Blazer Chalet

[haven]

Chinook RV had a contract with GM in the mid-1970's to produce a fiberglass camper for the short wheelbase 4x4 Blazer. The package was sold as the Chevy Blazer Chalet 4x4 and GMC Casa Grande. About 1800 units were sold in 1976 and 1977.

There's a web site for Blazer Chalet owners and enthusiasts. It's called (you guessed it) www.blazerchalet.com The following photos are from this web site.

Here's what the stock Blazer Chalet looks like





The shell is not meant to be easily removed, but it can be unbolted for maintenance to the truck or the camper shell.





You can get all sorts of parts for 1970's K5 Blazer, so it should be possible to fix any sort of damage, and to upgrade to become more offroad-capable.

The stock Blazer Chalet 4x4 can travel through easy 4x4 terrain



There is plenty of off-road equipment for the K5 Blazer. You can build up as far as your imagination (and wallet) will take you.



Skyjacker and Baja Claw work well together:



Ok, maybe something not quite so flashy would be better for those drives through the Sierra Madre.

Chip Haven

[haven]

I found a Blazer Chalet 4x4 for sale at www.rvtraderonline.com



1976 Chevrolet Blazer Chalet 4x4
10,000 miles
$3,500
Shoreline, WA (206) 533-8505

Looks a little rusty, but I guess that's to be expected in a 30 year old truck that's too tall to fit in a standard garage. I bet a zero is missing in the mileage quoted.

Chip Haven

[Grim Reaper]

That site is run by one of the guys from www.coloradok5.com that goes by dremu. I use to be a moderator at the site. The current blazer of the month (the tan 75 for August) is my old truck that I built and sold to Dontoe.

A lot of the pictures are from Doug Wright. The brown rig that is flexed up is Doug's. He also owns one of the nicest 76 Chalets left.
dremu also has a great site of brochures on GM trucks at http://brochures.slosh.com/

Doug and I have talked a bit about his Chalet and a few things he pointed out is this was a factory offering. The K5 the chalet goes on is not a regular K5. It has beefed up suspension and a few other upgrades.

The down side to this set up is with the short 106 inch wheelbase it makes the K5 and little top heavy. Its a lot of extra weight and it was not designed to be removed easily. Once that shell is unbolted from the K5 its VERY easy to damage.

I was really interested in converting our 79 K5 to a Chalet but sold the truck in favor of something with 4 doors.

I always thought it would be interesting to modify a Suburban and mount a Chalet body too it. The Sub as a little more tail to it then a K5 so grafting the rear of a K5 would let the frame stick out under the tail of the camper body. That would allow for the set up to sill have full towing potential (minus the weight) and have a regular Suburban back seat area. The big problem is Subs of that rear range have a higher roof line then a K5 so it would require a LOT of work to do the conversion and get the Chalet to fit correctly. (But the right bomb diesel Sub show up on my door step while I have cash in pocket it might still happen one day.)

[Doin_It]

So I'm sitting at a set of traffic lights, here in Calgary, today, and a Blazer Chalet turns the corner in front of me. What the heck I say to myself. I'd never heard of the Chalets till Chip Haven posted the other day about them, and now I'm seeing one. So of course I chase the truck down to talk to who ever is driving it. Here the truck has Colorado plates, and the fellow driving the truck is on of the "founders" of the blazer chalet web site. Now I was impressed and blown away, I was also impressed with what he's done to, and planning on doing with his current ride. So I'd say overall I had a very informative day. (My client I was on the way to see was a little miffed, I was alsmost an hour late, but she'll get over it)

[Grim Reaper]

So I'm sitting at a set of traffic lights, here in Calgary, today, and a Blazer Chalet turns the corner in front of me. What the heck I say to myself. I'd never heard of the Chalets till Chip Haven posted the other day about them, and now I'm seeing one. So of course I chase the truck down to talk to who ever is driving it. Here the truck has Colorado plates, and the fellow driving the truck is on of the "founders" of the blazer chalet web site. Now I was impressed and blown away, I was also impressed with what he's done to, and planning on doing with his current ride. So I'd say overall I had a very informative day. (My client I was on the way to see was a little miffed, I was alsmost an hour late, but she'll get over it)

That Had to Be Doug. He's a hoot isn't he? Super nice guy.

