firefighter

Hey guys I got into this conversation a little late but here is my opinion on a couple of things first off I'm on the same track with puttin an LS1 in my '03 Blazer X in my opinion the rear does need to be changed I had a '91 with a slightly warmed over 4.3 and a shift kit in the 700R4 that would regularly blow the 7 5/8" what my plan is is to get an 8.5" from a full size ('90-'95) you can get one for about $200-$250 and then narrow put in axels and a detroit trutrac with the gears of choice for all about $1200 alot cheaper than the after market AND you are not hanging any Ford crap under your GM (personal issues). On the leaf springs I'm gonna get rid of them I'll put in a Triangulated 4 link with some coilovers. I lowered the truck with all Bell Tech stuff and it handles OK but rides like **** thats why you I need to do the coilovers and I'll do them up front too should handle great and be very tunable. Also DO NOT forget the brakes I got 11.5" discs in the rear from the factory that'll be good enough I'm planning on doing the SSBC 13" Tri-Power kit up front (only option) but if you have a S-10 you have more options Baer, SSBC, Willwood and I think Brembo. But my thoughts are allways get the vehicle ready to handle the power before you put it in ie. brakes, suspension wheels/tires etc. but then again I'm preaching to the chior. right?

firefighter

Oh and another thing Lee's is about 5 mins from my house and as far as his work it seems to be top notch I'm planning on getting him to do my swap I'm gonna build the engine and do pretty much all the leg work then just deliver everything to him and let him do the actual swap he says he can do it in 2 weeks so even if you say 4 weeks it's alot less than the prolly 4 months it would take me to do it. Also I can weld but he REALLY can weld. I met one of his customers that had a Blazer like mine that Lee put in and with a few minor exceptions it looked like the General put it in at the factory.

Jones'n

Let us know how you feel about him after the swap.
Also, write down the mileage on your truck before you drop it off. You will never see Lee in his own vehicle, he always puts a few thousand on his customer's vehicles instead.

Bill Reid

iTrader: (14)

Can you tell me why the Blazer is limited to selection on aftermarket front brake opportunities? I thought us S10 guys would move up to the blazer front brakes with their 2 piston calipers and sealed hubs. Does Lee make his own brackets to put C5 brakes up front or does he use someone elses bracket?

Bill

Bigdeezs

iTrader: (17)

If I think about it rashionally I would agree...but when I'm in my truck breakin off my friends f-bodies with my fully stock brakes (they can barely stop this thing stock), 5" front and 6" rear drop (belltech...yeah it does ride like ****), and heavy 18" chrome wheels (now it rides like concrete ****) I am one happy camper that I did my motor first! Not to mention nuthing lights a fire under ones *** to get that other stuff done like having that much power scarily propelling you around in a vehiclee that can barely handle it.

firefighter

The thing with the late model Blazers is that they have a hub system and the S-10 have a bearing type spindle the mfg make alot of stuff for what there are alot of and since only the Blazers have the hubs they feel it's a small market but I think it's ,\more adaptable with factory stuff.

Also about Lee I'm checking up on him with customers and people in the performance community aroun here. And anyways I'll be there almost everyday "helping" him.

Jones'n

Ask him about a guy named John Tingley. He too is from Tampa. Brought Lee his 95 S-10 and all the parts and pieces he could possibly have. Was also told 2 weeks, and was also there every day he could be to help. Still took longer than expected, and still went over what he was quoted for price.
John is a friend of mine, and he is how I know about Lee.

kossuth

iTrader: (12)

Another thing you can do for upgraded brakes is use fbody or C5 calipers and rotors, and make an adaptor bracket that will bolt to the stock blazer spindle. Seen it done and would be easy. If you are fabrication savy it would also be cheaper I imagine. I put blazer brakes on my truck and it works a hellva lot better than the stock S10 brakes. Just ideas to throw around out there.

firefighter

I think I could probably fab them up if I had the equiptment to do the machining but I don't so I would just like to buy a kit. From what I have figured out the SSBC kit is a C-5 rotor and their caliper is based on the C-5 caliper with 3 pistons it even uses the same pads. It's alot easier (for me at least) to just but the kit. By the way Hawk has all the options for the Blazer rear brakes wich are single piston aluminum calipers with an 11.6" rotor. That should be enough for my needs and the fact that I won't have to mess with the E-brake mess (most companies tell you that you are on your own for that) is worth not having a 12" rotor out back.

firefighter

Also I just got a catalog from Global West apparently the front end on a S-10 is the same as the old G-bodies ie. Monte Carlos/Grand Prixs/Grand Nationals and they have got some serious front end stuff for them tubular upper and lower control arms also with some improved geometry and also the "tall spindle" conversion with upgraded brake options. Worth looking into.

Dave_62

iTrader: (10)

One note of caution on the "tall spindle" conversion. I have that on my Cutlass with the Global West a-arms. The brakes are great, the bumpsteer that came at no extra charge isn't. The steering arms on the B-body spindles don't match up well to the G-body (or S-truck, since they are the same) steering geometry, and the result is major bumpsteer. On a straight bumpy road, the car will wander, and is aggravating to keep in a straight line. Around a curve, the car will turn in tighter as the body rolls, requiring correction. There is a long thread about this very thing on the Monte Carlo SS forum. I plan on keeping my stock spindles on my S-15 and adapting the LS1 F-body brakes to them. There is a nice writeup on this on thirdgen.org about this. The 82-92 F-body spindles are close enough to the G and S body spindles for this conversion to work, as many have already done.

HTH.

firefighter

What I plan on doing is the upper and lower that uses the stock spindle I have Belltech drop spindles and go with the SSBC front kit coilovers all around and the 4-link out back with an 8.5" rear the set up should do me fine.

BTW...... Thats news to me about the tall spindle conversion I need to research it 'cause I've been thinking about it for my old M/C

s10-den

woudnt you want it (if it does) to tear up on his test run and not yours?

s10-den

all s10 blazers with the 4.3 5speed have the 8 1/2

s10-den

I have heard good and I have heard bad about lee.The main thing seems to be the time he gets your stuff back.I mean I am self employed too and you simply cannot please everyone on this planet,impossible!I have spent hours on the phone with him just figuring out who he was and what he was about,and personally,I think he is a pretty cool guy and I'll be getting everything for my conversion from him,but I will be doing it myself,(bragging rights and the money thing}So if there is anyone out there have delt with this guy let us know how it went whether good or bad????ha he probly dont even know how popular he is on here{Lee}

s10-den

how did the truck turn out?what was the engine ,tranny?and how did it run?

firefighter

I by NO means am bashing the guy I periodicly go to talk with him and he seems like a good guy. I will say this he is pretty much a one man operation so what happens is when somebody calls him the work stops when he needs to run out and get some hoses or bolts the work stops. So that is why **** takes longer and also it will allways cost more than you figure I gave my old man a "estimate" on how much it was gonna cost to build him the 383ci for his truck well let me tell you I am WAY OVER on the build... guess my old man is gonna have to work some more overtime at the fire department to pay for the "upgrades"