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$63k Camper! 1976 Chevrolet Blazer Chalet

From one extreme to another: that’s the best way to describe another Chevrolet Blazer Chalet that is listed for sale with a very heady price tag of $63,895. In fact, the seller goes so far as to call this a once in a life time opportunity, which makes me wonder if his day job involves selling penny stocks. The Chalet does look quite nice and it’s obviously been modified with some very oversized wheels and tires and a lifted suspension, which is an interesting look for a vehicle that we typically see in stock configuration. The Chevy also has a custom front winch bumper, which would indicate it’s meant to go anywhere the pavement doesn’t, but it almost looks too nice for that. Find it here on craigslist near San Diego.

Now, I’ve made it clear I dig these trucks, as I love anything that was authorized by the factory that fell far outside the lines of what the brand typically focuses on. In the early to middle 90s, Dodge was one of my favorite manufacturers because they seemed to determine to make their concept cars into production vehicles with as few alterations as possible. The Chalet isn’t quite a Dodge Viper, but selling a pickup with a camper shell as a factory authorized accessory is definitely not an automatic cash cow in terms of sales volume. Relatively few were made, as this seller points out, and good ones command a premium.

Now, you can question the suspension and wheel modifications all you want, but it’s always refreshing to see one of these with a very clean camper shell interior. We just saw some recent postings with project-grade Chalets that had severely trashed camper shells, which will require a good amount of reconditioning before anyone’s sleeping inside. That’s not a problem here, as the accommodations inside appear to match the quality of the damage-free exterior. I’m guessing it has been repainted, as the paint looks far newer on the truck that the exterior finish of the camper shell; it also looks like the interior is largely untouched.

The same goes for the engine bay, where apparently the respray did not extend to include. That’s not a major problem, but it does make the asking price seem even loftier than at first blush. To ask this kind of money for Chalet, it has to be a completely preserved original or have been restored inside and out, and that includes removing the engine, performing a reseal, and spraying the engine compartment to match. While the desirability of a clean Chalet has definitely increased, I don’t think we’re at the point of spending $65K on one that hasn’t been completely gone through, top to bottom – and, to be fair, not everyone will want one with a modified suspension and/or wheel and tire package. What do you think is a fair ask for a super clean Chalet like this?

Comments

  1. beaudog

    Great looking body, interior and shell, but the engine compartment lets it all down. The suspension and wheel choice is out of proportion for the rest of the unit. A small suspension lift and bigger tires can improve the off and on road performance; if done right but I’m not sure about this one.

    Like 8
    • Tman

      Yes it does look like a toy remote control thing. I once fooled a bunch a friends by holding an F 150 R/C truck in my hand and making it look like it was actually in my driveway

      Like 3
  2. Big Bear

    Wow nice looking camper! But…. Will that engine be up to snuff will those tires and front bumper adding weight? Yes the price is high and it’s clean looking for the pictures we have to see. But people love off-road camping and this fits the bill. Good luck to the next owner..🐻🇺🇸

    Like 3
  3. Steve Clinton

    A definite improvement over the last one shown here on Barn Finds!

    Like 8
  4. Todd Zuercher

    Hopefully the guy who maintains the registry on these will chime in on this one. Yeah, the wheels and tires are cartoonish on this one. Find some proper wheels and tires and probably a slight lift and you’re good to go.

    Ever since the mint one sold on BaT for $125k, everyone thinks they’re sitting on a gold mine with these trucks.

    Like 11
    • Russell C

      That would be me. And this is Chalet #0251, built in June ’76 — we designate these from the last 4 digits on the little rectangular serial number by the back door. It’s had the lift since 2008 when it was first spotted that way at a car show http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=297501 not long after the mod had been done to it. Yes, it has appealed to several particular buyers after that, but if the seller wants to get maximum collector value money out of it, it’ll have to be put back to stock. Yep, if a comedian wants to apply a Facebook-style “Missing Context” warning label to declarations about the BaT auction of Chalet #0429 being a “benchmark” value, it would help in telling the larger story of why folks might to consider dismissing the two anomalous remaining bidders on that one since most everyone else dropped out after the $47,500 point, and since #0429 was a supposedly very unique unrestored “pristine time capsule” rig that was said to have never left the dealership owner it was originally delivered to. Chalet #0573, in very nice condition, auctioned on eBay Nov 26th for $27,500 https://www.ebay.com/itm/265408827997 , assuming that was the final deal on it.

