1971 Chevrolet K5 Blazer

1971 Chevrolet Blazer Description

The weather finally cooperated and as promised I have added a full 24 photos!
1971 Chevrolet K5 Blazer
I have owned this Blazer for a couple of years and I knew the previous owner who had it a similar amount of time. Based on the dates on some of the parts it appears it was built/restored about 8 years ago. All parts are top shelf items. He and I owned it when it had a different engine and I drove it that way for approximately 500 miles.
The Blazer had a few minor issues that I worked out but it never really ran right and I eventually lost interest and parked it in my enclosed storage unit. I finally decided to face it head on so I removed the engine and had its current powerplant built at my favorite local engine shop, then installed it. It turns out the old engine was, in fact, wounded. Owens had all the components around to build me an appropriate "period" BBC so that's what I chose.
Please note: Believe it or not, the engine that was removed was a Merlin 598" BBC with Lunati crank and lots and lots of shiny parts! Look for it for sale here as soon as Owens freshens it up!
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First the BAD: The paint job was obviously geared toward daily driving and off road fun, not winning shows. The panel gaps are not great and the original deli mustard yellow paint shows through in places where some rubbing occurs, and on the dash and door panels due to poor preparation. Both front seats had a couple of small tears and I didn't want them to get worse, so I covered them with some parts store seat covers and they look quite good. Some of the light bezels and trim pieces would look better if they were brand new, but they work.
EXTERIOR:
As noted, the paint is shiny with several imperfections, but is by no means a "bad" paint job. Any minor rust was addressed when it was rebuilt as can be seen when you crawl around it. There is no rust-through evidence and no current rust issues. The chrome bumpers, grill, trim and glass are all good, as is the weatherstripping. It appears most of it was replaced at the time.
It wears a Softopper "convertible" top with multiple configurations possible. It is free of wear or tears and the plastic in all of its windows is unscratched, clear and pliable. This truck has never been stored outdoors since I've known it.
It has a receiver hitch and trailer wiring. There is a high lift jack bolted down in the cargo area.
INTERIOR:
The front seats are Bestop buckets with headrests in a gray fabric. They have heavy bolsters, are very comfortable and use the factory style lap belts. They are manually adjustable for rake. The back seat appears to be the original, which folds forward and is removable. It wears the same type cover as the fronts. The carpet is gray and mostly clean with only minor discoloration in places. It has a nice set of black floor mats for the front.
The door panels are covered in a gray material similar to the original seat material, with factory arm rests that show some wear. The metal parts are scuffed and show original yellow in places. The rest of the interior is fully upholstered or carpeted, even the tailgate. It has what looks like a Grant steering wheel but I can't be sure. It has no cracks and shows minimal signs of wear.
The dash top is free of cracks. The dash itself features twin, ball-milled, polished aluminum panels. The driver's side is filled with Autometer Carbon Fiber Ultra Lite gauges for fuel, volts, oil pressure, water temp, tach and speedometer. My mileage figure is derived from the reading on the digital speedo/odo and I believe it to be the distance this truck has traveled since its major rebuild. The passenger faces a billet glove box door with a large Chevy bow tie. In the middle is a custom polished aluminum panel to house the head unit. It also covers some damage from a previous hack job attempt to install a stereo.
This truck has the original style Vintage Air HVAC system, that is to say the system that utilizes the factory control panel and cables. I don't know if this was a factory A/C truck but it has the OE style center vent and corner vents along with the OE A/C control panel. All ducts are properly attached and the system has a brand new blower switch from Classic Industries. Everything operates as it should and it blows cold.
ELECTRICAL/STEREO:
It has a complete, modern wiring harness with extra circuits in the box, modern fuses and all the relays for fans, A/C and all that stuff that draws big amps. I honestly don't know the brand but it looks like it might be American Autowire. It's obviously a quality kit. Everything electrical works as it should including lights, lamps, signals, fans, etc.
The head unit is a Pioneer DIVX Mixtrax (whatever that is!) with Bluetooth and a 3" x 5-1/2" touchscreen. I imagine this was cutting edge at the time of the build and is still relevant today. It pairs with your phone for hands free calling with a microphone near the driver's A/C vent. It has adapters in the glove box for USB and the old style iPhone plug. I have not tried all these features and would probably need an instruction manual anyway. However, I do know it works on FM and AM and that it gets really loud!
Under the driver seat is a Memphis Audio MRA4.480 480 Watt amp that powers a Memphis Audio 12" subwoofer viaa Planet Audio subwoofer volume control under the dash. The sub is behind the rear seat in a custom carpeted enclosure. Thepassenger sits on a Planet Audio Anarchy Series AC1500.1M 1500 Watt Monoblock amp to power the system. There is a Memphis Audio speaker in each front door and 2 more behind the seats.
NOW THE GOOD STUFF!!!
ENGINE/COOLING/TRANS:
This truck has a freshly rebuilt mid-70's vintage Chevy 454. It was built by Owens Racing Engines in Pearland, TX and went through all the machining processes prior to assembly. It was bored .030" for a displacement of 468 cubic inches, has a pump gas friendly compression ratio and an "RV" cam for lots of low end power. It has a brand new Quick Fuel Technology Slayer Series 600 VS carb. This engine combo made 415 HP and 450 TQ on Owens' dyno. It has test and tune miles only...50 or less. All pulleys were blasted and painted and it wears a set of Alan Grove Components brackets for the compressor, alternator and brand new Saginaw Type II power steering pump with remote reservoir.
It has a massive Flex-A-Lite radiator with a nice shroud and twin 14" electric fans of unknown brand. The temp gauge read about 165 for a long time and then it levels off at 180. It WILL NOT go past that. At first I always anticipated it would over heat because...it's a big block. It hasn't and doesn't.
