garlicbreath
1/2 ton status
I found one of these here in NY and have never ran across one before. Anyone seen one before?? Supposedly only 2000 were made.
CK5
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Anyone seen a factory K5 camper?
- Thread starter garlicbreath
- Start date
it is called a Blazer Chalet here is a site http://www.blazerchalet.com/ nice not to many around.
broc944
1/2 ton status
There is one parked behind a garage in the town my shop is in, I have never seen it moved, same color scheme as the one in your pic.
azblazer owns one and is one of the founders of blazer chalet .com
garlicbreath
1/2 ton status
Would it be worth picking up for a few hundred? It's pretty rusty, needs doors, fenders, hood, rockers, floors, patches, etc.
I wrote an email to Doug from blazerchalet.com when I looked at buying one in Mich. The guy sold the top off it to some guy so I never bought it. But should of... OH WELL!! 
Here is what he had to say.
Deleted...
Fortunately most chalet's survive the ages...but the same can't be said for
the blazer and or jimmy it came with. And there are reasons for that....
Depending on "what" you have in mind for your new aquisition...they are a
perfect one man rig or perfect for two and a weekend get away. I guess i have
the most chalet experience on the planet these days and i have grown acustom
to my 76 as my right hand if you were. Putting it on the 87 is a simple enough
task...and it nets you a small storage area right behind the seats like that
of the old el camino's.
Changed career's this year in july so i spend weeks at a time in the oilfields
of wyoming and colorado. And its me and the chalet against the world.
Sometimes i end up living out of her and sometimes i don't. But after being up
for two days straight it sure is nice to pull over anywhere and comfortably
catch a few winks.
The price is right if its all there and in good shape. The table is a minor
issue as one can be had at any rv supply-parts store andseem to be standard
fare. I personally don't even keep my table in my rig as i don't use it. I
keep the two rear seats folded down at all times with 2 foam mats cut to fit
over the seats and a brown mattress cover to keep them in place.
Most issues you will run into with the camper are as follows.
1) Everything is 30 years old...most of the manufacturer's of the oem camper
parts save coleman and dometic are long since out of buisness. However i spent
$300 dollars to have the two camper side windows made from the original
templates as cascade shade is still around and the wonderful owner still had
most of the oem material they were made of.
2) Dometic makes quality products...and most of the 30 year old 3 way fridges
i have seen still work...if not...remove...set on work bench upside down for
24 hours...re-install and away you go...however...the 30 year old thing still
applies...no parts ava.
3) Rear heater works like a gang busters if the valve still works...if
not...even after retro fitting a newer valve...it gets hot..but...wyoming is
cold and convection doesn't work as well as a modern propane unit with a fan
to circulate the air.
4) Get a ladder and a good friend and remove the 5 top hold down straps in the
campers interior and have them remade out of a quality military grade nylon
webbing. The old bolts will be a pain to remove as somebody used flat heads
back then...grrr. Failure to do this will result in an unplanned jetisoning of
said top and things get ugly from there.
5) No matter what you do...and how much silicone you use the front windows
will allways leak...which lets water in...which runs down the b pillars and
settles in the floor boards and rots out the floor. When i restore my 76 next
year from the ground up i plan to "delete" the front windows and cure the
problem since my chalet spent the better part of its life in nebraska and i
haven't decide on going the same route you are planning or use a rust free 77
tub i have in my collection of various k5's...however some chalets like
mine..are titled as a MH...short for Motor Home...so if its still attached to
a 76 - 77 body the insurance company will fight with you until you show them
the factory color brochure and then they cave...which nets you full coverage
insurance for $500 a year...
Not trying to scare you away from owning a chalet...but as a 30 year old
vehicle...and depending on how well the previous owner took care of his/her
chalet will greatly impact your wallet. Correctly fixed up they are a hoot.
And 9 out of 10 people will tell you at the gas pump what a nice camper you
have on your truck...its allways fun to say thats not a truck...its a
blazer....lol.
Using a 87 K5 as a platform is a great idea which i am currently contemplating
as i picked up a 89 jimmy that needs a bit of work for $500. With the 87 you
can skip the brake master and booster upgrade since it was standard to have
the 1 1/8 bore master in that year. Plus you won't have to back wards engineer
a 350 tbi into it like me...course the overdrive is icing on the cake also.
Dicky from delaware did the same with an 89 and is netting 16mpg...not bad for
a brick with wheels.
Handling is the last issue to address. Allthough gm meant well...and gave us
the perfect 4wd short wheel base rig with camper...there were a few short
comings that will cost some money to cure. I recommend going thru the entire
front end...gear box on down! Pricey...but makes the difference between a
tolerable trip and a white knuckle trip. Alsoa rear sway bar with links that
are level with the rear springs is a must...i have airbags in the rear of mine
also and makes for a great ride and it puts me in control of the gogo pedal
instead of letting her dictate how fast we are going to drive...
