You Chose a Blazer/Jimmy - WHY?

[Otsa580]

When I was growing up my dad would have 3-4 Chevy/GMC trucks or Blazers at a time. He would sink money into them then lose his butt when he sold or traded them for his next new toy. (He was not mechanically inclined just like me and pay the mechanic) I always loved the 69-72 Blazers and Trucks that he had. I think they were his favorites as well.

He bought a 69 blazer when I was in high school and I had to have it. I think I paid something like 400 dollars for it and some trading. I think he paid close to 5k in 1999 or so. Now my blazer sits at my moms house waiting for me to buy it a house to park it in. I live 4 hrs away.

I'm 6'4" and have a heck of a time getting comfortable in a 67-72 pickup. My knees tend to hit the dash. I have tons of room driving a Blazer!

[draggin37]

Growing up i used to sleep on the rubber floor matt in front of the rear seat of my dads 72 K5 4x daily driver. He bought it in 78 (3 years before i was born) and drove it day in and day out till he bought a '01 Tahoe in 2002. Maybe it was the fact that he could no longer get in through the drivers door. Blazers just stuck with me, their sound, their smell, not to mention there one of the best lookin chev trucks around! Oh yeah..i now have that same blazer in the back yard.

[70k5pk]

[/I]I am redoing a 70 K5 4X4 my grandfather bought new to use on his ranch. We moved it to a lake house we had but sold in 2002. I wanted to keep the Blazer and redo it because it is the same year I graduated high school. It only has 28465 miles. I have am doing a complete and it should be running in a few weeks. I put a crate 350 and complete interior. I picked a Porsche Red instead of using the orange red that was original. I did not know there was this many people out there with these vehicles. It is pretty cool.

[Erik V]

hmm, this thread is pretty stale, maybe its my turn:

In the late 60's my dad was getting out of stock car racing (pit crew west coast stuff, not Nascar), and growing up on a farm he wanted to give offroading a try. His dad was a Ford guy, his brother's various Ford/Chevy guys, so he ventured slightly out of the mold and special ordered his 71 Jimmy 350/350/205/3.73 blue/black CST. In its first year of life the top came off and he was racing it, trail running it, daily driving it etc.

When it was barely 2 years old Dad slid through an icey intersection and was Tboned. The Jimmy was a total, but with the new body style on the lots the insurance company couldnt replace the 71 with even a 72, so Dad paid himself to rebuild it (worked at a body shop at that time). The driver floorboard still bares the wrinkles.

It had a frame swap with a short wide pickup for a while and became a lowered tow vehicle (wierd how the blue Jimmy towed its own frame-now pickup'ed to the races) until the racetruck was rolled, scrapped, and the Jimmy went back into 4X4 duty once again. A new racetruck was built (68 super short wide GMC) and while towing it when I was one and a half, we jackknifed in bad weather, beating up BOTH quarters a bit, but none the worse for wear.

Dad daily drove it forever-my parents were married and it was the getaway car-when I got my Eagle Scout in the mid to late 90's it was my present. Its seen better days, and I regret parking it in the shed at Dad's house in 99 when I started college and figured out I couldnt afford the fuel.

It'll be a shame when we swap the slightly rusted tub for a 72 Jimmy tub with factory A/C, all those bends, twists, and memories will only live in the scrap book albums. ...but I cant wait for that day to come. Right now my priority is getting it out of the back of the barn and usable again.

Erik

from summer of 96, trip to Surrey, BC:


as Dad daily drove it, circa 1985 with the original soft top (top pic is a Bestop):


I still need to get Dad's box of pictures and albums. There is some great early 70's action shots of the Jimmy.

edit: sorry for blurryness, I have no scanner and these are digipics of actual photographs. When I get Dad's photos, I'll see if my sister will do some scanning for me.

[Yukon Jack]

Cool story behind your Blazer Erik!

[Erik V]

picking up the now ex g/f to go to the HS formals.

learning how to hold onto the rollbar while sitting on the cold wheel well and trying to kick my sister who was doing the same thing right across from me (from about 6-10 years old)

driving it to Camp Meriwether for Summercamp staffing one summer, Sand Lake duning on the weekends (note the passenger side door caved in on my top pic).

One of my alltime favorites, pouring stale drinks through the hole in the floor where the twin stick levers used to come up (at some point Dad had that setup in there). If the passenger was bored, you could watch the road through the 3"X3" ish hole cut just next to the tunnel on the passenger side.