      Like 8
      • bull

        Russell I will add 2 cents to your comments as we have discussed this privately.

        Personally “I” think this Chalet hits all the right buttons over the completely stock unit that bid to $47K+. “I” think this Chalet is much more desirable and far more capable than any stock Blazer Chalet no matter how nice or low mileage.

        This nicely modified Chalet address’s ALL the safety problems and limited factors that made the Chalet a neat item when new but hardly capable at all of most any off-road adventures.

        Original Chalet’s were on the 1/2 ton Blazer Chassis/Suspension which was woefully INADEQUATE and in many situations downright DANGEROUS with the additional weight and higher center of gravity added to the truck with the addition of the Chinook manufactured camper shell.

        While slower sales were a part of the Chalet’s demise “I” think a significant part of the demise of the Blazer Chalet option offered by GM was the safety issues with the vehicle and that’s why this unique GM option went away so quietly.

        Like 5
  5. Sam Shive

    “Another One!” For these BEING LIKE HENS TEETH, I think I’ve seen everyone of them on BARDFINDS in the last 90 days. It’s a K5 Blazer with a camper on it. Both Of Them Being FUGLY and WAY OVER PRICED.

    Like 7
  6. Connecticut Mark

    All of these seem too small, I bet under powered and very unsafe. Would rather have the winnebago, with 30 grand to play with.

    Like 3
  7. Ike Onick

    El Grande Loco Dinero!!

    Like 2
  8. HoA Howard A Member

    I’ll be cordial with someone here obviously with a vested interest. Nah,,,can’t do it, sorry, Russell, these were just the worst. Many might remember the one the old man got from auction, rolled, a common occurrence with these top heavy units, and the 4wd almost taunts people to go off road with it, often with disastrous results. The “lifted” and bigger tires helps for off road ( sorely needs duallys on the back) but the rear overhang makes for iffy handling on an iffy handling vehicle to begin with, a chore to drive on the highway, and,,, that’s right, here it comes, for $64 grand, this the best you could do with $64 GRAND? I can buy a house with an indoor swimming pool in the UP for that. I know, nobody wants to hear it, and the reason they are so rare, is they were poor sellers to begin with, and most toppled over, making them useless. You can’t even make it into a regular K5 as the roof header was altered for the camper. The old man found that out the hard way.

    Like 6
    • Ed Casala

      Got a link for that house? Asking for a friend.

      Like 11
      • Eric B

        My friend is interested as well. But, once they see what it is for 64 I think their interest will wane.

        Like 2
      • HoA Howard A Member

        People are leaving the UP in droves( and coming to Colorado). Check Trulia, take your pick,,,

        Like 2
    • Russell C

      Not sure what you mean by “vested interest,” I haven’t made a solitary dime out of this hobby pursuit of mine since I got into it back in 2005. It’s a fun hobby, no more than that. But since I have dealt with just shy of 1/3rd of all the alleged 1,780 rigs produced over the last 16years (by having a range of minimal notes on each out of old sales ads in my mega-spreadsheet list on up to numerous photos of specific rigs ranging from very good condition on down to junkyard rust buckets), I only have one vintage photo of some kind of rolled Chalet with no details on how it happened, and I’ve seen you mention the one your old man rolled. Nobody else has said anything about rolling one or heard of that happening to one. That’s two out of 580+. Again, these aren’t sportscars, nobody expects them to handle that good, and, granted, they are more top heavy that a standard Blazer. But I’m curious to find out, how do you support your assertions that rolling over was “a common occurrence” and that “most toppled over, making them useless”? I can add that info to my spreadsheet, but how do you know this and where is it documented in accident reports or with photos? Meanwhile, I’ve seen several returned back into ‘regular’ K5s, including what’s seen in this still-functioning year-old FB ad for Chalet #0165 https://www.facebook.com/commerce/listing/241867723809692/ which shows it with & without the camper unit — all that’s needed to be done is remove the camper unit where it bolts to the standard cap holes and where the dinette framework bolts to the frame, remove the spliced-in camper wiring harness, then supply a standard cap and tailgate and take off the back bumper extensions. The ones ’76 & onward had the roof over the cab, the ’75s and older did not.

      Like 5
      • Todd Zuercher

        Keep up the good work, Russell C!

        Like 3
      • chrlsful

        I’d take this 1 for 10K$, he put the camper back on…

        Like 0
  9. Natgas

    Overpriced by 40k

    Like 5
  10. Gtoforever

    So, I like all things go from that era, BUT, I prefer to separate my off roading from my camping.
    I will take a K5 Blazer and throw a tent in the back or better yet hook up my Jayco camper and let let good times roll with my bank account in tact..

