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s-10 blazer

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#1 ·
OK. I'm looking to get a s10 blazer from a buddy of mine who is oblivious to the situation at hand. any rate, it's an late 80s blazer, 2 wheel drive, stick shift. i have some ideas on what i wanna do but this would be my first truck type vehicle, i was thinking of getting a small winch since it lacks the 4 wheel drive. and a CB radio, some all terrain tires. i will also be driving this to work every day. so any ideas u might have would be appreciated. pictures of what u did would be helpful as well. thanks. be prepared... Phil
 
#2 ·
they make a winch that mounts to a trailer hitch reciever so you can remove it or use front or rear. don't know the area you live but it might keep it from being stolen. another good idea is a HI LIFT jack they are about 60-80 dollars and can jack your vehicle or be used like a come along
 
#3 ·
Is it a 4.3L or 2.8? Or heck, could even be the 4 cyl with 2 doors and 2wd, I guess.

I've owned 5 S10s of varying years/body configuration. all 2wd, with my current one being a 4dr Blazer. I try to keep one for a second vehicle at least. They are really good vehicles that are about as simple as they come. I've been driving S10s since I got my license 22 years ago and have never ever had one so stuck that I needed to winch it or have it pulled except at the bottom of an ice covered hill where I had nowhere to go but up. But, I think it's a good idea to have something and, like shadow, think the Hi Lift jack would be good. It's cheaper and more versatile. Good tires are a must, making sure you have good ones on the front as well. lots of folks will just put some high traction tires on the back that will get them moving and forget that their low traction front tires are still responsible for turning and most of the stopping. I've hit a lot of trees and never was it because I couldn't get moving - it was always a steering problem. Don't get tires that are a lot bigger than stock, just more aggressive pattern. You put heavy rims and tires on a 2wd and you are asking for breakage in the front end as the parts upfront were mostly originally engineered for Monte Carlos.

Best forums around for all the types of S10s are at: http://s-series.org/ and www.s10forum.com If you can't find what you're needing at one of those, then you probably don't need it.
 
#4 ·
what year? i build custom trucks on the side. have built many a blazer. stay away from cpi 4.3's the spider injector is bad news. get a 4wd you will apreciate having it. around here i can get a 4wd 90's blazer for $400. throw on a winch used for 5-600 new rope of course and a push bumper and you got yourself a bulletproof rig. 4.3 with 5 speed 4wd are unstoppable
 
#7 ·
new england. the 2.8 is ok for an engine. i have blown 2 of them( not built for high rpms or abuse.) easily upgradeable to a 3.4 or 3.1 v6 , drop in swap. 2 dr models are nice the frames don't twist easy. 4dr models frames are easily torqued with high power engines. watch for rust in the rear wheel wells . they let in exhaust gas when the seams split. other than that these trucks are awesome. i have owned and modified 11 of them. from big block 2wd dragsters to solid front axle swapped convertible v8 powered 2 doors riding on 35's. i know these trucks very well.
 
#8 ·
Do watch out on the 2.8L for overheating. The aluminum/steel combo in the engine easily warps heads and intake manifolds if you overheat. Not exactly sure if the 84 Blazer had aluminum heads, though. Saw several engines do this back in the day, including a couple of buddies. Also, check the rear seal for excessive leakage. That one happened on my 84 longbed (my favorite).

Since it was a toad, be sure to check out the revolving parts in the rear-end and front. They can get wear well beyond what the mileage may suggest.

Not to say that any of the above should keep you from buying it if you want. It is, after all, a 25 year old car and some things are expected. The S10 is just about the cheapest thing out there to fix and keep going, though.
 
#9 ·
i figure going in to this i'll be replacing the ball joints, u joints n pads n rotors, just a few of the neglected things i've found over the years of dealing with cars. i want to thank u all for replying to my question. has any of u put on a roof rack, or rear tire carrier? figurte the more room the better. not to make it to top heavy. i havent looked but i wonder if u could put another small fuel tank under neith of it. stay warm. phil
 
#11 ·
I don't know about older model Blazers but my wife has a 2003 model and if I ever get a .50 BMG the very first thing I will shoot with it is her Blazer. Nothing but a pile of electrical problems since we bought it.
 
#12 ·
I've got a spare tire carrier on mine that I don't want. Heck, if we were close enough, I'd give it to ya. Roof rack, too, but I think the 4 dr rack would be too long. There ought to be plenty of both in the scrapyards. The body style between my 91 and the 84 is the same, so imagine the tire carrier would be, in which case, it's not a hard retrofit at all and will definitely free up space behind the back seat for you.
 
