@alpineshep
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From this point, the interior stripping continued and electrical also began. I removed all traces of the old OBD1 feedback carburator system from the truck. No more!
The front chassis harness was stripped from the truck, and all the bulb sockets and connectors cleaned up.
Back to the interior. Mocked up that Grant Corvette wheel I had been hanging on to. Motivation is key.
In order for the engine to run on the Camaro’s PCM (required for Ca smog laws) I had to retain the Vehicle Anti Theft system, including the chipped RFID ignition key. In order to retain that, I had to modify the Blazer’s steering column to fit the RFID reader. So I used the Camaro’s column and repainted it brown to match.
A fresh indicator stalk was put in to match the level of restoration I was after.
And next, the ignition switch was removed and disassembled. I had began to map out each key position on the switch and identifying which systems became active at each position. Since I’ve been away from the project for so long, this is where I will pick back up on a future post. But I will continue to update in other areas of the build which I have accomplished.
In this photo we can see I had began installing grounding straps and figuring out PCM and engine harness routing.
With the wiring harness lengths coming together, the PCM seems to be naturally wanting to sit on top of the passenger fender well. On one hand there is concern as to weather it will be safe there from water intrusion. On the other hand, thats where it was on the Camaro and it seems to be perfectly happy. It appears to be water tight, and uses 100% weatherpack connectors. I may revisit this.
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At this point as I recall, I had become completely overwhelmed with electrical. It has never been my strong suit, and it shows. So I decided to switch gears onto body reassembly. First, all the panels were removed from storage and I set out cleaning and painting the insides of them.
Once all the pieces were organized and layed out, I sat down with my favorite catalog and COMBED it for parts.
A week later, it was like Christmas in the middle of summer.
I sprung for new reservoirs for all fluids. Had to.
Another fender was acquired from the junk yard, as the original had seen some deforming sue to an accident. That’ll explain the mismatched paint.
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This is the type of stuff I wrench for. I love putting things back together in -just- the right way.
Checking body alignment as I go. I was pleased to find that minimal shims were needed.
The hood got a new insulation pad.
As many of you may had noticed, I switched from the original 1985 grille to a 1991 grille. Well, i wanted to bring the truck back to it’s roots. So as part of the massive LMC truck order, I got a reproduction grille, headlight bezels, and filler panel to achieve this.
I disassembled the recirculation valve under the windshield cowl to inspect function, and found it had broke.
In typical GM cheapness fashion, the door hinge is a thin strip of plastic, which unsurprisingly fatigues over time.
Nothing a few brass hinges won’t fix.
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Once the body was back together, I could dress up the engine and mount all the ancillary items such as cooling system components, cruise control, and intake.
Always down for a Summit racing order.
I came up with a design for a fan shroud as opposed to mounting the fans directly to the radiator. As I type this up a year later, I think I’m going to scrap this idea, but I’ll share my process nonetheless.
The Camaro’s original intake elbow was coming up too large to fit behind the radiator and shroud….
IMG_1947.jpgSo a short radius 90 and circle-to-oval adaptor was employed for the task. The intake tubing was kindly gifted to my by Jollyjackal.
Bungs for the MAF sensor and crankcase vent tube were epoxied in the new intake tubing.
I don’t have many photos of the radiator hoses. However, no off-the-shelf parts could be used in my application. I mated the 2.8L radiator-side hoses to the 3.4L engine-side hoses with a coupling, and it all went together nicely.
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At this point in my life, I moved from the Bay Area, California to Sacramento. Production on the project really took a hit after this move, as I began to acquire other projects and just get distracted in general.
The truck was relocated, and I waved goodbye to the tiny single-car garage. So much had been accomplished in this tiny space, but it was time to move up.
On the way to our new home, I dumped the original 2.8L at a scrap yard. It was a bittersweet moment, as this pokey little engine carried the truck into my life and on so many adventures.
Once in its new home, I continued leisurely poking at the project…taking apart the interior down to bare metal so that I may eventually begin running electrical and restoring certain pieces as need be.
I jumped ahead of myself and got the wheels restored. I discovered a paint/body shop across the street from my new office, so I had them paint up the Camaro RS wheels in Toyota Sunset Mica Metallic (code 4U3). I think I’m going to paint the whole truck in this color when the time comes!
