I WANT TO KNOW WUT I NEED IN MY 74 BLAZER TO BURN OUT ON THESE LITTLE EURO CARS! IN MY BLAZER I HAVE A EDELBROCK 4 BARREL CARB, A EDELBROCK INTAKE. WUT KIND OF HEADERS DO I NEED. STUFF LIKE THAT.  

there is nothing wrong with the way he wrote that, thats how he is. if wants to type like that he can.  

You are right... my mistake... I should have kept going rather than reply....  

Well, I am as familiar if not more so in the imprts as I am with the belch fire V8's. So, with that said, most imports will run the 1/4 mi in mid 13's to mid 15's depending on whats done to them. So, getting that 5K pound Blazer to run the 1/4 you are gonna be looking at going from 0 to 100MPH(ISH) in 1/4 mi. Now, if someone has a pair of headers that will do that, SIGN ME UP!!!! I do know of some guys that are super into deisels that run 11sec 1/4's. they sound alot like rockets/ blenders doing it...LOL & I get the feeling they could put my CRX on a trailer, hook it to their trucks & still get me down the 1/4 quicker than my car can do it by itself!!!

I did however have a 77 3/4 ford that would give em a run for their money. It had a 460 Police intercepter, just short of 400Hp, but still there were some damn hondas that would just eat the poor truck alive....LOL but I was able to carry a load of wood, go wheelin in the woods, & pull a car trailer when the rice burners broke down.

So, enjoy the 4x, & use it for what it was meant....LOL build a muscle car to put the imports in their place

if it is a stock small block with just what you said it had, you will need alot more than just stuff like that to burn the imports in a blazer but it can be done$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.  

hey dude well thanks for the info. ill just keep my blazer and buy a 89 - 92 camaro t.p.i. and whoop the hondas asses lol! do you know what kind of parts from another year of blazer fit a 74 blazer???  

well, most stuff from 73 through geez....88, as it went through a few changes.

73 was the full top, where the removeable part went all the way to the A pillar, but running gear & suspension are pretty much the same.

74 they went to what most refer to as the half top, where the removeable part only goes up to the B pillar.

late 70's (I can't remember) they went to square headlights, but most of the rest is the same. Also with the square headlights they changed the hood, & made it so it would crease in a head on collision....LOL but also crease when the hinges get old & out of lube. So, if this happens look for a early 70's hood.

As far as engines, most came with a 350, OR 400. BUT I have herd of some that came with a 454, but have never seen it. By this time the 283 & 327 were phased out, BUT are very close to the same thing, so can be used.

Most came as automatic with a turbo 350, in later years they came with a turbo 350 with lockup converter (overdrive ish). Also, have herd some came with the turbo 400, wich is bulletproof Sime did come with a 4 speed (well 3 + granny) in the form of the SM465 wich was an industry standard, & bulletproof also, however I have herd of & seen many clutch linkage probs with them. mostly due to broken motor mount & worn linkage, mostly with suspension flexed & a heavy foot.

As for transfer cases, there were 2 options the chain driven NP203 for full time 4x4 (easy to tell, they didn't come with locking hubs) & the gear driven NP205. Most 4 speeds came with the NP205. In later years I hers they came with the NP208, but have never seen it. NP stands for New Process, & were widel used in the big 3 in 99% of 4x4's made up until electronic controlled transfer cases took over.

Axles:

some came with a DANA 44 in front, & some came with a GM 10 bolt. the 10 bolt had ...well 10 bolts on the front cover, & the 44 to identify (as with most DANA axles) look just to the lower right of the diff cover, & there will be a 44 there (or 30 or 44HD, or 60) depending on wich one it is. I have herd differing arguements on with one is better, but have used & broken both, so neither are = to a 60 As for gear ratio, they came stock anywhere from 2:73 (TALL road gears) to 4:11 or 4:56....I have seen 4:11, just herd of 4:56 stock. & some came with an eaton spring style limited slip, some came with posi track clutch style, & some (most) came just as open diff.

