They've always got to have someone just manhandling the gear shift through every gear while parked, slamming the tilt steering up and down and aggressively moving the seats forward and back in every review.
I love the (full size) Broncos, but sadly Ford isn't actually bringing it back, they're reincarnating the stupid Bronco II on the new Ranger chassis :(
If only modern SUV’s had this kind of cargo capacity. Also, I always thought these would be very slow but 9.7 seconds was pretty quick for an 80’s truck.
I remember someone I knew shoehorned the engine from one of these in his Camaro after it got rear ended and his uncle gave it to him. That thing hauled ass lol not much to anymore power than the 305 he took out but the torque off the start and every time it shifted into its next long ass gear was awesome
@@barnabius they weren’t built for racing. They were built for low end torque and longevity. Many of those S10 platforms were poorly geared. My K5 has 3.73s a 200k miles. Runs like new
@@a1yk_don’t LS swap a TBI blazer. The 5.7 is efficient, reliable and has a good torque curve honestly don’t feel wanting for power. It is a chuck wagon with a motor. How much more power do you need?
@@Impala-qp9cb previous owner sold it to me with 3/4ton axles on it. It’s fun as shit buy wiring was absolutely atrocious. It needed a 3 inch body lift to clear the Allison too 😂
@@ReadingAreaRailfan It's sitting at 194,000 on the body/chassis. Not sure on drivetrain though, motor was replaced by original owner and transmission is out of an '87 K5 parts truck.
You would be wrong, dingus. This Blazer simply looks off balance on those dinky wheels and tires. It looks top heavy. Also, you don't need those things you mentioned to off road, but you do to off road better.
My buddy in high school had one of these, and it was a great truck. When I saw the braking test here, I was reminded of the one thing that I didn't like about that Blazer: emergency stops! That pull to the right in a panic stop made me panic even more!
Full-sized trucks with removable roofs and quickly be loved like a member of the family. Whether you're a Blazer, Bronco, or even a Ramcharger fan, there's always an extra seat at the table.
I wouldn't mind have either of the 3. Actually it would be cool to have one of each. Those old 4x4 carry all's in their boxy form look so much better than today's cars trying to be well a car.
not bad especially considering the power to weight ratio, only 210hp from a 5.7L engine pushing that full sized brick shaped SUV. its got to be like a sail pulling it backwards with the wind hitting that thing alone.
No ridiculous safety crap, round analog gauges, no center screen, no airbag, no antilock brakes, manual everything. These were the best trucks ever made. Seriously. Not sarcasm. I had the great pleasure of driving one back then.
Kind of reminds me of the jacket Ritchie Aprile gave Tony Soprano. Tony didn't like it, so he didn't wear it. In fact, he gave it to his housekeeper, who gave it to her husband. Husband comes walking through the kitchen wearing the jacket while Ritchie is sitting at the breakfast bar. Hurt Ritchie's feelings real bad.
Base price adjusted for inflation is right around $30,000. As tested is around $40,600 in today's dollars. Great video to see as always, the full size Blazer as well as the Bronco and Ram Charger were true SUVs that were durable and could actually off road. Hopefully Ford's new Bronco is the same and doesn't break the bank too badly when it's finally released.
For those wondering: The hard pull to the right is caused by the relationship of the geometry of the steering drag link and that of the suspension. Basically, the drag link runs parallel to the front leaf springs, as opposed to the typical perpendicular orientation of other solid axle vehicles. This orientation almost completely eliminates the bump-steer that is common to solid axle vehicles; as the leaf-sprung axle swings up and down, the drag link moves in a parallel path. The result is little to no bump steer in all but extreme driving situations. The downside is that during heavy braking, the severe suspension compression causes the tire-to-steering-wheel correlation to slightly shift, minutely turning the tires to the right if the wheel is held straight. This is because the drag link is slightly shorter than the length of the “swing arm” of the front springs. As the suspension travels further from centerline, the difference between the radius of the axle and the steering linkage becomes more pronounced, leading to increased movement of the steering linkage. Simply put, the linkage allowed for much better handling on streets and bumpy roads, with a trade-off in hard braking behavior.
Jack Benton same here in Minnesota. Just old fords and chevys and the occasional dodge. Any K5 Blazer for sale is heavily rusted and or dented from being turned into an off-road rig and they still want big bucks for them
HAHA, and add in twice as many gears, and they still can't achieve any better fuel economy than a 30+ year old truck that's actually more truck than today's trucks ever will be.