That pretty much brings me to where I’m at now on the build. I’m coming back around and re-doing some of my previous work, and then I will take another stab at electrical. I’m also building a B-series EF Honda, which is very intense in electrical work, and I hope that what I learn from that build will carry over into this truck. Stay tuned for more.
With help from Redline, a tab was welded to the axle tube for the rear lines, and fluid was bled through the system. Parking brake is also hooked up to the new rear calipers and seems to work. It may require final adjustment at a later point.
Picked up the miscellaneous hardware necessary to plumb the front hoses as well. However, the tubular upper control arms for the lift kit do not have a mounting point for the hose bracket, like the original control arms do. I’m not comfortable drilling these mount holes into the control arm tube, so I went with hose clamps to secure it.
Also, hooked up the throttle cable to the 3.4 V6. Thank god for GM interchangability; the Blazer gas pedal is the same as the Camaro’s, allowing the throttle cable from the Camaro to connect directly to the Blazer pedal… WOT on the pedal matches WOT at the throttle body; final adjustment achieved.
I covered transmission and transfer case controls on a previous weekend, and this weekend brakes and throttle are complete. So with that, all driver controls are complete! Huge milestone.
I’ve temporarily mounted the Blazer’s 1 1/2″ down-pipe on the Camaro headers, since the Blazer’s can route around the 4×4 components. You’ll see I’m using solid fasteners on the doughnut connections as opposed to the spring fasteners which would allow the header to flex on the downpipe. Typically, this is a NO-NO, as it doesn’t allow flexibility between the engine and exhaust system, however I plan to use proper flex joint farther down stream. And that sketchy u-bolted exhaust patch is TEMPORARY so I can run the truck with relatively functioning exhaust. I’m not really down to gas myself out or start a fire, and I’ll take a temporary ugly exhaust over that any day.
So yes, exhaust is very rudimentary for the time being, but there needs to be something there for upcoming testing and tuning. After that, I’ll have a professional fabricate a permanent exhaust prior to sending the vehicle off for state inspection and emissions testing. 😀
I’ve also started pressure washing body parts! Never thought I’d see these out of storage again. Will be painting black to match the frame rails, fenders will only be painted on the inside for the time being. A proper exterior paint job is anticipated in the far future…
The tedious electrical integration process begins with removing the dash and stripping the interior.
And to think that this is how my interior used to look. So fresh (and now I’m sad its not this nice anymore)
Removing dashboards is a torture method which may actually be banned by the Geneva Convention. Either way, my “storage unit” is getting full.
After this point, life kind of happened. (Circa late 2016, 2017?) I got put on some wild 84hr/week projects at work. Then I bought a Mercedes project car (will create another build thread) that turned into some weird space-time amoeba that ate up my whole life.
Among the poking around, I did the fuel system.
Modified the original pickup with a fuel cell mat. Since I’m no longer using a carb, there is no float bowl to feed the engine if the fuel tank is at a wild angle while going offroad. This will ensure constant fuel flow.
Copying the Camaro fuel system to a T. This will be critical when getting the vehicle to pass the referee station for California registration…
Walbro mounted safely inside the frame rails
Re-using all the Blazer hard lines, since they will take EFI pressure, but replacing all the soft lines with EFI fuel line.
I also ****ed up and stripped the threads of the U-bolt hole in the rear end U-joint. Got a new one that turned out to be the wrong part. Ended up sending the old one to a machine shop to repair it. I think this tiny little migraine is what made me kind of hate this project, and probably what caused me to walk away from it for so many months. Nevertheless, it allowed me to replace the input shaft seal because why not…
There’s not too much to say about this next part, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves where applicable.
The important notes:
The oil filter is mounted sideways and directly above the front diff carrier, factory. This creates oil changing experiences that are way more frustrating than they need to be, and a needlessly perma-greased front axle carrier. I have yet to figure out where I’ll be mounting the remote filter, but I’ll have to see how everything goes together. I realized the Camaro oil pickup would not work in the Blazer’s deeper oil sump (because 4×4). Fortunately, the 2.8L oil pump and pickup bolt right into the 3.4L. You can see that I chose to go with MSD’s coil packs right off the bat. I have previously used their product in cars I’ve owned in the past. Results were registered on the seat dyno. Worth it.As with the removal, installation of the powertrain must be done in one piece.
