Arizona Dealer Refuses To Sell '73 K5 Blazer for $73K After Pumping $220K Into Restoration

Usually, restomod projects include first-generation K5 Blazers, which were built between 1969 and 1972. However, the second-generation Blazer works just as well in the hands of a talented aftermarket specialist, as long as it’s an early second-gen model and not something from the 1980s.

Case in point, this 1973 K5 Blazer, acquired as a project vehicle by its current owner in 2023 and refurbished to within an inch of its life (bare metal repaint, reupholstered interior, crate V8, the works).

Before we get into all the deets, we should point out that this vehicle failed to sell at auction recently, where the top bid maxed out at $73,000. Not necessarily a small sum, I know, but keep in mind that its owner threw more than $220,000 at it, in order to get it looking the way it does – at least that’s what they say in the ad.

At first it may not seem like that could be true, but once you take a look inside, you might just have to collect your jaw off the floor. More on that in a second.

Starting with the exterior, the body was said to be removed from the frame, stripped bare and mounted to a rotisserie before earning its new two-tone Catalina Blue and Linen White colorway. Meanwhile, the replacement removable hardtop was refurbished and installed at the same time, together with replacement bumpers, emblems, trim, lights, mirrors, door handles, and a set of 15” wheels wrapped in 33x12.50” BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A tires.

Other mods include the four-wheel discs brakes, Wilwood calipers, Rough Country leaf springs, Bilstein shocks, and a Borgeson quick ratio steering box.

Pop the hood open and you’ll feast your eyes on a fuel-injected 350 ci Ram Jet V8 crate engine, rocking a FiTech fuel pump, tubular headers and a Flowmaster dual exhaust system. The power is sent to either the rear or all four wheels via a 700R4 four-speed automatic transmission with overdrive and a dual-range transfer case.

This engine has only been running for 235 miles, but the total chassis mileage is unknown. You know how these things go.

Great, what about that interior?

Well, it’s absolutely breathtaking. It’s been immaculately reupholstered, featuring brown vinyl front bucket seats (and rear bench), a re-trimmed dashboard, blue carpets, a roll bar, a Vintage Air climate control system, a Dual receiver with Bluetooth, plus a two-spoke steering wheel and Dakota Digital RTX gauges.

This might just be the best second-gen K5 Blazer restomod interior we’ve ever seen.

So, what do you guys think? Was the owner (a dealership out of Arizona) right not to part with this truck for just $73,000? I’m sure nobody’s going to reimburse them the full $220k, but maybe some type of compromise can be worked out.