just noticed the NY plate... looks like you're in my state... maybe we can race each other in the Gambler?
Got some pretty meaty 31s on ZR2 wheels from facebook for $250. I would rather have the black steelie style like my old truck, but you can't beat the price of these. Fitment was pretty easy since a sledge had no trouble bashing the corners and finding spray foam repairs. haha
I got about 2in of front lift by cranking the torsion bars up. Driver side needed another 1.5 turns of the bolt compared to the pass to get it even. Why? Who knows...haha. Didn't have time to mess with the rear shackles yet. I did buy new front spring hangers for $39. Those should be here about the same time as the rear spool. I also figured out a rusty fuel line fix. $50 total from Amazon for the 3/8 and 5/16 nylon line and couplers. So I'm still well under the original asking price for the Blazer. haha
The hitch looked like it couldn't be trusted, so I hooked my tow strap to the tree to give a yank and see if it was solid enough. And to my surprise, the hitch was fine. But the last few inches of the frame broke off on one side. haha. If it held up fine I was going to be lazy and not do the bumper delete/skid plate/hitch mount I had planned. But it looks like I'm going forward with it! It actually killed the truck too and it wouldn't restart. So I had to winch it with my truck to unhook the strap and then drag it back. But it was just a fuel pump ground that ripped off. So that was an easy fix and it's purring like an 83k kitten again.
I got about 2in of front lift by cranking the torsion bars up. Driver side needed another 1.5 turns of the bolt compared to the pass to get it even. Why? Who knows...haha. Didn't have time to mess with the rear shackles yet. I did buy new front spring hangers for $39. Those should be here about the same time as the rear spool. I also figured out a rusty fuel line fix. $50 total from Amazon for the 3/8 and 5/16 nylon line and couplers. So I'm still well under the original asking price for the Blazer. haha
The hitch looked like it couldn't be trusted, so I hooked my tow strap to the tree to give a yank and see if it was solid enough. And to my surprise, the hitch was fine. But the last few inches of the frame broke off on one side. haha. If it held up fine I was going to be lazy and not do the bumper delete/skid plate/hitch mount I had planned. But it looks like I'm going forward with it! It actually killed the truck too and it wouldn't restart. So I had to winch it with my truck to unhook the strap and then drag it back. But it was just a fuel pump ground that ripped off. So that was an easy fix and it's purring like an 83k kitten again.
But I love that you are going to keep it running to have run with it! 
Haha. I just needed an anchor point to test the structural integrity. I had a sneaking suspicion it wouldn't go well.
Parts came in and I started to repair the ripped off bumper, but quickly realized it was not going to be a weekend job at my dad's. Yes the frame ripped off at the driver bumper mount, but it also had big holes and cracks forward of the leaf mounts on both sides. So I kicked the Beretta off the trailer again and hauled it home to dig into it.
I cut frame and rear crossmember out forward of the leaf mounts. I had some 2in heavy angle laying around, so I made a couple notches and bashed them inside what was left of the frame and plug welded them in. I used some NPT pipe to make new spring mounts and lift it a little at the same time. I was going to just weld the sleeves for the bolts in, but that would have restricted articulation and given less lift. I replaced the rear crossmember with a piece of smaller angle and welded in body mount locations with a couple pieces I cut off the winch mounting plate when I made it a hitch mount. I also cut the body mounts so that they are solid and that rubber is pretty much useless. This gives a solid mount to use the body of the Blazer as a brace for the frame rails. haha
Fabbed up a rear bumper out of some 1.5 x 10" C channel that came home in the back of the truck from Colorado. I knew it would come in handy for something. I guess I didn't get any pics of the brackets I made, but it bolts to the angle iron and the winch plate pieces with 6 bolts (two of them huge). I also added a hitch tube for the winch and I'm making the rear tire carrier a Hi-Lift jack mount. Put some spacers on too cause I hate the narrow rear track look. Also can't forget the stickers I made! Went more of a Z71-style logo to honor the old beast 94 and after all...the idea is a Z71 minus 2 cylinders.