#13 ·
the newer body style blazers have alot of problems. 96+ if i recall. when they went to obd2 they added so many sensors and relays it became a hassle. we just yank the harness and swap in a tbi or carbed v8 . solves everything. if it wasn't for the electrical issue i would have gotten a zr2. 5 inches taller than base model 2wd.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I have a 2003 ZR2 blazr with a decnt set of mods, but still mild offroader. The newer ones do have electrical problems, but I used to work as a mechanic for a few years. I've had 3 problems. oxygen sensors bad (any vehicle is prone), failed injector a 100k (150 bucks for new one, solved problm right away), electric shift 4wd problems. I solved it by rebuilding a manual shift transfer case from an older blazer and putting all the stuff in.

4wd Blazer aren't bad, but they have tender front suspensions. I carry alot of spare parts on 4wd club outtings. More than most offroad machines of similar capability.

Your chevy. Drive it around for awhile before doing mods. IF you feel you want to keep it. Purchase a rear drop in locker for it. No reset of the ring an pinion. Remove the rear cover, remove the rear drums, pull the diff pin, tak the c-clips out, and put the locker in. No 1 wheel spin. Nw they run 350, but they sell on ebay for about 200. ON your typical logging trails, i keep my truck in 2wd about 90%-100% of the time. I have a detriot rear locker and 32x11.5" bfg mud terrains about 60% worn. IF you want a 4wd vehicle, bang for buck jeep cherokee any year, not the bigger gran cherokee the regular boxy 4.0l straight six one. Also, the late 70's to early 80's v8 gran wagoneers are great offroaders too. If I did it again I'd get a 97-01 cherokee.

More affordable than a electric winch. considr this jack http://www.hi-lift.com/hi-lift-jacks/all-cast.html Purchase some steel cable and some nylon straps to connect it to a tree. Be careful though, the most dangerous part of offroading is vehicle recovery. The last one I bought was from tractor supply store for 68 bucks last year.

Winches give you more confidence in your offroading. Beside VT and NH, bugging out will likely be on foot. You old truck may hae some advantages. People would think your truck died if they saw it parked on the side of the road. A busted window and stolen tank of gas max. Bury your preps near your favorite location and stow a few gallon of gas ( i have my holes dug already with a small brush pile over it). In new england your going to be better off on foot. Alot of unpreped people would cling to the autos for theri flee scenarios. With hard to access terrain, your going to need a very tough modified machine to bug out on trails. Mine might be a bit under par.

Here's a pic on my winch setup. I welded in a trailer hitch reciever and stiffeners to my stock from bumper. The 6500lb ramsey winch is attached to a trailer hitch mount plate. I have quick disconnect connectors for the power and an extension cable to make it work in the rear. I also wired up a homemade control switch on the dash.

http://s432.photobucket.com/albums/qq43/sailinghudson25/zr2 pics/?action=view&current=IM0003841.jpg
 
#15 ·
we had a bunch of those when i was growing up, i totaled one of them offroading when i was 16, always have some s-series around. i have 2 99 xtreme s10s right now i use for parts trucks for my shop. their good vehicles, and the 2.8s last forever and its not hard to do a 4.3l swap "same mpg just more hp and alot more torque".

but if you want a 4x4 you could trade yours for one, 2wd blazers are rare, i heard something like 1 in every 30 or 40 were 2wd. ive only seen half a dozen and ive seen hundreds of them up close lol. their are guys that want them to lower, or do v8 swaps to "blazers hook better than s-10s when you put some power behind them since their a little heavier out back". put it up on craigslist, or s10forum.com or s10forums.com "i think were the sites" and you could probably made a trade even get some boot! ive seen a 2wd 85ish blazer sell for almost 1k with no engine or trans!
 
#16 ·
i'm defanitly gettin the hi lift jack. how aggresive of a tire would be desireable for all around driving n some camping driving. i like to spot light. dose it move like a cops? how about a skid plate? would that be too much? gettin closer to summer. phil.
 
#21 ·
heres some cheap and easy mods for ya. a 2" body lift is under $100 and easy to install. truck still looks good, 3" truck looks stupid you can see between the body and frame. they make lift spindles and springs for 2wd s-10's not too expensive and give it way more clearence for tires. enen if you dont lift it at all, id stick the biggest tires you can fit on it without rubbing, and get a true mud terrian. it will look awsome, and works awsome on and off road. they just wear a little faster. forget a fancy locker, too much $$$$$$. forget a easy install limited slip unit, they DONT WORK. get somebody who can weld, and weld up the spiders gears in the rear diff. 100% traction like a atv has, and dispite what people say, there isnt any real problems on road, except maybe a little chirping the tires when turning very sharp in parking lots.
 
