The Jimmy

[PaulW]

1st, the name is pronounced just like the kid from south park Timmy.  Now on to the fun.  Found a 96 GMC Jimmy with 143k, reman engine, auto power everything, for $500.  The biggest problem that it had was that the drivers door pins were so worn out that the door was sagging so far, and the last owner kept using it like that that it actually tore the door sill off where the striker plate mounts.  He had the door held shut with a bungee cord.  So yesterday I got ambitious and replaced the broken door pin, and welded the door sill back together so that i could bolt the striker plate back on.  Now I just need a 4wd switch and some noce tires and I should be all set.  I'm toying with the idea of swamper tsl radials in the 215/85r15 flavor.  They're almost the same size as stock and should help me get through the stocker friendly trails.  Maybe a light locker in the rear.  Who knows.  Maybe a solid axle conversion in the future.

Here's the truck.


The door was sagging so bad, it rubbed through the paint on the rear door.


Surprisingly enough, for $6.59 at napa I was able to get the door pin kit.


I forgot to take a pic of the before on the door jam, but here's half way through the process.


It just sucks that my welder is too powerful for that light sheet metal and that I had to stitch it like that.  It's not a perfect flat piece of metal, but it hold the striker on now.


I think I could have done better if I used a 110V welder instead.  On #2 I was burning holes, and on #1 it was just laying surface beads.  I just kept stitching it on #2 and filling the holes as I went.  Would have been nice to have just been able to drop a bead and go, but hey it's just sheet metal. 

[PaulW]

I'm just amazed that I was able to get perfect door seams all the way around.  Not bad for 2 hours worth of work.  The body shop that towed it on me sat quoted me $1100 to repair it. 

[kirksjeep]

Looks Good.

[reptile610]

now how good are those to wheel?

[PaulW]

now how good are those to wheel?

they have ifs, so they're not the greatest in hard core rocks, but i've wheeled a couple of them stock and they will keep up with a stock tj.  i plan on getting a limited slip for the rear so it will do a little better.

[rocket]

I do just fine w/ IFS!

[PaulW]

I do just fine w/ IFS!

i've never really wheeled ifs too hard core, but there's always a first time for everything.

[reptile610]

the toyota is ifs? well then convince roger to get the liberty to wheel.

[PaulW]

the toyota is ifs? well then convince roger to get the liberty to wheel.

nothing wrong with ifs, it just doesn't have articulation in the true sense of the word.  but some competition rock buggies have been made with 4 wheel ifs, and the military uses ifs on the humvees, so it's not all bad.

[BlacXJeep]

the toyota is ifs? well then convince roger to get the liberty to wheel.

nothing wrong with ifs, it just doesn't have articulation in the true sense of the word.  but some competition rock buggies have been made with 4 wheel ifs, and the military uses ifs on the humvees, so it's not all bad.

Humvees get stuck easy, I should know. whoops!

[PaulW]

the toyota is ifs? well then convince roger to get the liberty to wheel.

nothing wrong with ifs, it just doesn't have articulation in the true sense of the word.  but some competition rock buggies have been made with 4 wheel ifs, and the military uses ifs on the humvees, so it's not all bad.

Humvees get stuck easy, I should know. whoops!

and pics of this are where??  i wheeled with one at paragon before, with the exception of the sheer girth, it did pretty well.

[BlacXJeep]

pictures would have been "unauthorized" but it was in the snow in Kyrgyzstan back in 07. It was -40 degrees farenheit also!

[PaulW]

pictures would have been "unauthorized" but it was in the snow in Kyrgyzstan back in 07. It was -40 degrees farenheit also!

dat sucks, das cold.

[phoenix]

I have had 2, an 88 s10 blazer and a 89 s15 jimmy. The 89 was stock, but still did fine on mild stuff, made it thru the easier side of stone gardens with it! (but I lost a r/r window) the 88 had a 3" BL, longer shackles and cranked torsion bars running 32x11.5's it went anywhere I dared to point it! lol they are great trucks if you have more then one person with you and don't get too nuts on stuff. They ride decent, handle decent, get decent milage and the rears flex REAL well. my 88 I sold @ 199,000, and the 89 had about 130,000 when I junked it. (rot and electrical mostly) the 88 liked to eat ft end parts, but I had it cranked as far as it would go.
As for what you can do to a S10?
http://www.whiteknight.ca/

[PaulW]

I have had 2, an 88 s10 blazer and a 89 s15 jimmy. The 89 was stock, but still did fine on mild stuff, made it thru the easier side of stone gardens with it! (but I lost a r/r window) the 88 had a 3" BL, longer shackles and cranked torsion bars running 32x11.5's it went anywhere I dared to point it! lol they are great trucks if you have more then one person with you and don't get too nuts on stuff. They ride decent, handle decent, get decent milage and the rears flex REAL well. my 88 I sold @ 199,000, and the 89 had about 130,000 when I junked it. (rot and electrical mostly) the 88 liked to eat ft end parts, but I had it cranked as far as it would go.
As for what you can do to a S10?
http://www.whiteknight.ca/

mines going to be more of a dd.  and my sami is going to be built to handle anything.  not to say the jimmy won't get wheeled.  i mean it's going to be sitting on swampers