6.5L Turbo Diesel Blazer Project

[DmaxMaverick]

...Many pickup/SUV owners here in Montana drive all the time with a gnarly ball hitch plugged into their receiver hitch. I suspect it's to warn tailgaters (or potato chip eaters). ... Sarah had a nice soft 245/75R16 to cushion the blow... (sarcasm...)...

That's no accident. I leave my large hitch/ball platform plugged in for just that reason. Nearly every pickup around here does, too. I've been rear ended twice in the 2001. Totaled both offenders, one being a Chevy 1500, the other a Ram 3500. Cars seem to keep their distance. My tailgate has what looks like a golf ball dent in it (probably from forward-flying debris), and that's the extent of the damage it's taken. The offender's insurance company paid for the hitch and ball, each time, as well as the dimple repair (which I didn't repair). The only drawback with having it there all the time is, it's a knee/shin getter, if you're not paying attention. My Draw-Tite Class V hitch platform (the 8 bolt forged model, not the OEM paperweight) never seemed phased by the abuse.

It's always pleasing to hear that there's no serious injuries after all the metal carnage. I've worked enough crashes for a lifetime of nightmares. Any not-bad-news is good news. My older son walked away from his death in July 2023. He was a passenger in a 120 MPH Z06 convertible crash. Long story, but I'll take the short version he survived, with minor injuries and a dozen sutures. The driver wasn't so fortunate. Life is short, cherish what you have. A few bruises after a crash are battle trophies. Consider the alternatives.

[arveetek]

Now that's the first time Ive seen a high lift jack used like that.

They work as a winch as well as a lift. I didn't have a winch at the time, but it worked like a champ!

Casey

[a5150nut]

There's a couple work trucks here in East Tennessee with a pipe wrench welded to the bumper. Keeps people behind them at a safe distance

[Yukon6.2]

Here's my Honda Pilot from a few years ago that got totaled:




The hood, fender, grille, and passenger door were all damaged.

Here's my redneck "frame" puller (the Honda was unit body construction) pulling some wrinkles out of the front inner fender structure:





Here's the end result; all body panels I found in matching paint from several different salvage yards; I ended up with one dent in the plastic bumper cover I couldn't get out; everything else popped out with the help from a heat gun:





I was pretty pleased with the results of this backyard body shop work!

I'm glad things are progressing well on the Blazer, Jim!

Casey

Good job
saved from the scrap heap

[Yukon6.2]

They work as a winch as well as a lift. I didn't have a winch at the time, but it worked like a champ!

Casey

Yes a high lift has saved many miles of walking by using it as a winch. I have salvaged a building with one, a 4x8 sheet of 1/2 plate steel from the dump once and a number of other odds and ends i could not lift.
A Highlift/ Jackall is mandatory equipment in a truck up here.

[More Power]

Go here: https://www.thedieselpageforums.com/...113#post338113

To see the updated step bracket post, where I included a drawing and other stuff...

[DickWells]

Neat as a pin! Nice work.

[More Power]

Neat as a pin! Nice work.

Thanks Dick! Seems a bit odd to post about the steps now that the Blazer is coming apart in the garage. The frame straightening guy asked me to remove the rear bumper before he gets it. I think he was afraid the typical rusted hardware might test his patience... He's sorta right...

I worked on the rear bumper a couple of days ago, and managed to get the mangled spare tire carrier off, but it took me a couple of hours more to get 4 of the 8 bumper bolts out... Tough spot to get to, and those first four wouldn't budge without the help of vocabulary enrichment. Another complication was that there was a ball of extra trailer hookup wiring in the affected area - blocking the sight planes I needed to see the bolts. Seems one of the previous owners had 3 different trailers with 3 different wiring connectors (splice on splice on splice)... That's all going to be corrected when it goes back together.

If there's any bright side, it's that the rear bumper appears to be OK... Once the spare tire carrier was removed, the wonky trim straightened up. But, we'll see for sure after I get the bumper totally off. Jim

[Robyn]

Good to hear that things are going reasonably well.
VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT .....That usually helps....Even if it is only to vent stress....

[More Power]

Here's a copy of the info sheet that was included with the steps.

Jim

[More Power]

This is just an update about the steps used on our Blazer. These images hopefully will clarify some of the process of installing the steps using the custom bracket adapters discussed here and in an earlier post:
https://www.thedieselpageforums.com/...113#post338113



This is looking straight down over the driver's side step. The bracket adapters produce a step installation that results in a level (the centered bubble shown above) stepping surface. The horizontal oriented bubble level simply indicates that the Blazer has a slight nose-down attitude. The remainder of the step frame is parallel to the lower body of the GMT-400 OBS truck/SUV. Remember, these steps were originally designed for the 2007-2019 Jeep Wrangler 2-door models. The step company stopped making kits designed for the 1988-98 OBS Chevy/GMC trucks, so the bracket adapters shown here allow an OBS owner to use the Jeep kit.