Rear axles were almost all GM 12 bolt. & came with the same diff options as the front. NOTE HERE: the suburbans however came with both 6 & 8 lug axles, some 8 lug were GM 14bolt SEMI floating & some were 14 bolt full floating, most 8 lug GM's were 14 bolt, OR DANA 60's. stay away from the semi floating 14 bolt. Look fo the DANA 60 front, but most of the time you will pay about $1000 for a decent one, & more commonly they came with a 10 bolt (8 lug) front. To my knowledge neither the blazer or suburban came with a DANA 60 rear, only 1 ton & up came with them

instrument clusters stayed pretty much the same, exept a rare few had a factory tach. I had 1 that didn't work, & found 1 that did, but the guy wanted $175 for it. those are the only 2 I have seen.

In 75 (for most blazers) GM swapped to electronic ignition. (1 wire as most call them). it is an easy swap, & well worth the $$, just so you don need to adjust the points every other month, & offer hotter spark for a few more ponies.

in 80 (for most) GM implimented the computer controlled carb. (about $700 new) wich is pretty much a quadrajet, with little servos in it. it is not as bad a every1 sayes, untill it has a problem, then swap it out for tpi.

umm anything else you need to know, I am sure I missed a lot.

I've got a '76 and a '77. They went to the square headligts in the early  80's I belive. up to 78 is still round lights.

The folding hood is a pain with bad hood springs - been there, and done that. LMC Truck has a kit for under $20.00 to stiffen the hood at the fold points.   I've heard of 400ci power but not 454 on factory blazers. - I could be wrong, though. I know the Burbs of the same year range had 454 power. Some Blazer models also came with a straight-6 250 ( L-6 engine ) - why in the world anyone would want this option, I have no clue!

 I agree the Turbo 400 tranny is bulletproof. NP Transfer cases also rule! NP-205 is best, followed by 203, and 208 dead ass last - in my opinionThe factory 700R4 tranny is also the worst factory tranny, although it can be made worthy with the appropriate aftermarket mods, and money, of course.

I have never heard of a Dana 60 as stock on these either. Some came with the weaker 10-bolt GM corporate axles in the rear too. ORU also carries a 6-lug 14-bolt replacement rear axle. The coolest - in my book. Dana -60 in front with 4.56 gears all around is best in my opinion - for med to low speed highway and more off-road use.

HEI 'electronic' ignition is pretty reliable, and low cost as far as the 'electronics' go. a factory replacement module runs about $80.00.

I'm no 'expert' on any of this, by any means. Just trying to help here.

LOL yeah, I had forgetten about the S-6. Also you are correct about the rear 10 bolt, kinda rare, as I think I have seen only 1 of em.

As for the 400CI there are 2 kinds of folks, some that love em, & some that hate em. Essentially they are the same block as the 350, WAY diff than the pontiac big block 400. I have seen them as 2 & 4 bolt main. but main differances is the stroke is a little more than a 350 (400crank in a 350 is where the 383 (with other additions) comes from), & there are "stream holes" in the block between the inboard cylendars. I myself have not had to much luck with the 400, seems to have heating probs, & noo tthe greatest of performance. BUT My freind Walt at Performance Machine in Manteca, CA swears by them. So I think it is just what you really like, & how much you know about a given engine.

Hey, unrelated topic here, any1 know how to make the fan stop turning every time the key is "ON" in these blazers?

I was talking with a "chevy guy" here at the shop, & he swears they make a 12 bolt front????!!!! has any1 herd of such a beast. I told him he was mistaken, but now I am starting to wonder.

hye & if ya want a muscle car, I got a 68 firebird if any1 is interested

I agree that it's all personal preference. I'm working on building a 383 stroker engine for one of my beasts one day in the future. I'm working on too many other things at the moment to get into an engine rebuild.

 I did a little more research on these trucks and they also came factory with a 292 I6 (4.8L) engine from 70-71, and a 307 V8 (5.0L) from 69-73. Some early models came factory equiped with a Dana 20 T-case (part time 4wd) and a 4-speed Saginaw Muncie (SM465) manual tranny. I still have not found any reference to a 454 factory engine package unless it was some sort of custom package - possibly a special towing package from the factory. I never heard of a 12-bolt front axle on these trucks. Maybe this is something Moser or other aftermarket outfit carries. The Moser 12-bolt rear axles are re-engineered to exceed factory specs and the quality is great from everything I have heard so far. Something I heard recently is of a Dana-44 HD front axe - Do you know what the specs are on these (...why the HD - heavy duty - rating ) ?

