1972 Chevy Blazer K5: Off-Road SUV Time Warp
Keep your crossovers, America. A full-size, body-on-frame Chevy Blazer is what we really want.
At the moment, we’re enjoying a bit of an off-road renaissance. With excellent products like the Chevy Colorado ZR2 leading the way, of course. Heck, we might even see a new Chevy Blazer at some point in the near future. Sadly, it probably won’t look anything like this incredible K5. And that’s truly a shame. Because the full-size ’70s Blazers are, for lack of a better word, awesome.
Really, what more could you want? Four wheel drive, V8 power, and space for your friends and gear in the back. If the weather’s good, yank off the removable top before you head out. And no matter what gets in your way, chances are your vintage Chevy Blazer can handle it. Waxing poetic about the good old days is enough to get us all teary eyed.
But you can still enjoy the goodness that is the K5 Blazer today. Just pick up a stellar, restored example like this 1972 Chevy Blazer that we initially spotted over at Vanguard Auto Sales. With the legendary 350 under the hood and a Muncie 4-speed, you won’t have to worry about reliability. And a 3.73 geared Dana 44 rear end is there to give you the low end grunt without sacrificing highway comfort.
Most everything else is pretty darn original yet fresh as a spring daisy following a frame off restoration. Well except for the Rally wheels and 33″ BF Goodrich All-Terrains. But we’re not exactly concours judges here, and we won’t deduct any points for that. In fact, we prefer the upgraded rolling stock to the skinny originals.
So keep your car-like crossovers, America. We prefer to live in a world where SUVs are trucks. Tough, reliable trucks that could traverse any terrain. And look darn good doing it, too.
