I am new to 4 x 4's, indeed I have never even owned a truck and I am getting 1986 GMC Jimmy given to me. It is the smaller one, not a full size body. I believe its called the "S15" body

It is a one owner truck bought new in 1986 by a family friend, and the guy barely ever drove it. Only has 110,000 Km, which is like 70k miles and its mint condition. I think it is 4.3L engine or something, I'm not ever sure.

Basically what I want to ask is can this truck be used for 4x4'ing and what would I need to do to it? I'm taking the truck just to use for my outdoor activities but I figure since its free I'd be willing to spend a little money on it and have some fun taking it off-road.

The main thing I want is big tires, can I just put them on without anything else? Also are these trucks reliable, is it even a good truck for 4x4'ing? The truck looks like an antique which is kinda cool but are there any kind of neat touches I could put on it to make it look better?

I don't even know what else to ask so any advice, or info would be appreciated.

Cheers

I'm in a good mood this morning. I just finished making some beer, having a cup of coffee, and I went to Harbor Freight yesterday. All of this and the fact that I am no expert myself.

Sure you can use it. Many people like vehicles that are not full sized cause they fit in tighter spots.

This is what you are going to get told by everyone: Take some time a fart around the website. Not like 30minutes, but like 6 weeks. Read everything you see and go through some of the buildup threads. This will give you an idea of what people do to 4x4 to make them better and it WILL apply to any vehicle.

My simple advice (and it took me a lok of years to finally listen to this) is not to jump into buying engines, and axles, and some dice valve stem caps before you even wheel the thing.

The absolute first thing you should do when asking "can this truck be used for 4x4'ing and what would I need to do to it?" is go out and find out for your 'fing self. If you break it, fix it. Read up on what broke and read on how to make it work better.

I know, you're thinking "OMG, ... break it, I just got it". Get over it. It's a 1986 Jimmy shit box. Your not going to Barret Jackson anytime soon with it. Not saying go out in the driveway and kick in all to door panels for fun. But if you want to have fun in it you have to get over it. If you can't do that, go 4x4ing as you wish, but it won't be nearly as fun.

IIRC the 4.3 didn't come out until later, 86 was probably still the 2.8L. My parents had one, I think it was 85 or 86, still carb'ed then. My first truck was an 88 s10 truck tbi 2.5L.

The main thing I want is big tires, can I just put them on without anything else? Also are these trucks reliable, is it even a good truck for 4x4'ing? The truck looks like an antique which is kinda cool but are there any kind of neat touches I could put on it to make it look better?


s10s are great little suv's but the front axles cant handle that much abuse. if you say the truck is nice and you really dont want to mess it up. maybe throw a 2inch body lift under it and some 31 inch tires and call it a day.

i had a 85 s10 with 33 12.50 tires i kinda built as a joke. it was able to get around offroad but was breaking cv joints (front axle shafts) left and right. almost every time i turned the wheel past half a turn they would break.

at the same time i had a nice 83 with 235/75 tires and would occasionally take that offroad and never had any problems with it. biggest weak link like i said is that IFS front axle.

A lot depends on how you want to use the truck, and how hard you're going to beat it up. Best plan is to decide what you're willing to spend, and what type of wheeling you plan on, then search this place for others painful experience. There is a wealth of knowledge & expertise on this site.
use the SEARCH button, and take your time. keep us posted.
Good luck, JD

From my observation, while wheeling with a friend with a Blazer, is the front axle assembly is weak. It didn't take much rock crawling before the whole center section fell half way out of the truck. And my friend is easy on his stuff.
His Blazer, an '88, has a little more room in it than my XJ. Meaning he can stretch out, if he chooses to sleep inside. I have to "scrunch up" a little, and I'm only 5-11!
His blazer has evolved significantly over the years, and has become quite capable in all terrains.
His first move was to replace the front and rear axles--'44 in the front and a '60 in the rear; he now runs 35" tires, and an Chevy LT1 (350)--he's never broken an axle since the swaps.

the good thing about these trucks is there is a TON of aftermarket for them. the s series trucks are famous street trucks that people drop tons of money into to go fast. they lack offroad support tho. your biggest drawback is the little v6 thats in it. they are famous for having oil leaks at their major engine gaskets and seals. no big deal tho. check it out and replace what you need too. then get a body lift like said above and 30" tires. go out and have some fun and take it easy. all the while look all over this website. id recomend not so much looking in the chevy forum. but look in the toyota forum at builds and the jeep forums. you will learn more about 4x4s in thoes sections than in any other brand specific section. look for solid axle swap threads, dual transfer cases, twinsticks, axles, motor tech, body armor (skidplates bumpers sliders), ect. learn whats capable of what before you go spending money on it. like the axles in your blazer are garbage. dana 44s cant handle over 35" tires under extreme conditions. your motor has a reputation for leaking oil, and a general knowlege of 4 wheel drive, suspension componets, and steering components. get some offroad magazines. they are good to start with. they will never teach you as in depth as this site can, but they are good to learn basics that people dont talk about here because everyone already knows them. and btw, GM makes chevys and gmcs. a jimmy is the same as a blazer, and an s10 is a sonoma

and stay cheap. go buy a set of 4 used fullsized truck tires to wheel with. not big money on deep treaded knobbie offroad tires. and just wheel when its dry so you dont get stuck. you can learn what your truck can and cant handle so you know what needs improving. all the while, 4 used tires and a body lift is as dirt cheap as it gets

Ive also heard the t-cases are junk in these things too?

I beleive it was Four Wheeler that asked "are these things actually 4 wheelers?"

Front end is very weak as are the shafts. The 2.8 came from the factory with a rod through the block as standard equipment and the cat is right next to the juicebox, which fries the tranny in no time flat. They were also mocking the aluminum chain-drive TC because of the high breakage rate.

but, like every other vehicle out there, "it's only steel". You can mix and match, put a straight axle D44F under it, a Dana 20 0r 300 TC and another
D44 in the rear and have a happy little truck. Then all you have to do is dump the 2.8 for a 4.3. Just don't expect the factory issue stuff to survive rock-crawling, snow plowing or mud bogs.

Big tires will rub, will nuke your CV joints and contribute to a rapid demise of other not-so-hard parts. Look for charts that show what will fit under it and bear in mind that you want your engire RPM in the middle of your power band while driving down the freeway in top gear. Think like
9.50X31X15 tops on that and that is iffy.