The bracket adapters shown on the left side in this photo attach to the factory brackets shown here on the right. The adapters themselves don't carry the weight on the steps, instead they provide stability to maintain a level step - i.e. keep them from twisting when stepped on. The full weight is carried by the 1" angle steel (shown above and below) that bolts to the lower pinch weld seam on the vehicle rocker panels below the doors of the truck/SUV. This arrangement is more than adequate even when a big guy is on the step.



These are the 1" angle steel that sits on top of the pinch weld, and will be bolted to the pinch weld using two button-head 6mm bolts. I used 1/4-20 bolts/nuts and washers to bolt the 1" angle steel to the factory brackets. No washers are used on this side of the 1" angle...



The above is just another shot of the brackets parts - from underneath, showing how they attach to each other.



You're looking at the back side of the left front mud flap in the lower left quadrant of this photo. If you have a 2500/3500 truck or diesel SUV, your vehicle likely has plastic factory front wheel flairs. To get these steps installed you'll need to cut a relief in the bottom of each flair for the forward pointed end of the steps to fit... like that shown here. I used a Dremel tool with a carbide bit, but there are likely many other ways to make a neat cut without removing the wheel flairs. The cut can't be seen from above.



Once you've loosely assembled the steps, you can hang the steps onto the lower pinch weld. This will allow you to mark where the 1" angle steel pieces will fit. Once you've marked where the 1" angled steel will sit, remove them from the brackets and clamp them to pinch weld. Use a center punch, then drill two 1/4" holes through the pinch weld seam and the 1" angle steel. Try to center the hole in the 1" dimension of the angle steel, without getting too close to the edge of the pinch weld. Btw - I used very lightly clamped Vice-Grips here just for photo purposes. In actual practice, I recommend using duct tape for cushioning, along with C-clamps.



However, the underneath area of the pinch weld includes some water drain channels that could interfere or prevent the 1" angle steel from sitting flat.



Mark where that interference is, and use an angle grinder to cut a relief area like that shown here. The angle steel will still provide plenty of strength. Try to get the holes drilled for the 6mm button-head bolts (in the top surface of the angle steel shown here) somewhere between the two bracket bolts shown here. Exact hole spacing isn't that important. Convenience is a factor. That's why I didn't pre-drill the 1/4" holes for the button-head bolts. It's hard to know exactly where the button-head bolts will need to go till you begin assembly. Besides, drilling the 1/4" holes for the button-head bolts while clamped onto the pinch weld seam means it'll fit together exactly.



Once the holes have been drilled and any clearance cutouts are made, apply paint or caulk to prevent rusting, and loosely bolt the 1" angle steel onto the pinch weld seam using the 6mm button-head bolts/washers/lock washers. Don't use a flat washer against the lower surface of the pinch-weld. The flat washer isn't necessary, and the step frame itself will fit that much closer to the body of the vehicle.



DF = Driver Front, DR = Driver Rear

The factory front and rear brackets are slightly different from one another. There is enough adjustment to allow the custom bracket adapter to work just fine for either the front or rear factory bracket (all 4 of the adapters are the same). Remember, leave all of the hardware loose till everything has been loosely bolted together. Hold or clamp the steps into position as you then tighten all of the hardware. I installed the Blazer steps by myself, but another set of hands could be a help here.

The pics for this update were shot using a new set of bracket adapters I fabricated recently for a reader. If there was a need for many more, I'd hand over the design to my friend the fabricator so he could make them. Let me know...

As of 9/15/2025 - current source for these Magnum steps: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/rpt-rts46jp

[DickWells]

Nice job! As usual, it reminded me of a story.

I was invited to Rotary (as a gunmith) by Morrisville's (VT"s) own Dr Phil C, a WW2 Navy vet and a prof at Johnson St Teacher's College. He was a neighbor. It was about 2001, when Rotary had a group of Russian lumber businessmen, with translator, come to town for 4-6 days. Since I could break away from the shop, any time, and I had the Suburban, I volunteered to be one of the escorts. There were five or six "excersions" involved, one of which took us south, about 4 hours each way, to that mill which produced all of the laminated gun-stocks. Another, was right there at Lamoille Vally Fish and Game, for a fun shoot.

