Expensive question!

Okay, so my original plans were to upgrade my cat and muffler, but I've come up with a new idea to buy a tach gauge for rougly the same price.
I'd still get the cat and muffler, but down the road. I just wanna know which to get first. Tach guage and then exhaust? Or exhaust and then tach gauge?
For now I kinda want something so I can tell when I'm redlining, because the '96 LS doesn't have a tach, which I kinda blame for the reason my last engine blew. Not knowing when you're working it too hard.

I know everyone's gonna say stupid question, go with the exhaust, which I hope you do so I can be persuaded to finally get a new sound on the truck, but I think a tach gauge would look cool. Just to have something mounted to the pillar..

I would go for the tach so you know when to shift then the exhaust! I know you want the exhaust really badly but saving your motor and trans is whats going to make sure you get an exhaust!!

Well you can get this: http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=ATM%2D2698&N=700+4294815748+115&autoview=sku 
 
And still have some extra $$ for the exhaust system. You can get a pillar pod for it for another 20.00.... This would look alot cleaner and not ricey looking with a massive tach and shift light.

Im in the same spot and id say go with the tach as long as you dont get a huge 5in tach

The big tachs are ridiculous and ugly. I found a good small one in Autozone like the one you showed, nj4x4blaze. Only I think it's white and has the redline. Now I'm just looking for a glasspack or flowmaster exhaust to install.

I'd say go for the exhaust.  A tach will not give you an boost in hp, tq or mpg.  As far as redlining it goes, LISTEN TO YOUR ENGINE.  It'll let you know when you are giving it too much. 

Yeah, usually when I hear the engine peaking the truck starts vibrating a little, and the engine just kinda hangs at that bad sound, so I ease up on the gas and it usually shifts into the next gear.

do the older blazers not come with a factory tachometer?  mine does

The 96 LT comes with a tachometer, my 96 LS doesn't. It's really stupid and makes the very large speedometer look ridiculous.

no offense, but you shouldn't need a tachometer to tell you when your engine is about to blow.... i've been driving standard shift vehicles since I was 7(I was a big kid and dad taught me....), many of which had no tach.... over the last 14 years I have not blown an engine.....
Also, keep in mind your blazer is not a ferrari nor is it a Banks powered turbo diesel.... take it easy on the ol' 4300....... it'll last you a long time.....

The 4300 definitely has impressed me, but I'm definitely not planning on blowing it soon. The last time the engine blew was 3 years ago when my brother floored it up a hill in reverse (I don't know why, and I wasn't there) and he blew a rod bearing. It rattled itself to death. But driving an automatic, and for a heavy truck, it kinda stays reving in one gear and not accelerating, but the truck starts to vibrate like it's pushing too hard.

the '96 doesn't have a rev limiter? i say go with exhaust because a blazer isn't a racecar that should be revved real high. the 4.3L only peaks at 5200 but shouldnt really even be brought over 4000. it's not a high performance motor and shouldn't be revved that high anyway.

Yeah, the only problem is I don't know when I'm at 4000 or even 5200, but yeah, I'm gonna get the exhaust. I mean, I have the money right now, I just need to decide which exhaust.
I made another post on what to get, Super 44, Super 40 (Which I've been hearing isn't so great) or a glasspack. Probably a Dynomax Thrush Glasspack.

Wait, you mentioned you ease up on the gas to shift? Sounds to me like your tranny is going out, dude. My Shelby had a bad transmission and it started with that and then got to the point where it wouldn't shift unless I eased off the gas.

A stick or auto tranny? I have an auto, but it's not so much that if I don't ease up on the gas that it WON'T shift, it just takes a long time to shift. Like it just hangs there overreving for a few seconds. The tranny is slightly new though. 

quote:

ORIGINAL: dimmuborgir6nik6

A stick or auto tranny? I have an auto, but it's not so much that if I don't ease up on the gas that it WON'T shift, it just takes a long time to shift. Like it just hangs there overreving for a few seconds. The tranny is slightly new though. 

 
An auto tranny should shift when it's supposed to, without over revving...that sounds like it might be a problem for you in the near future. A tachometer is basically useless in an A/T. I'd go with the exhaust.

Yeah, I've decided on the exhaust, but I made a new thread on what to get.
Super 44, Super 40 or glasspack.
I heard Super 40 isn't that impressive, and I know glasspacks are best on V8's, but I've never heard from someone with a Super 44 on their Blazer.