Mini Bert! An s10... Maybe a ZR2?

[letitsnow]

I wire wheeled the bottoms of both front doors, and sprayed some extend on the rust. I will paint the inside bottom of the doors satin black to match the outside bottom.

These doors are in good shape considering it's a '98. My 2013 f150 that I bought new, the bottoms of its doors looked like this already in 2017...

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[letitsnow]

I scuffed up the inner lower door jambs and painted satin black to match the outside. Looks odd at first, but it works. I did the same to Bert a couple years back.

There is basically no rust on either door jamb or rocker.

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[letitsnow]

Here is the hack of the week!

The dash piece that goes around the speedometer/gauges was awful. It looked like somebody had spray painted it gloss black a bunch of times over the years. The paint was coming off in big chunks.

I was going to find a replacement at the junkyard, but then got to thinking... Dangerous...

I flexed the plastic a bunch and then used compressed air to get the loose paint off. I then went over everything with a red rag, then mineral spirits. The next step was putting a thick layer of paintable undercoating, then satin black. The undercoating hides most of the defects, and it still has a textured look to (somewhat) match the rest of the interior. The rest of the interior is dark grey, and the satin black doesn't look bad at all after installing.

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[letitsnow]

The interior door panels had broken loose from where the armrest/pull handle attached to the door. The plastic was broken (on this piece) on both sides. They just weren't designed to withstand the abuse of pulling those doors shut for so many years - way too weak.

I used a metal piece (that wasn't needed) that came with my posi-lok kit to reinforce them. I bent the pieces into an angle to match the plastic, then put bolts right through the top of the armrest and molded plastic. Here is a pic of the front and back of the panel. Ghetto, but functional.

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[letitsnow]

I scuffed and painted the door bottoms. There are two plastic pieces (behind the door handle and where the power switches are) that the PO had painted gloss black. These were actually in good shape. I scuffed and painted them satin black.

The PO had attached the door panel to the door using 12 self tapping screws around the outside edge. He relied on these to keep the door panel attached (when pulling shut) because of the broken pieces in my previous post. The panels have several cracks from doing this, as they weren't designed to flex like that. Not noticeable when attached to the door now, as long as it isn't flexing. Now that I have the mounting problem fixed, I attached the panels using 5 stainless self tapping screws, and put them close to the carpet so that they aren't as noticeable.

Here is what it looks like all assembled.

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[2001ZR2]

By using the 2WD oil filter setup you are giving up the oil cooler in the radiator. Not a big deal but the same type of issue is found on our GMT400 for the oil cooler lines.

I am planning on using AN fittings and braided hose when I restore my oil cooler on my 2001 ZR2 Blazer.

Nice progress on the truck looking sharp

 

[letitsnow]

By using the 2WD oil filter setup you are giving up the oil cooler in the radiator. Not a big deal but the same type of issue is found on our GMT400 for the oil cooler lines.

I am planning on using AN fittings and braided hose when I restore my oil cooler on my 2001 ZR2 Blazer.

Nice progress on the truck looking sharp

Thanks.

I removed the oil cooler on my gmt400 K2500 also. I use it to pull a small toy hauler. I just change oil a bit sooner than I would if the oil cooler was still in use.

Coming from an off road racing endurance background - I have always eliminated any exterior line that carries engine oil, if possible.

 

[letitsnow]

Replaced the blower motor control module with a new ac delco from rock auto. It was about $20 shipped and took 10 minutes to install. When I first got the truck, only speed 3 (out of 4) worked for the fan. Now all 4 speeds work.

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[98BlackSierra]

Seeing this thread really makes me miss my old Blazer. One of the most fun vehicles I’ve ever owned

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[letitsnow]

Not sure why these 3rd doors do this. The rest of the truck is solid. Ugly.

After looking at rust free used 3rd door prices, I bent over and ordered new inner and outer lower metal for this door.

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