I feel that people look askance at the two-wheel-drive Chevy Blazer, and I’ve personally benefited from that. The first really nice daily driver that I bought on my own was a four-year-old, two-wheel-drive 2000 S10 Blazer. It only had 50,000 miles on it, and I paid $5,500; I couldn’t believe how cheap it was—and that was at a dealer! You won’t be getting those kinds of deals on classic Blazers today, regardless of how many driving wheels they have. This gorgeous, well-optioned ’77 was brought to us by Tony Primo, who found in on craigslist in Modesto, California, with an asking price of $37,000, which seems to be the going rate for a nice Squarebody Blazer.
Right off, I’m conflicted about the stance, but only because I’m (for the most part) a booster of factory stock automobiles. Deep down, however, I know that it looks pretty good dropped into the weeds, especially with its white steel wheels and classic Chevy hubcaps. The seller makes it clear that the frame has not been C-notched, and that the static drop has been accomplished with drop spindles, drop springs, and a rear flip kit, so a new owner could technically put everything back to normal (as long as the factory parts have been saved).
This has all been done to a very well-optioned Blazer that still has much of its original Russet Metallic and Frost White two-tone factory paint. It has cold air conditioning (converted to R134A), a tilt steering wheel, a Turbo Hydra-Matic 400, a locking differential, an AM/FM radio, and the line-topping Cheyenne interior.
It also has the biggest engine you could get in a two-wheel-drive Blazer, the 165-horsepower 350 with a Quadrajet (the 400 was available on four-wheel-drive Blazers). This one’s been tuned up and given a carburetor rebuild, and it “runs great.” You can see that it has power brakes, and although it’s not quite visible in this picture, it has variable-ratio power steering.
The Cheyenne interior might be the best part of the entire package, because those seats could have come from nowhere else in history but the 1970s. It had full carpeting (including in the rear if the rear seat was ordered, as it was in this truck) and woodgrained trim on the dashboard and door panels. The seller mentions that the upholstery and interior paint are all original.
If you like the five-inch drop and don’t mind that it’s driven by the rear wheels only, this Blazer looks like a spectacular specimen. All SUVs are valuable these days, and when you combine one with the basic structure of a Squarebody, you know you’re going to have to pay up, and I’d say this one is worth it.
Love the color combination and condition. The pre ’81 two tone lines on Chevy pickups are my favorite. I always liked those front fender lines etter than the ’81 and after models. The lowered look looks pretty good but I think I’d go stock height if this were mine. I’m wondering if this was ordered with towing in mind? 350 4 barrel THM 400 a 31 gal gas tank and a locking differential. They definitely had some traveling in mind for sure. And those plaid sests???? Helloooooo 1977!!! Love it!! Great write up Aaron, and a great find too Tony Primo!!! Thank you.
I never fully understood the reasoning for a 2wd Blazer, kind of like a pizza without sauce( mmm), by definition, the 4wd should be there. And I bet more than one person bought one thinking it WAS a 4WD. Aren’t all Blazers 4WD? Don’t laugh, I call that Jeep Dispatcher Syndrome that I knew someone that happened to. One thing clear, they made some salesperson/dealer very happy, appears nothing was left off and they certainly loved it. I read, a truck like this cost just about $5grand new. The 4wd pushed the price to closer to $7grand, and in warmer climates where 4wd isn’t needed,, this was perfect. It’s a remarkable find.
Okay, the price, is this really $37,000 dollars worth of vehicle anywhere outside of Cal.? Man, with the way things are going, and changing daily, and hearing of REGULAR peoples money woes, all I know is these people are getting a harsh lesson in reality.
Either give it a proper wheel and tire combo that fills the wheel wells, or lift it back up. It looks silly like this.
Had one in 1992 – same year, same exterior, but not the deluxe interior. Huge rust holes in fenders front and back, but dead reliable and bought for not much. Towed my race car for a couple of seasons. I even autocrossed it at the University of Waterloo annual autocross once (fibreglass cap OFF), where we came in only 4 seconds off the FTD. You could really rotate it with the 2wd, but it looked hilarious among the Rabbits, Omnis, etc.
