02 Trail Blazer doner for a build?

[Ziptie]

Hi, I built up a 72 wagoneer in 08. I took it apart to build a Scrambler. Well I am not building the Scrambler but am cutting a TJ into two. I am making a TJ-6 with the money from the wagoneer. I have also started a company that builds aftermarket jeep parts (TJ’s at this point). So do I regret taking the wagoneer apart and selling it, no. Do I miss it, yes!
My wife drives a 2002 chev trail blazer 4x4. It has a 4.2 Atlas 6 in it, with about 100K. She is getting a new car, so what to do with the blazer? I am really considering a new FSJ build with it. I would use all the parts that I could from it and sell/ scrap the rest. I would be looking at getting a 74 to 79 wagoneer or Cherokee to build up. I would use the power train, break system, interior from the chev. Use the FSJ frame, body and axles.This would be built to run all day at 70mph, and then get me around on the logging roads. Not an off road monster, I have the TJ-6 for that. Nothing bigger than a 35” tire.
What do you think? Would this be a good swap for a wag or Cherokee? I think it would J
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_Atlas_engine

[freeincolorado]

Though it sounds like an interesting idea, I see a few problems. The 4.2 is kind of junky, aluminum block with iron liners that tend to loosen up. The transmission is in technical terms funky. The halfshafts run through the oil pan. Also, I'm not sure if it has a t-case or low range.

[jeepskater433]

not a bad idea, but I would just sell the trailblazer, and go buy a decent rig and start from there

[jeepjerry]

Ive been inside of 4.2s and they are a very well built engine in my opinion. The only problems ive seen with them come up during lower mileage. A customer at work here has one with mid 200k miles on it and it still runs like a top. They have good power too, somewhere in the mid 200 hp range. The transmission should by your ordinary 4l60e.

Ive thought about this before but doubt i would get around to it. You could even tell people, "yeah its got the 4.2 strait six in it"....:D

[Chumley360]

I think it'd be a nifty idea. I've been around a few of the i-5 and i-6 motors and haven't had any problems that stick out as worse than any of the other vehicles we've got. But all of our are fleet use so they get beat on pretty well. Here's a link to a thread on the i-6 from another forum: http://www.colorado4x4.org/vbb/showthread.php?p=1527900

there's some good pictures and info in there.

[duncanstives]

Got a friend who is getting ready to stuff one in a old willys... He seems to think highly of them and has been working on literally ALL types of engines for mroe years than I have been alive.

[El_Diablo]

those 4.2 blazers are junk... take an 98 blazer and an 08 tahoe, the tahoe is heavier, has a larger engine and a larger aero profile yet the tahoe still gets better mileage... its all due to the engine, the 4.2 simply does not have the power and torque to keep the blazer moving at peak efficiency

im a HUGE advocate of getting the right motor for the right job, IMO, the 4.2 is not the right engine for a vehicle that weighs over 4k lbs, a v8 with a lower torque peak is much more suited to such a job and will almost always get better mileage... thats why i absolutely HATE full size v6 trucks, they just dont make sense AT ALL

btw, this is coming from a guy who used to work on these things all day

[addicted]

those 4.2 blazers are junk... take an 98 blazer and an 08 tahoe, the tahoe is heavier, has a larger engine and a larger aero profile yet the tahoe still gets better mileage... its all due to the engine, the 4.2 simply does not have the power and torque to keep the blazer moving at peak efficiency

im a HUGE advocate of getting the right motor for the right job, IMO, the 4.2 is not the right engine for a vehicle that weighs over 4k lbs, a v8 with a lower torque peak is much more suited to such a job and will almost always get better mileage... thats why i absolutely HATE full size v6 trucks, they just dont make sense AT ALL

btw, this is coming from a guy who used to work on these things all day

The 4.3 is the old V6 the 4.2 I6 is the massive hunk of aluminum they designed to power the TrailBlazer neither of them worth a daang in my opinion and I used to work on them all day as well.

