Getting another K5

[Boggy Boy]

Still have sometime before I leave Italy but I have already build an 86 K5 was just wondering if 69-72 are easier to find part etc. Seems pretty difficult to find one that somebody that doesn't want to rape you on the price and that is pretty straight? What should I look for? Thanks for any information!

 

[GotBoykins]

Save time and money, buy one restored and built already.

 

[bigdon-70blazer]

Found my 1970 Blazer on e-Bay after looking for a couple years. My advice, don't be in a hurry, take your time. Try to Find good one or two owner rig that has not been jacked up or hill climbing. If you want to do that, thats cool, but find a rig that is free of that history and you will be better off. Yes there are still some rigs out there like that. When you find the one, ask lots of questions and assure yourself of the sellers honesty and intentions. Maybe that sounds pie-in-the-sky but thats how it happened for me. I trusted the guys I bought from, drove 500 miles with a trailer and brought my rig home, 56,000 miles, farm truck and thats all. Did have some rust in the quarters and floor fronts but strait and clean and unmolested. I was not scared to pay the price for it less than 6K for a great rig to restore which I am doing now! Hope this helps. Don

 

[Greg72]

Still have sometime before I leave Italy but I have already build an 86 K5 was just wondering if 69-72 are easier to find part etc. Seems pretty difficult to find one that somebody that doesn't want to rape you on the price and that is pretty straight? What should I look for? Thanks for any information!

When it comes to the 1st Gen K5s (69-72):

Supply = low
Demand = high




This is why you won't find something good for cheap (at least not anything worth owning) and the parts WILL be more expensive than the ones for the 73+ K5s..... it just natural, there aren't as many customers to buy the parts for these early vehicles so the manufacturers need to recoup their costs by charging more for the parts they do sell...

There were 907,826 Blazers built between '69 and '91.....but only 77,948 of those were 1st Gens. So basically, we represent less than 10% of the overall K5 market.

You won't find anyone here to argue that 1st Gens aren't the COOLEST of all the Blazers....but they certainly aren't the cheapest. That's why there is a special bond in this forum. The guys who are willing to buy and restore/build one of these understands that it's a labor of love (and $$$$) that goes beyond what the owners of later model Blazers have to endure.

By the way, here are some specific build quantities for the 1st Gen K5s:

1972: 44,266 built
1971: 17,220 built
1970: 11,527 built
1969: 4,935 built

 

[RGV72BLAZER]

you can buy mine. lol. yea people think they're stuff is the last K5 on the face of the earth, including me. he he. i bought my '72 for 3250. then i dumped about 5K in it to semi restore it. when it came out of the shop, some guy offered me 10K, well that's what i was told at least from the guy that did the paint job. & now with my current build, well, i have a lot in it, & wouldn't consider selling it because i know i wouldn't even get half of what i've put into it. i'd take GotLabs advice & take your time.

 

[Boggy Boy]

Thanks for the info and your time! When I built my 86 K5 part were easy to find and not to expensive. Still on the lookout for that 69-72 Blazer so far.

 

[3 on the tree]

Maybe I just live in the right place. I saw 2 1st gens sitting this weekend. One on the road that leads to Bangs Canyon. It was lt blue with white top and white OE wheels. 69 or 70 grill. Another one at the top of Cerro Summit, sitting in a field. There is a pretty decent 1st gen Jimmy here in town also. In my town and surrounding area, there are 4 1st gens I see on the road on a regular basis. Up here in the mountains, 95% of the trucks you see are 4WD. The other 5% are mostly out of towners who never have to deal with winter.

 

[RGV72BLAZER]

oh it's not that there's none for sale in my area either. there's two that i know of locally for sale, both have been sitting for a long time. one has major rust & in need of a FULL restoration with no drivetrain, much less decent tires/wheels. guy wants 1800 for it with no title. i just laughed when he told me the price & left. the other one looks pretty decent as far as the body goes but don't know if it runs. sitting on flat tires. offered 1K for it but never got a response back. oh & there's one about 7 hours from where i live & the guy wants 1800 for it, running, on 35s with 4.56s but has no title.

 

[Yukon Jack]

Keep your eyes open - there are still bargains out there. I got my 70 K5 after about 3 years of looking. It was missing it's T/C and hadn't been running for about 6-7 years but body wise it is in pretty good shape. I'm finally getting close to having it back on the road.

I bought it for $650 and had to drive down to Ft. Worth, Tx from Wichita, KS to bring it back on a trailer. That was a great deal in my book!