My 1994 Bronco only gets 10-11 city and at its best 14.5 highway with it's 5.8L engine. I would love to be getting 16mpg even if it was just on the highway.
"The center console allows ample storage for all the small items you may need on any trip" - *Pulls out a quart of motor oil and a FULL GALLON JUG of fluid!*
One thing I can't get over is that listening to this video with headphones on it sounds like the Blazer they're driving around has aftermarket exhaust on it. The 89 K5 I owned didn't sound like this at all. It was much quieter. But then again the TBI 5.7 in it was one from Goodwrench when I bought it.
I had a 1985 K5 Blazer that was bought from a military surplus auction, had the 6.2 diesel in it. Man I miss that sumbitch, I’m not saying it was a hummer but that damn thing was built like a tank and was a monster off road
Some day, I WILL have a square body Blazer...................some day, I WILL have a square body Blazer...................some day, I WILL have a square body Blazer.................................some day, I WILL have a square body Blazer................................some day, I WILL have a square body Blazer!!!!!!!
I’m curious why they didn’t use a ram charger for comparison as well between the Ford and the Chevy? That road test was for an 89 full-size blazer and Dodge still made the ram charger until 93.
Newsflash for you Dodge guys. They were not even in the conversation back then. The 90s was Dodges revival of popularity. Horrible interiors and electrical problems.
1) lower center of gravity for performance/safety 2) better performance as smaller tires have less rotating mass and also act as a smaller lever, requiring less torque to accelerate 3) better gas mileage
In 2001 I bought an 87 Jimmy in mint condition with only 80k. Black on grey. Great truck. Sold it 5 years later with 220k on it for the same price I bought it for
I like how their test vehicle had a nice exhaust sound. The one I had was super quiet, but it had a newer Goodwrench engine. The throttle was as hard as a rock tho.
Yeah, that seems to be a trait for these old square body Chevy's, my dad had an 84 GMC Sierra classic when I was a kid, it had a carbed 305 V8 in it, so it was pretty gutless, but I drove it a few times and I always remember the throttle being insanely tight, by contrast at the the time, my grandfather had a 1993 F-150 with a fuel injected 302 V8 and it had a much smoother operating throttle.
Back in the day, it really came down to personal preference. If you were a Ford person, you got the Bronco, and a Chevy guy got the Blazer. Very few people bought the Ramcharger.
Bought a 1989 new. Steel blue with a while top and bottom panel. Larger tires and wheels. Got 275,000 miles out of it before I traded it in. It was a great truck. I'd buy another one with a modern braking system and more efficient V-8/tranny. Hope that GM decides to do it to compete with the new Bronco, which Ford will sell about a million of in the first year. It's a great looking truck.
350 vs 351. Ford just didnt want to list theirs as a 5.7 also. Though they both had 5.0 which were polar opposites. 350 stroke and smaller bore for the chevy while the Ford had a 4" bore and a short stroke. The 5.0 in a ford truck was a turd but the tq of the 5.0 in a chevy truck was livable. The 350 will always be the king of the old v8s. People love LS swaps now but there are still tons of classic fords with SBC 350s under the hood. They are alot easier and cheaper to make real power with. Not to mention the stroker 383. I built a full race stroker 383 when I was 16 and had it in my 89 formula firebird with a 6 speed conversion back in 2001 and that thing was pure insanity, the 6 speed manual did make it some what controllable on the street and I did daily drive it for years. I had to change drag radials about as often as I had to change the oil. Add the 150 shot of nitrous on top of that and I was the fastest 17 year in Darlington that actually built his own car and daily drove it everywhere. It was one of the fastest "real" street cars around Darlington for a good while. Full interior, huge stereo (subs), working A/C and heat. No cage kept me banned from Darlington international dragway after one night of test and tune though.
The rear seat was missing armrests built into seat. They became pads velcroed to the wheelwell in 90. Seat belts were lap belts for rear too. Attached to the removable top. Also the 90 had rear ABS. 91 was unchanged. 92 was first OBS Blazer. Lots of regulation rolling out killed the removable top. By 95 when renamed the Tahoe, driver air bags. And 4 doors. By 96 driver and passenger air bags. It was an era of helicopter parenting and putting helmets on your kids and being told by the government to do so.
