Give a Dreamer Advice

[77blazerchalet]

Blazer Chalet.

Or, a variation on that theme, a '74-'91 "squarebody" Blazer or GMC Jimmy, modded to your heart's content, combined with an orphaned Chalet or Casa Grande camper unit that's been gutted and outfitted with lighter, modern interior bits. You could start as low budget as you can afford with the truck at least fitted with overload springs and a camper unit that is good enough to use before you modernize it. Without the camper unit, you can plop the standard Blazer cap on the back to have your enclosed cab rig, but with the camper unit on, you have the convenience of a walk-through motorhome. The camper units aren't slide-in units, they are bolt-ons, which means you'd have to improvise some kind of front support for the cabover part when it is off the truck, and a means of sealing out the elements.

 

[toylandcruiser]

Full size rigs aren't usually considered for good times. My 1994 dodge 2500 4x4 with the dana 40 front axle and the 9.25 Chrysler rear end is pretty capable and gets me to all places that aren't extremely tight. The engine is the 316 magnum, a solid and dependable and easy to work on engine. The transmission in automatic form is known to suck ***. The manual is considered much better. The axles have lots of aftermarket support and Moog makes all the suspension and steering parts you can think of. You won't be pulling any trains or climbing to many tight switchbacks, but it is a fully capable and fully adaptable and buildable platform for around $3k.

Look for leaking transmission and transfercases, these could indicate the gaskets are leaking or could indicate need for a rebuild. Look for seeping at the axle shafts that might indicate seal compromise, they are cheap to buy but hard to fix. The rubber is cheap to fix (poly bushing kits can be had from $100), bilstein 5100's are about $75 each online and moog suspension parts are reasonable. Wheels are 16in and can accommodate up to a 33in tire without modifications (rides 39in up front (ground to wheel well) and 41.5 in the rear) and you can get Hummer H1 wheels which let you run a 35, with only a little modification (H1 wheels will run about 500-1000 for a pair of stockers, tires about 150-250 each).

My 8ft bed does limit the places I can travel (128in wheel base means no goat paths or wash travels), but also expands the comfort I can put back there for 'glamping'. We have a comfy bed platform, room for the dog and plenty of space for kit. There's space between the frame rails and on the side panels for storage/water tanks/gas tanks and lots of aftermarket support. The 1994 was the first year of the 2nd gen, which took advantage of some good upgrades and kept a lot of good stuff from the 1st gen Dodge 100 and 200's (I think that's what they were designated).

Overall, the 2nd gen Dodge 2500's are a capable and fun rig platform. Won't win any MPG awards, but you will enjoy every wasted drop.

Man you have no idea what’s in your truck do you?