(first posted 4/8/2015) It was a major aha! moment when the Chevrolet K5 Blazer appeared in 1969. Probably most of all for International and Ford, who had invested in unique 4×4 vehicles that were substantially more compact than the Blazer, which was nothing more than a shortened full-size pickup. Jeez; why didn’t we think of that! We could have saved a bundle on our Scout and Bronco. Ford soon enough followed suit and International eventually just dropped out.
It was also a bit of a sad moment, as it seemed sort of like cheating, and took away from the mystique of dedicated off-road capable 4x4s. But it was a highly pragmatic move on GM’s part, and a well-timed one, as the SUV off-roader boom was just about to explode. And the Blazer would ride that wave to huge popularity and profits for its maker.
It’s a wave that long ago flattened out and morphed into something altogether different. Some folks still call vehicles like the Lexus RX across the street an ‘SUV’. I wouldn’t, as the RX pioneered and typifies the modern ultra-soft CUV. But a there’s no denying that there is a clear link from the Blazer to the Lexus.
Ironically, Chevrolet was touting the new Blazer as a “car/truck combination”, which is also the definition of “crossover”. Given how utterly trucky these were, that really is a stretch. But it typifies the marketing strategy to sell these as such, a precursor of the move by Americans to adopt trucks as a legitimate replacement for their sedans. Trucks were quickly becoming cool, and their off-road capability was an important part of the equation, at least in perception. The Blazer was not primarily being marketed to the existing cadre of hard core off-roaders; it was luring folks out of their station wagons and such. And by 1970, the Blazer was already outselling all the dedicated 4x4s (Jeep, Bronco, Scout). No wonder Ford (and Dodge) soon got on the full-size SUV gravy train, and poor International got left behind, with a lengthened Scout that didn’t quite cut it.
The serious off-road market turned out to be a bit smaller than anticipated, and Scouts and gen1 Broncos didn’t really sell in real quantities. But the K/5 Blazer was the breakthrough SUV, offering a wider range of power trains, trim levels, four or two-wheel drive, and the room and comfort only a full-size truck could provide.
Of course comfort is a relative term. This Blazer has the CST (Custom Sport Truck) package, but even a precursory glance inside makes it clear that this is no Escalade, although it is the most direct antecedent to it.
This is what an upscale truck interior circa 1970 looked like. Actually, all that painted metal and the fairly honest instrument cluster are quite attractive, especially compared to what was to come. This generation (1967-1972) was the last of the old school trucks before they went wall-to-wall molded plastic.
The rear seating area was even more spartan; essentially a bench bolted to the bed of a shortened pickup, with a removable top.
That still left a fair amount of usable space behind the back seat, although that appears to be a spare tire holder, which would eat up quite a bit of it.
There were four engines to choose from, starting with a 250 CID six, the optional 292 CID long-stroke six, and the 307 and 350 CID versions of the small block V8. Transmission choices were the three-speed manual, the heavy duty four speed manual with an extra-low first gear, and the three-speed THM 350 automatic.
Suspension was of course analogue to the C10 pickup versions, with coil-spring independent front suspension and a coil-sprung rear axle for the two-wheel drive versions, and leaf-sprung solid axles front and back for the four wheel drive versions.
It’s worth pointing out that this generation Chevy and GMC trucks were the first to bring down the ride height for its 4WD light trucks to a level closer to the 2WD versions, unlike the ultra-high Ford and Dodge 4WD trucks. This alone was another important step in civilizing 4WD trucks for the masses.
In case it wasn’t blazingly obvious, this truck has been restored to one degree or another. The top looks absolutely new. Well, for that matter, so does most of this truck.
Check out the rubber seal where the top meets the windshield header. It’s amazing how everything is available for just about anything these days. One wonders how much this restoration cost. Someone is re-living their youth; or their youthful dreams. It’s nice to see not everyone wanted a ’69 Camaro in high school.
These gen1 Blazers aren’t exactly common sights anymore unlike their long-lived successors, which will blight our streets for seemingly forever. Yes, I have a bit of a lingering bias against the gen2 Blazer, given how it came to typify a certain lifestyle that was a bit rowdy and not generally very sensitive to where their trucks were being driven. And there were just so many of them; up to 90k were sold in some years of its almost twenty year lifespan.
But these early Blazers are pioneers, and their low production numbers and attractive design gives them a different vibe. I wonder if folks will start restoring its successors too? Undoubtedly.
CC 1963 International Scout 80 PN
The allure of these blazers was the full convertible look when the top was removed. I think chevy was the only one to have this in 71…but i could be wrong.
