krazz1e said:
make sure you have recovery points and carry some type of recovery gear, strap, hi-lift, spare, basic tools, ect.
Go out and start wheeling it and see where it goes from there... You may be happy with what you got depending on your needs.
Couldn't agree more
A good trail rig is one that can spend hours, days, and mabey even weeks offroad, and make it home under it's own power. First thing is first: RECOVERY (like stated above) There is nothing worse than being stuck or broken down, and having no way out, or having nothing to hook a strap to. Second: CAPABILITY that's where the lift/lockers/deep gears/bumpers/winches/tires/ ect....ect... come into play. basically a STOCK rig has no business being on a level 4-5 trail (there are exceptions, but a 90's blazer isn't one of them).
After RECOVERY It's hard to tell you where to start, but I wouldn't go with larger tires without regearing your ring and pinions. I also wouldn't put anything larger than 33" tires on that IFS front end or your 10 bolt rear end or bad things happen :sick: .
If it were me (and I was spending your money
), and didn't want to go to the extent of a SAS. I'd start with a good cheap 4" lift (tough country,pro-comp ect...). To keep the cost down i'd find some used 33" Goodyear MTR's or something similar for traction. For beef in the rear I'd find a factory six lug 14-bolt with the factory 4.10 gears (semi-float 9 1/2") out of a 90's C/K 2500 pickup or Suburban that will bolt right in (and probably be cheaper than re-gearing your 10 bolt anyway). After that I'd throw in a rear locker of choice, and then re-gear the front diff to a 4:10 ratio to match the rear (No availiable locker for the front, and for good reason :sick: ). I'd also replace the troublesome electronic 4wd selector with a cable operated one from Posi-Loc. Just an Idea of where to start (all opinion).
I think that anything with 4wd has serious potential, but it all depends on how much you want to spend, and what your going to use it for. Good luck keep us posted