Being sure to have the wiring harness on before I will never have access to these bolts again!
Wrapping the parts of the harness where heat will be present with heat reflective tape. This stuff is expensive, but the original Camaro’s motor had it, so I obliged.
Next, the shift linkage for the 4L60E. Again, because it’s the same body as the original 700R4, the linkage is the same. However, the Camaro’s 3.4L exhaust shield is slightly different from the 2.8L, requiring some persuasion from Mr Dremel. Here’s the shift linkage in the “P” position
And in the “1” position.
Next steps include:
-Integrating Camaro ECU harness into Blazer chassis harness.
-Fuel system and emissions systems.
-Wrapping up the odds and ends on the braking system.
-Cooling system and putting the body back together.
-Odds and ends everywhere.Teardown of the Camaro’s 3.4L V6 began.
The parts pile accumulates…
Short block achieved!
Leadpaw came over to poke around and help out.
Keeping my parts organized.
I found that everything internally is essentially brand new. At just over 100,000mi, I didn’t drive the Camaro for long, but whoever owned it before me took very good care of it. With the exception of maybe not using the correct coolant ratio, as the water jackets seemed to have excessive rust.
Off to the machine shop! Crank bearings would be polished, but kept at factory sizing. Cylinders were bored to 0.030″ over. The heads were decked, and valves re seated. I had considered a port and polish and/or cam, but figured I could do that in the future if I wanted more power.
Supplementary build info: oil pan gremlins.
The difference between the 4×4 and 2×4 oil pans presents a challenge for packaging. The 2×4 oil pan on the 3.4L will hit the front differential. The seemingly obvious solution is to swap the pans, since the 2.8 and the 3.4 are the same engine architecture, right? Yes and no…
The below comparison shows the difference between 2.8 oil pan (left) and 3.4 oil pan (right) at the front seal. The difference is due to the design change from vee-belt to serpentine belt accessory drive.
This is explained more in depth here —-> http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f106/3-4-crate-engine-parts-list-and-info-428709/#post6768540.
Here’s where things get weird for me. I don’t know how, but I was able to snag a 4×4 oil pan with the serpentine belt style front cover seal from this Blazer…..with a V-belt. A serpentine belt style front cover seal design shouldn’t technically exist on a 4×4 vee-belt truck, except on the H/T 3.4 V6 offered from GM Performance parts, which is illegal for street use in Ca. For all intents and purposes, this is a unicorn.
I’m not going to wonder too much about how I got what I needed, and not having to do a custom oil pan. But it just seemed like one hell of a lucky find for me.
While the motor is at the machine shop, I had some downtime. Did some washing and started rebuilding the 3.4L intake manifold. All 6 fuel injectors were sent to Doctor Injector for flow testing and rebuilding. Since new injectors run upwards of $60 a piece, this was dollars saved. And it turns out, they could very much use some TLC.
And then my jewels arrived….
Rear Axle – Part 2 – Disc Brakes.
While the drum brakes were certainly competent, they are also plagued with what I consider to be design flaws. Heat dissipation, appearence, and complexity of servicing are a few deal breakers for me. The Right Stuff’s rear disc brake conversion kit is complete with 1979 El Dorado calipers and 1979 Firebird rotors. Their bracket is completely bolt on except for the brake line tabs which need to be welded. To this day I still havent gotten around to welding those on, so just pretend its done!
After the differential was reassembled, I got started on the fun stuff. I mentioned in my first post that this build was a long time coming, and I was looking forward to these moments for years. It’s amazingly satisfying when you get to achieve your goals and implement your plans into action.
“Completely bolt on” is never completely true. This big bolt on the top of the bracket in this picture had to be ground down so the disc rotor wouldn’t contact it. This bolt is under shear, not under tension loading, so should be okay with the grinding.
One massive complaint I had is the hardware included isn’t enough for The Right Stuff’s torque specs. They wanted me to put 25 ft-lbs everything, and the smaller bolts broke during installation. Replaced everything with grade 8.
Part of me wanted to clear coat everything. I love shiny things! But this isn’t a low rider. I finished up with a coat of black paint.
Yes, I painted my rotors. It was a dumb.