So, running boards. The Burb has those simple diamond plate aluminum ones, that neither look pretty, nor strong. The ranges at LVF&G are all located down a steep drive, surrounded by hills and about .3 mi from the clubhouse. Came time for the cookout, and dinner was announced. So, I started opening doors, but one of those burley Russians (the one with the fresh scope-ring on his right eyebrow, from my .308 Norma Magnum), with a huge grin, shut the door and jumped onto the running board! Nothing doing, with those seats,! There were 6-7 grinning Russions on those flimsy looking steps. My anticipation was, that DW would be under the Burb, with wrenches and cutting tools for a few hours. But, to my pleasant surprise, I've never had to do a thing to those steps.

The next morning, being the last day, before delivering the Russians to the bus, I asked the interpreter if it was okay to give a spent .308 Norma case to the guy who now had a patch on his blow. She said, "No problem." So, I walked over to him and he grinned ear to ear, when he saw me. I reached out with the case and the grin widened and he said, "Suvenier?" By that time I knew his name and he knew mine. We'd all had an absolute ball. A real highlight, for me, of my time with Morrisville Rotary.

The steps are still there, performing above and beyond.

[More Power]

Thanks Dick,
Ruskies, huh... It's amazing how well steps in general are able to carry the weight. I've see some pretty sketch installations that seemed to work fine.

As an update since the crash... We have a good replacement back hatch/glass and tailgate. Just need to get them installed. The tailgate will need to be painted black, but it is straight and not rusty/damaged.

For the front bumper, we just haven't dug into getting a replacement yet. Not sure about whether to get a painted version (with holes if that's possible) or get a chrome one with trim strips...

Finding someone with a frame table took some time, but getting some sort of commitment to do the job has been challenging. I've thought about trying to get the frame back into shape using my engine hoist and floor jack. Or, I may talk to a local friend who has a couple of vehicle lifts (if we could find a way to chain the frame to the floor.)

[DickWells]

As bumpers go, I've (personally) come to prefer painted, vs, chrome. Many years ago, I made the, almost inevitable, golfball-sized dent in the rear bumper of the Suburban. Months later, even without a spec of rust showing, anywhere , I decided that keeping the old gal looking pristine, meant changing the bumper. I knew "Bumper Boyz"
(California), from their booth at the Stowe, VT, yearly antique car show. Knowing that they'd be in Stowe, in a few weeks (always August), I called and ordered a replacement. Came car show time, and we made the swap. I paid good money ( forgotten how much) and went home with a piece of junk, chrome-quality, wise! IIRC, the warranty was six months. Though the Burb was never driven in the VT salt, by 7 months, the chrome was all gone around the license plate area, it's place being taken by rust. It's the same way, today. I've always intended to mask that area off, clean it up and paint it black, or, sand the whole thing, both front and rear and paint them body-color (white). My 89 S10 Blazer had white body-color bumpers and they were the only part of the car that didn't have rust when I sold it.

[More Power]

Progress! The bent tailgate was jammed in the closed position in such a way that the interior trim panel couldn't be removed - because the lower panel screws were inaccessible. So, I had to cut into the outer door skin to get to the latch mechanism. It felt so wrong to be cutting into the door skin.... But, I was then able to pull the latch control rods for each side.



This next shot shows just how bent the tailgate was. Not what I wanted to be working on, but we had to move forward with the repair. Colder weather was coming, and I wanted to get the Blazer closed up so we could move it around outside.



Below, the replacement hatch and tailgate were in the trial fit stage. It was at this point, because I was working inside the tailgate to get the latch mechanism re-assembled, that I discovered that the inside of the tailgate had more rust in the interior pinch welds than I saw earlier.



The outer skin was nearly perfect, but the interior rusty pinch welds concerned me. It was here that we decided to not make this tailgate the "forever" tailgate. We'll continue looking for a "perfect" tailgate that is already painted black. We had been to our local NAPA that morning looking to buy the paint supplies to transform this tailgate from metallic green to shiny black, when I mentioned to the paint guy about the rust. He suggested that since this tailgate would be a temporary piece, why not just Rhino Line the exterior of the tailgate... Great idea! So we did. It fits with the overall theme for the Blazer. I'll post a pic of that in the next update.

It's nice having the hatch and tailgate open/close normally. The latch components on the Blazer's right/left side-rails appear to be not affected by the impact.

Yesterday, we were able to remove the front driver's seat and repair the broken folding mechanism. Wasn't that difficult, just took a few hours - reshaping the bent mechanism and welding an area that had been forced/broken. It now functions better than ever, and all of the moving parts were cleaned/lubricated.