4-Speed 4WD: 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer
There is something about the early Chevrolet and GM trucks that is iconic. This 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer is located in Lander, Wyoming. While it has seen use over the years, it appears to be clean and in excellent shape. The K5 Blazer is equipped with a V8 and 4 speed transmission. There are three days remaining in the auction and this 4WD vehicle has been bid to $22,800. With the reserve met, this Blazer should sell in the next few days. It can be seen here on eBay.
The Blazer is originally from Washington state and the current owner has driven it for 3.5 years. The interior is stock and spartan. As can be seen, the driver’s seat is torn and showing foam but actually, the interior looks really good. At some point the original seats were replaced with van seats. The seller has the correct buckets and will sell them with the truck for an additional amount. The Blazer is not rust free and most of the rust is located in the floor boards. There is also rust that was repaired in the rockers and along the rear wheel housing. The original owner did not order too many options but the truck does have power brakes.
The engine compartment reflects a driver quality vehicle. The Blazer has a 307 cubic inch V8 engine that produces around 170 horsepower. The large inner wheel wells show how much clearance the Chevrolet engineers allowed for this 4WD. The GM front and rear differentials are stock and the Blazer rolls on factory Rally wheels and aftermarket BF Goodrich All Terrain TAs.
The bright blue paint looks good and contrasts well with the white top. The bottom of the truck was undercoated and is said to be in great shape. The rear bumper looks like a front bumper but I am not knowledgeable enough to know if it is correct. This would be a cool vehicle to have around a ranch or farm.
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Comments
The rear bumper is correct. Step bumpers were always rare and often aftermarket add ons for Blazers and Suburbans well into the 1980s. When this Blazer was new, pickup trucks in many states weren’t even required by law to have a rear bumper. Since Blazers and Suburbans of the era were actually titled as station wagons, they WERE required to have them and most came with a passenger car style bumper.
Ha! My ex-brother in law had a blue and white K5 exactly like this. In the mid 80’s, when he was still my b-i-l,, we took it to Nashville one weekend with a converted boat trailer made into a car hauler, with disastrous results, I might add, in search of a classic car to bring back to Wis. Great trucks, there were so many that withered away, for years, it was the ubiquitous 4×4 to have until imports killed that. Without question, the top of the heap of full size 4×4’s, with Ford, Dodge/Plymouth and Jeep following in that order, and for good reason. Perhaps I’m a bit partial, but GM simply had the best combination. Truly amazing to see one like this again, I bet my b-i-l would love to see it. Great find,, oh yeah, almost forgot,,,price. They’re nuts.
The door/fender gaps really concern me on this one.
Looks like mediocre bodywork in the bottom of the driver door and rocker panels. The door gaps are all over the place on both doors. Look like someone is flipping for high $.
Bought an identical ’72 new, white with black top and black seats but with a four barrel 350. To this day it’s one of the best looking rigs of any era in my mind. 8 months after driving it off the showroom floor the bottom of the passenger door fell out, rusted through. Pulled everything off short of the main body and found bare metal everywhere inside. Repainted every piece and used up a case of 3M inner panel rustproofing to get a vehicle that did everything we asked of it, including hauling my sister-in-law’s horse trailer. BTW, that is the factory rear bumper. Notice it’s straight with no bend in it.
My dad bought one of these new, orange with a white top. The story goes that he had to sell it when he married Mom because the clutch pedal was too heavy for her to maneuver. They ended up with a CJ-7 with an automatic.
In 2009 I sold mine – same engine, trans, and spartan interior – for $3k because I lost my space to store it. At least it went to a good home, and is currently being swapped onto a stock 2WD frame with a big block. It should be pretty sweet when it’s done.
Overall looks pretty nice. Looking at the rest of the truck I’m thinking it’s had a respray in its recent past. OK, I’m going to get a little nit-picky here. Out west the GM 4×4 community had a few sixes but the rest were V-8s, all 350s. I worked for a GM dealer at a wide spot in the road (didn’t deserve the title as a town) and we dealt with a LOT of GM 4×4 trucks. I NEVER saw a 307 in a 4×4. The sixes were 292s and the V-8s were 350s. Well, into the late 70s the half-ton 4x4s could be had with a 250; we got a few of them in. Maybe I was in a unique region but we worked on trucks from way out in the boonies and that was the rule of thumb. The truck could be bare-bones stock but the engine was likely to be a 350. Anyways…
Driven and enjoyed is the way to go with these. Lots of parts available so you should be able to drive one for years to come. When they first came out in ’69 there was a flood of these out west (still questioning why Ford and Dodge too so long to join the pack). Back then people started retiring the traditional family car and replacing it with an SUV…
Being the foremost authority on such matters, you would know. I read, there were 4 engine choices for the K5 in ’72, and the 307 was one of them. I think it’s a 307, I don’t recall the oil fill tube on a 350. I think in your case, most opted for the biggest motor they could get out west. If they offered a 454, you know you would have seen those.
Memory is probably failing me. I used to know the option lists fairly well back in the day and was going back through some of the trucks that I was familiar with in years gone by. I have to say that I never saw a 4×4 with a 307, but that’s me. Now in ’67 and earlier the 283 was available in a 4×4 but you couldn’t get a 327. In ’68 GM replaced the 283 with the 307 so logically THAT should’ve been available in 4x4s; it should go on through the years that way. So, considering all that, I have to agree that the 307 was likely the standard V8 in a 4×4 at that time…
On first look it looks pretty nice obviously needs some attention but very good potential. I have never been a fan of the 307 but that’s easily taken care of. The vast majority I have seen had 350s in them. Besides being prone to rust they were a good vehicle!
my girlfriends dad bought a beat up Larson fiberglass boat off me, and his buddy rolled up in one of these to tow it out of my parents back yard…..
love this body style, my dad had a 72 3door Carryall same blue and white paint job, lots of memories in that old beasty
The market for these K5’s are hot! A body style vehicle GM never should have never gotten rid of.
I always thought this is an attractive body style. I wouldn’t mind this one. The prices on these is through the roof, this one almost looks like a bargain to me…almost.
GM used a torque box under the doors to add the rigidity lost when the pickup cab was cut off to make the Blazer body. They are usually the first thing to rot and then the cab collapses and the doors do not open properly. This one looks nice and original but I would want to see the underside in person to know it is not a rotten mess down there. Looking at the fender to door gaps makes me think there is a reason for no under body photos. This is the reason I sold mine, back when I had no body working skills and body shops quoted me unaffordable money to fix it. I sold it for parts and I have regretted and missed it ever since.