#25 ·
while Firestarters ideas are cheap some will cost more in the long run..

putting bigger tires on is fine...but without changing the gears.....your fuel consumption has just increased drastically

welding the rear end is good on vehciles that arent driven daily and see mostly trail use..... but I have seen to many fail and damage to the splines on the ends of the shaft and the carrier are far to great.. while a selectable locker is expensive...it will save the rear end and tires in the end...
the chirping sound that is heard when a rear end is welded or full locker is installed....is the outside tire trying to spin fast enough to catch up to the inside tire in a turn thus equating to quick wear on the rear tires.

keep in mind its fine to do some things cheap now....but it will cost you large later.....do it right the first time and you save money...trust me I have seen it time and time again...
 
#22 ·
The cop light does move. A skid plate from a 4wd will not fit. It protects the transfer case, not the transmission. Kinda doubt the front skid plate will fit too. Synergy offroad sells air shocks and rear spring shackles to lift the rear. The front coil springs can be lifted with common lift aids like spreader bolts and coil spring pads.

on 2nd gen chevy's, the max tire sizee on regular models is 30 inch tires. Past that you need to trim the front fenders and rear fenders a bit. I had to trim a bit to make 32's fit on mine. 235/75/15 aren't too small. BFG all terrain tires are decent. Better in highway snow and rain than mud tires, much better. Use the stock steel rims for the proper offset. Aftermarket rims can make the tire stick out too much and make it more prone to rub in the front during turning.
 
#23 ·
while I know nothing about the chevy blazer, I do know a thing or two about offroading..

for the size of vehicle a chevy blazer is....plan on a winch with at least a rating of 8000 pounds, since much stress is put on this during use ...you will need a good mounting point/bumper.

As stated putting a locker in the rear axle will greatly improve the vehicles handling offroad, in winter this is a pain in the arse. You can avoid this by adding a selectable locker ( locks the rear end up when you push a button or pull a lever) selectable lockers that are good include ARB, OX Locker and Eaton electric.

In my opinion BFG mud terrain tires or GoodYear MTR's are superior to any other....reason being they wear better and last longer, yes swampers look mean and Boggers look deadly but do not last on vehicles driven daily.

and for the person you suggested the "boxy looking Cherokee" I agree with you, why because I have on and love it......and this is why :D:
 

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#24 ·
Do a Google search for S-10 idling rough. That's how we found it when ours started acting up. I'm not 100% sure about the 2.8L but this one of the #1 problems for the 4.3. Ours started out acting like it needed a tune up and was hard starting in the winter. It quickly got worse from there and began running REAL rich. Took about an hour to fix and no problems for 2 years.
 
#28 ·
And I never said he needed a name brand winch I said he needed one at least 8000 pounds in rating,

it would be a waste for him to buy a 2500 pound (atv winch) to pull his rig out of a stuck or out of a ditch..

I don't imagine this will be the ultimate offroad rig but look at the pre -runner trucks...they aren't 4 wheel drive but 2 wheel drive with a good locker...
 
#29 ·
i just think as with most everything now a days, people get conditioned/brainwashed to think that the only way to do anything is to throw money at it. i have had welded diffs in different cars and trucks. i have run high horsepower with trannies that are "too weak" i have put lifts and big tires and wheeled with IFS. i have consistantly done things with parts/vehicles that are "known" to be "too weak"

i guarentee you i can break a dana 60 if i try. i guarentee you i can make a 7.5" gm axle live.

its ok we all have opinions, and when it comes to guns, cars, and kit we all think we are an expert lol. i dont doubt your knowledge or expierience. i am almost always the advocate for the cheap way.
 
#31 ·
ok. this will be my daily driver 98% of the time. cause i do have a nova w a spool. so i am all to familiar with the turning. maybe i didn't say it right. this blazer is gonna be a driver/bov/camper. i wanna do the winch, bfg all terrain tires, n the hi lift jack. so i need this to be reliable as possible. i have no problem w spending money on the good stuff. what i do need is u guys telling me ur opinions n ur experiences so i can make a decision on what mods to make, in what order, how much money it's gonna cost. yes these r some messed up times so i wanna be able to get my family out of any situation that may arise. so once agin i thank u all for sharing w me ur thoughts. i am always open to hear more. be safe...
 
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