1970 K5 Blazer Built to Impress

There are so many different types of vehicles to build out there. Not so much in the form of makes and models, but the many various styles and functions that a single type of car or truck could be given. One could take the same vehicle (let’s say a K5 Blazer for the purposes of this story) and make a straight show stunner out of it or turn it into a high-performance track shredder. But instead of choosing one category or another, why not just build one Blazer to hit on both marks, as well as plenty more?

Of course, building a truck that can do everything is an ideal situation that requires a considerable increase in time, money and work. That little slice of reality might scare off a good number of potential truck builders, but it serves as a challenge to others who are looking to build the absolute best truck possible. One such builder, Sean Provost was out to do just that soon after buying the 1970 K5 Blazer seen here. Sean and his wife Lynsey own and operate Provost Motorsports in Woodland, California, and projects like this are their specialty.

“I wanted to create something that hit multiple styles,” Sean says. “I wanted a custom truck that I could take on the auto cross course, drag race it a little bit and also be nice enough to take to shows with the reliability of having it be a daily driver as well.”

What might seem to be a tall order to fill is the type of stuff that keeps Sean moving forward in his craft of creating drool-worthy custom vehicles.

“Our shop does everything except paint work, so I had anticipated completing the majority of the Blazer project in-house.,” he says. “Our team was really looking forward to tearing into it.”

After the initial breakdown process, however, Sean noticed something that wasn’t too obvious on his inspection before purchasing the Blazer. Rust—tons of it.

“The first two months were spent solely on rust correction and custom metal work,” he says. “The entire floor, among other things, had to be replaced. There was just no hope of salvaging that amount of damage.”

With that major setback out of the way early, Sean was able to start focusing on the rest of the project, which would only require a solid three more months of non-stop blasting to reach 100% completion. It’s pretty wild to think that they were able to pull the build off that quick, but there was a fire lit beneath the Provost team to finish it off in time to cruise from their home base in Northern California to Lone Star Throwdown in Conroe, Texas.

Sean had his mind set on driving the Blazer every single one of those 2,000 miles to LST, and he didn’t intend on taking any shortcuts making the truck capable to do so with ease. To give the Blazer a strong, reliable powerplant, he reached out to Speartech to assist with the 2017 LT4 swap, which Sean topped off with headers and exhaust system from Scott’s Hotrods, and paired with a buttery smooth eight-speed paddle shift transmission to help eat up the thousands of miles ahead. Sean also looked to Scott’s for a new chassis for the Blazer, and Ridetech for coilovers and shocks to round out the premium suspension package.

“The truck handled great thanks to this awesome combination of engine and suspension setup,” he says. “We averaged more than the speed limit the entire drive to LST. Everything ran perfect, which is an amazing feeling for such a fresh build.”

Back when Sean was scouting around for a vintage truck specimen to work on, the Blazer’s low miles and its seemingly clean original condition were the factors that sold him. Aside from the rust that required a well-fought battle, the patina on the factory yellow paint was just too appealing to leave behind. The truck’s natural appearance made such a good first impression on Sean that he decided to buff and polish the existing finish and didn’t even attempt to cover up any bodywork that was made to the surface.

“Leaving the metal-work we did exposed was our way to feature all the mods that were made to the Blazer,” Sean says.

Its skin certainly tells the tale of its humble beginnings and what was done to bring it to life in today’s show scene.

With a road trip as long as the one Sean had planned for the Blazer, concocting an interesting interior space was of utmost importance. Woodland, California, neighbor Carlos Rodriguez was called on to upholster a set of front bucket seats and rear bench with a black leather and suede combo that mixes well with the OG paint on the dash. Aside from other small modern upgrades inside the cab in the form of Dakota Digital gauges and a Hold Fast steering wheel, Sean put a huge emphasis on the sound system.

“The stereo turned out to be a big hit at LST,” he says. “Goldie has big beat with all C7 JL Audio gear, including a sub enclosure that takes up residence in the cargo area.”

Goldie, which Sean has now dubbed the Blazer, has received nothing but praise from all who have had a chance to see it up close and personal. What’s next for this killer build? Nothing less than pure fun and excitement—the real reason it was built in the first place.

“We will be racing the truck in Optima Battery’s auto cross series as well as at Thunderhill raceway here in Sacramento Valley on the regular,” Sean says. “Aside from that, there is a list of shows that I would like to drive it to, and I’m really hoping to secure a good spot for SEMA.”

Even though Goldie has lived up to the high standards Sean and his talented crew expected of it, they are in the works of putting out even more incredible builds in the near future.

“This project has been huge for our team,” he says. “The Blazer is the best of the best in every way, but it didn’t come without lots of hard work. The feeling of completing the a truck that delivered on our demands of it being a reliable daily driver that also doubles on the course as well as at car shows is unbeatable.”

Truck Specs

Owner
Sean & Lynsey Provost
1970 Chevy K5 Blazer
Woodland, California

Engine
• 2017 Chevy LT4 V-8
• Scott’s Hot Rods headers and custom 2.5-inch exhaust system
• Gibson mufflers
• 2017 Chevy transmission
• Powertrain Control Solutions (PCS) push button, paddle shifter
• CBR Performance transmission cooler

Chassis & Suspension
• Shop: Scott’s Hot Rods
• Scott’s Hot Rods chassis and custom fuel tank
• Ride Tech front and rear springs, and shocks all around
• Wilwood master cylinder and full brake kits

Wheels And Tires
• 20×10 and 20×12 American Racing wheels
• Michelin tires

Body And Paint
• Original patina polished and preserved
• All emblems shaved
• Gas filler smoothed out
• OEM grille
• Mob Shop bumpers
• Slosh Tubz wheel wells

Interior And Stereo
• Shop: Upholstery by Carlos Rodriguez, Woodland, California
• Black leather and suede covered bucket seats
• Provost Motorsports custom roll-cage and chassis harness
• Dakota Digital Gauges
• Hold Fast steering wheel
• JL Audio stereo system