Oh, another fav: driving it in freezing rain/snow for the first time. Its locked up front, and factory posi out back. We put cable chains on the front, and Dad said take corners slow. At around 20mph mid corner the back end started coming around, I turned into the skid, and with NO engine rpm change at all, I was going back the way I came with no speed loss. Did it twice that day. I much prefer my Subaru's AWD system in the nasty stuff, something about the locker front kinda kicking one's @#*! in the icey stuff.

OK, last one: my mom met my dad when he was racing the Jimmy. He tricked her into racing it when they were dating. One of the obstacle courses she tagged a tree with the passenger side mirror, didnt dent the Sport housing, but shattered the glass. That was around 1975. It stayed that way until I got the truck, and I had a glass shop make a new mirror for it. The week after the glue had cured and the masking tape was pulled off, I hit a mailbox on the way to Prom with my parents right behind me. Now when I say I hit a mailbox, what I mean is that the box hung over the road, I was reaching down for a cassette off the floor, I didnt even leave the pavement but the mailbox exploded and pieces went flying. Point of all this: the mirror then looked almost identical to how it did back in the mid 70's=outer edges of broken glass, the Sport housing still fully intact and unharmed.

OK, sorry gang, I'll stop coming up with more stories.

The original reason for getting the Jimmy was because I wanted a cool car to drive to HS. Why not have one that can haul 4 people, pull anything, drive any season in any weather and do well at it. This time around I'm trying to find most of those same reasons, plus a couple dogs, the girlfriend and her 3 year old, and get me back into an old car for summer car shows. Why not also utilize the convertable'ness that is gen1 and early gen2 Blazer/Jimmy?

Erik

[Rochlow]

I was really into the mini truck scene in the late 80s and early 90s. Back when it was popular to make them convertibles. Wanted one every since, but never had the guts to cut the roof on one.

Now with two kids and a wife I need more room and still wanted the removable roof.. Best of both worlds.. Now I just have finish it and drive it..

[vtblazer]

Originally Posted by Rochlow

I was really into the mini truck scene in the late 80s and early 90s. Back when it was popular to make them convertibles. Wanted one every since, but never had the guts to cut the roof on one.

Now with two kids and a wife I need more room and still wanted the removable roof.. Best of both worlds.. Now I just have finish it and drive it..

So, how is the rad ride comin' along anyway?

[Rochlow]

Originally Posted by vtblazer

So, how is the rad ride comin' along anyway?

It's coming along slowly.. fit the doors, got the radiator support put on, test fit the fenders.. Next month I want to make a run at it to see how much I can get done..

[BOHICA]

Bump!

[wildearp]

I always wanted one for the fully removeable top. I had everything go wrong with the build that you could imagine. Eventually I got it together and sold it after driving it a year. It lost its appeal after all the headache.

I built a 70 4x4 with a 4" lift, front disc brake conversion, 40 gallon tank, sidewinder winch, full inside Linex, 472" BBC.

[4oldcars]

Leg room that you just can't get in a pick up. (67-72's)

[NuBomb]

I'd never seen or paid attention to a first gen blazer before I saw the one I bought. It belonged to my wife's uncle. During a Holiday meal I told him that if ever wanted to sell it to let me know. A year or so later he offered it to me. I over paid a little, but I have owned it for more than 10 years. I've never owned a vehicle that long, and I don't plan on getting rid of it any time soon.

[72clifblazer]

Started as Dodge fan dad had Fords so no way it was the 70s. than found rust was A BIG PROBLEM with the Dodges so what do you do get a Camaro 80tys model rattle trap got a deal on it so sold it and found a Monte drove it hard ended up totaling it out found a beat up Chevlle and put most of the parts in it sold it and got 67-72 than another one and a 4x4 lwb than we were hanging around creeks down south mo seen a lot of short 4x4 said to my self got to get a blazer so I would stop banging off trees took top off and was HOOKED

[1tuff71]

I think I fit in with a lot of other guys here. I too thought of another hot rod i.e. Z/28 or SS BB Chevelle but I had a 78 Blazer that I just loved with all the goddies on it lifted big tires etc. but always love the 1st gen trucks and wanted something that was again lifted big tires bla bla bla so I sold my totally custom lifted big tires 10 shocks 4 Runner and picked this baby up. All I planned to do was add a lift and some tires and well the rest is history. Love it. 5 miles to the gal. and all LOL

[Senorx]

Our neighbor had an orange with white top 72 K5 Blazer. He is the original owner. I fell in love with it at a very young age and wanted one since. It was back in the early 80s. I just love the lines of 69-72 First Gen K5s. I went back home for the holidays and the K5 is still in the neighbor's drive way. Next time ill take some pics. She is well taken care of and holding up well. His daughter wanted the K5 and he refused to sell it. LOL. She went out and bought a 71 K5 of her own.