I know you tested the '88 Bronco which you kept for your LTT's, but did you ever test a Ramcharger?!!!!!! Oh, & John got the engine displacement for the Bronco wrong at 6:00. The optional 351 V8 displaced 5.8 liters, not 5.7.
They should’ve compared the Big Full size Plymouth Trailduster a.k.a. Brother to the Dodge Ram Charger and don’t forget Chevys brother the GMC Big Jimmy
My 87 has rust, the steering box has pulled out of the frame at least twice despite repair plates being welded in. I still have 32" mud tires because it still has 3.73 gears but some previous owner put a 6" lift on it for a much heavier truck resulting in atleast 8" of lift and an extremely rough ride. The 350 makes less power than my 2000 zr2 s10's 4.3L, the frame under my zr2 is way way stronger than the frame under the k5. My zr2 has alot tougher build even if it does have independent front suspension. The zr2 is very much on the over built side while my k5 is built about as tough as a base model 2wd s10 with a c-channel frame compared to a fully boxed and thicker frame under the zr2. The zr2 would have been perfect if it came from the factory with a vortec 5.7 or 5.3 LS based engine (I'm installing an aluminum block L33 LS based engine that weighs basically the same as the 4.3 but makes 100HP more). The zr2 will stay the same height and will keep the factory sized 31" mud tires. I've always loved the k5 blazers but now that I own one and can compare it to a zr2 s10. The zr2 s10 is far and beyond a tougher built truck. I believe once I'm done swapping the 5.3 into the zr2 I'll be selling the k5 after I weld the steering box back in place on the k5. The k5 is a decent truck but the zr2 is just too much better and I wont have a need for an extremely underpowered truck that is way to high off the ground. I'm 6 feet tall and the hood comes up to eye level with 32" tires. If it had proper gears and tires that were proper for the lift that is on it the hood would be too high when opened to be able to re ach to even shut it. Climbing in the back is damn near impossible and with nothing to grab passengers really can't crawl up in it either. It looks cool but that's about all that can be said about the truck.
I'll still take the Bronco from its last few years 1994-96 with a 5.8 V8. I don't think I'm going to be looking at a new Bronco unless what we saw a year ago was a ruse and they are going to base it off the F-Series platform and is a two door only like it should be. Of course it won't be any of what I mentioned so thankfully there are older Broncos still out there.
I've noticed that the test vehicle in question appeared to be crabbing towards the right (That's where one axle doesn't line up with the other) possibly explains the rather dramatic pull to the right in the brake test
That's not rust as we know it. The good old blazer is making room for bigger tires. The funny thing is my 74 has far less rust than my 87 and 88. Which isnt a lot. You have to admit that they are tough old trucks that want to grow up to be suburbans. 😎
I always liked the dash design of these GM trucks, but $40,000 (adjusted for inflation) with no tachometer? Even by 1989 standards that sounds a little bare...
I have an 89 Jimmy (same thing) that has 89k original miles all stock unmolested drivetrain that is. I installed a 4” lift and 33s on 18x12 wheels. Runs good definitely quicker when it was on original wheels and tire size. When he said 9 second 0-60 I thought yeah before the 33s LOL. 0-60 now?, 2.3 days. Till I redo the diffs with 4.30 gears and limited slips. Stock ratio for my truck is 2.73 YES 2.73 not 3.73. It’s a slug for now. The MPG rating is true. I drove mine 200 miles home when I bought it and 31 years later still was getting 16 MPG highway before the 33s. Now just over 12.
"Center cargo box provides amble storage for all the small items you need..." guy pulls out a gallon jug of washer fluid and a qt of oil. lol
i thought that was funny too.
Agreed
MrR0botoh. His X was still in there!
Lol epic 😂😁👍
My dad had a '81 k5 and kept 2 6 packs of beer in his
spoiler alert
the new rust proofing didn't work.
dropn loads Haha, yea the American auto makers and the British seem to have problems with that.
Knowing GM, I'm sure it didn't
I know you are right, And I just got owned but: mostly
It does if you don't live in the salt belt
@I know you are right, And I just got owned but: If you bring it to New England you will be able to listen to it rust
The design on this car is timeless!
