The Truck Blazer.

In late 1999, I found an ad for a 1976 Blazer for $600 with bad clutch. First off, I had been looking for a K5 Blazer for a while so I could haul passengers with me in a back seat. Second off, I wanted a 4spd manual, and a bad clutch told me it was a manual. So I called on it. Well, the guy told me he had modified the Blazer cab to make it s shortbed truck. I figured it was some hack job like I had seen done to a Scout II with plywood, plexiglass and duct tape. But when I went and looked at it, it was actually well done and looked like a super-short shortbed.

It was too bad cause I wanted an actual K5, but for $600 I couldn't say no. It had a 3" body lift and 2" suspension lift, 33's, 350 with Edelbrock intake and headers, 4spd/205, decent grey interior with buckets, and 1/2 ton axles with 3.73 gears.

I towed it home and replaced the bad clurch disc and drove it a bit. I then sold the 1/2 ton axles for $300 and swapped the 350 into a Suburban I was working on. I then started building it the way I wanted. Eventually I wanted a 396 big block in it, but didn't have one right away.

For 2001, the Truck Blazer had a SB400 I put in it I pulled out of a parts truck. I added an Edelbrock intake and some chrome. I put 3/4 ton axles under it (14-bolt and Dana 44 with 4.10 gears) and 35" BFG Mud Terrains, and a heavy duty winch bumper with Warn 8074 8000lb winch. I went up to a 4" suspension lift during the year. As soon as I bought current tabs for it, the 400 started knocking and I had to pull it out.

 

For 2002, I put a used 454 in it with Edelbrock intake and carb, and open headers. I also put a 6" suspension lift under it and 38" Gumbo Mudders.

 

Later during that year it also got a Dana 60 front. I fried the clutch in it not long after driving it.

 

In 2003, I swapped in the 396 from the Big Crew Cab, since a 396 was what I always had wanted for the Truck Blazer. The 396 was one that had already been run hard in the Big Crew Cab, even on nitrous in the past. It was a '67 Camaro 396 block bored .030 over (essentially a 402ci) with 781 casting open chamber oval port heads, domed pistons, Comp 280 cam with .520 valve lift, Holley dual plane intake and dual feed double pumper 750cfm carb, and Erson gear drive. I hooked up exhaust and drove it on the street, and also had header dumps welded on for off-road. I went to an 8" all-spring lift, and added a few other add-on accessories I got for cheap or in trade. I put the 40" Grand Prix tires on it, and often borrowed the Boggers off the GMC to use on the rear.

 

 

 

 

Never assume things are what they are supposed to be. I swapped axles to go down to a 4.56 gear ratio, and ended up having 4.56s in the front and 4.10s in the rear. Slowed me down at one mud race and broke the front driveline CV joint.

Soon after discovered the problem and swapped used 4.56 gears into the rear as well as a used Detroit locker I got from a friend in 2004.
VIDEO: 7-Mile ORV Park

 

In 2005 I pulled out the 396 due to the rings being totally shot after a hard life.
VIDEO: Last Mud Bogs of the 396

I swapped the 454 from my '81 Suburban into the Truck Blazer for the year. It never did run right.

In 2006, I took the 396 from my Stepside which spun a bearing, and had an actual engine rebuilder go through and fix the crank, and re-assemble the shortblock. That 396 from the Stepside turned out to be essentially the same thing as my other 396. It was a '67 Impala 396 block bored .020 over with domed pistons, 781 casting heads, 9.2:1 compression, Comp 280 cam, .520 valve lift. He rebuilt the shortblock for $400 (after I sold the old 396 Camaro shortblock for $400) and I re-used the same cam and heads that came on this motor and added the Erson gear drive from the other motor I sold. So essentially it was the same engine, with Edelbrock Performer RPM intake and carb. I put it together for the Moyie Springs Spring Mud Bog in 2006, along with 39.5" Boggers I kept off another truck I sold on 16.5x12 aluminum rims I got for $200.

A couple weeks before Moyie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VIDEO: One of the runs at the Moyie Mud Bog

Back home in Ione.

 

 

After Sprague and Big Al's Fall 2006. Carb took a dump, front driveline u-joint kept flying out (front degree shim and bolt issues) and I found out after the races were all done with that the distributor had loosened up and timing had retarded so it ran like crap.

 

Got it dialed back in again last weekend and it's running good again as of November 2006.

All hooked up and pulling out a friend's stuck truck.

Driving through the mini-mudhole at my place.

 

Mountain Explorers 4x4 Play Day April 2007:

I get the Truck Blazer stuck in my own mud hole I made the day before.

 

Moyie Mud Bog Spring 2007:

 

 

When you let someone else drive it to load it....

 

Downriver Days Parade lineup 2007.

 

April 2008, the Truck Blazer gets 5.38 gears, spooled front, welded rear, 2" more lift and 44" Boggers.

 

Moyie Mud Bog May 2008:

Broke an outer stub shaft and locking hub.

 

 

Vince and Shawna's Big Redneck Wedding: 7-Mile ORV Park June 2008

 

Bought a 1980 Suburban with a big block (supposed to be a 496 stroker). Used the motor out of it and put it in the Truck Blazer, parted the rest of the Suburban out and am into the 496 motor a total of $140 now.

 

At the Orient Mud Bog, broke a front locking hub and driveline.

Put on the flamed nose clip.

 

Moyie Mud Bog Fall 2008:

 

 

 This link shows the Truck Blazer appearing on TV, on CMT's "My Big Redneck Wedding"

http://www.cmt.com/videos/shows/my-big-redneck-wedding-2/320027/my-big-redneck-wedding-208-extras-yours-mud-and-ours.jhtml?

Too bad it just shows us fixing a broken axle and me and Vince losing our pass through the mud, but it was with the old 396 with a bad carburetor that pretty much stalled out if I tried to take off.