Parts came in and I started to repair the ripped off bumper, but quickly realized it was not going to be a weekend job at my dad's. Yes the frame ripped off at the driver bumper mount, but it also had big holes and cracks forward of the leaf mounts on both sides. So I kicked the Beretta off the trailer again and hauled it home to dig into it.
I cut frame and rear crossmember out forward of the leaf mounts. I had some 2in heavy angle laying around, so I made a couple notches and bashed them inside what was left of the frame and plug welded them in. I used some NPT pipe to make new spring mounts and lift it a little at the same time. I was going to just weld the sleeves for the bolts in, but that would have restricted articulation and given less lift. I replaced the rear crossmember with a piece of smaller angle and welded in body mount locations with a couple pieces I cut off the winch mounting plate when I made it a hitch mount. I also cut the body mounts so that they are solid and that rubber is pretty much useless. This gives a solid mount to use the body of the Blazer as a brace for the frame rails. haha
Fabbed up a rear bumper out of some 1.5 x 10" C channel that came home in the back of the truck from Colorado. I knew it would come in handy for something. I guess I didn't get any pics of the brackets I made, but it bolts to the angle iron and the winch plate pieces with 6 bolts (two of them huge). I also added a hitch tube for the winch and I'm making the rear tire carrier a Hi-Lift jack mount. Put some spacers on too cause I hate the narrow rear track look. Also can't forget the stickers I made! Went more of a Z71-style logo to honor the old beast 94 and after all...the idea is a Z71 minus 2 cylinders.
Got the fuel lines fixed. Using the nylon lines is easier in some ways, and tougher in others. It's annoyingly springy and you definitely have to wrap it in something and secure it often to protect from abrasion...but super easy to cut and compression fit. Pretty ideal for this turd that already had been switched to nylon from about the spring hangar back.
And the spring hangars were trash! So I replaced them with Ford Ranger ones. Couldn't find Blazer hangars, and the FOrd ones were cheap with a comparable leaf spring size. Once I mocked them up my suspicions were confirmed and they did give a little bit of lift. But first I had to get the bolts out of the leaf spring bushing sleeves. I absolutely wailed them with no budging at all, but found a trick on youtube to cut the head off and use the threads as a removal tool. Worked like a charm.
Made some lift shackles at work for free - came out pretty nice. Had to machine 7 of the surfaces of the cheap ebay mini spool to get it to fit. Killed two carbide end mills doing it, but it's done. Then finally pulled the thing out and drove it back in so I could start fab work on the front end.
Welded a bar between the frame rails for my front hitch. Welded up on of the bolt holes, so I just welded the bumper on too. **** it. Hit it with 80 on DA and fogged it with some rattle can bedliner. Good enough!
I got a couple more things in store for it, but it's ready for some snow wheelin right now. Probably hit my sister-in-law's place next weekend, and teach her two boys how to drive stick.
And the spring hangars were trash! So I replaced them with Ford Ranger ones. Couldn't find Blazer hangars, and the FOrd ones were cheap with a comparable leaf spring size. Once I mocked them up my suspicions were confirmed and they did give a little bit of lift. But first I had to get the bolts out of the leaf spring bushing sleeves. I absolutely wailed them with no budging at all, but found a trick on youtube to cut the head off and use the threads as a removal tool. Worked like a charm.
Made some lift shackles at work for free - came out pretty nice. Had to machine 7 of the surfaces of the cheap ebay mini spool to get it to fit. Killed two carbide end mills doing it, but it's done. Then finally pulled the thing out and drove it back in so I could start fab work on the front end.
Welded a bar between the frame rails for my front hitch. Welded up on of the bolt holes, so I just welded the bumper on too. **** it. Hit it with 80 on DA and fogged it with some rattle can bedliner. Good enough!
I got a couple more things in store for it, but it's ready for some snow wheelin right now. Probably hit my sister-in-law's place next weekend, and teach her two boys how to drive stick.