Oh yeah the one S10 made from 1982 to 1993 was a beauty as well. Miss these older mini pickups. New pickups are tacky, cheap and overpriced.
Delorean217 its not a car
The definition of car is, a self-powered motor vehicle used for transportation and a product of the automotive industry.
alexander1485 it's a truck version OS a car bitch
It's a car lol
They've always got to have someone just manhandling the gear shift through every gear while parked, slamming the tilt steering up and down and aggressively moving the seats forward and back in every review.
have to check qualitty
People are hard on things...it's called testing
Time for Chevy to bring back the Blazer since Ford is bringing the Bronco back!
Acc0rd79 they will probably bring it back in front wheel drive based on the Cruze lol
I love the (full size) Broncos, but sadly Ford isn't actually bringing it back, they're reincarnating the stupid Bronco II on the new Ranger chassis :(
The Blazer is now the TrailBlazer, and is sold in various parts of the World. It's based on the S10/Colorado
They just did. But it’s now a crossover.
@@RyDawg96 and it fugly
If only modern SUV’s had this kind of cargo capacity. Also, I always thought these would be very slow but 9.7 seconds was pretty quick for an 80’s truck.
I daily mine. People absolutely feel they need to get past me and are usually surprised it hangs in modern traffic well. They assume it’s slow
I remember someone I knew shoehorned the engine from one of these in his Camaro after it got rear ended and his uncle gave it to him. That thing hauled ass lol not much to anymore power than the 305 he took out but the torque off the start and every time it shifted into its next long ass gear was awesome
@@jackdough8164 gobs of torque down low is it’s shine for sure!
@Impala-qp9cb it does seem like old V8's lose a lot less power overtime than other engines. A lawnmower could outrun my V6 Sonoma 😅
@@barnabius they weren’t built for racing. They were built for low end torque and longevity. Many of those S10 platforms were poorly geared. My K5 has 3.73s a 200k miles. Runs like new
One of the best vehicles I ever owned, 1989 K5 Silverado, 5.7 TBI , 700R4.. It was like driving around in your Livingroom
All these comments are making me want to keep my 5.7. Although I’d like to LS swap it because of the better economy of the new motor
@@a1yk_don’t LS swap a TBI blazer. The 5.7 is efficient, reliable and has a good torque curve honestly don’t feel wanting for power. It is a chuck wagon with a motor. How much more power do you need?
@@Impala-qp9cb uhm I ended up stuffing an lb7 in it 😶. That’s about how much power I needed
@@a1yk_ hope that 10 bolt and gov lok lasts you.
@@Impala-qp9cb previous owner sold it to me with 3/4ton axles on it. It’s fun as shit buy wiring was absolutely atrocious. It needed a 3 inch body lift to clear the Allison too 😂
I would love to see a Ramcharger review if you got a tape sitting around
Goblin Truck x2
Goblin Truck My old classmate from high school actually had a 74 Plymouth Trailduster. That truck was a beast.
Crocodine Huizar x3
The footage melted in the rain just like the Ramcharger 😆
@@johncollins7423 x4
Just bought a 1988 K5 Blazer a week ago. I absolutely love it so far.
Masayoshi love those k5 s
@@austinsutera557 i got me an 88 a couple months ago original owner love it!
Awesome 👍 How’s it holding up :^)
Masayoshi My uncle works for Chevy. How many miles? Esentialy its a 94 2 door Tahoe.
@@ReadingAreaRailfan It's sitting at 194,000 on the body/chassis. Not sure on drivetrain though, motor was replaced by original owner and transmission is out of an '87 K5 parts truck.
These Retro Reviews are gold!
Gold Jerry!!😄
I rarely see these with stock wheels and tires.
Now I know why.
Eks calybur Why do you say that?
You would be wrong, dingus. This Blazer simply looks off balance on those dinky wheels and tires. It looks top heavy.
Also, you don't need those things you mentioned to off road, but you do to off road better.
It does need bigger tires but you're an idiot if you don't like the rallye wheels.
Back when trucks where actually trucks
Yes!! when youcan actually fix things yourself and not have to drop the engine to change plugs
My buddy in high school had one of these, and it was a great truck. When I saw the braking test here, I was reminded of the one thing that I didn't like about that Blazer: emergency stops! That pull to the right in a panic stop made me panic even more!