It has a brand new MSD Pro Billet distributor with vacuum advance, MSD Digital 6 Plus box and MSD Blaster II HVC coil with MSD wires. It's powered by a brand new Optima Red Top battery.
It runs smooth but has that Big Block rumble. It has a dedicated oil cooler. It's running a little rich right now and that's exactly how I want it while the engine is brand new. It's still running on the break-in oil and if I were to keep it, I would lean the carb out at its first oil change.
I reused the Doug's ceramic coated headers that were in the truck. They go to a true dual 2-1/2" diameter system with aluminized pipes. Mufflers are Dynomax Ultra Flo's and make a nice sound...not too quiet but not obnoxious! At one time this truck had Quick Time Performance electronic exhaust cutouts. When my friend bought it, one of the motors had apparently failed and had been removed. I removed the other one and will include it with the truck. The wiring is all still there and the control module is behind the glove box, but I just put old school cutout covers in their place. If you want to go loud you just need to remove 6 bolts.
It is mated to a built Turbo 400 with shift improver kit and a cooler plumbed in. It shifts firm but not harsh.
Neither engine nor trans has one single drip!
STEERING/BRAKES:
Starting with the original GM non-tilt steering column, next is a Saginaw power steering box with the earlier-mentioned late model style power steering pump. From there it runs to a dedicated cooler and a remote reservoir since the power steering fluid does double duty as the "brake booster".
It has a Corvette-style dual master cylinder mated to a Hydra Tech brake system which takes the place of a traditional vacuum booster. This is my first experience with this and I like it. The discs are the popular and inexpensive 11" GM discs with Corvette-style dual piston calipers FRONT and REAR!
DRIVETRAIN:
Behind the trans is a New Process NP 205 transfer case and custom driveshaft with slip yoke. The knuckles are oversized for big U-joints.
The big deals here are the axles and housings. They are Dynatrac and although I can't find any numbers on them, I talked to their tech department and we believe them to be their Pro Rock 60 model, FRONT and REAR. They are "copies" of the bulletproof Dana 60 axles. They have the big knuckles, high pinion, etc. Please go to their website and read up on these! And look at the price! They are filled with Dynatrac axles and 4.10:1 gears. The axles are 8-lug front and rear with 6.5" bolt spacing, and locking Warn hubs in front.
In high gear the Blazer can easily maintain highway speeds but, of course, the revs are a little higher than in your current daily driver. I would recommend you get a Texaco card. With the engine, trans, gears and tires, this thing will pass everything on the road except a gas station!
SUSPENSION:
The truck gets its extra 4" of altitude from a complete Superlift leaf spring suspension system, not stock springs and blocks. It has dual Rancho steering stabilizers, dual Rancho RS9000 shocks in front and adjustable, single Rancho RS9000's in the rear. It rides smooth but firm and has zero lean in the turns. I'm not saying it's sporty by any means but it has a surprisingly modern feel to it.
WHEELS/TIRES:
Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ's in size LT315 75R16 front and rear. They have maybe 40% tread left but you judge for yourself from the photos. Wheels are polished aluminum Raceline 888's in 16"x10" size all around. They could use a little more polishing as they have minor blemishes from road use and brake dust. Structurally they are perfect with no dings, dents or curb rash.
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Thanks for reading all this! I want to be thorough but more importantly, I want to really emphasize all the important and expensive parts that set mine apart from the rest. A Blazer that is in stock or slightly modified condition similar in price to mine is not a fair comparison. This Blazer is highly modified and aimed toward off road performance versus one built strictly for street use with an occasional jaunt down a trail.
BUT...it has all the ingredients to be a daily driver! If you've come this far you're macho enough to make that happen. And, you know the value - in quality and dollars - of all the parts.
That other Blazer you're looking at for similar money? It probably beats mine on fit and finish, I know. I've also seen better interiors than mine and my tires are older than yours. But see if it matches up on these bullet points and decide if show-quality paint is still a big deal for you.
- This one's complete, turn key, runs great, has a clear title and is street legal right now!- My wiring and all its related components are modern and reliable and designed to handle all the modern accessories on this truck.- Its motor is BRAND NEW and runs perfect...and it's a big block. - Its ignition and cooling systems are far superior to stock, as is its modern A/C system (IF yours even has A/C).- The axles, brakes and suspension are way better and beefier than stock and allow it to easily outperform "original" Blazers off road, but are sophisticated and modern enough to make it very comfortable on the road.- Mine is a complete, cohesive package that uses well engineered, high quality parts and needs nothing.
Add up a few of the major parts and factor in lots of labor. You'll see I'm asking about half the price of their cost. It's also obvious that there's no way a comparable truck could be built for what I'm asking.
My price is firm and there is not a lot of wiggle room between Buy It Now and my reserve price. Don't make me keep it!
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All normal disclaimers apply here. If I wanted a bunch of drama I would have listed this on that other guy's list! Please don't bid if you don't have the money. And please don't stop by to let me know your opinion on this or that. It will cost you a bid to tell me I'm too high and I'll never sell it.
I will sell to the USA only and I will only accept cash in person or payment via PayPal. That's it. The truck will not leave here until the funds clear. I will help with shipping and could potentially be persuaded to deliver it in the Houston area.
Do feel free to contact me here to ask any questions. I like to post the Q&A so others can see. If you want more pix I can do that, too.

On Aug-31-16 at 14:30:58 PDT, seller added the following information:

I neglected to mention that I reserve the right to end the auction early. The truck is for sale locally. I have been offered an interesting deal for cash and a partial trade which I am considering. I prefer to wait until the auction ends as I would rather have the full amount in cash, but the lack of bids here makes me give it some thought.