The Scout II certainly was a full convertible with the top removed. The Bronco was too, though it was a much smaller vehicle.
Even the first couple of years for the Gen2 Blazer and also the first year or two for the Dodge Ramcharger. It was probably a combination of sealing and manufacturing volume issues that had those two going to full pickup doors shortly after their respective intros.
The Ramcharger/Trailduster had the full removeable roof up thru 1980…1981 saw a full integrated steel roof that lasted thru the end of the line in ’93. There never was a ‘transitional’ half cab model on those like on the K-5 and the fullsize Broncos. The ’74s had frameless half doors but supposedly there were issues with those sealing to the top so they used the pickup’s full framed doors after that. Needless to say, a good many of those had the frames chopped off, especially if they were intended as permanent roofless trucks.
The gen 2 Blazers came out in ’73 and youre right–those had half doors/full removeable roofs thru ’75. Then the steel front roof/full doors mated with a fiberglass rear roof that lasted thru ’91.
Now that’s purdy. I’ve long lusted after the fixed-windscreen International Scout II or a biscuit-tray Landy, but this is nicer.
This is a very attractive beast. A solid, honest quality to it and clearly someone loves it a lot..
I’ve got a “soft roader” myself, and it’s honestly a vehicle that no one could ever love in the way that someone clearly loves this. The interior is acres of flimsy plastic, the exterior looks like every other CUV and it is an extremely dull driving experience. But it’s quiet, comfortable and safe. If I ever took it “off road” I’m sure it would disintegrate in seconds (not like this Blazer), but it’s really handy when I’m on a super-steep gravel road with a laden trailer like I was on Easter weekend – 2WD would have been a real struggle. I can see the progression that has led from this Blazer to my CUV; I just wish they had managed to retain some of the character along the way.
That interior (the front seat at least) doesn’t look a lot more spartan than something like a Dart or Valiant, but that may say more about the cheapness of compacts in those days than the luxury of the truck. 😉
Love these. Built a scale model of the ’69 when it came out. Also on my radar these days is the 2nd gen Bronco which was full size and did a better job of carrying the torch of this original K5 than did the subsequent gen 2 Blazer.
As a dyed in the wool Ford fan, I thought the Bronco was a pretty nifty vehicle when it first appeared. But when the Blazer appeared, all bets were off. Let’s face it, the Bronco was boxy-looking while GM put a lot of effort into making the Blazer a very attractive package.
I had not realized GM made a conscious effort to lower 4WD trucks at this time. Funny how the “elevated” look is now considered de rigeur for AWD vehicles wanting to look more macho.
BTW, most of these have rotted away, just like their pickup truck “brothers”, beginning with the rockers.
Wow. This is where it all began. Fascinating; and I like this “car/truck”, its unfussy and sharp!
I had a 1970 2-wheel drive Blazer in high school. I had the top off the entire summer one year. It was a blast for trips to the beach.
Mine had the 307 with an aftermarket Holley 4 barrel and three on the tree. It also had an aftermarket air conditioner which had no problem keeping up with Texas summer. Well, when the top was off I didn’t run the AC. That would have been silly.
It had non-powered steering (not a problem since there wasn’t much weight over the front wheels and the ratio was rather slow) and non-powered 4-wheel drum brakes which made stopping an event that required “planning.”
It turns out 1970 2-wheel drive Blazers were rather rare. I was told less than 1000 were sold that year. I really liked the 1978 and later models because there was an actual foot well for the rear seat passengers. I suppose it was adapted from the Suburban floor pan.
“Well, when the top was off I didn’t run the AC. That would have been silly.”
Silly? That’s one of the great joys of convertible ownership, running top down with the AC blowing cold air on you full blast.
Did it in my TJ all the time…
? Are you young Paul ? .
My then 29 year old Son taught me this most important lesson when he bought his Miata .
Yes , top flopped and A/C on ” refrigerate ” is _SWEET_ ! .
-Nate
Old but not too old to learn =8-)
Very nice truck, except for the roll bar that appears to be held in with sheet metal screws.
I always loved these two-door Blazers and Broncos. Child seats probably played a large role in killing them off. They certainly had more space than most modern S/CUVs in that back seat, it was just not all that easy to access.
The new Tahoes are ridiculously expensive ($50K+) and have miserable ground clearance (less than a Subaru Outback). To say they have lost their way is an understatement.