Full-sized trucks with removable roofs and quickly be loved like a member of the family. Whether you're a Blazer, Bronco, or even a Ramcharger fan, there's always an extra seat at the table.
I wouldn't mind have either of the 3. Actually it would be cool to have one of each. Those old 4x4 carry all's in their boxy form look so much better than today's cars trying to be well a car.
still quite amazed at how small the tires appear on these rigs... great vid, thanks!
This is an awesome look into the past. Thanks for posting!
They forgot to mention how sharp these blazers turn. I own a blazer myself and getting into any spot isn't a problem lol
The quad shocks were a seriously good addition in my experience.. given the short wheelbase as well
@@ghamdi477quad shocks are a must have . And also maybe upgrade the brakes
I absolutely love the box style body on these Chevys! 👍
I love this style square body of Chevy Blazer, GMC Jimmy, Sierra, Suburban and Chevy trucks. 85-88 is my favorites
0-60 in 9.7 seconds isn't bad
albert7139 faster than my car even
Justin Noker lol.. it's about 3 tenths slower than my Civic but still not bad.
Justin Noker lol.. it's about 3 tenths slower than my Civic but still not bad.
albert7139 yep, V8 powaa
not bad especially considering the power to weight ratio, only 210hp from a 5.7L engine pushing that full sized brick shaped SUV. its got to be like a sail pulling it backwards with the wind hitting that thing alone.
No ridiculous safety crap, round analog gauges, no center screen, no airbag, no antilock brakes, manual everything. These were the best trucks ever made. Seriously. Not sarcasm. I had the great pleasure of driving one back then.
They were great until they rusted out.
I have had two 89 Blazers and loved them both.
I love Chevy Blazer, my favorite and my dream
Man, makes me miss my 89 K5 Blazer. 12 inch lift with 44s. True dual straight pipes. I put that thing through alot of stuff and it never let me down.
All three of the big three SUVs of the day were awesome.
Great review as always Motorweek
That is one hell of a jacket. Maximum respect
Kind of reminds me of the jacket Ritchie Aprile gave Tony Soprano. Tony didn't like it, so he didn't wear it. In fact, he gave it to his housekeeper, who gave it to her husband. Husband comes walking through the kitchen wearing the jacket while Ritchie is sitting at the breakfast bar. Hurt Ritchie's feelings real bad.
the '96 2-door Tahoe Z-71 was the truck of my teenage wet dreams
Perv
@@andyleo8418 says you
Dude with the trench coat getting in the backseat looks like he’s up to no good.
😂 better keep an eye on him!🧐
He was also sporting them high-waters 😂
Picked up an 89 K5 Scottsdale yesterday. Has some rust, but for spending its life in the northern US its actually not too bad.
Base price adjusted for inflation is right around $30,000. As tested is around $40,600 in today's dollars. Great video to see as always, the full size Blazer as well as the Bronco and Ram Charger were true SUVs that were durable and could actually off road. Hopefully Ford's new Bronco is the same and doesn't break the bank too badly when it's finally released.
blue06lt Oh, I can guarantee they will try to cash in like Jeep is with the Wranglers.
That jacket and that truck are peak
I would love to have one of these. Love the older Chevy and GMC full size trucks.
Oh another car platform I wish I wish was not abandoned by the big 3. Not everyone has kids or wants a big 4 door wagon. Awesome test!
For those wondering:
The hard pull to the right is caused by the relationship of the geometry of the steering drag link and that of the suspension. Basically, the drag link runs parallel to the front leaf springs, as opposed to the typical perpendicular orientation of other solid axle vehicles. This orientation almost completely eliminates the bump-steer that is common to solid axle vehicles; as the leaf-sprung axle swings up and down, the drag link moves in a parallel path. The result is little to no bump steer in all but extreme driving situations. The downside is that during heavy braking, the severe suspension compression causes the tire-to-steering-wheel correlation to slightly shift, minutely turning the tires to the right if the wheel is held straight. This is because the drag link is slightly shorter than the length of the “swing arm” of the front springs. As the suspension travels further from centerline, the difference between the radius of the axle and the steering linkage becomes more pronounced, leading to increased movement of the steering linkage. Simply put, the linkage allowed for much better handling on streets and bumpy roads, with a trade-off in hard braking behavior.
