Topless Outdoorsman: 1976 Chevrolet Blazer Chalet Camper
I’ve seen a few of these over the years, and never could quite bring myself to like them. What bothered me was that the camper defeated the purpose of a Blazer: a removable top! Then I realized that it doesn’t defeat the purpose of a Blazer, rather it gives it a different purpose. Camping isn’t really my thing, but the more I see these the more I think I like them. For someone looking for a modestly sized 4×4 camper, a Blazer equipped with a camper like this fit the bill perfectly where very few vehicles could. A true barn find, as claimed by the seller, this Blazer only has 35,030 original miles on it. Find it here on eBay in Kentucky with bidding at $610 and no reserve as I write this.
Of the few I’ve seen for sale, this is the first one I have actually seen interior pictures of and that has had an interior worth photographing. Though this is the only shot we get, from what can be seen it looks like this could be easily cleaned up and put to use. Used campers will forever weird me out because of buying a used sleeping space, but once clean I’m sure this one would be fine. With the camper attachment, the space of such a short wheelbase vehicle is really maximized. Though this is probably best suited to one or two people, it makes a lot of space out of a little!
The biggest and possibly only concerning aspect of this Blazer is the bent rear door that is held shut with a strap. If it has been sitting like this for a long time, then it is likely that the interior may have had some uninvited visitors and will require some extra cleaning. Not only that, but if this door can’t be repaired then finding a correct replacement could prove to be a challenge.
Equipped with running 400 cubic inch Chevrolet V8, this truck won’t be winning any races, but it will get you where you need to go. With the addition of a front bumper and a good inside and out detailing, this looks like it would be a really nice camper. If the camper part is too far gone, the low miles make this a fantastic starting point for a functional survivor. Would you keep it as a camper? Or revert it to a standard Blazer?
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Comments
Camper! A great easy way to just get up and go without the hassle of a lot of packing.
Well ’76 would be the year to do it. Would have been a shame to cover up a ’75 or earlier with the full removable roof.
…On second thought I’m not sure you could have even of put a camper on those (?).
Regardless this one is cool, dig it.
Perfect for the one man getaway when the wife finds out “The Office” is the name of the local fishing supplies store.
This would be great accommodations for my mother-in-law when she visits.
Had a friend recently buy one at a pick a part junkyard in Washington for real cheap. Maybe a couple hundred at most.
Rebuilding the rear door is a much better option than buying one assuming there is one out there.
This was on here once before
There is one off Tokul Road not too far from the “World Famous Snoqualmie Falls.”
These are EXTREMELY tippy. The old man bought one of these once, rolled, in hopes of fixing it, but was too far crunched. He then thought he’d sell it as a regular Blazer, but the top of the cab is redesigned to accept the camper, and a stock Blazer top wouldn’t fit. At the crashed auto auction my old man went to, I saw at least one more of these rolled, along with the Toyota Chinook’s too. Not a bad concept, but someone, this being a 4 wheel drive, is going to take this off the highway, and that’s where the trouble starts.
Maybe they just need wider rubber and keeping that lift height reasonable (and maybe less ‘tippy’ drivers without a beer in their hand lol)
They look great dressed up a bit:
Whoa. What redneck bachelor dreams are made of. Love it.
Hi Rod, I believe you are correct. Most of these top heavy configurations could benefit from wider tires, or even duals on the back. Most campers like this today have dual wheels on the back.
Wondered about that. With the extremely short wheel base, 4×4 lifted suspension, and extra weight/height/overhang these had to be a handful unless driven extremely conservatively. I get the concept but I keep thinking about driving one of these across the Colorado plains with a stiff cross wind — yikes!
I believe this is the one popped that up on the local Craigslist a year or so ago. If so, it was very ambitiously priced then. Described as need a full restoration, which is probably code for cutting out all the rust. Blazers rusted out even worse that the trucks of this era. Small block 400, great torque, but poor design & prone to early failure due to the siamesed bores & steam ports in the heads. As Howard A. mentioned, very top heavy, & with the shorter wheelbase, pretty unstable at highway speeds. A stout wind would play havoc on these things.
I’m. It sure what GM was thinking when they came up with this. One of those, “it sounded good on paper” things…
You are right Tyler. http://barnfinds.com/dueling-campers-chalet-casa-grande/
I bought one of these years ago (put on wider less aggressive sand tires) that I used for surf casting in Montauk Point and Jones Beach on Long Island. Defiantly not something you would want for off roading at speed. Kind of like driving jello