1971 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Is Fully Refurbished and Deliciously Vintage, Packs Rebuilt V8

In its second model year, the Blazer also spawned a GMC variant known as the Jimmy, which I’m sure you’ve all heard of.

The K5 Blazer became extremely popular, extremely quickly. Buyers were amazed by its combination of off-road prowess and “luxury” features (by those standards), such as air conditioning and available automatic transmissions.

It only took one model year for it to completely outshine its rivals, which resulted in Dodge and Jeep introducing the Ramcharger and the Cherokee, respectively, followed by Ford coming out with a revised Bronco.

Let’s fast-forward to 2023 and look at this bright orange 1971 K5 Blazer 4x4 model, currently up for grabs to the highest bidder. According to the ad, the truck arrived at the selling dealer having undergone a partial refurbishment, which was subsequently completed – thankfully.

The result is quite stunning, from the white removable hardtop, bright egg-crate grille with integrated headlights and CST badging, to the drop-down tailgate with white lettering, faux woodgrain trim, dual exhaust outlets and chrome bumpers. Then you’ve got the white Mobsteel wheels, measuring 20-inches in diameter, and fitted with 35x12.5” Gladiator QR900 tires. Meanwhile, the 4-inch lifted suspension explains the imposing stance.

Inside, you get black vinyl front bucket seats, a rear bench to match, orange piping, a body-color dash panel, door armrests, a center console, sun visors, a Vintage Air climate control system, a roll bar, Kenwood stereo, plus a wood-rimmed steering wheel. Yes, before you ask, it's got power steering too.

As for performance, this K5 Blazer is powered by a replacement 350 ci V8 unit, installed under prior ownership. It’s been fitted with an Edelbrock air cleaner, and valve covers, and it works alongside a three-speed automatic transmission with a dual-range transfer case (also rebuilt).

It’s hard to say how much power is currently being sent to all four wheels, but this type of 350 ci (5.7-liter) V8 unit used to produce 175 horsepower back when it was new, which to be fair isn’t a lot – not that it was a lot back then.

As far as I’m concerned, this truck is nearly perfect from a vintage standpoint, but the “restomodder” in me would definitely crave more power, so if it was up to me, the 350 ci V8 would need to go, the same way mafia informants usually “need to go”.

As for what my solution would be in terms of propulsion, LS-swapping should work like a charm, even though it wouldn’t exactly be a straight-forward procedure.