[Doin_It]

That Had to Be Doug.

Yea, you got her, Doug W. So when I got home I emailed him some some links, which of course this was on of. He's here in Calgary for another 3/4 weeks so I told him "The one who must be obyed" ain't much of a cook, but she is a Yankee so come on over for a visit and a beer, cause what ever she feeds us is still better then hotel food, so we'll see if we can get some stories out of him about travelling in the southern parts.

[Grim Reaper]

Yea, you got her, Doug W. So when I got home I emailed him some some links, which of course this was on of. He's here in Calgary for another 3/4 weeks so I told him "The one who must be obyed" ain't much of a cook, but she is a Yankee so come on over for a visit and a beer, cause what ever she feeds us is still better then hotel food, so we'll see if we can get some stories out of him about travelling in the southern parts.

Was he up there for work?

Last I heard He was working for Frieghtliner I think it was.

Have not talked to him in a while. I have his e-mail somewhere. Have to drop him a line.

[Colorado Ron]

I actually had one and should have kept it. Mine was a 77 I believe. The guy wanted just the blazer so I pulled the shell off. I bought an X military blazer with the 6.2 diesel. Installed the shell and was about ready to put dana 60s under it when someone went and offered me more than I could refuse!

[1976K5Chalet]

Ran into Doin It yesterday....it was really nice to chat chalet with someone. Being here in calgary for a month or two i have realized just how rare these k5's are up herein canada as i am constantly getting pulled over my curious on lookers...lol. Doesn't happen in the states as much as there were a lot more of them on the road when they were new i suppose.

Grimy...you dirty dog...where have you been hiding for pete's sake? You went and sold dollar....bought a yota and fell off the face of the earth...some friend you are...lol.

Anyways grimy my dear old friend....we moved to colorado...had 2 kids...camryn will be 4 on the 23rd of sept....and just is almost 2....and was born on the 23rd of march so he's around 18-9 months....after he was born a week to be exact i was on a plane to ogden utah to deploy forward with the 872nd Maint Co. DS to iraq. And fate saw things diff and i was refraded from fort bliss due to mt sleep apnea so i missed the trip to mosul. Returned to work at ftl....and about a month later i recieved a call from a friends boss wanting to interview me in casper wy for a oil field em mwd job. Called in sick...drove to casper and was hired on the spot. Haven't looked back since.....and thats why i am in casper training on LWD (gamma).
We bought 5 acres in fruita colorado..bought 20 miles from the old house in junction....which knocks a few miles off that 105 to moab..and are currently building a new house and a 30x40 shop for me and my fleet of 6 K5's...

Email addy is k5nutt@hotmail.com....drop me aline mr. Its been way to long! And how is your ticker doin bud?

DW

[Grim Reaper]

Good to see ya buddy!
We talked since you moved to CO. I think you just had the first or were due at any time. That was when you sent the two Yorks out here for Glenn and I.

I got real burnt out on the Moderator thing at CK5. Then with Kiddo 2 taking up so much time I just started showing up less and less. Got sick of looking At the K5 sitting and with gas prices the way they were we did some vehicle swapping out so we could park the 454 Burb and get a couple more economical rides for DD use. Need the Burb to move the camper and the thought was to build a Pirate style 4Runner that I could DD and be able to tow it with the burb. Still in the planning stage but its looking like a milder build now then I had first planned.

Ticker is ticking.. Still with the phone company just no longer in the stores. Managed to get a job at the Network warehouse three miles from the Palatial Reaper estate ( one tank of fuel lasts a month LOL). Keeps me moving all the time tossing tower gear and that has helped my general health tremendously. Probably best shape I have been in a long time. Now I have some serious wanderlust going and planing on coming out your way in the next year or so.

Building a more mild rig better suited for exploration and long out back style trips that won't require a 30 year loan to finance the fuel. I will probably build a tube buggy for bouncing off rocks at Tellico later.

I think you will enjoy this site. The Chalet will fit into the general ideas of most of the members and the rigs they are building. 4x4 camping machines is the theme.

I'll drop you a line.