Retired Fire Truck: 1973 Chevrolet K5 Blazer
One of the many cool things about the earlier Chevrolet Blazer Trucks was the completely removable tops, which got modified a bit for the 1976 model probably because of safety concerns, but back in ’73 a completely open interior could still be had with the top-down except for just the windshield. Some of these vehicles found their way into commercial and public sector uses, such as this 1975 Chevrolet K5 Blazer for sale here on eBay, and this one’s also got a Pacesetter Half Cab which is kind of rare. The truck is located in Cave Creek, Arizona, with bidding already up to $20,100, but that’s not enough to make it yours as the reserve has not been met.
The Blazer is said to have spent its career serving the Harmony District of Phoenix, Arizona, and was mostly used for brush blaze duty. When not out on a call, it resided inside the station, and that Glenwood Green finish is said to be totally original with no paint touch-ups ever. There’s also not been any bodywork, with everything about the exterior claimed to be in survivor status. The only issue I could spot was a couple of small areas on the passenger side showing a bit of rust, but they don’t look all that serious and I’d hate to start making minor repairs and lose the originality of the paint, so maybe just living with them is the best option.
Things inside are nicely preserved as well, with the 22k miles showing on the odometer stated to be actual. A tach and a few other aftermarket gadgets have been added to the dash, and that fire-fighting gear in the back is still pumping water! Another nice and somewhat hard-to-find feature is the Pacesetter Half Cab, which acts as a divider between the front and rear when it’s in use. Up front, a vintage Warn 8274 winch is in place that’s said to be in absolute mint condition.
The 350 V8 has a 4-Barrel on top and it’s connected to a 4-Speed manual transmission. Everything under the hood seems to be in good order with a few extra wires here and there, and the Blazer is said to still run and drive great, plus it’s always good to have that 4-Wheel-Drive handy if you ever get into a tight spot. There’s a video provided as well, which shows a good walkaround and we even get to go on a test drive. I’m really liking this one a lot, but the dilemma for me would be torn between not wanting to remove the fire equipment, although, for functionality’s sake, it would be more practical on a daily basis without it. What would you do?
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Comments
Naturally, I think it’s pretty neat, an electrical nightmare waiting to happen. This truck , unlike most fire equipment, was probably used more than any piece of equipment, and looks it. Small brush fires, that hopefully don’t turn into bigger fires, are the most common types of fires. Everything from cat converters to cigarettes, some states even say a dragging chain causes fires. Not sure about that one, but with changing climate, it’s been told, wildfires are going to be a regular thing and this could save the farm. That’s worth $20 grand to some, apparently.
What’s up with the brake and clutch pedals?
Dozens of people have been caught and prosecuted setting a lot but not all of those fires on purpose out west along with poor brush control by utility companies and an end to most controlled burns due to environmentalists. Now on to the truck.It’s awesome and I would remove the pump equip if I owned it as I have no use for it.It would just take up space I could use. The 4 speed blazers with the granny gear and 203 cast iron transfer case made great plow trucks in the day.
When a truck was a truck. When the bed liner was a piece of plywood. When the fenders would rust you bought new ones. It was you a buddy and a 12 pack of beer, an hour or so later they were installed. When you can carry a small toolbox box in case you broke down, you can fix it and make it home. Today they’re Cadillacs. ☹️
There’s no such thing as “Harmony Fire District” here in Arizona. Although the truck’s in Cave Creek, a quick Google search turned up several Harmony Fire Departments and Fire Districts in eastern seaboard states.
This would be a nice rig, for an off grid homestead…
Nice Fire rig. In my hometown we had trucks like this since Harriman State Park is our backyard in NY. These rigs would go on the fire trails and take care of business. Personally I would leave the rig the way it is. It would be fun at parades and car shows. too much history here the way things used to be. As for the wiring it’s very simple relays, circuit breakers and switches. Now it’s at $25,000 reserve not met. I would say they want $30,000 for it. Because of the low mileage and how original the rig is. Good luck to the next owner. 🇺🇸🐻🇺🇸
If someone thinks they are going to “unmodify” this Blazer and bring it back to stock original…good luck with that! It’s already at $25k plus….no thanks.
if it wasn’t so far gone, give it a paint job in beige and make it a tribute to the Jaws one
The siren/light on the roof looks like the one on the original Batmobile.
That water tank’s really small – make sure you just go to small
fires?And I’ve never seen a fire rig in this color.
Yeah it’s a nice truck but what do you do with it, it’s at $27,200. now I can’t see anyone using it to put out fires any more and to remove all that fire equipment would be a nightmare and then what do you do with all that equipment, sell it good luck on that, and then to find good used GM parts to make it a civilian Blazer again, the money could be is endless, in my opinion this is a $15,000. car at best
I have seen red , and yellow fire trucks, but never a green one.