BYUING FIRST BLAZER! Need Advice. Is this truck worth is? Custom v8 + mods

Im basically looking to get another car. Right now Im balls deep into turbo Hondas but I want something different for the winter and this summer. Im not into flash, glamour or air bags. Pretty much just going fast for cheap and this blazer might be a tad bit more comforatable in the winter than a lowered honda :P

Heres the pic


And the details given:
custom truck pro built v8,auto 4spd suspension drop custom interior, headliner,leather seats sunroof.new brakes+rubber. never winter driven very nice 2wd truck

How much would you pay?

I emailed for more pics and info, but Im curious how much work actually went into this truck, like is that v8 stock? Rear ends have to be swapped. If something breaks, will I be able to source parts easily? Im new to V8's and RWD and auto trannies. But Im more than willing to learn and Im sure my dad will be pleased to hear if I bought this

More info and advise you guys can give me the better.

Thanks

*Moved to General Chat*

Please do not double post and we could do without the lewd comments.

On the truck, no, that isn't the original engine.  That is an aftermarket sunroof as well. 

How much are they asking?

There asking $4500 CDN, but I dont think id pay that much, its been up at that price for aquite a while now
 
Lewd comment? Dont get it.

We try to maintain a family friendly forum here.

Why would you want to drive that in the winter?

Becuase its a step up from my current vehicles which are about 2" off the ground. And it would be fun with RWD and some good winter tires. Im not worried about winter driving, cause Id most likely turn it into a summer vehicle for pleasure. But Im curious to know like I asked,  what the pros and cons are of this truck, and the value of it. Ive never owned  a SUV before, so I dont know what to look for nor what to ask about. Especially one that has been modified in this way

*Combining Consecutive Posts*

hey the motor is a 305HO with 275hp motor has headers edelbrock intake fresh
built carb when i did the motor. motor has a mild cam. better than stock but
not performance. i wanted a reliable motor. it only has 6500km on it so far
the tranny i did up at the same time as the motor. its a 700r4 with
2800stall converter stage 2 shift kit and 24disk clutch package. which is a
corvette spec 700r4 trans. the trans has 6500km on it as well the body has
135000 on it. right around there. when i first put a v8 in the truck. speedo
was always tipped and the odometer always rolled. it rolled over 5 times
hahaha now its stuck at like 880000 but everyone knows its got only around
130 on it. its never seen winter.its got shaved door handles with magnetic
poppers and the truck has a little bit of surface rust in some spots but it
is an 86 and its a dam clean truck and it goes like stink. it only weighs
3140lbs

*Combining Consecutive Posts*

Being as its only a 305, turboing this truck with a small turbo @ 6-8psi is definetely in there cards if I can get the truck for cheap enough. Im curious if the transmission, if the form that he says it is in, can handle that much more power. As well as possibly the rear end or gears or whatever else might need to be beefed up for that type of upgrade.

Thanks guys


*EDIT by swartlkk* - Combining consecutive posts - Please use the EDIT feature to add additional information to your post if another member has yet to reply.  Consecutive posting is prohibitted by the rules of the forum.  Please PM me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.  Thanks!

Sounds decent to me.  If you want to turbo it, just do it till ya break something. =)

Well how fast is 300ish hp in a blazer? mid 14's? I know Id evntually turbo it. The whole purpose to me buying another car was to get a nice comfy daily driver, now look what Im considerring though!
 
Is the car worth 4k?
 
I also didnt even notice the shaved door handles

I'd say it's worth $4k for a performance toy. It's not gonna be any good in the snow though, not if it's like my buddies '86


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What kind of motor does your friends have? Why is it no good in the snow? Like not driveable?
 
Can you tell me anything about the drivetrain he advertised to me, and if it may take the abuse of another 100-200whp? Daily....
 
I always thought 305 was a very small motor. Is that 5.0L?

My friend has a 350 (5.7L) and the torque will spin the rear tires on dry pavement, it gets squirrely in the rain and sits and spins in the snow. The 305 (5.0L) is smaller than the 350 but if it's built with a cam it performs quite nicely, even in a heavier truck. Keep in mind that the factory installed a 2.5L 4 cyl, 2.8L V6 a 4.3L V6 in the "S" series Blazers. 
He also has the 700R4 tranny with a stall converter and a shift kit so there are no slow and gradual starts. When the tranny engages the engine revs are already up in the power band.
 
He does use it as a DD in the summer.....if it's not raining.

So A shift kits means that the tranny only engages when the rpms are way up there? No slowly pushing the pedal to get out of rain or park or anything?

What about the abuse the tranny can take in its current form if I choose to turbo it or spray it

It also does NOT come with a stereo, he doesnt have any more pictures either and just wants me to come take a look at it

*Combining Consecutive Posts*

Also looking for opinions on this truck being a RELIABLE daily driver. Like back and forth a few km every day to work, pick up the girly, drive through traffic etc.....