Back in the truck. Also got some Superlift shocks. These shocks were supposed to be included in the lift kit, but for some reason the lift kit was parted out into three different part numbers. Superlift must have been running out of these kits and they’re clearing out their backstock…..
At this point, I’m still posting retroactively, so I’ll continue with posting the engine build, and more!
Plans for the rear axle will include disc brakes and a GM OEM G80 locker. Original equipment in my particular Blazer included drum brakes and a completely open rear diff. The reasons for swapping the open diff to a limited slip should be pretty obvious to anyone who goes offroad. But the G80 in particular was my choice of locker since it’s original optional equipment on these rigs. While this is to be a functional build, I also want to stay true to it’s roots. And, hey, if I find the G80 turns into a weak point, I can still change it to something better.
With the rear axle removed, I drug it to the local self serve pressure washer to clean it up.
Front frame clip worked great as a workbench for this phase!
The G80 limited slip locker came from a local junkyard, out of a 1992 Blazer. The splines in this carrier are 32, whereas my open diff is 28, so I gnabbed the axle shafts as well. In addition, my Blazer is a 4.11 ring gear, from the factory. I will have to move my 4.11 ring gear over to this carrier.
Once I had a clean canvas to work on, I began putting everything back together. Setting the rear diff was a fun learning experience. I had never done it before, and I want to learn as much as I can from this build.
Everything came out in spec. As it should, using the original shims and ring gear…just on a “new” G80 carrier….
Due to the poly bushings tendancy to creak, I chose to add zerk fittings to all the joints. Future serviceability will be key to extending the longevity of the vehicle. Hopefully I will be able to mitigate creaking when (if) it arises in the future. I only needed one 1/4-28 tap, but got a whole cheap-o Harbor Freight tap and die set because why not.
The “new” (rebuilt) steering box felt to me like it came with a lot of play in it. Using an allen key and a 16mm wrench on this fitting will get the adjustment closer. Writing this up again now 4 years later, i want to check it again and make sure I didnt get it too tight.
Lastly on the front, Leadpaw helped me weld the lift kit shock relocation brackets to the frame, and I welded my initials in the front frame rail.
For the rear suspension, I got some zerked bolts and installed the rear lift shackles. Bolts are from from Mountain Offroad Enterprise for an XJ Cherokee, which have nearly the same leaf springs as an S10.
The zerked bolts come with the bolts, nuts, and bushing sleeves for the grease to travel to the rubber bushing. You must reuse the S10 washers.
Installation onto the leafs was quite simple. But getting them into the frame bushings is a thing I would prefer to not talk about again *shudders….*
As I briefly mentioned above, the original IFS system was pretty beat. All the bushings were dry, creaking and sloppy. Steering had about 2″ of play before any real feel (if you can call it that) occurred. At one point, the front wheel on the driver’s side had ejected itself while traveling 35 mph, causing the ball joint to be ground down to a flat nub. Lesson learned at the time: always torque wheel nuts after doing brake jobs!
I want to stay away from extreme changes such as SAS. Similar to why I don’t want a v8 swap, I don’t believe it’s in the character of the truck. Additionally, when the IFS works, its actually pretty nice. Ride, comfort, and handling are traits I’d like to retain.
The plan will be to replace all wearable items and add a 2″ lift so that I can run 30″ tires. The 2″ lift will come from Superlift and includes re-clocked torsion bar keys, upper control arms, extended bumpstops, and all the necessary hardware to accomplish the task. For the rear, Superlift provides a lifting shackle for each leaf spring. Very simple.
For steering, all wearable items will be replaced along with the steering box. A steering stabilizer will be added for better feel.
Everything that wasn’t replaced got washed and a coat of paint.
I decided to go with polyurethane red bushings in the front. I had previously installed poly bushings in the rear suspension leafs, and the improvement was staggering.
Lastly, I installed the electronic vehicle speed sensor and 40 tooth reluctor ring into the 4L60E output case. This is required for the 3.4L PCM to get a speed input (to control the transmission gear shift). This sensor is separate from the original Blazer cable driven sensor to the speedometer, so I didn’t have to be mess with that!
For the transfer case and front axle, I already knew there was little to no issues with them operating in the Blazer. I disassembled the transfer case and front axle, but only to inspect and re-seal.
