I personally don't like and can't properly understand the human fascination with fishing (and hunting, for that matter, but that's a story for another time). By that I mean I can't understand how this is considered a sport, and why so many people go through a lot of trouble to practice it.
Despite all this, I must confess I am a sucker for TV shows that depict the lives and adventures of fishermen. The ones that do not do this for sports, but for a living, fighting rough seas and the ever-present danger of death to catch crabs, tuna, and other such creatures that are in high demand.
There are several such shows currently running, but few of them can match Discovery Channel'sDeadliest Catch. The show premiered back in 2005 and aims to follow the trials and tribulations of crab fishermen operating in the Bering Sea.
The show proved successful not only with me, but with a lot of other people as well, as it now reached an impressive run of 19 seasons and no less than 343 episodes. And it's still going, as viewers can't seem to get enough of cold and wet weather, dragging cages out of the water, and counting crabs.
The show follows concurrently the operations of several fishing vessels, run naturally by different crews. Every single one of us probably has our own favorite ship and captain, but this story will probably hit a soft spot with the fans of Wild Bill Wichrowski, the captain of the F/V Summer Bay, a 1981 fishing vessel weighing 196 gross tons.
Off the screen and ship, the man appears to be a real fan of custom cars, to the point that he has vehicles built for him. And one of his vehicles, a bare metal, complete restoration of a 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer, just made it under the spotlight.
The vehicle that forms the basis of this build is probably well-known among non-diehard fans of the automotive industry as well. It's a full-size SUV the GM brand produced between 1969 and 1994, the predecessor if you will of the Tahoe.
Photo: Barrett-Jackson
The SUV constantly makes it into custom shops across America for some tender love and care. The restoration of this one for the Deadliest Catch captain was performed by Arizona-based Hogan Built.
The project called for a restoration of the SUV, but it did not rule out upgrades, and that's exactly what the garage tasked with it did, bringing the K5 to a "concours-worthy finish."
I'll start, as usual, with the visible bits, and in this case those are first and foremost the Medium Olive paint job, just like the SUV originally had on, highlighted by a Crème Brulee lower quarter. As a touch of class, a wood-grain insert that's described as "one-of-a-kind” was fitted to separate the two hues.
The body of the Blazer hides a completely remade chassis. Not only was it sandblasted and painted, but it also got reworked axles, a hydro-boost braking system backed by Wilwood hardware, and Deaver leaf springs to work with the Fox shocks.
The Chevy makes contact with the ground by means of 17-inch Black Rhino Primm beadlock wheels, all four of them shod in BFGoodrich tires.
The wheels are spun by a 6.2-liter GM LS3 engine of undisclosed power levels. The powerplant is connected to a Hughes 4L80E transmission and NP205 transfer case to properly make use of its capabilities.
The engine breathes through a 3-inch fully TIG-welded exhaust with MagnaFlow mufflers, and draws what it needs to function from a polished 24-gallon Boyd fuel cell installed in the rear. The LS3 has been made to look vintage with the fitting of a 16-inch filter and SBC valve covers with hidden coil packs.
Photo: Barrett-Jackson
The interior of the Blazer has been tweaked as well. It has Triple Twine Tan material all around, including on the bucket seats, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel in front of the dashboard equipped with Classic Instrument gauges.
The highlight of the habitat is the RetroSound stereo system that comprises four 6.5-inch speakers and a 10-inch subwoofer for that deep bass we all love.
We are talking today about Wild Bill Wichrowski's 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer because the SUV just popped on the list of cars auction house Barrett-Jackson is sending under the hammer at the end of January 2024 in Scottsdale.
Because the event is a no-reserve auction, meaning the cars there will sell to the highest bidder no matter the sum offered, we don't get any estimate as to how much the SUV might get.
Valuation specialist Hagerty says one of these babies is worth around $65,600, but that doesn't take into account links to the Deadliest Catch and Hogan Built.
We will update this story once the hammer falls so you'll have a proper image of the Chevy's value in the eyes of collectors.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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