Justin505's Build - 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT

[Justin505]

Year Make Model: 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT

Drivetrain Specs: 5.3L V8 with the G80

Suspension Modifications: Rear: Tahoe Z71 shocks, BDS 5500 hydraulic shocks, and Airlift 1000 air bags.

Exterior Modifications: Rage rooftop cargo rack

Engine Modifications: None Yet

Interior Modifications: None Yet

Recovery Equipment: None Yet

Electrical Modifications: None Yet

[Justin505]

Okay so I just got all my parts yesterday and am eager to get them on. Ill get some pics of the trailblazer stock on here first then I'll get some with the rack and the lift for the rear. Ill be doing the front in another month or so then starting to look for tires. This is definitely a fun platform to work with.

Okay so first thing first, I took off those hideous running boards. I felt as if the trailblazer only had a few inches of clearance with them on and its not that much of a leap with them off so they came off within a week of me owning it. Here is a picture of the beach trip with out the running boards.
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Soon after this trip I realized that she was way too low to the ground after hitting a few logs and sticks washed up on the beach.

[Justin505]

So I took the weekend and did stage one of the project. I read around about the seafoam and after judging the good and the bad I decided to do it. The Trailblazer has 160,000 miles and I guarantee it has never been done. I put 1/3 in the brake booster, 1/3 in the oil, and 1/3 in the gas. When I turned it back on it was an awesome smoke show. Probably smoked for about 25 minutes or so, luckily the neighbors weren't home I then changed the oil after driving around town for 20 miles to really let that stuff get all around the motor and fuel system. I proceeded onto cleaning the throttle body, world of difference imo. It took about 30 minutes but was well worth it. Idle is awesome and I removed so much grime around the butterfly that I am no longer loosing speed off the throttle like I was before, it is actually keeping speed. I then modded the air box a little this weekend as well. I took off the cover and it ran great untill it started getting warm and the radiator fan was blasting heat all over it. I am in the middle of creating a cardboard diagram and I'll take it to the sheet metal shop this week for a heat shield set up. With the combo of cleaning the tb, seafoam, and a less restrictive air intake setup, the truck is coming to life. She feels much more responsive now and I love it.

Next onto the lift. Me being an idiot, thinking it was easier to use a spring compressor, so I rented one. I didn't want to start disconnecting parts on the axle because I have done that before and they're a pain to get back in. So I rented one from auto zone and it was a spring compressor, not a strut type. So it goes in the spring. Unfortunately I jacked up one side of the axle to lower the other side, stupid because it doesn't actually lower the other side without disconnecting those pieces. Anyways, got the first spring out, then compressed the z71 spring and put it in. But the clearence from coil to coil on a vertical level is not the same. So it got stuck in there. I lowered the truck because I knew I would be back to auto zone for their outside the spring compressor. I got that the next day lifted back up the truck and found out, you don't even need to jack up one side of the axle. The springs just pop right out and right back in. Anyways, I spend 2 hours on one spring and it only ended up taking me 5 min for the other spring. Shocks went on easy without a problem. Airlift air bags were a different story. What a pain in the ass. They took forever to get in but once it was all done I was extremely satisfied. The truck moves 1/2 inch when I am on the bumper jumping. Lifted a lot more than I expected.

Last mod was an exhaust tip. Put it on and it actually drowns the exhaust a little more than I would have liked. So I will be purchasing a muffler sometime soon to compensate for the lower exhaust note now. Pictures up soon!!!

[Justin505]

Painted the wheels this weekend and they look awesome. I decided to keep my center caps on and I painted them as well. Masked off the Chevy symbol on the wheel and it looks sweet. Took about 8 hours for the whole job and unfortunately no pictures. Lost my microsd card unfortunately. I'll get pictures of the trailblazer up soon though. In terms of prep for the wheels it was about an hour per wheel or more. Took them all off the trailblazer and washed them nice and clean. Then started with a coarse cup brush on the drill to initiate the removal of the nice little shine the wheel had. Then it was time to move on to the 250 grit sand paper dry. Thank god for the air compressor in the aid of removing all the metal on the wheel. I then proceeded onto 600 grit wet sand. And finally 1000 grit wet sand. It was hell and my hand was really done after that but well worth it. Acetone/paint thinner on the wheels and they were finally prepped. I went with rustoleum primer (black). 3 coats per wheel and center caps. Then semi gloss 1000 degree engine paint. 4 coats of the paint. And finally 3 coats of clear on top. My only suggestion for someone doing this is try and make a little makeshaft paint booth. I cant tell you how many small specs of dust of hair got on the wheels and I grinned and had to move on. It was totally worth it in the end though because they turned out great. Prep work sucks but is worth the 6 hours + I put into it. Pics up soon!!!