[El_Diablo]

i agree, thats why i also included the v6 in my post, guess i just didn't seperate my post well enough

[YellowJeep]

I think using the 4.2 is a great idea! I've always heard good things about these motors and haven't seen any that have blown apart. I say run it!

Same thing with the 4.3. I've beaten 4.3s for years and never had a failure. Or perhaps a supercharged 3.8? :thumbsup:

[jeepjerry]

those 4.2 blazers are junk... take an 98 blazer and an 08 tahoe, the tahoe is heavier, has a larger engine and a larger aero profile yet the tahoe still gets better mileage... its all due to the engine, the 4.2 simply does not have the power and torque to keep the blazer moving at peak efficiency

im a HUGE advocate of getting the right motor for the right job, IMO, the 4.2 is not the right engine for a vehicle that weighs over 4k lbs, a v8 with a lower torque peak is much more suited to such a job and will almost always get better mileage... thats why i absolutely HATE full size v6 trucks, they just dont make sense AT ALL

btw, this is coming from a guy who used to work on these things all day

Its hard to compare an 08 tahoe to an older blazer since the tahoe has the much more advanced Active Fuel Management injection on it. And 98 blazers had the 4.3 v-6, trailblazers came out in 02 with the 4.2 inline 6.

Ive had one blown up vortec 4.2 and that was due to lack of maintenance, oil was never changed. I drove it into the shop with one broken rod and a hole in the side of the block.

[El_Diablo]

Its hard to compare an 08 tahoe to an older blazer since the tahoe has the much more advanced Active Fuel Management injection on it. And 98 blazers had the 4.3 v-6, trailblazers came out in 02 with the 4.2 inline 6.

Ive had one blown up vortec 4.2 and that was due to lack of maintenance, oil was never changed. I drove it into the shop with one broken rod and a hole in the side of the block.im not talking about older blazers ;)

trust me, i know what im talking about when it comes to chevys... i used to build race and drag screamers at a speed shop aswell as complete cars, after that i moved on to a management position at a service station and managed 20+techs, then i moved here to ohio where i worked as a tech at a chevy dealership

the 5.3 with no active management still beats the 4.2, you cant deny that the 4.2 just isnt sized for a vehicle that weighs so much

i love guys who back the 4.3 and Great Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley Moogley 4.2 all day..... just tells me they've never really had to deal with them or drive them much or have probably never driven a properly powered same vehicle :rolleyes:


im a diehard GM guy, the gf works at a ford stealership and i talk Great Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley Moogley on them every time im in there but i'll also talk Great Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley Moogley on the 4.3, 3.8 (pos improperly balanced 90 degree v6's) and the 4.2 (underpowered pos that was put in to heavy of vehicles)

for all i care, compare a 4.2 blazer to a 5.3 saab suv (forget the model, think its the x9?), real world the larger engine gets better mileage hands down

USE THE RIGHT ENGINE FOR THE RIGHT JOB!

[jeepjerry]

Well you must have misprinted since you said 98 blazer above. I know my way around GMs too, darn near close to finishing my Master Tech Assesment certifications.

Im sure ziptie isnt concerned about the fuel mileage his fuel injected trailblazer engine can get going from a carbed AMC motor. He also has owned the trailblazer for a while so im thinking he is quite confident in its drivetrain.

[El_Diablo]

sorry, didn't see that... it was a misprint and i apologize... i was talking about an 08, not a 98 blazer


thing is, the 4.2 just wont do it power wise for a full size jeep in todays traffic, i wouldn't even consider it

[Ziptie]

I like all the different point of views, I appreciate the input. Some points that should point out. I have had the blazer for some time and like it. The engine is not a dog, it gets up and goes. I also have the EXT model (extended), so it weights almost 2.5 tons. They claim the engine has 270 HP and I am getting over 20 MPG in present trim.
I would not be trying to build a HP or off-road monster, just a solid rig. This would be a woods access tool and a DD when I felt like it. I have a summer cabin that is a two hour drive and my hunting camp is three. This rig would be a highway rig for the family.

