[nickspencer414]

Is it even worth the time and money trying to restore a 1993 S10 Blazer Tahoe Lt 4X4? It caught fire on the inside and burnt it up pretty good, but it still runs... very poorly. What's y'alls opinion? Worth restoring or waste of money?

 

[aitch]

Is it even worth the time and money trying to restore a 1993 S10 Blazer Tahoe Lt 4X4? It caught fire on the inside and burnt it up pretty good, but it still runs... very poorly. What's y'alls opinion? Worth restoring or waste of money?

Can you post some pictures? That might help others to formulate their thoughts on the subject. Not being able to view the extent of the damage makes it tough to make an informed reply. That said, I likely wouldn't put much, if any, money into an almost 30 year old burned vehicle. Out of curiosity, do you know the cause of the fire? Basically, it becomes a matter of how important is the Blazer to you, and how much money, time, & energy are you willing to invest. Since you didn't mention it, I will presume that an insurance claim is not involved.

 

[nickspencer414]

I likely wouldn't put much, if any, money into an almost 30 year old burned vehicle. Out of curiosity, do you know the cause of the fire? That said, it becomes a matter of how important is the Blazer to you, and how much time & energy are you willing to invest. Since you didn't mention it, I will presume that an insurance claim is not involved. Can you post some pictures? That might help others to formulate their thoughts on the subject.

Well said, the fire was caused by 1 of the lights on the headliner. Most of the interior is okay minus the seats, carpet, and headliner and some of the trim. I would like to keep this truck as a daily, but it gets more and more down in power, fuel economy, and seems like parts need to be changed left and right.. would it be worth swapping the engine to a V8 since you really cant find parts for this motor anymore? I will post pictures later tonight!

 

[aitch]

Well said, the fire was caused by 1 of the lights on the headliner. Most of the interior is okay minus the seats, carpet, and headliner and some of the trim. I would like to keep this truck as a daily, but it gets more and more down in power, fuel economy, and seems like parts need to be changed left and right.. would it be worth swapping the engine to a V8 since you really cant find parts for this motor anymore? I will post pictures later tonight!

What engine & tranny is in it, and what's the mileage? Also, can you summarize what 'parts' have been replaced? As a vehicle ages, it is typical for the maintenance costs to increase, so then it can become a matter of diminishing returns. Are there any rust issues, especially on the frame? Just so many variables to consider. I would be disinclined to do a V8 conversion on it. What you could/ would spend on that, it's likely you could buy another daily driver vehicle that wouldn't have near the "challenges".

If you decide to not proceed with work on the Blazer, you could possibly make some spare $ by parting it out/ advertise it on CL, FBMP, and any other websites you choose.

 

[Rhotpursuit]

I believe the only engine available for the Blazer in '93 was the 4.3. There is no shortage of parts for them, unless it has that goofy spider that isn't made anymore. There are companies that will rebuild them. There was a thread recently that went over that.

 

[nickspencer414]

I believe the only engine available for the Blazer in '93 was the 4.3. There is no shortage of parts for them, unless it has that goofy spider that isn't made anymore. There are companies that will rebuild them. There was a thread recently that went over that.

Both very good points! The spider injector and "nut kit" are what im struggling to get, but of course like you said some companies will rebuild them... But that is at the cost of my daily being down for god knows how long. Another part i struggle with is finding seats for this thing without it being 500-1000 dollars lol. I see the potential in restoring it, but with there being not alot of upgrades for it... im unsure.

 

[Rhotpursuit]

Both very good points! The spider injector and "nut kit" are what im struggling to get, but of course like you said some companies will rebuild them... But that is at the cost of my daily being down for god knows how long. Another part i struggle with is finding seats for this thing without it being 500-1000 dollars lol. I see the potential in restoring it, but with there being not alot of upgrades for it... im unsure.

Seats are plentiful at the junkyards. There are pages of threads on swapping all kinds of seats. I swapped Bravada 6 way power/heated leather seats int my truck. Other possibilities are Cavalier, Camaro...

 

[nickspencer414]

Seats are plentiful at the junkyards. There are pages of threads on swapping all kinds of seats. I swapped Bravada 6 way power/heated leather seats int my truck. Other possibilities are Cavalier, Camaro...

Perfect, thank you! This definitely gives me more motivation to restore this old thing. I love the tuck it just needs a little TLC. I may also rebuild the 4.3 if you think that would be worth it over a v8 5.7?

 

[MyWorkInProgress]

That’s up to you, what do you want with your truck? @Rhotpursuit has nice little LS in his truck, because that’s what he wanted with his truck. I keep up on maintenance on my 4.3 with the goofy spider that doesn’t exist anymore and parts that keep getting harder and more expensive to acquire because that’s what I want with my truck. Also is a 350 swap something you’re comfortable with doing yourself or giving someone else a hefty sum to do? I think for a daily driver I’d fix what needs to be fixed for it to daily drive and leave it at that.

 

[Rhotpursuit]

Perfect, thank you! This definitely gives me more motivation to restore this old thing. I love the tuck it just needs a little TLC. I may also rebuild the 4.3 if you think that would be worth it over a v8 5.7?

If you choose to do the swap, @oldeerslayer is your man.

 

[Innate]

If you're down south or in a low-corrosion area of the country, and you have the space, see if you can find, or keep an eye out for, another Blazer that is optioned the same way, that is in better shape than yours. If you love the one you have, you could love a similar one and use your burnt one for spare parts. You'd want the same motor, trans, transfer case, final drive ratio, maybe '93-94? You already know how to work on them their weak/strong points. I've gotten 30 years out of these by that, one truck feeds the next.

 

[nickspencer414]

All very good points and i appreciate the feedback! I just saw in an old post something about getting rid of the spider injector?? Is it possible to do this, and if so can someone point me to the correct thread! Mine is a 93 s10 blazer 4.3l "vortec" with 240k miles and climbing.

 

[oldeerslayer]

Getting rid of the spider would be a fairly large project. And you'd end up with something that might not pass emissions testing. Although few states test 93's anymore.
You'd need to swap in a complete TBI intake with all components, TBI fuel pump and lines, rewire the engine harness, and swap computers or at least the PROM chip if the ECMs were the same model.

 

[nickspencer414]

Getting rid of the spider would be a fairly large project. And you'd end up with something that might not pass emissions testing. Although few states test 93's anymore.
You'd need to swap in a complete TBI intake with all components, TBI fuel pump and lines, rewire the engine harness, and swap computers or at least the PROM chip if the ECMs were the same model.

That is a very good conversation to have. I'm in Florida so i don't really care about emissions testing. The real question would be if getting rid of the spider injector would be better that 5.7 swapping. Whatever information you need, i can provide!