Damn Ice! Tree limb smashed my Suburban.

Gearheadotaku wrote: Awesome Blazer. Seems like a lot weight out back. Better swap in a 454 for better balance.

Definitely a lot of weight back out....the 3/4 ton axles were needed with that massive bumper along with the rest of it. I think they should have come with them originally, but I guess it worked since the stock Casa Grande I have has survived since 76 with the little axles. I do feel much better with the beefier ones though. In the picture the rear flare is missing, but it's actually in the cab. It needs some repair to the mounting area...I think I finally found an excuse to purchase that plastic welder.

I couldn't be happier with the Chalet. It's a beast and was built right. It spend most of it's life in AZ exploring out West, Baja, etc. I'm super happy I was able to get my hands on it.

really cool.

Bumping this because I'm still looking for a used soft topper for a k5 to use on the smashed portion of the burb. I really hate to pay 1k for a new one, so if any of you know where a used one might be I'd appreciate the info. Thanks!

http://www.softopper.com/chevy-blazer-gen3

Never even knew they made such a thing, but now that I know I'll keep a look out :)

I stumbled onto this old thread while searching for something else. It was a favorite thread of mine.

Does this idea still have legs?

Damn it, now I'm cruising Craigslist for Burbans again. There are actually some good 3/4 ton versions around right now for reasonable money.

that I DON'T need.

that I DON'T need.

that I DON'T need.

that I DON'T need.

that I DON'T need.

(I'm hoping I'll start believing this soon.)

I can't believe no one ever jumped in this thread to say "That will buff out."

I am glad to see you moving forward on the project. It is going to cool when its done.

Dumb question...Does the standard tailgate from a pickup swap in for the windowed tailgate on a Burban - Like in the square bodies above?

In reply to JohnRW1621:

Believe it or not it does! I still have the burb and picked up a rusty Bazer Chalet for it's shell, well a buddy of mine and I actually went in together and bought a collection of 13 total (not a misprint), and have been selling them off. I'm keeping the original GMC Casa Grande I've owned for at least a decade, the 3/4 ton Chalet mentioned on the last page, and the rusty one for parts. The rusty one is giving up it's parts to make my Casa Grande and 3/4 Chalet better, while giving it's shell for the Burban-Chalet project. I have not hacked the roof off the Suburban yet, but did use my tow truck to straighten it a little (was bored one day), So now the 3rd row is usable again. Next spring I will more than likely hack the roof off and try sliding the shell in. The bottom picture is the parts Chalet. I hate to hack it up because it runs so good, but it's rusty and I did buy it for this project.

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Still watching with interest. I really like where this is eventually headed.

13 of them!!!!
I see you have more than a casual fascination with these.
I knew the Chalets had a following but I did not realize that you were the world's single largest collector!

Great to hear all is heading forward.

JohnRW1621 wrote: 13 of them!!!! I see you have more than a casual fascination with these. I knew the Chalets had a following but I did not realize that you were the world's single largest collector! Great to hear all is heading forward.

The whole ice incident is actually the reason behind that. It's crazy how it all shook out, but long story short I went looking for a shell and was pointed to the guy with the collection of 13. Went to look and them and I fell in love with the 3/4 ton chalet so bought it, but still needed a shell....one thing leads to another and we just bought them all, so counting my GMC we had 14 for a short time, but they've been selling pretty well. I think we 5 left for sale...was pretty cool to have them all while it lasted though.

The plan is to put new carpet in the 3/4 ton, then move the interior from the rusty one to the 3/4 ton, then remove the shell for the burb. The shell will be the hardest part.....I don't think my wrecker will boom out and up enough but it might...we'll see!

What does a Chalet go for?

Wall-e wrote: What does a Chalet go for?

It depends so much on condition, but 1500-10k is a good range. Decent drivers will go for 5-7k and some super nice ones have sold in the teens at auctions etc.

wow. TBH I didn't know they MADE 14 Chalets!

Somehow I missed the acquisition of the 3/4T version. Where are those "more pics to come" you promised?

In reply to Ian F:

Oh man I need to take some. I'm horrible about taking pictures.

ultraclyde wrote: wow. TBH I didn't know they MADE 14 Chalets!

They made close to 2k during 76 and 77 only. A little over 200 were GMCs and the rest were Chevrolets.

ultraclyde wrote: Dumb question...Does the standard tailgate from a pickup swap in for the windowed tailgate on a Burban - Like in the square bodies above?

No they mount differently. Also, my burb has the barn doors in the rear, so integrating the rear blazer tailgate w/ window will be a challenge. I may have to find a parts k5 and cut that section out, but I'll worry about that after I get the roof to fit.

I think this paint job does a good job of highlighting what needs to change.

JohnRW1621 wrote: I think this paint job does a good job of highlighting what needs to charge.

Yeah I took a look at that build thread....that guy has some serious skills. I'm afraid it I try that I'll end up with a ruined k5 and suburban and epic project failure, but I haven't ruled it out entirely.