The round headlights and grille pattern, combined with the half cab and lift-off shell over the bed suggest that this Chevy Blazer is a 1976 model. The locking hubs and visible front transfer case tell us it's a 4-wheel drive K5 Blazer rather than the rear-wheel drive version, although simple statistics favor that. The RWD versions weren't as common.
The standard powerplant would have been 250 cubic inch Turbo-Thrift inline six, putting out 105 SAE net horsepower. Optionally the buyer could go for a 350 V-8 rated at 160 horsepower, or a 185 horse 400 cubic inch small block. Four speed manual and three speed automatic gearboxes were available.
Pickup, Van & 4 Wheel Drive Magazine tested a 1976 Chevy K5 Blazer Cheyenne with the 400 cube V-8 and TH400 slushbox. They recorded a 0-60 time of 11.9 seconds and an 18.2 quarter at 73 mph. The big V-8 managed to force the brick-like snout into the wind all the way to 94 miles per hour before being defeated by aerodynamic drag, 500 RPM short of the redline.
This one was photographed in August of 2024 with an Olympus OM-D E-M1X and Panasonic 12-60mm f/2.8-4 zoom lens.
Dang, that's in nice shape! 30+ years ago I had a '77 K5 that I finally gave up on when the transmission lines blew out - that body style didn't put up much of a fight against the Rust Monster.
ReplyDeleteYeah, for being north of the Ohio river, it’s amazingly un-rusted.
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