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BLAZER/JIMMY offroad build like this?
Hey guys,
my name is Daniel and I own a 2000 GMC 4 door SLE model. all black. 140k miles on it. I recently just replaced the original balljoints/shocks/idler/1x shackle/front wheel bearings/2x front cv half shafts. I was going to sell it and get an xj/yj/4runner something like that but I just love the jimmy and wanted to check with anyone on here, if I could get this thing hitting the trails for under 3-4 grand. it doesn't have lockers. It has the aluminum transfer case I believe. I want to lift it and get some nice 33's at some point but I got some new (3 month old ATs on it right now). So if I got me a nice ARB locker and a 4.5 suspension lift and got my 4x4 vacuum or electrical problem handled, would it be able to handle some trails/woods. I live in Indiana on Ohio border. I've had this baby for about 2 years now. my questions are: will I have to replace transfer case for one of a different metal or swap or just get shields for all the underneath? should I change the cv shafts to something other or better? should I get a certain kind of new balljoints/shocks? do I get a lift kit or is there a way I can yank different parts like leafs or something from something else that would work just as well or what are my options here? Should I pull a rear axle/diff from another vehicle and swap it onto mine and put the ARB on it? If so what should my options be? New arms? Any parts in suspension or all around that I should make sure is any one certain kind of brand? I could do the torsion tighten and 2x riser shackles for now to start playing or on top of a lift right? anything I'm leaving out that would be good to do to turn this into a trailing toy that can handle what an xj could do that was built for around 4-6 grand? im sure you guys are pros at these blazers, I love em, so I appreciate any feedback or any pointing in the right direction. people tell me to stay away from the blazer and get a jeep or something but I'm like maaaan.... I wanna poop on the boys that think blazers/jimmys can't go. I have tons more questions and ideas but let's start with here. Whenever I think about getting this jimmy going and looking nice and doing what I would be building it for I get excited as hell. Everyone will be like daaaamn. I'm just wishful thinking at this point though and I'm at a loss.. hope for some good, but straight and honest news! thanks guys! |
If you're mechanically inclined and can do your own welding (or know someone that will do it for you), for under 3-4k price range, I would look into a solid front axle swap. You'll get whatever lift amount you want, can set it up to clear MORE than 33's if you want, don't have to worry about weak CV axle joints, and will get FAR more articulation on the trail. Cheapest and easiest route is to hang a solid axle by leaf springs, but you could always opt for a 4 or 5 link setup, just requires more fabbing and a little more planning.
I wouldn't worry too much about the transfercase. You'd probably tare up the stock diffs before you grenade the transfercase on a trail. If you can squeeze it into the budget, swap the rear axle with one a little beefier in the process, at least to match the front (you're not going to find a solid front axle with 5x4.75 lug pattern to match the rear, so might as well swap both so you at least have matching lug pattern front and rear lol). THEN your next weak link would probably be drive shafts, more specifically U joints, but if those hold, you may have to look into transfer case swaps or upgrades; I'm not familiar with any transfercase swaps or upgrades though. Personally, I'd leave the U joins as points of failure. Sure it's aggravating when they pop, but it's a hell of a lot easier, quicker, and cheaper, to swap a U joint every once in a while than a diff or t-case :D Keep everything (axles, control arms, ball joints, etc) that you pull off for resale to help the overall end cost ;) The reason most people opt for the bolt-on IFS lift is because it's, well, for the most part, bolt on... For a little more than a decent IFS lift, but a LOT more work obviously, you can SAS and leave a lifted IFS S-series at the start of a trail with the driver's tail tucked between their legs... I can count on one hand how many lifted IFS rigs I've actually seen do semi decent on trails, the flex is just not there to keep the front tires glued down, and with an open front diff, the truck might as well be 2wd. Most of the people that install them are mall crawlers, lift it up to put their mud terrains on and shine them up to go to the grocery store... On my 04 I have the T-bars adjusted and longer shackles installed, but I did that just to clear a set of 31's that I got for dirt cheap. I would LIKE to run at least 35"s, but I'm not going to bother with body and IFS lifts, as it would be a complete waste of money and I'd just be ripping that out later down the road when I do my planned SAS ;) |
Sweet,
thanks quick reply! any links or guides anywhere for sas on these vehicles? also any transfer case swaps that would be ideal to make it manual or is that even worth it.. what else needs changed along when you do the sas or what do you need to upgrade to work together can this build be alright to drive on road to travel to trails with the friends and fam or will it be god awful and dangerous? |
There's a bunch of build threads you can look through on here for solid axle swaps. Rexmburns has a really good one.
Solid-Axle Swapping - A 1996 Chevy S10 Blazer - The Almighty Dime: Part 2 - Off-Road Magazine there's good basics on it in that article, as well as part 3 of that article. The link in my signature is my sas build which would probably be helpful also. Np231 would be a good one if you wanted manual t-case, though it's alot of extra work rather than just keeping your np233 and swapping the output shaft for a fixed yoke If done properly you should have no problems driving it on the road. |
they actually sell kits to do it now. i did mine 10 years ago and had to make all my own brackets.
i did mine on my 93 for under 2k including the price of the truck but i had a lot of the stuff laying around just took a few months to build it i used to wheel a 85 s10 with 33s up front those front cv joints do not like big tires i kept snapping them like crazy |
Damn so I need to go SAS?
just trying to find a good build and go get it and make it. I over think things too much I just need some guidance for the truck that I'm working with :icon_doh: need to know what I should do to it to make it pretty decent and not have to spend a whole lot dollars. options and all. Need a good build |
You can look at my build thread for ideas. I won't say mine was cheap because of some of the parts I used in my axles and such but the bones are there to copy mine and can be done reasonably priced.
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my 85 s10 with stock drivetrain and 33s held up for a while just doing trails and mud
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14...driveway-5.jpg but the cv joints would knock if i turned the wheel anymore then a quarter turn. so any kind of tight turn even dirt the front axles would just snap like twigs. so when i did my s10 the second time around i put in some fullsize 10bolts out of a k5 blazer, going on 10 years and havent had a single major issue with the axles maybe the newer blazers have a stronger front end? |
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