The Trooper/Blazer I call Blooper.

[pappawheely]

Time to work on the rear quarters. I'm going to trim the bottoms off and run a slider like on the rockers. It will run down the side and then turn back to the frame rails. It will be a detachable corner that bolts onto the right and left corner of the truck.



While taking off the tail lights I figured out why the bulbs were so dim. I mentioned the previous owner lived down a dirt road.

 

[pappawheely]

OK, enough head scratching. I had to dive in today and start cutting. I had some success and other shortcomings. I know what to do on the other side. It's going to take a couple days to get this done, then I can get to work on the exocage.



I need to do some work to seal up the rocker again. I did the edge roll again and it worked out just OK.



Of course I got another pile of dirt on the floor from inside the rocker. I guess I'm working on old iron because the iron in the soil around her gives it the red hue.

 

[pappawheely]

The last two days have been nuts. You should hear about the stuff I don't post!

 

[pappawheely]

More work on the rear bumper, corner mods. There's no instruction manual; just try stuff and figure it out. I really didn't have a design in mind, just going with that's there. I'll cap that end. I will have a full size spare tire and two jerry cans mounted to a swing out carrier so it has to be beefy. It will be riding on the frame. Yes, that's the blazer 31 gallon fuel tank poking out. The rear hitch hangs down very low. I'm going to tuck it up 2 inches higher so I don't have an arrestor hook on the back end.

 

[pappawheely]

The other side is roughed out. More bracing and full welding still needs to be done. The trailer hitch fits in the middle.

 

[pappawheely]

I was hitting the quarter panel with a hammer and found another pile of paydirt.



I got the bumper ends done and painted.



Of course, the nicest welds are on the underside where nobody will see them.

 

[pappawheely]

I went out to the shop and fabricated some sheet metal panels to seal the rear quarter panels, but now I'm eating nachos, watching KOH and drinking a few Modelo's. This shot is one I took back in 2008 at the finish line of KOH. My how things have changed! Dave has always said that his goal is to make a course where nobody finishes. This might be the year!

 

[pappawheely]

I'm having to think 2 or 3 steps ahead as I go. Why would I mount only a 4K winch on the back? To lift my spare tire onto the carrier. Also thinking of other ways to use it. I could design the tire carrier to be like a crane. It would lift a bike too. Got any other ideas?