[Gambler68]

Put in a reliable V8 for torque in wheeling situations, and spend your money on an overdrive drivetrain for higher speed mileage gains and less wear on said reliable engine :) The only way to get the best of both worlds is a buttload of money or a milling machine in your garage, basically.

[El_Diablo]

exactly my point.... the smaller engines dont have the torque and need to be spun harder which is increased wear and harder on the motor

[Ziptie]

Ok, so if I sold the Trail Blazer for some cash. What engine/ trans/ t-case would you recommend?

[jeepjerry]

I still think the 4200 would work for what you need it to do. I used my old 83 cherokee four door for lots of things with its 258. I traveled all across the state doing 70 mph all day long and even towed a car home 350 miles with it. The vortec 4200 would have to be an insane power improvement over a 258 and maybe even a stock 360, but it wont have v-8 grunt obviously.

The GM LS v-8s are a common swap into these things.

[El_Diablo]

i would deffinetly recomend a an lq4 backed by a 4l80e, back it up by a good T-case, i personally like the np242 as its good for the winter weather that we get up here due to the full time 4wd aswell as low and hi lock, thats pretty much my ideal setup for a gas motor and it could be swapped in with hand tools, a hoist, welder and grinder, you can also keep it carb'ed if you would choose to do so

[Ziptie]

Don’t get me wrong I think the blazer engine would be really nice in a FSJ. I also have it sitting in the driveway. I would also be using lots of other parts from the blazer in the build. I do not think I would use the blazer t-case, but will look into it more.
The drive train has also been well maintained and trouble free. I do see my fuel economy dropping some but not much and with all the other parts from the blazer being used, I think I am going to do it. I just don’t think the power will be much different. I will be properly gearing the axles and such. Also the value of the Trail Blazer is very low, 4K. I also have it paid for.

Parts for reuse in the FSJ:
Power train and all associated parts (computer, to radiator)
Gas tank
Break system
Interior (seats, pedals all of it)
Rear axle (????)
HVAC system (????)
Steering

I would love to get reasonable clean late 70’s Cherokee as a start.

[El_Diablo]

wouldn't bother with the axles.... hvac and interior, good luck, same with gas tank and brakes, custom machined adapters all the way around, atleast 1k on that alone

steering.... its rack and pinion, not gonna work without serious fab



no offense but i really dont think you understand how much work is involved, you'll probably spend atleast 4k on that swap alone if not more and then you still have a higher mileage motor, lq4s with under 40k miles can be had for under $1200, the 4l80e can be had for under 1k, the transfer case would be around $300 and there are pre-made mounts that just weld right in, only real custom stuff would be the driveshafts and maybe trans mount though you could reuse your stocker

[Ziptie]

I don’t understand all that it will take for this swap, that is way I am here J I really do appreciate all the feedback that this place has to offer. It is coming from people that know there stuff! Thank you
One other option would be sell the Blazer and use the $$$ for parts. Might still do that, I will dig into more. :drivin:

[jeepjerry]

Yeah, you would kind of have to run the fsj axles and steering unless your really good at cutting and welding...:sawzall:

The rear axle is a newer style 10 bolt and i dont think is very desireable. They do have rear disc brakes, but the trailblazer uses a smaller 6-lug bolt pattern and you would have a hard time finding aftermarket wheels for it.

All parts to the drivetrain could be adapted under the hood of an fsj no problem, the fuel tank should be able to be mounted where the stock fsj one is, its long and slim, similar to the fsj one. It may be longer though.

Interior and HVAC is all up to how much work you want to tackle, look what the other member here did with that fsj cherokee and the dodge durango interior.

Youve already got it and are willing to sacrafice it, so why not use it. There are plenty of other options on a drivetrain, but im a fan of using what you got.