Blazer Straight Axle Swap: Part 1 Extracting from the donor

[@merrittmcdowell8675]

So you wouldn't recommend doing a straight axle on a s10 blazer? i have a 94 the last year of the square body i wanted to swap in a straight axle and a carburated 5.3 LS tied to a 700R4 and a 205 transfercase

[@SRMWorkshop]

do what you want, just know it will cost twice what you expect and you need to beef up everything. one thing that killed this one was the 37's, just too much for the v6 and 4l60e.

[@merrittmcdowell8675]

@@SRMWorkshop i wasn't planning on using anything stock under it i was thinking dana 60 front dana 70 rear (dodge ram 2500 axles) running probably 36 or 38" tires the LS would be relatively stock just a cam and the 700 r4 would be a built unit and 205s are bullet proof as they are but just curious if its all worth the effort lol i see it being a massive amount of time invested

[@SRMWorkshop]

@@merrittmcdowell8675 if that's your plan it might work out fine. The thing I wanted to do with this build was front and rear 4-links, or at least in the front. Do plan on a high steer kit and some proper shocks. Over all the labor wasn't that bad.

[@merrittmcdowell8675]

@@SRMWorkshop good to know, i was planning on leaf spring all the way around for simplicity (sense they make a kit for it now) for what i want to do with it i don't need massive articulation the places i like to go are easy for a limited flexing truck, it seems 3 and 4 link setups would be more complex and I'm not sure if they make ready to weld on kits for that or not

[@SRMWorkshop]

@@merrittmcdowell8675 one issue with the leaf springs in the front is they interfere with routing the steering links. But over all the leaf spring front would be easier. Also sway bars are a must.

[@anthonylambariello9800]

Tucker's cool

[@SRMWorkshop]

He's a bit of a grouchy old man these days, but has his friendly moments. (he is now 14)

[@lilzhae1]

How much did you charge to do this I’m in wa and wanna do the same thing to my s10

[@SRMWorkshop]

To be honest, this project ended up destroying this blazer. The axle part was solid but rest of the power train was not up for the new strain and broke all of it one piece at a time. Also I would have done a 4-link in the front as the leaf springs made it difficult to set of the steering correct as to not have dangerous bump steer. As for cost this was a ton of labor, but seeing as you are local we can talk further. My real recommendation is to find a Taho (the final foot print will be about the same) and do a lift kit on that. At least then it has a chance of being a reliable vehical.

[@carlosgreene]

@@SRMWorkshop What size of tires do this blazer use? I thinl ill do the same job for my 93 s10 blazer but with a dana 30 and almost 32 tires. i´ve read in a lot of forums that a dana 30 and 35 works fine for an S10. i was in doubt if lifting by IFS or work in a SAS, with your videos y guess that a SAS is the best option, and studying this videos makes the work a lot easier than think.

[@SRMWorkshop]

@@carlosgreene those tires are 37"s, I would have put a set of 35"s or 33"s. With the smaller tires you can tuck the tires in closer and still keep the same turning angle. Also smaller tires make less strain on the power train components so the truck will hold up better over time. This one ended up eating transmissions and an engine, but the owner did not want to invest in upgraded parts to handle that strain.

[@carlosgreene]

@@SRMWorkshop 37" is way too much for all the original parts, you have to put a maximum of 32 or 33. Well, thank you very much for the answers and for the videos!!

[@OldGriz708]

I wonder what axles those are?

[@SRMWorkshop]

1/2 ton Dodge was what I was told.

[@pauljohnson5116]

the stacked head lights in the s10 looks better than the jimmys anyways id do it just for the grill lol