Still see many of these on today's roads along with the pickups and conversion vans.
Where?
Jack Benton same here in Minnesota. Just old fords and chevys and the occasional dodge. Any K5 Blazer for sale is heavily rusted and or dented from being turned into an off-road rig and they still want big bucks for them
I miss seeing those, pretty rare for me to see one in the south
Great car, I love this retro reviews!
Can't love this video enough!!!
I have a 94 K1500 but would love to have a 90 or 91 K5
that gas mileage is as good as many more modern trucks
Ricer Hunter for sure. My 2011 5.3 can't get 14 mpg hwy.
Nicholas Bradley that means there's something wrong with it lol even in v8 mode it should get more then that
HAHA, and add in twice as many gears, and they still can't achieve any better fuel economy than a 30+ year old truck that's actually more truck than today's trucks ever will be.
@@wildbill23c4 years later and the mpg still isn’t much better.
@@Commentleaver-c6x Not any better at all.
Still a great looking truck in 2021.
16 miles to The Gallon Was Considered A Hit. My How Far We've Come .
K Bed my moms AWD CRV averages 28 mpg lol
K Bed i know it's sad. now we have awful econoboxes XD
***** To be fair some cars of the same era were better than 95% of cars today.
***** true. I still like those fun little death traps though lol.
My 1994 Bronco only gets 10-11 city and at its best 14.5 highway with it's 5.8L engine. I would love to be getting 16mpg even if it was just on the highway.
I had a 1989 Chevy K5 Blazer on 38's. miss that truck
"The center console allows ample storage for all the small items you may need on any trip" - *Pulls out a quart of motor oil and a FULL GALLON JUG of fluid!*
One thing I can't get over is that listening to this video with headphones on it sounds like the Blazer they're driving around has aftermarket exhaust on it. The 89 K5 I owned didn't sound like this at all. It was much quieter. But then again the TBI 5.7 in it was one from Goodwrench when I bought it.
The last blazer was the Chevy Tahoe 2 door
The 1989 Chevy Blazer is my favorite 4X4 pickup. The most dependable, longest-lasting trucks on the road. Chevy Trucks:Like A Rock!
I came here to see how it runs against the 2019 one,I'd prefer the old one
Excelente programa!
Saludos desde Argentina.
Chevy should remake the k5 ....the sane size n all
I had a 1985 K5 Blazer that was bought from a military surplus auction, had the 6.2 diesel in it. Man I miss that sumbitch, I’m not saying it was a hummer but that damn thing was built like a tank and was a monster off road
Some day, I WILL have a square body Blazer...................some day, I WILL have a square body Blazer...................some day, I WILL have a square body Blazer.................................some day, I WILL have a square body Blazer................................some day, I WILL have a square body Blazer!!!!!!!
landyachtfan79 I wish for a square body one day... though that day will probably be after any car's not EV or self driving are banned from roads :/
In my day we just called them BLAZERS --- I'm 55!
I’m curious why they didn’t use a ram charger for comparison as well between the Ford and the Chevy? That road test was for an 89 full-size blazer and Dodge still made the ram charger until 93.
Newsflash for you Dodge guys. They were not even in the conversation back then. The 90s was Dodges revival of popularity. Horrible interiors and electrical problems.
I've owned about a half dozen K-5 Blazers. Awesome rust boxes. I'd love a rust free one to rebuild. I've had a '76 to a '91.
I had one of these "unsettling pull to the right is an UNDERSTATEMENT"
That front clip....always loved it.
I'd daily it, I love these, especially with the fuel injected engine...wolf be really cool with the more modern ls 6.0
0:48 Aren´t the wheels to small for this huge truck?
Nevertheless a beautiful truck!
Greetings from germany
1) lower center of gravity for performance/safety 2) better performance as smaller tires have less rotating mass and also act as a smaller lever, requiring less torque to accelerate 3) better gas mileage
In 2001 I bought an 87 Jimmy in mint condition with only 80k. Black on grey. Great truck. Sold it 5 years later with 220k on it for the same price I bought it for
When a brand to vehicle pulls hard right under heavy braking! Would love to see a re-make of the full size 2-door blazer though.
I'd love to see a BRONCO with a 5.7!!!
they had a 5.8
Hey look, something I actually owned for once!
