Project 1974 Chevy K5 Blazer - Exterior Build - Building A Premudder

The new prerunner-style fenders not only updated our front end and grille to 1998, but also gave a 5 1/2-inch bulge and flare in the fender. It would be enough to cover the 39-inch Krawlers on the widened Dynatrac Pro Rock 60 frontend we had scavenged from last year's hammered U.A. yellow Chevy stepside.

Though the previous owner had installed stainless braided brake lines, we didn't know what kind they were or how long they'd been on there...

...We felt it best to call up Russell and get some new 21- and 30-inch-long stainless braided Kevlar reinforced brake lines for the front and rear brakes.

All we had left to do in the front was mount the 14-inch Radflo 2.5 remote-reservoir shocks. Though we knew we'd use nowhere near 14 inches of travel, we had plans to later add a Deaver long-leaf pack to the front and utilize all 14 inches...

...The 1 1/2-inch 0.120-wall tube from Team Tube was used to fashion shock hoops and the engine crossmember. The lower shock mounts were made out of 3/8-inch plate.

With the front buttoned up, we started with the cage. Tubing was measured, cut, and notched with a holesaw fixture. Fabworx had ordered a variety of 1-, 1 1/4-, 1 1/2-, and 1 3/4-inch tubing from Team Tube to build the rollcage and suspension with.

Bryan, Forrest, Brandon, and Dave went forth bending the tubing to the degrees specified and did some initial cutting and notching to start fitting things together. Adjustments usually have to be made (angle increased/decreased, tubing cut) so only tack welds are put to hold the tubing in place.

The rollcage frame had been cut, bent, and tacked in place. Some of it will be pulled back apart while Forrest figures out how to mount the coilovers on the rollcage which doesn't attach to the frame yet. We'll cover that and the rest of the rollcage next time.

Forrest made some plate mounts to attach the rollcage to the body. In the future (after the Ultimate Adventure) and when there is some more time, Fabworx will make mounts that bolt to the cage on the other side of the body and attach to the frame via a urethane bushing mount. (The body is mounted on Energy Suspension bushings and is therefore not hard-mounted to the frame, so we have to follow suit with the rollcage.)

We didn't skip all the extras, just most of them. After Justin Fenzel took the time to grind the fuel-tank guard clean, holes were drilled and flared to add some strength and style. It's still the stock piece, but now it's a little stronger and we could sell it on eBay to a bunch of bling-lovers for lots of money.

To get this truck rolling around the shop, we put together the new Center Line I.C.E (internal centering element) three-piece bead-lock and runflat wheels. You need to get the middle centering element in the tire first. We found it easiest to just stand on them and they easily fell into the 39-inch BFGoodrich Krawlers.

The Center Line I.C.E. 17-inch wheels are the easiest bead locks we've ever assembled. All it took was a torque wrench and an Allen wrench, and we had each wheel together in under 12 minutes. You can replace the inner piece of the modular wheel to change lug pattern and variable offset. They weigh about 40 pounds each, and each one costs more than the BFG Krawler they're mounted in, but they are so worth it.