If you have any questions just drop me a line or call me at ***-***-****.
Might not allways answer but the remoteness of the oil fields plays hell with
cell signal from time to time.
Doug Wright
Here is what he had to say.
Deleted...
Fortunately most chalet's survive the ages...but the same can't be said for
the blazer and or jimmy it came with. And there are reasons for that....
Depending on "what" you have in mind for your new aquisition...they are a
perfect one man rig or perfect for two and a weekend get away. I guess i have
the most chalet experience on the planet these days and i have grown acustom
to my 76 as my right hand if you were. Putting it on the 87 is a simple enough
task...and it nets you a small storage area right behind the seats like that
of the old el camino's.
Changed career's this year in july so i spend weeks at a time in the oilfields
of wyoming and colorado. And its me and the chalet against the world.
Sometimes i end up living out of her and sometimes i don't. But after being up
for two days straight it sure is nice to pull over anywhere and comfortably
catch a few winks.
The price is right if its all there and in good shape. The table is a minor
issue as one can be had at any rv supply-parts store andseem to be standard
fare. I personally don't even keep my table in my rig as i don't use it. I
keep the two rear seats folded down at all times with 2 foam mats cut to fit
over the seats and a brown mattress cover to keep them in place.
Most issues you will run into with the camper are as follows.
1) Everything is 30 years old...most of the manufacturer's of the oem camper
parts save coleman and dometic are long since out of buisness. However i spent
$300 dollars to have the two camper side windows made from the original
templates as cascade shade is still around and the wonderful owner still had
most of the oem material they were made of.
2) Dometic makes quality products...and most of the 30 year old 3 way fridges
i have seen still work...if not...remove...set on work bench upside down for
24 hours...re-install and away you go...however...the 30 year old thing still
applies...no parts ava.
3) Rear heater works like a gang busters if the valve still works...if
not...even after retro fitting a newer valve...it gets hot..but...wyoming is
cold and convection doesn't work as well as a modern propane unit with a fan
to circulate the air.
4) Get a ladder and a good friend and remove the 5 top hold down straps in the
campers interior and have them remade out of a quality military grade nylon
webbing. The old bolts will be a pain to remove as somebody used flat heads
back then...grrr. Failure to do this will result in an unplanned jetisoning of
said top and things get ugly from there.
5) No matter what you do...and how much silicone you use the front windows
will allways leak...which lets water in...which runs down the b pillars and
settles in the floor boards and rots out the floor. When i restore my 76 next
year from the ground up i plan to "delete" the front windows and cure the
problem since my chalet spent the better part of its life in nebraska and i
haven't decide on going the same route you are planning or use a rust free 77
tub i have in my collection of various k5's...however some chalets like
mine..are titled as a MH...short for Motor Home...so if its still attached to
a 76 - 77 body the insurance company will fight with you until you show them
the factory color brochure and then they cave...which nets you full coverage
insurance for $500 a year...
Not trying to scare you away from owning a chalet...but as a 30 year old
vehicle...and depending on how well the previous owner took care of his/her
chalet will greatly impact your wallet. Correctly fixed up they are a hoot.
And 9 out of 10 people will tell you at the gas pump what a nice camper you
have on your truck...its allways fun to say thats not a truck...its a
blazer....lol.
Using a 87 K5 as a platform is a great idea which i am currently contemplating
as i picked up a 89 jimmy that needs a bit of work for $500. With the 87 you
can skip the brake master and booster upgrade since it was standard to have
the 1 1/8 bore master in that year. Plus you won't have to back wards engineer
a 350 tbi into it like me...course the overdrive is icing on the cake also.
Dicky from delaware did the same with an 89 and is netting 16mpg...not bad for
a brick with wheels.
Handling is the last issue to address. Allthough gm meant well...and gave us
the perfect 4wd short wheel base rig with camper...there were a few short
comings that will cost some money to cure. I recommend going thru the entire
front end...gear box on down! Pricey...but makes the difference between a
tolerable trip and a white knuckle trip. Alsoa rear sway bar with links that
are level with the rear springs is a must...i have airbags in the rear of mine
also and makes for a great ride and it puts me in control of the gogo pedal
instead of letting her dictate how fast we are going to drive...
If you have any questions just drop me a line or call me at ***-***-****.
Might not allways answer but the remoteness of the oil fields plays hell with
cell signal from time to time.
Doug Wright
1985_K5_Silverado
1/2 ton status
FYI, here is a '76 Blazer Chalet that someone (not me, nor anyone I know) has up for sale on ebay. He has a BIN price of 5K, bids are only up to about 1200 right at this moment. He would have done well to have more than one tiny photo
