This 1993 Chevrolet Blazer S10 two-door is a clear case of the seller making lemonade out of lemons and saving a rare five-speed manual-equipped truck. The S10 features a crate 350 engine swap with just 12,000 miles on the new engine, and the upgrades included many other repairs and improvements, which the seller details in an exhaustive list. The Blazer looks sharp on factory alloy wheels, and the paint isn’t too shabby for a truck with 208K miles on the body. These trucks used to be everywhere, and now you’re hard-pressed to find a standard four-door with an automatic; can’t imagine there are many left like this. Find the Blazer here on craigslist for $12,500.
The five-speed is obviously a rare find for sure, and it does more for this truck than simply make it more fun to drive. It reminds you that the two-door Blazer really was intended to be the hip sibling compared to the dowdy four-door intended for ferrying kids to soccer practice. The two-door Blazer has historically been the truck of choice for taking to the beach, or just driving while you’re young. This generation didn’t seem to tap into that vibe as much as earlier generations, and I’ve always felt Chevrolet missed a golden opportunity to relive the success they had with the original K5. Regardless, this one looks about the same inside as it does outside: decent, but far from pristine. It’s nice for its age, however.
The engine swap came about because the seller noticed rods number one and three started to get noisy, so he quickly pulled the original engine before a catastrophic failure occurred. The crate engine obviously dropped right in, and the seller breaks out numerous other upgrades conducted in concert with the engine swap. This includes an Edelbrock performer TBI intake manifold with ARP bolts; rebuilt throttle body featuring new injectors with 14lb pressure regulator springs; new clutch, clutch master, clutch slave, and pressure plate; a new harmonic balancer; custom exhaust; complete brake system overhaul; new ball joints, CV axles, inner and outer tierods; and much, much more.
There are numerous other improvements listed, including some nice-to-haves like Bilstein shocks. The seller claims he has receipts for everything, which will only enhance this Blazer’s appeal further. The original engine is included as well in case you’re worried about numbers matching provenance down the line. The asking price is a bit strong for one of these, but at the same time, how many are left in a two-door body with the five-speed manual transmission? And of those, how many have had this much work performed on the drivetrain? It’s a standout for sure, and far cheaper than an original K5 in similar condition.
That’s cool
I had a ‘92 S-10 Blazer Sport. I special ordered it. It had a 5sp. I didn’t order the electronic gauges; the standard analog instrument dash had dropped the tach by this time. As a mechanic finished putting on the plates, he took a look inside and said “special order”.
When GM dropped the 2.8l for the 4.3l (‘91?) you couldn’t get a manual until later when GM spec’d a Getrag unit which Inguess was a little more substantial.
If the transmission in it is the NV3500, don’t just walk away, but run. There were at least 3 different versions that cases/shafts don’t interchange and the clustershaft bearings are not available separately, only with the case and NLA. The cluster shaft also was the inner race for those bearings. GM did use that trans with the 305 but not for long. A 350 will destroy it in a very short time. I had a healthy CPI 4.3 with one and it lasted 30K before the cluster bearings went. Replaced it with a NV4500. Never going to wear that out.
Had an late build ‘88 Sport that included the new 4.3 in place of the 2.8 V6…big jump in performance. It also had the sliding rear quarter windows that I rarely saw on the S10 Blazers. Sold it when it was still running strong with 190k but the body and frame was rotted.
The 2-door Blazer was intended to be THE Blazer. The 4-door of this generation was an afterthought and appeared years late considering what Jeep’s take rate for four doors on XJ Cherokees was from day one. Once they went to the round bodies the 2-door became the afterthought.
Had the GMC version of this vehicle, in 1993, with the “RARE” 5 speed. The transmission in my old Farmall tractor shifted better than this transmission. Transmission went out at 28,000 miles, took two months to get a replacement under warranty, and it was a reman.
Too much money regardless of how much was “dumped “into it.
My 4.3L 91′ has the 5 speed manual transmission, still running strong and as fun as ever after 270K. Might be luck of the draw, but aside from a starter, alternater, and more recently the water pump, this thing has always been a reliable vehicle. That low 1st gear really gets these blazers moving fast!