*EDIT by swartlkk* - Combining Consecutive Posts - Please use the EDIT feature to add additional information to your post if another member has yet to reply.  Consecutive posting is prohibitted by the rules of the forum.  If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please PM me.  Thanks!

Um... REAR wheel drive with a V8!?  Its going to be a huge PIG in the snow (if you get that where you live).  Its going to eat gas like mad and anytime it rains or snows... you aint going very far.... or slipping around at least.

Might as well buy a mustang V8 or any other sports car for that matter....

Also if its a custom car, it will never be that reliable.  I have learned the very hard way that once you custom a car or truck, it will always be problematic to some degree.  You will have to figure out all the work someone ELSE did since its custom and if your looking for nothing more then a daily driver, get a stock car... 4x4, good in bad weather.  Speed and bad weather dont go hand in hand...

Lastly... stick to your Honda's for your speed fix... keep the truck for daily driving..  I wouldnt touch that thing with a 10' pole.  Plus since the truck wasn't meant for "speed", the body is going to wear out faster without crossmembers and/or strut tower brace... i could keep going... lol

Just my opinion, but after 10+ years of owning custom cars... it becomes a hell, and never a daily driver. 

Yea my rwd caprice wasn't all that great in the snow.  Neither was my thunderbird.  

So basically this thing is not going to be any good in the snow eh? Like practiclaly non driveable? And YES I get a lot of snow here, Im in Canada
 
I know about loosing reliability when you start modifying.
 
I was hoping to buy this truck, have it atleast be drivable in all conditions, and based on having a carbed v8, be very reliable due to the lack of sensors and such. I would then leave it as is and put a big stereo in it.
 
BUT - Im not gonna throw away 4 grand that will almost clean my bank account on something that will get me knowwhere

if it's higher than your honda's, it'll probably do a little better in the snow... just remember to gets some GOOD winter tires, and put some weight in the back, and you should be good to go...
 
I never got stuck with my '85 2WD S10 in the snow, and that was a one tire fire... if it's got the locking rear diff, in normal driving, you'll never have an issue.
 
4x4 is NOT needed unless you're making your own roads... However, I'd reccomend some practice time in a parking lot before you took it out on the snowy roads, since it sounds like you've never driven a RWD in any snow before... It's VERY different.

Yeha Ive driven a v6 ranger 2wd in the snow, wasnt fun at all lol
 
Anyone have any advice knowledge on the transmission info I posted up and it being able to take some more HP, he saiys it has 275 now, does that even sound right from a basically stock 305? I do plan on, if possible, turboing this thing next summer if I were to buy it. And I dont want to tear down internals right away.
 
Thanks guys

All you'll need is a little practice and some weight in the back.
 
and as long as you don't go crazy with the boost, you shouldn't have to worry about the internals...

Well I dont know much about boosting a carbed motor, but ive seen it done  so I know the motor itself is good for low boost anyways, the transmission, rear end and clutch, is where I know nothing about and am stuck in the dark..... need adivce

When it snows here, I had to get driven to work in a honda or a tempo.  They were far better in the snow than my rwd cars.  That's why I now have 2 4x4's, one being a 350 project.

I'll be fine in the snow Im sure with RWD and a v8, its the shift kit and stall convertor I dont know anything about, never driven an automatic, does that shift kit cause something to act different? Can it not take off slowly?

Still curious on the tranny/convertor/rear end and what kinda power it can take...  and if his power level estimate is fariyl close? 275hp out of a 305HO seems a bit high to me for no internal work and some bolt ons, but, I know little about V8's

It should be an automatic if it has a shift kit in it so no worrying about a clutch (previous post about internals) the shift kit will just make it shift into gear harder so that you don't have as much down time between shifts.

275 hp for a V8 with no internal upgrades is not that much. My monza is getting a 435 hp/435 tq 350 ci (5.7L) that I am building myself and it does not require internal upgrades (following an edelbrock buildup), although it will probably get the internals upgraded just for safety reasons.

As for how much the drivetrain can handle that is all up to speculation about what he has done. I know that 700R4 transmissions are not really built to handle gobs of power stock, so the question is if he did anything else to the tranny other than a shift kit and stall converter.

I personally would not buy this vehicle for winter driving. With that much power, shift kit, stall converter, and it being RWD (also looks lowered a little bit, correct me if I am wrong) those rear tires are not going to want to get any kind of traction on snow covered roads.

My best advice is to take the $4k and buy a decent 4WD stock blazer and that will get you through the winter months wonderfully.

Because you are already talking about wanting to make this faster and that will just make it so it performs even worse in the snow. Leave the speed to your hondas since that is what you are into and just buy a good stock 4WD blazer. It will not be overly powerful or fast but a very good winter vehicle.