I like how their test vehicle had a nice exhaust sound. The one I had was super quiet, but it had a newer Goodwrench engine. The throttle was as hard as a rock tho.
Yeah, that seems to be a trait for these old square body Chevy's, my dad had an 84 GMC Sierra classic when I was a kid, it had a carbed 305 V8 in it, so it was pretty gutless, but I drove it a few times and I always remember the throttle being insanely tight, by contrast at the the time, my grandfather had a 1993 F-150 with a fuel injected 302 V8 and it had a much smoother operating throttle.
I miss driving the full size blazer. Nice truck.
I had one of these, and an 89 Bronco. Both were great trucks, I wish I kept them. Today's trucks are just too pedestrian for my taste.
These rusted out like crazy in areas that used road salt.
The 4WD shifter is fine for a normal size man
Back in the day, it really came down to personal preference. If you were a Ford person, you got the Bronco, and a Chevy guy got the Blazer. Very few people bought the Ramcharger.
Bought a 1989 new. Steel blue with a while top and bottom panel. Larger tires and wheels. Got 275,000 miles out of it before I traded it in. It was a great truck. I'd buy another one with a modern braking system and more efficient V-8/tranny. Hope that GM decides to do it to compete with the new Bronco, which Ford will sell about a million of in the first year. It's a great looking truck.
I found one for sale and my wife wants it for off reading. She has a 2wd 1996 two door Tahoe and is in love with these things
I have a 1990 Jimmy I love these trucks
The Bronco had a 5.7l? Huh?
Maybe I'm picking nits, but it had a 5.8
1 ci was the difference
350 vs 351. Ford just didnt want to list theirs as a 5.7 also. Though they both had 5.0 which were polar opposites. 350 stroke and smaller bore for the chevy while the Ford had a 4" bore and a short stroke. The 5.0 in a ford truck was a turd but the tq of the 5.0 in a chevy truck was livable. The 350 will always be the king of the old v8s. People love LS swaps now but there are still tons of classic fords with SBC 350s under the hood. They are alot easier and cheaper to make real power with. Not to mention the stroker 383. I built a full race stroker 383 when I was 16 and had it in my 89 formula firebird with a 6 speed conversion back in 2001 and that thing was pure insanity, the 6 speed manual did make it some what controllable on the street and I did daily drive it for years. I had to change drag radials about as often as I had to change the oil. Add the 150 shot of nitrous on top of that and I was the fastest 17 year in Darlington that actually built his own car and daily drove it everywhere. It was one of the fastest "real" street cars around Darlington for a good while. Full interior, huge stereo (subs), working A/C and heat. No cage kept me banned from Darlington international dragway after one night of test and tune though.
jonathan hudson yeah ok buddy 😂 the MPI 302 made 185 hp. What did the tbi 305 make? 160?
0:57 back when chevy and ford complemented each other
Most iconic most timeless design for chevy ever
Are there any visual differences in the 1990 model of the Blazer, then the 1989 model?
Nope.
The rear seat was missing armrests built into seat. They became pads velcroed to the wheelwell in 90. Seat belts were lap belts for rear too. Attached to the removable top. Also the 90 had rear ABS. 91 was unchanged. 92 was first OBS Blazer. Lots of regulation rolling out killed the removable top. By 95 when renamed the Tahoe, driver air bags. And 4 doors. By 96 driver and passenger air bags. It was an era of helicopter parenting and putting helmets on your kids and being told by the government to do so.
I would love to see a review of a Daihatsu rocky. 😂 it's hard to find anything on them.
Would love to see a Motor week review of the old Dodge Ramcharger
"Still trails the Blazer"
I like this body style, but it’s interesting that Chevy had the same basic Blazer from the 70s til the 90s .Lol
If only this beautiful blazer can see the new little suv that took over its name it would rust in a heartbeat out of anger lol
I know you tested the '88 Bronco which you kept for your LTT's, but did you ever test a Ramcharger?!!!!!! Oh, & John got the engine displacement for the Bronco wrong at 6:00. The optional 351 V8 displaced 5.8 liters, not 5.7.
when they said 5.7 they were talking about the blazer not the bronco im pretty sure
You still see these babys on the road, not as much as before but they are still around.
Looks like that truck is tracking weird. You can see it in the drag test and the steering manouvers...
