My husband, Ed, has worked hard his entire life, and at age 81 in 2021 he is still working part time. In 1971 we bought a new Blazer. Ed mounted a Western snowplow on it and started to plow. In 1975, in addition to the front plow, he also innovated a way to mount a rear plow. This worked extremely well for plowing driveways and loading docks. For 37 winters, he plowed with the same Blazer and finally retired his plowing business in 2008.
In 2016, Ed started the restoration, keeping it as “original” as possible. Piece by piece, he took the Blazer apart down to the frame, had it sand blasted – and then the real work began. He carefully re-assembled and refitted the body and other parts (replacing old with new when needed). Some of the wiring and all of the fuel/ brake lines needed to be replaced (including master cylinder, booster, and radiator). He replaced wheel cylinders, steering components, all rubber seals, etc. He painted the interior and exterior (no bed liner used). Most of the knobs and fixtures were in good condition and able to be reused. Only the front bucket seats needed to be re-upholstered since the back seat was still in great condition. Lastly, among the other numerous finishing touches, he flushed and recharged the air conditioner, adding a new compressor.
I am very proud of him for taking on that huge project at 76 years old.
He has gotten many ideas from watching your show, so I would like to thank you for giving Ed encouragement to do this project himself. At the age of 79, Ed finished the restoration. We took the 1971 Blazer to its first car show in August of 2019, and to our surprise, he was awarded the Mayor’s Choice award. We were happy to know that so many others enjoyed seeing the fruits of his labor!
It would be a dream-come-true for Ed to hear about his restoration on Gearz (What Are You Workin’ on?). When you tell your fans that it is NEVER too late to work on your project and make their dreams come true – we agree 100%! Please, keep encouraging people (like Ed), and inspiring them to work on their projects too!
Thank you,
Betty and Ed Smith
PS: Now at age 81, Ed is hoping to restore another 1970 Blazer, to create a “twin” for me. Thank you for taking the time to read our story.
