6.5L Turbo Diesel Blazer Project

[More Power]

Well, it begins.

I've had this Blazer for some 11 years now, and it seems like there were always higher priority projects that prevented me from working on it. Then there were the obstacles, the hurdles - the complications that got in the way of moving forward. Things like a damaged crankshaft that required replacement (finally bought a used crankshaft from a local engine shop for $300 in 2017)... The original cylinder heads were not rebuild-able, and replacements were hard to come by... unless I wanted Chinese heads or way too expensive GEP replacements. I finally bought a set of rebuild-able small port cup GM 6.5 heads a few years ago from a TDP member in MN for $350 (they are right now at an engine shop being rebuilt).

When I got it the Blazer about a dozen years ago it was rolling on oddball 20" tires/wheels that just wouldn't work for us, so they were removed/replaced with the OE tires/wheels from Lil Red. I wish the Blazer had come with its original set of factory wheels... Then, there were the hard water deposits all over the exterior of the Blazer. Before I acquired it, the Blazer apparently sat unused for quite some time right next to a sprinkler system that pulled water through what must have been a limestone deposit of epic proportions...



After several days of working on the hard water deposits, the above is the result... There really was a Blazer under all that crap. We tried every product and chemical known to Youtube, and discovered that Youtube has not yet found a way to remove 10 year old hard water deposits/stains from auto glass or any other part of a vehicle. I was at a point of considering glass replacement. Unless you have already experienced it, removing fossilized water spots (more akin to the buildup around Old Faithful - a little hyperbole) from auto glass is near impossible. Getting the paint and chrome clean is far easier by comparison, but it's still an ordeal.

We tried ZEP, CLR, Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner (that works wonders on tub/shower hard water deposits), vinegar, and carefully tried other products that contain phosphoric acid (NAPA's Aluminum Brightener & A Must for Rust). None of them would touch the hard water stains/deposits on the glass - none. The Lysol TB cleaner worked best (though not quick) on the paint, but we couldn't use it on the chrome (it'll turn dark). We tried steel wool on the glass, and we tried auto rubbing compound with a power buffer. Wouldn't touch the stuff on glass, and would only polish the water spots on paint/chrome.

What worked, and did a great job was not found on Youtube... It was a desperate attempt to find something, some combination that would save us from the pit... The saving grace came in the form of a combination - Steel wool and 3M Auto Advanced Rubbing Compound, used together by hand, cut the hard water staining/deposits on the glass and chrome where nothing else would. It actually became... well, maybe not easy, but not all that hard either. The glass is now almost perfect. Looks almost new, in fact.



Jim