Noticed the pull to the right when braking. Yup everything is working like it’s supposed to 😂
I personally would love to see the K-5 Blazer come back, and if not, at least a 2-door Tahoe with a removable hardtop.
They should’ve compared the Big Full size Plymouth Trailduster a.k.a. Brother to the Dodge Ram Charger and don’t forget Chevys brother the GMC Big Jimmy
My 87 has rust, the steering box has pulled out of the frame at least twice despite repair plates being welded in. I still have 32" mud tires because it still has 3.73 gears but some previous owner put a 6" lift on it for a much heavier truck resulting in atleast 8" of lift and an extremely rough ride. The 350 makes less power than my 2000 zr2 s10's 4.3L, the frame under my zr2 is way way stronger than the frame under the k5. My zr2 has alot tougher build even if it does have independent front suspension. The zr2 is very much on the over built side while my k5 is built about as tough as a base model 2wd s10 with a c-channel frame compared to a fully boxed and thicker frame under the zr2. The zr2 would have been perfect if it came from the factory with a vortec 5.7 or 5.3 LS based engine (I'm installing an aluminum block L33 LS based engine that weighs basically the same as the 4.3 but makes 100HP more). The zr2 will stay the same height and will keep the factory sized 31" mud tires. I've always loved the k5 blazers but now that I own one and can compare it to a zr2 s10. The zr2 s10 is far and beyond a tougher built truck. I believe once I'm done swapping the 5.3 into the zr2 I'll be selling the k5 after I weld the steering box back in place on the k5. The k5 is a decent truck but the zr2 is just too much better and I wont have a need for an extremely underpowered truck that is way to high off the ground. I'm 6 feet tall and the hood comes up to eye level with 32" tires. If it had proper gears and tires that were proper for the lift that is on it the hood would be too high when opened to be able to re ach to even shut it. Climbing in the back is damn near impossible and with nothing to grab passengers really can't crawl up in it either. It looks cool but that's about all that can be said about the truck.
I have an 83 k5. I love it. Will never sell it.
I'll still take the Bronco from its last few years 1994-96 with a 5.8 V8. I don't think I'm going to be looking at a new Bronco unless what we saw a year ago was a ruse and they are going to base it off the F-Series platform and is a two door only like it should be. Of course it won't be any of what I mentioned so thankfully there are older Broncos still out there.
I've noticed that the test vehicle in question appeared to be crabbing towards the right (That's where one axle doesn't line up with the other) possibly explains the rather dramatic pull to the right in the brake test
Okay, thank you. I was pretty sure I saw that too. Wondered whether anyone else did.
Beautiful & clasic the old K5👍
That's not rust as we know it. The good old blazer is making room for bigger tires. The funny thing is my 74 has far less rust than my 87 and 88. Which isnt a lot. You have to admit that they are tough old trucks that want to grow up to be suburbans. 😎
Love the orange leather Blazer to review the Blazer!!!!
Redesign?? The tailgate and tail lamps are directly from the 1973 C10.
I always liked the dash design of these GM trucks, but $40,000 (adjusted for inflation) with no tachometer? Even by 1989 standards that sounds a little bare...
ClutchCruiser Nor a clock.
Woofer Cooker the clock was in the radio, my Cutlass Ciera has the same radio.
That basic dash design dated back to 1973 as did the rest of the truck
These are classics now.
I have an 89 Jimmy (same thing) that has 89k original miles all stock unmolested drivetrain that is. I installed a 4” lift and 33s on 18x12 wheels. Runs good definitely quicker when it was on original wheels and tire size. When he said 9 second 0-60 I thought yeah before the 33s LOL. 0-60 now?, 2.3 days. Till I redo the diffs with 4.30 gears and limited slips. Stock ratio for my truck is 2.73 YES 2.73 not 3.73. It’s a slug for now. The MPG rating is true. I drove mine 200 miles home when I bought it and 31 years later still was getting 16 MPG highway before the 33s. Now just over 12.
One of the best looking and best chevy real truck😥
People love the square bodies!
Love those old square body blazers
Should've included an 8-track player to go with it's 70's styling.
Hot damn, Pablo Escobar wasn't just a drug dealer, he also reviewed cars for MotorWeek! Who would have known.
JohnnyGification lmfao!!!
I am sure in 1989 driving the Blazer was a time machine trip back to 1974.
I miss this beauty