A friend in high school (1996-97) had a ’71 K5, though it was in nowhere near as nice shape as this one. In fact, it was quite ratty. Originally faded orange with a white top, until he replaced the hardtop with an aftermarket soft top and repainted it camouflage in his driveway! Sounded good though, with a 350 and dual exhaust.
Even before that, however, I liked these early Blazers. This one is quite nice–I actually really like the woodgrain insert in the rocker panel molding, though some might accuse that of being overly brougham-y for a truck.
Have we ever had a CC on the related 3-door Suburban, I wonder?
Brougham-y? Nah, it’s Outdoors-y. Woods-y. Lumberjack-y. If there’s anyplace woodgrain rightfully belongs, it’s here.
Great article, beautiful truck. Just the right amount of luxury and conveniences without all the sun fading/ decomposing interior plastics. Don’t really care for what this has evolved into. Wish there were still full size trucks this simple, and with four on the floor. When a truck was a truck.
Nice find! Best looking generation of trucks GM ever built, IMHO. I cant say I share your disdain for the 2nd gen Blazer tho. Unfortunately they lost the full removable roof after 1975, but even a halftop convertible beats a steel roofed 4 door family wagon. The 2nd gen Blazer is absolutely a desireable truck. Id go so dar as to say ALL of these old school sports utilities have die hard fans. No cuv or even fullsize suv can deliver on the raw character, ruggedness or versatility of these old beasts.
I grew up in Fort Wayne, where all of the Scout IIs were built, and the Scout was pretty common as early SUVs went. When these came out, they looked too big and wide for their short wheelbase to me, but then I was so used to seeing Scouts. Actually, the interiors on these looked pretty comparable to the level of Luxury in the International offering. And most people I saw were driving them as cars, not as trucks or offroad.
I didn’t see a lot of the early K-5s, so they were always kind of a novelty to me. I do remember building a model kit of one, and also recall adding one or two of these wheelcovers with the fake bolts around the rim to my hubcap collection back in the day.
Pull the hubcaps and CST trim, and replace with some road rash, and you have my ’72.
Bought for $800 in the summer of ’96 and towed home, I worked over a couple years on a shoestring budget to get it going and actually registered and inspected it.
Finding original, unique Blazer sheetmetal (the sculpturing from the front of the door to the taillight meant there was PLENTY of it) was an exercise in futility. I contacted Glenn’s Truck Parts on the other side of Pittsburgh, they were known for hooking us Northerners up with rust-free Texas sheetmetal. When I told them what I have and what I needed, the response was laughter.
That’s how rare these trucks were. I ended up parting out another ’72 for what I needed.
It was a ball to drive although sometimes the steering would exhibit a delayed reaction and then herky-jerky reflex…wasn’t sure what that was about and it only happened intermittently. A tune-up, carb rebuild and a shift kit made the 307/TH350 sing.
But we needed to sell, and I placed an ad online, receiving a response from Jackson, MI.
The gentleman came out on Thanksgiving Day ’98…checked it out and made me an offer. As he loaded his trailer, he noticed something I hadn’t previously…loose driver’s side U-bolts attaching the front axle to the leaf spring. There was my “delayed reaction and herky-jerky reflex”.
The wife and two young sons tolerated the Blazer and little more. They were more than happy to tool about in one of our other rides. I had too many projects back then anyway.
But an email came from Jackson, MI, about six months later. It was my old Blazer, only now it looked like the subject of this CC. For the first time, they saw that an old, beat-up ride COULD be made new again.
In the days before Overhaulin’ and Velocity, it was nice for the family to see what I had imagined all along.
The West is a much friendlier habitat for these trucks in the road salt laden Northeast these rusted epically and disappeared rapidly. Some friends had a 76 Blazer in 83-84 that dumped a shower of rust every time you slammed the door.
One of my uncles had a ’75 that was on its’ second repaint before the decade was over.
I’m in love with this thing! Perfect color, too…
Nice little trucks ~
That one is well optioned ~ the ‘ Buddy Bucket ” front seat and factory AC , CST package….
-Nate
Chevy did have the full-size SUV market to itself for a while the K/5 Blazer, which was a very nice package. Didn’t take Ford long to learn though, as the next gen Bronco was based on the F150.