[Blazer690]

In 1978 I was working construction out of an "65 el camino everything got wet. I did'nt want a van, they seemed big. I stumbled on a 2wd blazer out of the LA Times. I had to borrow some of the $2000 from a friend. Stick shift, no p/s, no radio, no back seat, ocra, black top, spare mounted behind the drivers seat,and AIR. Odd combo but never looked back. Now it's my weekend driver, all white, lowered, tilt, tac, air pressure gauge (for the air shocks)427out of my dead boat,400 turbo, 3.70 posi, single wall top, with 33x12.50x15-8's on mini lites in the rear and 31x10.00x15-7's on the front. Love my Blazer, Tom

[Blazer690]

first one 1980 or so at pismo. Second one 1990's at work with my new rack. Third one 2014 pushing our race car

[GuyO]

OK, I'll chime in. It wasn't really my idea. We had just finished a SWB for my oldest son and his little brother asked me, quite innocently if he would have a truck as nice as his brothers someday. So my buddy said, build Ry a Blazer! So I did! He has been learning to drive in it and will be ready for his test soon.

[tristan]

A friend of a friend had a 1973-75 and I always remembered him driving it around with the top off. A couple of years ago I got interested in collectible cars again after going 20 years without one. I somehow learned about Blazers and Jimmys and began to research them. The combination of full convertibility and the rugged but classic styling sold me. I find it very cool that the 69-72s were the first truly modern SUVs. I also thought, and still do, that these vehicles are underpriced in today's market and have a lot of upside once they are more widely recognized for their various virtues.

[scorn908]

well after reading this thread i realized why i wanted one and bought mine. The simple fact is that they are awesome. im 14 and bought my 71 in october of 2014 and i learned how to drive a 3 speed and i have learned so much about K5's after being around 4x2 cars my whole life. currently i am taking drivers education and there is something missing compared to my K5. i cant wait until mine gets finished and i get to drive it everyday

[1mrtimk]

I remember the Scout adds in Dad's farm magazines when I was about 12, my brother-in-law bought a new 74 CJ 5 when I was 13 I new I had to have something 4 wheel drive and convertible. I drove dad's 70 C10 until I was 18 when I spotted a black 72 Blazer on a local car lot. I went in to make the deal only to find out it had been sold earlier that day, 1 day on the lot. I watched the owner drive it for a year before it went up for sale, again 1 day and it was sold. I was the lucky 1 this time and 36 years later I am still the lucky owner.

[fourspeedwagon]

Here's the one I had 20 something years ago. I remember taking my now wife out for ice cream on one of our first dates. A nice drive up the Yakima river canyon to Ellensburg with the roof removed. It was a 72 with AC ps pdb tilt, etc. Ive missed it since the moment I sold it but it made the down payment on our first house.
I just finished a 39 ford pickup hot rod and now realize it's not that fun to not be able to take my wife and kids with me.
Going to pick up another tomorrow!

[chad75]

Well it actually started in 72, In a blue CST K5 on my ride home from the hospital Always loved my Dads K5 and always wanted one growing up. Looked for years for a good deal built several other cars first a 1959 Volkswagen Kombi, a 1955 Chevrolet Delray, a 1984 K5. Until finally I came across a guy selling the 72 Jimmy I have now. Worked a trade for a Teryx and the rest is history. Love the thing so far, and My Little girls love it too

[joea307]

Well for me people wonder why I like the blazer so much. I like the first gen so much because it has a classic look compared to the squarebody blazer ,the first gen I can do tons with it, i can raise it, lower it, have it 4wd or 2wd,i can put a half cab on it, put a camper, topless put a top on it,have no back seat,its just versatile.The deal is I've always liked them since I was about 3(was brought home in one also, grew up around them when I was younger).My dad had a 82 with a four wheel camper he owned a 72 blazer from 74-76 a 76 blazer from 76-84,a 82 from 84-93 and a 90 from 93-98 and has owned 4 tahoes since then all new or used. I always liked blazers and trucks, I thought when I was young the first gens always looked different than the square bodys and I liked that(I was about 8 by them).I didn't really start getting into them again till I was about 19 but had money for a 67 c10.When my c10 had problems I bought my 71 blazer with four wheel pop up camper in 2012.now I own my 71 and 72 with a top on it and i'm tring to keep it numbers matching original and on the 71 custom.