Here’s one for you hunters, it’s a 1976 Chevrolet K5 Blazer and it’s on Craigslist in Austin, Texas, where coincidentally I am right now. The seller is asking $4,000 or best offer.
This vehicle defines Texas for me: it’s rugged, it involves hunting, and it most likely uses a lot of gas and oil. Actually, this would make a great photo vehicle for me, other than the 8 mpg that it probably gets and having to drive 40 mph so the overhead “stand” doesn’t fly off into the weeds. The olive-drab paint is fairly new and although there are no interior or engine photos, there is a photo of the rear seat which is where you’ll sit as the guide drives you around the compound.
This is a second-generation Chevy Blazer and apparently there is no title for this one, so it would have to be used on a hunting ranch, which I saw several of as I drove from Midland to Austin this morning. For $500 they say that they could snag a title for you if you wanted to use this on the street. I can’t imagine a more perfect vehicle for lurking around the thick woods in search of a (insert game animal here). I’m not a hunter, but for those of you who do hunt, what do you think of this one?
They mention that the 4-wheel drive works great as does the 350-four-barrel V8 engine and it has a 203 transfer case and 456 gears for those pesky hills. It seems like a lot of vehicle for $4,000 or best offer, doesn’t it? I would love to have something like this if I had a few acres in beautiful Texas hill country. What do you think about this hunter’s special? Have you ever owned a K5 Blazer?
You can’t buy a ATV for this kind of money! I wish I was closer…it would be mine.
I worked on a lot of these over the years. Good truck all around and not too expensive to keep on the road. I would definitely switch the axle ratios to at least 3.73 (or 3.42) which seems to work well on that vintage of truck. I get nervous every time I see free-running front hubs with a 203 transfer case. Too many people who install a typical conversion kit from full-time to part-time don’t realize that the front axle HAS to be engaged so that the chain will bring oil to the top (where the main shaft and gear mechanism is) in order to lubricate the top end (I can tell you a heck of a story about one such case). Full-time wasn’t all that bad and the actual difference in fuel economy between full-time and part time is negligible. Real hard use can cause the transmission case to crack. GM changed that in ’78 when it introduced braces between the bellhousing and transfer case to help carry the weight.
“I can’t imagine a more perfect vehicle for lurking around the thick woods in search of a (insert game animal here).”
If the buyer makes it street legal, then he could carry teenagers with their cellphones and go hunting Pokemon’s!
I was just thinking that I really need to start a cult in the middle of nowhere and of course would need my own personal “Pope-mobile” to look down upon my flock. This truck is perfect!
I can’t help myself. I keep looking at this beauty. Anyone know shipping costs from Texas to central Minnesota ?
I’m in Austin now, Bingo, I can just drive it home to MN..
I’m guessing $800+ for shipping from TX to MN.
With those gears it can’t be driven that far on the freeway. The seller has not gotten back to me yet so we wait.
Perfect set up for hunting coyotes or feral pigs. All you need is a really bright spot light and a driver.
Gives new meaning to the term road hunting.
No armrests on the upper deck chair? Deal breaker, plus, I don’t see any drink holders. This would sell so quickly in MN. Just the wheels and tires justify the asking price. Even if it doesn’t run, just park it in your hunting spot. You gotta figure what a good tree stand costs, and you might possibly get heat outa this beauty. Great buy for someone.
A 2nd gen Blazer with a removable top for $4k (asking) is well worth the hoops to re-title. Probably doesn’t have a ton of miles…though the miles on it are probably low speed hard bump type…and even if you kept it as an off-road rig it’s stupid cheap money.
Heck, sell the “flying bridge” and recoup a bunch of the initial investment.
Reminds me of a vehicle in the former Amir [King] of Bahrain, Isa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, car collection. He was a customer and friend for many years until his death about 20 years ago. His vehicle collection was/is very impressive. He had a 1968 Chrysler Town & Country, outfitted for tiger hunting in India. Chrysler’s special products division created a bright red T & C body mated to a Dodge 4 X 4 running gear [if memory is correct, it has the entire truck chassis]. Tires were larger and wider, on 16″ rims.
On the roof, a sliding panel over the area above the rear seat [not the third row seat] slid rearward. Instead of the folding bench seat, it had 2 special chairs, much like deep sea charter captain’s chairs intended for big fish like Tuna or Marlin, with 4 point seat belts. These 2 chairs could raise & lower hydraulically, I’m guessing about 24 to 30 inches.
I’m the only outsider ever allowed to take photos of the entire collection, filled with special one-off vehicles created by the factories, like a 1958 Buick LIMITED 4-door hardtop station wagon. The body data plate on the firewall says it’s body # 1 for [blank] body style number. GM built this car for His Highness when he saw a Buick Caballero wagon in Europe, but wanted a Limited Wagon!
I’m including a photo of the Chrysler tiger hunting wagon, however the roof panel is not open.