Interesting that Chevy always had very well-built and popular full-size SUV’s with the Blazer and later Tahoe, while Ford’s big Bronco, Expedition and Excursion lagged behind. Quite opposite from the mid-size market, where Ford sold millions of Explorers, leaving the S-10 Blazer in its dust. Ford moved over 400,000 Explorers per year in its heyday and still cranks out a decent 100K+ today, not bad considering all the current competition. The Explorer seemed to get better each year, while the S-10 Blazer worse and worse. Have had both as rentals in the past and the Explorer was just so much more refined. Was very car like in ride, comfort and handling, while the Blazer came off as a small, cheap, harsh truck. I still see 10-20 year old Explorers all the time. Can’t recall the last time I saw a similar vintage S-10 Blazer.
IIRC, Ford planned the big Bronco to be out as a 1974 model, but it got shelved because of the sour economy and soaring fuel prices. They dusted it off four years later after things had settled down, but the original version only lasted 2 years (1978-79) until the F series got re-done. One of the factoids I still recall after writing one up here. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/1978-ford-bronco-free-wheelin/
I had a 73 4 x 4 GMC Jimmy for 4 years, bought new for $4,600. It had the big 6 with 3 on the tree and no back seat though I did buy a soft top that I would leave on all summer. The plastic side windows rolled up for a bimini effect.
Quality was questionable and I have not had a North American car since. The removable fibreglass top always cracked at the the top of the D pillar (there was no C pillar). A bolt fell on my foot while driving seemingly to no ill effect. The transmission linkage would regularly lock up when parked and I would have to manhandle it back into usage. The whole truck would flex like a wooden ship in a storm.
I liked the truck a lot mostly because of the soft top and the 4 wheel drive with manual locking hubs but it rusted like mad — the passenger side door handle came right out of the door one day when it was 3 years old. I replaced it with a BMW 320i which was certainly a contrast with the Jimmy and terrible in the snow.
I’d love to find an old one now but as mentioned in other comments rust was a big problem and few seemed to have survived in economically restorable condition.
What a beauty! Best Blazer body style ever! My dad bought one of these brand new in the summer of 1972. With 4×4, 350/THM, it was the family car. Decent rear legroom, but the footwell of the later models would’ve made it a little more comfortable. Pop wouldn’t spring for th CST package, but did go for A/C (first in the family fleet with such an extravagance), side trim and small hubcaps. Come to think of it, the THM350 made it the first automatic we’d ever had.
Definitely more Spartan that what we see today, but it was par for the course at the time. Both the A/C and the heater were weak as can be. We always figured they were sized for the much smaller pickup cab. The 350 was rated at a mighty 175 hp by 1972 and with the 3:07 gearing, it was a little slow off the line. Did anyone mention rust???? Although it was undercoated and we were pretty good about rinsing off the road salt, the tin worm nonetheless reared its head.
I bought it from my dad in 1984 and shortly thereafter threw a small (2 and 1/2″) lift on it along with 33″ BFG’s. Isn’t that what every twentysomething guy did back then? With the 3:07 gears it was downright wheezy. A cam was cheaper than gears, so that’s the way I went. The cam would’ve been beneficial even before the taller tires.
A couple years later I sold it off for a Ford Ranger. At times I poke around eBay to see what’s out there, but I’m better off with the memories than another project.
“This generation (1967-1972) was the last of the old school trucks before they went wall-to-wall molded plastic.”
Nah, the 73-88 C/Ks still had a lot of painted metal in the cabin. The whole lower haf of the dash was painted metal.
I’d say the “honour” of the first with full plastic clad interiors belongs to the either the 72+ Dodge D-Series or the 80+ Ford F-Series.
I also happen to like more the second gen Blazer better. Although, yes, this ones are cool, and the model kits boxes came with a similar paint scheme as the one your pictured.
A friend of mine bought a ’71 Blazer 4×4 for his first vehicle. The only thing that finally killed it was rust. It was pretty close to bulletproof. He used it for a winter driver until around 1986 or ’87, when he put his foot through the floor. It was just too rotted out to fix, and it went off to the junkyard.
I bought an ’82 K/5 Blazer in March 1982. It was the most trouble free vehicle I’ve ever had. In the 4 years I had it, I replaced a headlight, glued a tiny piece of trim back on, and had to fix a broken rear window track (my fault, I tried to close the window and forgot I had a hunk of cabinet trim I had bought a couple of hours before was sticking out the back), and that’s it. My only real complaint was the 305 was pretty gutless.
My Father had a first gen Blazer that was only a few years old, so these have always caught my eye. What I will forever remember about ours is when my Grandfather who was a life long Packard / Cadillac man and considered that type of vehicle the bar by which all other vehicle should be judged had to drive ours for a few days. When he brought it back I asked him ‘Hey Grampa, how do like Dads new truck’ He said to me ‘Kid, That is a poor excuse for a car’
Paul Newman drove one of these in 1970’s Sometimes a Great Notion, perhaps the most Oregonic movie ever made (from the most Oregonic novel ever written).