    Like 5
  11. Troy

    That’s just what you need on this heavy thing 1000+ extra pound and bigger tires so you can get up higher in the hills get it stuck and pay a bigger towing bill. I would prefer it to be just the blazer.
    One thing I have noticed as these things keep popping up here is they are all the same color

    Like 3
  12. James Martin

    Once in a life time? For him to ask this ridiculous price!

    Like 2
  13. Cordobatim

    Jeez. What kind of weed is the seller smokin?!!! The rig will probably get sold but the seller will have numerous birthday celebrations before someone pays the nose bleed price IMHO.

    Like 3
  14. Comet

    I worked at a high volume Wisconsin Chevrolet dealer when these were being sold. Not a great seller, so they had a promotion to throw in a “free” Chevette scooter with the purchase of a Blazer chalet (at full MSRP no doubt.)
    From what I can remember, Chevette scooters redefined the term “basic transportation.”

    Like 4
  15. Rix86

    Way overpriced I would spend my money on a nice muscle car

    Like 2
  16. Gtoforever

    Not wanting to be a kill joy here, but I see a lot of comments regarding the lift and bigger tires being a plus.
    Seems this vehicle could be top heavy in its stock configuration, so the lift may make it “hinky “.
    In my army days, I worked part time at a well known 4×4 shop in North Carolina.
    I didn’t see a description of the lift process.
    Does it have a body or suspension lift? What size tires are they running determines whether the gears needed to be upgraded and whether the differentials where realigned along with the steering components. These factors , if done correctly, add value and more importantly performance to the vehicle. I have seen alot of”lifts” end with disastrous results on far less unstable units.

    Like 3
  17. GOM

    Looks to me like 3/4 ton axles were swapped in, which would be advantageous in several ways: lower gearing, larger brakes, higher weight carrying capacity and overall strength for the application. The rear springs might be 3/4 ton items, too. As to the lift, the tires may be overlarge, but the higher arch springs are beneficial (especially in front) because these trucks had very little front spring travel in stock form, and rode relatively rough. I had a Chevy pickup of this era and installed higher arch springs just to keep the front suspension from bottoming out. I had no customizing intent, just a desire to have the truck not pound itself and me to death on our rough secondary roads, especially with the frost heaves in the winter. With more appropriate rubber, I think the modifications may have been done with legitimate good intentions, not just for “looks.”

    Like 1
  18. Howie Mueler

    Cash Only!!

    Like 1
  19. Peter K

    Can you say top heavy? This guy is out of his mind if he thinks it’s worth $63k. For that money you can buy a purpose built Mercedes’ sprinter 4×4 with all the correct fixins’ inside

    Like 2
    • bull

      The Blazer Chalet above has Chevy 1 ton axles installed along with other lift suspension mods. Exactly what GM should have done in the first place.

      Show me where all the “Purpose Built Mercedes Sprinter 4×4’s” are at for $65,000?

      I’ll buy all you can find!

      Like 4
  20. Gerard Frederick

    Completely imbalanced, top heavy and utterly useless as a camper, in my considered opinion. The asking price is the result of too many martinis, repeated too many times.

    Like 0
  21. bull

    Example of another “Modified Blazer” with a Four Wheel Camper (FWC) out doing it’s thing on the trail.

    https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/k5-camper-my-offroad-home-away-from-home.211833/page-10#post-2963955

    Like 0
    • Todd Zuercher

      And that’s a properly built and modified one – not nearly as tall as this one. The guy who owns the one in the Expo link along with some of his buddies are real ‘wheelers and know how to build/use trucks right. The one listed here probably has a D44 up front along with a 14 bolt in the back like the one in the Expo link.

      Like 0
      • bull

        The problem is the weight of the fiberglass Chalet shell.

        I am currently assembling a Hallmark Bronco specific camper on a Centurion C350 1 ton 4 door Bronco. Hallmark and FWC are much lighter and lower in stature.

        Like 0
  22. 1st Gear

    Interesting rig. I believe these were factory 1/2 tons. The diffs have been swapped with 3/4 ton or 1 ton, with suspension. Too bad the attention to detail ended under the hood, and that rear pinion angle will murder a lot of u-joints. Barrett Jackson price, corner local garage detailing job.

    Like 1

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