Good times
bt
wonder if there’s ever been a 2-wheel drive vehicle that’s ever pulled a 4-wheeler outa mud or a ditch. Just wondering of course.
The 2WD config with a 4 speed trans & locking diff is one of the best ever configurations for practical use.
There’s no denying, these square body trucks are attractive, especially with two-tone paint. This one is no exception, though I think it’s lowered too much. The other thing wrong about it is the price. I presume the seller is in no hurry to offload it.
I normally bite my tongue when I have something negative to say, but this time I can’t hold back. That drop looks absolutely awful on that Blazer. It looks disabled.
My 5 ft wife would have loved it if our ’72 was lowered like this. It was a 4×4 so that wasn’t an option.
wow what a clean original blazer with great colors inside and out. why in the wide world of sports would somebody do this to a survivor that’s this clean with low mile. IMO this looks really stupid sitting like this not to mention the quality of the ride. would have been worth more if it were left at the stock ride height
No ride problems here. The dropped spindles and rear spring adjustments don’t affect any difference from stock. Handling is improved.
How common is that seat pattern?
2wd Blazers weren’t common. They were worthless. However the locking rear will help a bit. Stock height and perhaps 16″ wheels/tires and this Blazer will a capable dirt road cruiser, no more. I bought an 89 V Blazer new that had the locking rear, but 4wd was absolutely necessary. I’ve also owned S Blazers and they were worthless without 4wd. This is a nice unit that can be easily returned to a capable leve, but that entry fee gives me pause.
Looks good… Just put it back to stock height!!!
Overpriced for 2wd
Man o Man, some of you guys just don’t get it. 2wd Blazers were only “worthless” to guys that only wanted 4wd trucks. Howard asks “Why would someone want a 2wd Blazer” Like a lot of you most of my hobbies require towing them on a trailer. I’ve had one each of most everything, from pickup trucks to full size 4wd Cherokee to Suburbans to Vans to full size station wagons and for me, the perfect all around utility vehicle was the 81 2wd Blazer I bought when I had my specialty car lot in the 80’s. It was a “shop truck”, then when I got out of the car business and went into sales, it was where I carried samples, and on Fridays, the guys out for lunch, and then when I wanted to go to the lake I could throw sail bags in the back and at one point tow the boat down to the Keys. Benoit the Wonder Dog spent most of his life riding in the back of the Blazer. I put 450,000 miles, one engine, two transmissions, a paint job (grey primer with clear coat) and as here, dropped spindles, flip kit and lowering brackets on that truck. The truck NEVER let me down, and went, literally, from coast to coast several times. The grey primer/lowered suspension/blacked out windows was a reflection on my inner city neighborhood, called “Urban Camoflage”, and I was invisible. It saved my life in an ice storm crash that took out a light pole, and was Chevrolet cheap to fix. My 2WD Blazer was the best vehicle I’ve ever owned and I had everything from Austin Healeys to Volvos, and as I said before, every kind of truck there is.
Mine didn’t bring in the 30’s when I sold it, but it brought a lot more than I paid and it was scooped up immediately by a guy who had been looking for a good one for a long time.
Mama used to say “to each his own” and you guys are welcome to your negative opinions, but having driven one for 20 years I can say, Don’t Knock It ‘Til You’ve Tried It!
Have fun
I had one of these back in the late 80’s. I lowered it, had the 350 rebuilt with a mild cam and headers, had the texture sanded off the top, had an ’83 front clip put on it (required cutting the hood hinge pockets out of the ’83 donor vehicle firewall and installing them in my ’73) removed the body trim and badging and had it painted black, had the interior completely redone, got thumbs up wherever I drove it.
You guys crack me up. Your comments about how stupid this Blazer is, just shows how narrow your view is of the collector car market. Stop and ask yourself why is this car 37 K, and you have never seen one and why would anyone want it? Think your missing something? It is not a bad thing that you don’t like it or don’t want it. The bad thing is that you voice it ,like anybody that does is wrong. It kind of reminds me of not liking certain people , because they don’t look like you. Howard this is one of r we won’t agree on, but it’s OK. Because I know you are a good guy. If I could come up with the Benjamins I would own this Blazer. I had a 2WD 97 Tahoe and I still weep when I think about selling it