1983 Chevy K5 Blazer - Playing The Ace

It's not easy to find room for a 37-inch spare, but this angled mount did the trick. The cooler is plumbed to drain through the floor, and the tool bags are securely tied down. Extra stuff can be tied down on the overhead Defender rack.

Old-school Chevy small-block V-8s are perhaps the most popular engine ever made, but a Turnkey-prepped LS2 with LS6 heads still outdoes the old iron. The entire OEM drive train was removed and replaced with better hardware.

Long-travel, desert-bred suspensions usually have generous articulation as a side benefit. There's plenty of flex on tap here.

You'll find a Culhane-built Turbo 400 in front of the Atlas II transfer case. The Atlas II's compact front-to-rear dimension means the rear drive shaft can be longer, which is important with a relatively short wheelbase like the Blazer's.

The original half-ton front axle is long gone, replaced by a Dynatrac Dana 60. The Dynatrac is fortified with 4.56 gears and a Detroit Locker. Deaver springs suspend all four corners of the Blazer, and a few iterations were tried before the right mix of cush and body roll control was found.

Position-sensitive suspension control comes via Fox 3.0 bypass shocks. In addition to the custom-tuned Deaver leaf packs, Light Racing's Jounce Shocks were a key factor in controlling body roll.

Matt tucked a Ramsey 12,000-pound winch behind the front bumper. The bumper maximizes protection, approach angle, and bears no resemblance to a farm implement. Nice job.

The rear bumper isn't overly elaborate, but it's well-executed and solidly built. Rick had the Blazer torn down for prep when we inquired about a feature story. We lucked out: Donald Arnao, Nicole Pitell, and Four Wheeler staffer Robin Stover had some photos of Rick's Blazer to lend. Thanks!