These are just some recommendations. Being that the truck has sat stagnant for a while, and that you self profess not to know much about vehicles these, again, are simply recommendations.

1) Since it sat idle for so long, check to make sure all of your fluid levels are good. A little leak over a long time in places like your cooling system, brake line, power steering, etc will cause some problems once you do get 'er up n runnin'.

2) Change your oil. Its cheap, its easy, and if you've never done it before the first time gives you a great sense of self empowerment. Also, you don't really want to run old stale oil through an engine that your trying to resurrect.

3) Like the Sages have already said, change your fuel filter. Its really super easy to do, they cost like $12, and that can be the cause of poor fuel pressure (speaking from experience).

If its up n runnin after this then I would recommend a basic (remainder) tune up. Plugs, wires, distributor cap & arms, air filter.

Once you get it running you still have a decision to make (one I'm currently considering myself). The vehicle isn't really worth much at this point. A Blazer in great condition might fetch $5k on a used sales lot, but around my neck of the woods the highest I've seen was $3k. That means as a trade in you will probably only see ~$1k, and that likely is a false value (they're really probably going to just take it off the other vehicle's price and then sell it for scrap). On the private market you may get more or less... IDK.

That all being said, this may be a great opportunity for you to learn a thing or two about DIY vehicles. With you asking "to trash or not" kinda gives the impression your not attached. So put a couple hundred into it and if it runs, learn from it. If not, scrap it. But IMHO I wouldn't invest it's worth into repairing it.

Good Luck.

 

Thanks Dark Rider! I'm kinda attached... it's my first car and I LOVED it when it ran. The motor only has 45k miles on it so from that perspective I'd be silly not to fix it. It has a lot of value in terms of DIY knowledge to be harvested from it among other factors.

I plan on doing all of those suggested things; thank you for the reinforcement. So far I managed to drop the fuel tank. THAT was a learning experience. I placed an order for some proper tools to make my life a lot easier the next time I go under the vehicle. I Rustoleum-ed the steel plate protecting the fuel tank and washed the tank itself; I'll Rustoleum that too. Currently waiting for my tools to come and for my next paycheck to sink into a fuel tank. Which bring me to my next few qustions:

•what do I do with old gas? it smells like tequila...

•how much should I pay for a fuel pump? So far this looks like the best bet:

1997 Chevrolet S10 Blazer/Trailblazer Fuel Pump 6 Cyl. 4.3L (W) M.P.I. (4 Door) [TU401] - $272.62 : Fuel Pumps - FuelPumps.com, Buy a Fuel Pump Online

 

 

You're the BEST <3

 

make sure its the right one

 

Amazon says it's for my vehicle. Also, after looking that the fuel tank which is now chilling in my shed, it's awfully rusty on the INSIDE, too. Cause for alarm?

 

Also Amazon has a **** ton of fuel filters that fit my truck... You're recommending the Delphi one? I've read Delphi and ACDelco are the ones to go for

 

Go for it

 

I can't say what to do about the gas tank, never had that problem.. If there is a "ton" of rust inside, and it looks like it may flake off then I would replace it. Those little prices could clog your fuel filter, or if they make it past, your injectors. Old gas? Hard to say. If its not watered down you can use it for lawn mowers... Where I come from people use to use it to clean parts (I wouldn't).

 

This is another option, I havent used it but i know por15 products are great. may be cheaper than buying a new tank not sure.
FUEL TANK REPAIR KIT