Well, I’ve tried three times now to get the photo to upload, but it just won’t co-operate. So if you want to see Newman’s K/5, you’ll have to go here (about halfway down the page):
http://clunkernation.com/2013/07/23/weird-influences-the-movie-and-tv-cars-that-inspired-me/
I didn’t know built-in cupholders had been invented that early. Could they be a later addition with new seats?
Chevy wasn’t first and thus didn’t redefine anything.
The Ford vs Chevy glee club rivalries sure do get tiresome to us Hudson/Nash/Rambler/AMC/Jeep/Mopar folks.
1963 Jeep Wagoneer 2 door
You completely missed the whole point of the article.
The K5 Blazer was the first SUV created by chopping a full-size pickup. The existing SUVs, including the Wagoneer, were all considerably more compact.
I don’t think I could have said it more clearly.
And obviously the two door Wagoneer didn’t exactly resonate with buyers. I have never seen one. But Jeep sure jumped back in the game with the two-door Cherokee after the Blazer became a runaway hit.
The Wagoneer was based on the 1962 Jeep Gladiator pickup. The Gladiator pickup had a longer wheelbase than the Wagoneer.
But you’ve never seen one (so you claim) so it doesn’t count.
Respectfully, Paul is correct.
At the end of the day, we’re talking about what was then a niche brand, known mostly for the CJ-5 version of their groundbreaking Jeep. There weren’t a lot of Gladiator pickups around, much less two-door Wagoneers.
General Motors, OTOH, had half the U.S. market, and one out of every four new vehicle registrations said “Chevrolet.” Plus the C/K-10 Pickups were not only the best sellers in America, this generation had already been out for two years when Chevy rolled out its Blazer.
As a Chevy fanatic from childhood, I never really compared the new K-5 Blazer to the Wagoneer/Gladiator, similar as they might be. I’m guessing Mr. & Mrs. General Public felt the same way.
And I believe that was Paul’s point.
In Country Music, Old Crow Medicine Show may have had the original recording of “Wagon Wheel,” but to the masses, Darius Rucker’s hit is the definitive version.
The Wagoneer wasn’t “based on the Gladiator”. They were both developed jointly from scratch as a joint program, and both arrived at the same time for MY 1963, to replace the Willys Station Wagon and pickup.
And there were a number of differences, with the Gladiator having a significantly heavier frame and other components, to accommodate the HD versions, like the 1 ton version, available with wheelbases up to 126″ and dual rear wheels. Its axles were stronger and wider, and that necessitated different fron fenders with flares.
Naturally the Wagoneer shared certain elements with the Gladiator, but was different in many aspects. The Wagoneer was not just a shortened Gladiator, unlike the K5 Blazer.
As to never seeing a Gladiator, I have seen quite a few, including two I wrote up in considerable detail here:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1967-jeep-gladiator-j3000-the-truck-of-the-future/
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-capsule/cc-effect-capsule-1967-jeep-gladiator-j2000-some-additional-technical-details/
Jeep introduced what was basically a restyled 2 door Wagoneer as the Cherokee in 1974 to compete with the K/5 Blazer. Using smaller rear side windows and flared wheel well openings similar to the J series pickups gave the Cherokee more of a ‘truck’ look similar to the Blazer and Ramcharger. It was a little longer than the Blazer and didn’t have a removable roof, but it was ‘close enough’ and sold well. It is true the the 1967 GM 4X4 light trucks featured a lower silhouette than contemporary Ford and Dodge trucks. This was due to GM mounting the transfer case right to the transmission and doing away with the intermediate drive shaft between the transmission and transfer case. GM also offset the front differential more to the right and tucked the shorter front drive shaft along side the engine and transmission. This idea originated with Jeep and was used on the Wagoneer and Gladiator.
Does the Easter Bunny live here?
4WD,removeable top, SWB, basically a shortwheelbase Landrover from GM but with more power and automatic if you wanted it plus more room inside and likely more comfortable to ride in, not common here they werent imported new I saw a couple of second gen Blazers in OZ a friend bought one for the engine which ran well 350V8 but the bodywork was like lace another guy had one for launching his boat at a ski park I used to stay at that was rotten too, Im guessing but they both must have been roadworthy when they landed down under both had expired NSW rego plates,
I quite like that yellow Blazer they took some trouble to make the rear different from the pickup and it works.