I'd really love to jump into a 68 firebird project, but I've got way too many Irons in the fire at the moment. I'll ask around for you though.

ok most gm vehicles came with 305 or 350 n the 400 waz optional and the 454 was only offered for trucks as in 1 tons not sure bout 3/4 tons but half tons u hadda get a big 10 package to get the 454 in a half ton truck

i am willin to bet my life that chevy did not make a 12 bolt axle on any of their 12-1 ton pickups or blazers between 73-current.  all availible for the front end was a 10 bolt/d44 in the half tons, a d44 with 8bolt hubs in the 3/4 and 1 tons(maybe the d44hd u guys talked about) and a d66 in some 1tons (mostly duelies)

the 10 bolt rear end was mostly used in the 79-88 range and the 88-91 sub's n blazers i dont remember if it was used in the blazers much in 73-78

the 12 bolt was found under most 1/2 and some 3/4 ton trucks

the 14 bolt semi-floater was used under 3/4 and some 1 ton trucks and can be a pretty good axle but gets a bad rep because of the sf (can be found in 6-8 lug bolt patterns)

the 14 bolt full-floater was mostly found under dueley 1 tons and some regular 1 tons. not so sure about the 3/4 tons maybe.  these axles dont come as 8 bolt as the axle's are ff and bolt to the hub with 8 bolts.  i think you can get a 6 lug addapter or new hub that bolts to the drum from oru or ord that came out not too long ago.

and if you want sheer beef you could look under the rear end of the newer gm 1 tons and find a 11.50" ring gear axle (not sure on the diff cover bolt count) but this axle is tough to break

on your quest for power build up a 383 with 10.5-11-1 compression, run race gas and put a huge pulling cam in the motor.  get rid of the edelbrock carbureator and put on a holley  truck avenger 770 cfm carb and a high rise intake on it. buy some doug thorley tri-y headers and build a 2 1/2" dual exaust with a xpipe and straight all the way back.  hopefully you should be in the 400-500 hp range

hope this helps ask if ya have any more questions as i will try and answer them for u

I have only seen the 44HD in Fords....My 77 F250 came stock with one. I don know how HD it was, because it seemed like every time I put a pretty good strain on it, it ate up the spider gears.......wondered it is was my build quality, so had a rear end shop build it for me, & broke just the same. Only had 33 12.50's on it, don't think tire size was it.

Also, just checked a couple of Chevy 44's (8lug) & none of them have the "HD" cast into them.

Yea, that's what I heard too about the 454's not being available on the 1/2 tons from the factory in the 73-87 range. The 73-87's did come with the GM 10-bolt rear axle though. It was the weakest rear axle GM offered in my opinion. Moser Engineering has a killer GM 12-bolt re-engineered axle that's beefed up in many areas incuding the case, internal gear mounting points, and axle tubes, among other improvements. I think these are designed primarily for drag and high perf street vehicles though. I don't know if they would work in a 4X4 application.

I had not heard of the D44 HD in anything but Ford trucks up to now either. I know the Fords also came witha D60 in some models. I'm not a big Ford fan, so I don't know a whole lot on that subject.

I have not seen the GM 11.5 ring gear axles yet, but I'll take a look at them when I get a chance. More beef is more better!

I'm still working on the 383 build up as my finances will allow. I've already got the Holley 750 Cfm double-pumper, the dual 2 1/2 Mandrel bent exhaust with no cats, and the H-pipe installed. It's a '77 K5 4X4 so I don't have a whole lot of room for an X-pipe without the penalty and airflow restriction of all the pretzel bends I would need to make to install the X-pipe. I've got the cheap Flowtech (Holley) afterburner scavenging headers on it. I couldn't afford the DT chome tri-y's I really wanted at the time. I'm still working on the HD cam, the high-rise intake, and the 383 stroker block with all the goodies - some minor expenses - insert sarcasm. I'll probably get me a bone-yard 350 block and have it bored and stroked to save a few bucks, when I can get to that phase.

I appreciate the help offered.

btw- what make / model pulling cam, and intake would you recommend ? I've heard some good things about Comp Cams, and Weiand manifolds. I have an old Weiand 3000 series manifold right now, but I'm looking at a replacement dual plane manifold.