Chevy Blazer vs. Ford Bronco

It all depends on the level of "emp proof".
Are we talking like a lightning strike, cme, a high stratosphere or mid mesosphere tatical fission bomb detonation that fries everything on the ground over a pretty limited area or a mid thermosphere fusion device detonation that takes out the power grid and anything connected to it over most of North America, fries most of the satellites, damaging unshield electrics, damages battery powered electronics with large antennas and jams all radio communications for hours?

The only blazer that would be some what emp proof would be one with a 6.2L diesel engine. The last year those were made I believe was 1989 or 1990, some where in there.
There were 6.5l diesels with a first generation electronic controlled injection pump but trust me you don't want to mess with those.
A mid 90's blazer with electric 6.5 down graded to late 80s injector pump tech is possible and often done.

 

I had never heard of those. I looked them up and they are very much like the Blazer and Bronco. I found these old ads for the Trailduster. They have a beverage compartment between the seats. Now a days they do not make the arm rest area as big.

 

Don't forget the XJ Jeep Cherokees with a 16 year production run. A tad smaller, but a very tight turning radius, easy to work on, many parts fit across several years, and the I6 is bullet proof. Lots of aftermarket parts as they are still popular with the off road crowd. Wish I still had my last one.

 

I used to have a 1986 ford bronco when I still lived in the US.
Pretty good right up to the point where it slammed the rods right though the bottom of the engine dumping 5 quarts of oil while doing 60mph down the freeway. And yes I do mean through. Instant terminal

Saying that if I coulda gotten one and had the money to rebuild it properly I woulda gotten another but thats around the time I moved over here.

 

Yep, the Ramcharger's huge between-seats compartment is HUGE! It could hold a decent GHB.
Mine had the fixed steel roof, but the rear lift door is fiberglass. The rear seat folded forwards to give more cargo space. The Chrysler V8 is darned near indestructible too.
This pic is a ringer for mine, except mine wasn't lifted.

 

Oh yeah, seen a Chrysler product fried by lighting, Even bent the antenna 90 degrees

 

A lightning strike can induce a few volts in to systems where actual lightning strike current never reaches.
If this is the case don't expect it to survive any kind of man made emp with out issues.

 

Has anyone mentioned a Dodge Power Wagon? Think "Simon & Simon Investigations". While I always pictured most Dodge trucks as being more of a light duty vehicle, the Power Wagon was an exception.

 

Nice truck, but the OP is about SWB vehicles.

 

While short-wheel based trucks were shown in the OP, I think MM was more concerned about her options being EMP hardened. Of course, I could be mistaken here.

 

We have had two. One got totaled and the current one is a tank. They are great in snow, with high clearance and solid in the snow. And easy to fix, the perfect teen vehicle. The only issues are the notorious oil leaks and no place to put a full spare tire. Spare tire either has to go in the back or stapped to the roof. We have the spare on the roof.

 

That's how a Jeep marks it's territory.

 

I prefer the Ramcharger over the rest. I still have an 85 I may decide to build. Don't bother with the Plymouth Trailduster, same truck and just as good as the Ramcharger, but super rare and not worth the extra $$$ for the name.

The Dodge, Ford, or Chevy can all be built with the older easier to fix, electrical systems. The only catch to that is of you have mandatory vehicle inspections in your state, that could cause problems.

The advice of a car junky would be to choose the most complete and RUST FREE truck that he can afford. Most of the major parts can be found as reproductions, it is the little stuff that will drive you crazy tracking down decent used out of production not reproduced parts.

 

Are there still a lot of You-Pull-It type junk yards in the US? I wonder what kind of parts supply is still available for trucks that old, nowadays?

 

Yes there's a ton of these places . Sometimes finding smaller parts there are hard to find , those places draw a pretty good crowd and their vehicles get picked over pretty quick.