Steve H Posted April 20, 2022 Share Posted April 20, 2022 Hi folks, with the Mystery Machine silliness behind me, time for something a little more serious. Going to stay over here in the truck section. I will start with an apology to Mark (‘70 Grande). He has a really nice build of this kit underway already, which I’m sure if you are reading this you have seen his build. Thanks for sharing your insights Mark!! Mine will be a little different, it will also be VERY different from my usual low, pro street/pro touring type of builds. This will also likely be a slow build, as bench time is limited in spring and summer for me. Enough pre-amble, here we go. The plan is to kit bash the Blazer with parts from the Deserter GMC truck. I haven’t built a 4X4 since I was about 13, roughly 40 years ago! I’m going to try to keep it relatively simple, and not fuss TOO much over details. Having said that, I want a nice looking truck for my shelf. So the last time I built this kit, (about 15 years ago), it looked like this… Here’s a mock up of where I’m heading with this one… (pardon all the tape) As mentioned in Mark’s thread, the tops on these kits are warped. I have a total of 5 of these, 3 already built, this one, and the recently released Jimmy. All had warped tops. For this build, I definitely want the top on, so it will get glued in place. The body will be Hugger orange, a colour that I think looks amazing on 1:1 versions of this truck. I’m tossing around two options for the top: blend it into the body, smooth it out and paint it body colour, or…. paint it flat white and leave the “fibreglass” texture on it. Final decision will come to me as things progress. I’m open to opinions on that of course. The wheels are parts box items that I believe were from a dually Chevy 4X4. I’m 95% decided on the wheels, but I do have another set I like. The tires are from Modelhaus. I bought them a few years back before they retired, I know they are doing tires again so they might be available again. Along with the Deserter parts, there will be some parts box items. I dug up this bush bar, which I believe is from the “Bandit” version of this kit from wayyyyyyy back. I’ll strip the paint and see if it cleans up ok. That version had an awesome full roll cage too. I have started work on the frame and will try to have an update soon. This should be fun! Thanks for taking the time to look, and as always, all comments are welcome. Cheers, Steve 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted April 20, 2022 Share Posted April 20, 2022 Can’t wait to see what you do with this one Steve. I have one in the queue, so I will be watching.😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'70 Grande Posted April 20, 2022 Share Posted April 20, 2022 Steve, no apologies necessary... now I can follow along with your build as I'm working on mine at the same time! Your Pro-street build looks awesome; I'm certain you're gonna knock this new build outta-the-park, too! I'm also struggling with the roof issue and trying to decide if I should get it mounted and painted in the same body paint color or still try to keep it that fiberglass white which would be my first choice. Greg; you need to pull your's that's in the queue out and do a WIP post along with Steve and I! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted April 20, 2022 Author Share Posted April 20, 2022 1 hour ago, NOBLNG said: Can’t wait to see what you do with this one Steve. I have one in the queue, so I will be watching.😎 Bring it out Greg! The more the merrier as they say. My 4X4 knowledge/ experience is a bit limited, but this will be fun for me. 36 minutes ago, '70 Grande said: Steve, no apologies necessary... now I can follow along with your build as I'm working on mine at the same time! Your Pro-street build looks awesome; I'm certain you're gonna knock this new build outta-the-park, too! I'm also struggling with the roof issue and trying to decide if I should get it mounted and painted in the same body paint color or still try to keep it that fiberglass white which would be my first choice. Greg; you need to pull your's that's in the queue out and do a WIP post along with Steve and I! Hi Mark, this one will be so different than the PS version I did. I recall finishing the build and still having pretty much the whole kit minus the body and floor pan. As for the roof, I’m still about 50/50. I think it would look cool and more custom if painted body colour and molded in, however the fibreglass white would give a nice two tone look. Hmmmmmm….. the good news is, in my mind, both options will look cool. I just want a top on this one!! Thanks for having a look guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misha Posted April 20, 2022 Share Posted April 20, 2022 Hi Steve, I’m quite interested in your new build, a bit of a change from the usual low ones to mile high! I built one a few years ago for the Aussieball run of the CannonBall that involved a lot of scratchbuilding. The main change was to convert to right hand drive and building a skookum rollcage, along with the gear for a trek across the Outback. During the run the Blazer managed to tie for first and later score a third place at the DSC! I have another kit in the stash which I wanting to build low rider style, a switheroo from your plans 😉. I’ll be following your build closely, Cheers Misha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted April 20, 2022 Author Share Posted April 20, 2022 Hi Misha! Thanks for sharing