Unsolicited powerwashing
Mock up assembly. Transfer case shifts good.
Back to the Blazer.
As I touched on above, California emissions regulations stipulate that I must use the same transmission that came from the donor car in a motor swap. Fortunately, using the 4L60E from the Camaro with the Blazer’s transfer case isn’t going to be a problem. The 4L60E is physically the same as the 700R4, just computer controlled. However, I will have to do the following to the 4L60E:
1. Remove 4L60E tailshaft housing to make way for transfer case.
2. Extract the 4×4 output shaft from the 700R4 and install it into the 4L60E.
3. Install a 40 tooth reluctor ring and vehicle speed sensor in the 4L60E output case. This will send a speed signal to the PCM to control shifting.Time for my first transmission rebuild. I started out by tearing apart the old 700R4 to recover the 4×4 output shaft. I took little regard to keeping it nice, as all I needed from it was the 4×4 output shaft. It was a good first step, as I could familiarize myself with the internals of an automatic transmission before I rebuild the ACTUAL one I’d be using.
The 4×4 output shaft was recovered, and I found that the planetary gears had to be taken from the 700R4 so that the 4×4 output shaft would work. You may be able to tell in this photo that the length of the 4×4 splined output shaft made the c-clip fall into a different place on the planetary gear spline. This was confirmed to be the correct solution by ensuring the output shaft end-play was in spec after reassembly.
Changed to a clean tarp frequently, and began carefully disassembling the 4L60E. When rebuilding transmissions, it is IMPERATIVE that you work on a clean and sanitary surface. Any abnormalities that make their way into the transmission valving will spell disaster.
All cleaned and buttoned up. At this point, I installed the Blazer’s torque converter. This torque converter’s stall speed is more tuned for the gearing and tire size of a truck rather than a car, unlike the Camaro’s torque converter. I had no issues with it in the Blazer, so that’s dollars saved.
The Organ Donor
The 3.4l V6, and 4L60E transmission from a 1994 Chevrolet Camaro is the engine swap of choice for my Blazer. A lot of hot-rodders or 4wheelers might have gone for a small block Chevy swap, as that is a very common swap in the S10’s. I did not find that to be within the character of my truck, and doing a swap like that would risk fuel economy and reliability of driveline components, falling victim to the larger powerplant. Additionally, the 3.4L V6 is the same platform as the Blazer’s 2.8L V6: a GM 60 degree V6. Imagine this engine being the same as original, except more displacement and with a more reliable and efficient fuel injection system. This makes everything bolt-on, with little custom work to be done.
Lastly, California smog laws stipulating that any motor swap must utilize the donor car’s engine and transmission as a unit. This would not prove to be an issue with my 4WD system, because the Camaro’s 4L60E is also the same platform as the Blazer’s original 700R4 – just computer controlled. The transfer case simply bolts on the back once the tailshaft housing is removed and the 4×4 output shaft is swapped. The Blazer’s torque converter would be used in the new 4L60E.
Dropped the engine out the bottom with the K-member…..
Along with the engine and transmission, the entire electrical system was saved. I plan to run a standalone EFI harness for the motor/trans in the Blazer, separate from the chassis harness. 4 years later as I write this post, I’m still having fears about putting this system together.
The fuel tank and entire fuel/evap system was saved too. I will be using many of these parts to adhere to California smog laws.
December 2015, yanked it out of storage. What it looked like.
Motor ran and drove as good as when I parked it. However, the 5 hour journey from where it sat to the bay area would be too risky. I tried to get passed smog, just to see what would happen. Not gonna fly!
Finally home. Started tearing into the project less than a week of having it back.
From the get-go, I never wanted this to be an engine-swap, hot-rod project (if I did, I’d be doing an LS V8, which you’ll see I’m NOT doing). However, the 2.8L with the feedback carb is so awful, I have no choice. Engine, transmission, and transfer case were removed as a single unit, as the compact design of the S10 platform would require splitting the body from the frame to remove the engine separately from the transmission. Additionally, I started this restoration in a single car garage. Smart space use is key.
All suspension and steering components were stripped to make a bare frame. Mechanically everything was beat to hell and back.
The frame was cleaned with heavy degreaser followed by dish soap and finished with a non-residual parts cleaner. Then primer’d and painted black.
