1badgmc Part 2

It seems like everyone is jumping on the sport-utility bandwagon these days, and it looks like I'm no exception. I got this 1984 GMC 4x4 Jimmy back in the fall of 1994 when I was a 17 yr old junior in high school. It has a 305 with a Quadrajunk carb on it that runs like a salted slug. I drove it for about a month before the rear end went south on me. I got that fixed and about a month later the transmission went out. After having it rebuilt and it still not working, I just parked it in my backyard and drove my car through the rest of school. The poor thing had sat, neglected in my backyard for nearly 6 years, that is, until recently. I need something to drive daily, and I love the old '73-'87 trucks, so it was a natural choice for me.

Since I grew out of the short 4x4 phase in high school, the 4wd part wasn't going to work. So, it's being converted to 2wd. I found an '84 Blazer 2wd frame and picked it up for $500. A nice bonus is that since they had already gotten the front suspension pieces off of it, they threw in a '91 Suburban front cross member and suspension. I've got a '96 Corvette LT-1 that I'm building up for it right now that will be mated to a built 700R4 tranny. I've already purchased a 5.5/6 drop for it using Western Chassis spindles and flip and Eibach coils to make sure I have a good stance in the end.

As far as customization, I plan to keep this one simple (yeah right!). Seriously, I will. I plan to fill in the center of the tailgate and shave the window handle, fill in the trim and emblem holes, and possibly shave the lock holes in the doors. I'm going to update the front end to the '91 GMC Suburban grille and I am thinking of installing composite headlights instead of those 4 little headlights. After a little research and checking around, I found that the lights from a '90 Chevy Celebrity are what I need to get the composites in that grille.

I will keep the interior pretty much stock for now, but it does need some TLC and cleaning up. I would like to find some newer seats with armrests and something that will recline, but that's about it for now.

On this page I will be posting pictures and updates on the progress of the rebuilding of this truck. I will also post links to friend's '73-'87 pages as well as other '73-'87 links. Keep your eyes open for updates.

We've got all the front end sheetmetal torn off and for some reason my dad insists on protecting that worthless pile of metal we call a motor.

We removed the taillights and got rid of any and all small birds and flying insects that turned them into condos. We got the rear bumper pulled and dropped the gas tank. One cool thing, I guess it's a 4x4 deal, that gas tank had a massive skid plate protecting it. It's probably a good 3/8" thick. That'll be nice to have when it's slammed.

Look at the inside of this door. This is a look at what I've encountered under all the interior panels. I already cleaned it off of the dash. It's a fine, light dust that covers everything hidden by the interior pieces. I don't know what the previous owners did with this truck, but by the time we're done with it it will be a new machine.

This is where all the front end sheetmetal is now. All over the place. I didn't notice till the pics were developed that my dad decided to store the hitch receiver on the hood. Naughty, naughty!

Here is the new platform for the Blazer. I got lucky and found a matching year 2wd frame for it. What made the deal even sweeter is that '91 Suburban front crossmember/suspension.

Another badgmc