Hello all. I am new to the Forum and have been searching and reading almost every thread I can find that relates to what I am looking to do. Having said that, my head is now spinning with all that can be done. So much so, I am not sure where to start and haven't found too much in the threads on this particular topic.

Here is my current situation;

2000 Blazer 4WD, 2dr. Aprx 200,000 km. Minor body work needed. Having the suspension inspected soon with regards to a suspected wheel bearing issue. Other issue is every once in a while, I get a high pitched squeal from under the hood, but its not the drive belt. (any ideas?)

That being said; here is what I would like to do;

New paint
Lift aprox 2-3" (not sure if Body or suspension lift is prefered)
New tires
Add CAI and perfmc exhaust,
Exterior accessories, Bush and nerf bars, Lights..
Interior upgrade, Stereo, seats, floor and roof liner.

Probably more too.. but I will stop there.

I am not much of a mechanic but I learn quick. I fly airplanes for a living, and not the jet kind, the ones with the round radial engines that spew oil and smoke, so I have a good working knowledge of how an engine works and what does what. However, where to start and what to expect for this project, I am afraid I am in over my head somewhat as Blazers don't fly. (well not for very long!)

My first question is with the suspension inspection coming up, what kind of things should I have the shop look at/for? I would like to avoid having to fix something now that I am going to replace some time soon. ie shocks, etc.

Once my Blazer, whom I call Ol' Blue, check up is complete, I am looking at fixing her up. I want something that not only looks good, but can walk the walk too.

As I see it, I am probably looking at doing this upgrade in stages and would like input to see if I have it right!

Stage 1: Lift and new wheels and the performance upgrade (CAI & Exst).

Stage 2: Paint and Exterior mods, (Bars and lights).

Stage 3: Interior upgrades.

Now having said that, putting in any lights on the roof would probably run into having to drop the top liner to run wiring so should that set of lights be left until the inner upgrades?

So what are your thoughts and recomendations? I have had this truck for 10 years and am looking to keep it for another 10, at least. So price is not too much of an issue, but sensible is the theme here. Most of the work will probably be done intially by shops, but I would like to get my hands dirty too.

Thanks to everyone who can lend a hand. I will post pics as the work progresses.

Cheers!

Ian
Airdrie, Alberta.

 

Welcome to the forum! Let me be the first to say, don't be scared about a cold air intake or exhaust. Just follow the instructions and you can't mess up basically. One word of advice though, stay away from the Option Racing cai. I bought that off of eBay and the bolts on the plenum broke off as soon as I started the engine. Go with Spectre or K&N (if you don't mind the price on the K&N). Another user on here had the Option CAI and the bracket on the heatshield snapped off on him. Just low quality from the company IMO.

With 200k km, whens the last time you did a tune up? (plugs, wires, dist cap & rotor, etc.)

 

Yeah totally agree. Dont cheap on on somethings! Ive learned the hard way do things right the first time. I looked up online and cant seem to find the intake that I have but it pretty much looks just like the AEM but with no name or anything on it. You cant go wrong with K&N at all. (If you want go look in my pics and you can see my cold air intake) Im deffintally excited to see a build and progress.

 

Thanks for the input about the CAI.

As for tune up, I am ashamed to say about 2 years at least. What should I look at getting done?

Please keep the comments coming.

Cheers,

Ian

 

For tuneup I would would do, distributor, wires, and plugs, air filter, and im not sure how you do your oil changes

 

Paul,

Consider me green.

I have had tune ups done before and had them change out spark plugs and filters. But with regards to wires and distributors, what should be done there? Are we talking about replacing them or just inspecting? If replacing them, is it just a generic replacement or can you upgrade? I have read about guys that increase the number of Grounds they have for their electrical system and it supposedly increases the engine power. Any truth to this?

Results from my suspension inspection showed a right front wheel bearing and a left joint needs replacing. Is it fair to say that I will have to replace the opposite ones of each of this in the near future and so should just go ahead and replace both sets? I was quoted 750.00 to change the one bearing and joint. Does that sound like a reasonable quote?

Thanks again everyone.

Ian

 

With the stock ignition system, its really good performance wise from the factory. So just stick with the factory AC Delco wires. And yes, you replace wires at this point on the vehicle if they're the factory ones. On Amazon.com they're $85, part number 746KK. The distributor rotor and cap are priced at roughly $40 for both of them. And if you get the plugs replaced, go with AC Delco or NGK. Most Blazers came with AC Delco plugs, but some had NGK. Platinum tip will be well worth the extra $3.

Hope I've helped you some, wish I could give insight on the suspension work.

 

Well I changed my distributor, wires and plugs, I used Delco distributor and wire and used E3 plugs but the delco ones are good too. I actually had to replace my passager front hug bearing last night so i know how that is. What joint exactally are you talking about? You dont nessacary need to replace both hub bearings and still not sure what joints your mean but if they look like they are starting to go then I would....(if money permits)

 

I would recommend against E3 plugs. They won't last anywhere near as long as the AC Delco Double Platinum plugs will.

 

Thanks again for the replies.

Phil, with regards to replacing the plugs, wires, cap and rotor. Is this a DIY project? I can see myself changing out the pugs and wires easy enough (Famous last words!), but with regards to the distributor, I have heard if you don't do that right you can cause serious damage to the engine. Is that something I should be able to tackle on my own, or should I seek help?

Paul, looking at my estimate here, they are telling me my right front wheel bearing needs replacing and my left lower ball joint as well. Now I have quoted out the parts and have gotten better prices on the wheel bearing from Goodwrench than I have from the shop, but the ball joint is coming in at the same. A question for you and I guess everyone one else; What parts should I look to be putting in here? Should I go with GM stuff or will any generic part be up to par? Like I said in my first post, I want to keep my costs down, but in the long run, I want something that will do the job and last. Lastly, with regards to time per job, how long should it take for labour on each fix? I was told 1-1.5 for the bearing and 2-4 for the lower ball joint.

On another topic all together, and I am getting way ahead of myself here, but I saw a website (http://www.arbusa.com/Products/Air-L...ootage/18.aspx) about locking diffs. Is this something that can be done with the Blazer? I know when I put her into 4x4 low she turns into a nice climbing machine, but what they do with the locking Diff is amazing. Reading the owner's manual, it says when you put the truck in 4Lo, it sends max power to all wheels. How does this compare to a locking diff if at all?

Cheers!
Ian