I was able to grab a one owner 1996 loaded LS 4X4, with the beautiful two-tone paint.
I've done all the basic stuff and am ready to move on to the harder things now, like the oil cooler lines.
These are great fun, I am told, looking forward to it.

Truck is in really nice condition, there are a few things I wish we more perfect but no worries. My wife and daughter are both about 5' and I'll be honest, I wouldn't mind a step or boards for myself.

Were the "original" running boards color-matched to the body paint? Does anyone have a photo of OEM's I could check out?

Anyhow, glad to be here, I will update this post with some cool images and a list of what has been done so far.

 

Welcome. This is the place to be to keep you Blazer on the road. You know, they fill a niche that you cannot get in a new SUV with their smaller size (in comparison). I think most Subarus are now larger than our Blazers. LOL

I have running boards on mine that I think are stock. They are black.

 

Yup, love the size and ease to park. Thanks for the info and the photo! Have you done your oil cooler lines yet?

 

Oh yes, it was one of my first repairs. It is not an uncommon one. When I did them, I also replaced the o-ring and gasket for the adapter at the block. I had the o-ring go out on the 92 Blazer I owned. That was a big loss of oil. The trick to hold the gasket in place on it is to use some vasoline. Apparently people would use Vasoline to prime oil pumps.

Do do the oil lines, youl'll need a really long extension to reach in from the front.

Other common fixes are the lower intake manifold gaskets. The one is important because when they fail, the coolant can dump directly into the lifter valley destroying the bearings. There some good write-ups on how do the LIM gaskets. Be sure to ask for them if you decide to replace them.

 

Good advice! I've seen a few videos on doing the oil cooler lines, even some who advocated for "deleting" the whole remote oil cooler setup entirely. I'm almost tempted to keep the system, but to "modernize" it by using all new braided SS lines, connected to an aftermarket oil cooler radiator. Cost wise not a whole lot of difference, all in, versus replacing the AC Delco's with OEM.

Here's what I have done since buying the truck three months ago:

New Iridium plugs, Delco cap and rotor
New Delco pro plug wires
New belts/pulleys
LED lighting installed throughout, outside and in, the only bulbs on the truck that not LEDs are the headlights
Rear Diff serviced new synthetic oil and new gasket
Vacuum leaks fixed
AC recharged/serviced
New fuel tank, filter, and fuel pump, new vent and fill lines
New Wrangler GTs to match the OEM spare (still in remarkably good condition)
Aux LED lights added to underhood circuit (giant LED bulb in primary socket, two AUX sockets/bulbs added, one at distributor, one at the battery, switched under hood
Rear wiper mechanism replaced/repaired
Missing blank dash plates replaced
New front brakes
Real Goodyear floor mats fitted to replace the chitty OEMs

Next on my list, the oil cooler lines, a little broke right now, but soon.

Glad to be here, thanks for the input!

 

Welcome to the Blazerforum.

Nice upkeeping that Blazer.

 

Beard deep in the oil cooler line replacement project. Can anyone here link me to the correct O ring gasket for the "Adapter to BLOCK" side of the oil cooler line setup please? Closest I've been able to find seems to be a small kit with 6 or 7 gaskets in it, one of which is the large o-ring I speak of maybe?

Thanks in advance! What a beast of a job. Still "stuck" on getting rear 13 MM bolt out . . . smeesh.

 

Please post in the appropriate tech section. It will get overlooked here - "New Member Section" rules also don't allow tech discussions.

Try the 2nd gen and you may want to search there as well. Lot's of information there.
If I'm not mistaken, there should be some information also in the "Tech Articles DIY" section.

 

Thanks for the information. I've searched a few pages deep in the tech section and have not found a tutorial link just yet.
I'll repost my questions there.