this, I don’t recall seeing it before. That is a wicked looking beast. I’m not going to go that far with mine, but I see a few things I really. The light bar, ohhhhh, I really like that. Is that scratch built or… VERY nice build Misha. Thanks for checking in, always appreciate your comments and input. Cheers, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'70 Grande Posted April 20, 2022 Share Posted April 20, 2022 Misha... I, too see some things that I really like in your build. What can you share with us regarding your rear-view mirrors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misha Posted April 20, 2022 Share Posted April 20, 2022 3 hours ago, Steve H said: The light bar, ohhhhh, I really like that. Is that scratch built or… VERY nice build Misha. Thanks for checking in, always appreciate your comments and input. Cheers, Steve 49 minutes ago, '70 Grande said: Misha... I, too see some things that I really like in your build. What can you share with us regarding your rear-view mirrors? Hi Steve and Mark, I used the Revell Wrangler Rubicon kit for a number of parts that I modified. The light bar from the kit fits onto the rollbar, yet for my use on the rooftop I built brackets out of angle iron Evergreen rod and Grandt Line bolts. The Rubicon’s rock rails formed the basis for the scratchbuilt roof rack that would bolts to the roll cage. They were used to build the sides. The fender flares were flipped front to back and modified to fit the Blazer. The Westcoast mirrors were used straight from the AMT 53 Ford pickup with no mods. Thanks guys for the interest and questions, cheers Misha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted April 21, 2022 Share Posted April 21, 2022 On 4/20/2022 at 7:51 AM, '70 Grande said: Greg; you need to pull your's that's in the queue out and do a WIP post along with Steve and I! On 4/20/2022 at 8:40 AM, Steve H said: Bring it out Greg! The more the merrier as they say. My 4X4 knowledge/ experience is a bit limited, but this will be fun for me. OK! You guys talked me into it. I was working on a Jeep so I am already in 4wd.🤪 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted April 21, 2022 Author Share Posted April 21, 2022 3 hours ago, NOBLNG said: OK! You guys talked me into it. I was working on a Jeep so I am already in 4wd.🤪 Haha!! Excellent! This is great having three of these on the go. I’ve got about a week and a half of house stuff to do so unfortunately I won’t have much in the way of updates for a couple of weeks. Which, is perfect, I can learn from you and Mark! I’m not as familiar with Mark’s builds as I am yours, but I know that you have some 4X4 knowledge which will certainly be helpful for me. Cheers, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted April 21, 2022 Author Share Posted April 21, 2022 On 4/20/2022 at 12:37 PM, Misha said: Hi Steve and Mark, I used the Revell Wrangler Rubicon kit for a number of parts that I modified. The light bar from the kit fits onto the rollbar, yet for my use on the rooftop I built brackets out of angle iron Evergreen rod and Grandt Line bolts. The Rubicon’s rock rails formed the basis for the scratchbuilt roof rack that would bolts to the roll cage. They were used to build the sides. The fender flares were flipped front to back and modified to fit the Blazer. The Westcoast mirrors were used straight from the AMT 53 Ford pickup with no mods. Thanks guys for the interest and questions, cheers Misha That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing your build details, and photos. I will probably have more questions for you once I get deeper into this build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted May 1, 2022 Author Share Posted May 1, 2022 With the west coast rain falling, today was a good opportunity to get some desk time. I mocked up the Deserter leaf springs/axles to the frame to establish mounting locations. After a bit of filing, cutting, gluing, and sanding it was a fairly simple swap. First pic is before any mods. After adding and subtracting a few things… To start, I didn’t worry too much about ride height as I figured it would be pretty easy to add a bit, or remove a bit. Very different from my usual builds where I’m trying to find every fraction of a millimeter I can to lower it! So with the wheelbase established, I drilled some mounting holes, added some pins, and… I still have a bit of clean up to do, but as far as frame mods go for suspension, it’s close. As mentioned above, I didn’t really pay attention to ride height at this stage, but… it’s almost perfect! Total fluke. I may need to tweak it a scosh, but it’s really close as is!! That almost NEVER happens. Still need to figure driveshaft lengths, but I think that should be easy enough. The kits radiator is… well, small. I’m sure the stash will provide something more suitable. After playing with engine options, decided on the 396 from the ‘67 Chevelle pro street kit, which will get mated to the kit trans. After cutting, the oil pan needed some filling. Still not decided on intake for the 396. I have a whipple blower that looks good on it (same as I used on my Anglia build), but I also have a single 4 bbl set up, and the injection set up from the Monogram sprint cars. Final decision on that later. I will definitely keep the engine under the hood, no scoop. No photos of interior yet, but I have some bucket seats picked out, the Deserter console will fit with little effort. I plan on doing some wood grain on the dash, and door panels. That’s it for now! Hopefully more soon, thanks for having a look. Cheers, Steve 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 Good progress there Steve. Those axles definitely look better than the kit pieces!👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kymdlr Posted May 2, 2022 Share Posted May 2, 2022 Where did you get the whipple? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted May 2, 2022 Author Share Posted May 2, 2022 4 hours ago, kymdlr said: Where did you get the whipple? Hi Ron, the whipple is from 3d specialties (Ron Olsen) via Shapeways. Sorry I suck at posting links, but a quick mr googlies search will turn up the site. Warning, it could get expensive, he has lots of nice stuff. The quality of what I have ordered has been top shelf. I got the 3-pack of blowers. He has different scales too. Cheers, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted October 16, 2022 Author Share Posted October 16, 2022 Hmmmmmm….. now where was I…… Hi all, it’s been a busy summer. Despite only working part time thru the spring summer, I had several big projects around our property which took up most of time. I managed to sit at the desk for a couple of hours today. Nothing to show for it, just worked on removing mold lines on body, and started some tweaking on the roof. With fall setting in and most of my big projects complete, I am hoping to get back to some regular hobby time. I must say, it felt good to see the styrene dust flying again! Hoping to have a meaningful update next week. Cheers, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattilacken Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Sweet build my friend! Will be following this one as all other of your builds I find 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Good to see you back at it Steve! I kinda lost momentum on mine.😕 Maybe watching your build will give me some inspiration.🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted October 18, 2022 Author Share Posted October 18, 2022 18 hours ago, Mattilacken said: Sweet build my friend! Will be following this one as all other of your builds I find 😉 Hi Anton! This one is a little different than the usual. I always appreciate your support, thanks. Hope all is well with you and your family. 9 hours ago, NOBLNG said: Good to see you back at it Steve! I kinda lost momentum on mine.😕 Maybe watching your build will give me some inspiration.🙂 Greg! How are you? I was wondering if you finished yours. Mine will be a fair bit simpler than yours, hoping to get some momentum going this weekend. I have missed my hobby, time to get back at it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KWT Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 yes... Steve is back at it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted October 30, 2022 Author Share Posted October 30, 2022 On 10/18/2022 at 4:28 AM, KWT said: yes... Steve is back at it! Haha !! Thanks Jeremy, I appreciate the support. At a quick glance, it looks like you’ve got a handful of builds going. I’ll try to get caught up… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted October 30, 2022 Author Share Posted October 30, 2022 Finally an update… I made the executive decision to mold the top to the body, with the goal of it looking “different”, and hopefully good…🤔 The idea (in my head) was to create a “modern style” SUV look with a non removable top. The “fibreglass” texture has been removed. Getting the warped cap glued on was a challenge, but working slowly from front to back got it on. I spent more time sanding than I care to admit on this. The body needed ALOT of cleanup, the texture on the cap was very stubborn, plus the bodywork. I sourced a new radiator from a 62 Impala kit to replace the ridiculous looking kit piece. The gaping hole in the firewall has been filled. Still lots of fine tuning to do, but here it is after the second round of primer… Pleased with how it looks so far, and still planning on hugger orange for body colour. Something like this, but all orange… I should be back at the desk regularly now, so hoping to keep this one going. Cheers, Steve 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 (edited) That is smooooth looking Steve! That definitely solves the problem of roof warpage and the lack of mounting points. Nice work!👍 Most of that stuff on the rad support doesn’t belong on a stock truck….perhaps it was a race truck in an earlier version? Hard to find a good pic, but here’s a screenshot I managed to capture. None of that is seen though unless you open up the grill. Edited October 31, 2022 by NOBLNG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misha Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 Hi Steve, Now that autumn has settled in we can return to our workbenches and it is a pleasure to see the work you’ve done on the Blazer. Molding the roof to the body looks great and solves a lot of the fit problems. Achieving that one piece body to look so smooth required a lot of elbow grease with sanding the texture away! The Hugger Orange 🍊 finish would be very eye-catching (I had my first car a 65 Corvair painted in Hugger Orange) Looking forward to your progress, cheers Misha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattilacken Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 Nice progress m8! The work on the cap looks good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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