Vehicle Description
1986 Chevrolet Blazer 4x4
Rather than scrapping old vehicles, the government will often offer
them to the public as military surplus and these can be anything
including bobbed deuce trucks, cabover medium tactical trucks,
M-series heavy duty trucks, Hummers, and smaller trucks such as
M715 Kaiser Jeeps, and M1009 Chevy Blazers. These are all purpose
built tools of the military that have specific tasks or functions
and often best serve the civilian world for car shows and parades.
The Blazer is in the CUCV category, Commercial Utility Cargo
Vehicle.
For consignment, a 1986 Blazer 4x4 with a title verified 28,715
actual miles, camo paint, and with some serious height. As with
many military vehicles, it has a diesel engine and, in this case, a
6.2 liter, so it's got plenty of civilian life left! At one time,
this truck roamed the Valley Forge Military Academy that's about 25
miles east of Morgantown.
Exterior
Set the polish aside for this one as the camouflage paint does best
in its natural condition. After doing a deep dive into the dozens
of camos used by the U.S. military, we find that Woodland would be
the best to describe the pattern on the truck. Everything from the
brush guard to the grille, the side mirrors, and bumpers are
covered in three flat colors. Shackles are mounted up front along
with items on the grille found nowhere in the civilian world, but
that's the charm of old military vehicles even as many components
are removed before they go to market. Eight lug, 16.5-inch wheels
carry 37x12.50R16.5LT tires which look like they could traverse
just about anything. A pintle hook receiver is bolted to the heavy
duty back bumper and a spare wheel and tire are on the tailgate.
Doubtful this truck has seen combat, but the paint is rough with
plenty of chips. There's one spot of rust where the roof line meets
the quarter panel on the driver's side and some bubbling under
paint on the cap.
Interior
Brown plastic door panels show some patina and are mounted on
slightly glossy green painted inner doors. The gray bucket seats up
front came from a Dodge Ram and are split wide across the big
Blazer with one seat suffering a crack in the leather. In back, a
brown vinyl bench in a stitched pattern in decent condition. The
basic steering wheel fronts a sparse dashboard with minimal gauges
and there are two switches to the left for blackout drive light and
service lights. A start button warns not to start the truck with
the radio on which should be easy since there's no radio in the
truck. While the gear shifter is on the column, the range selector
is floor mounted surrounded by tan carpet that shows plenty of
usage. Drab green paint covers the ceiling all the way back through
the rear.
Drivetrain
Under the hood is a driver quality 6.2 liter Detroit diesel V8,
fuel injected and rated at 130 horsepower. A TH400 3-speed
automatic sends power to both axles where a Dana 60 with 3.08 gears
are found in each. Power disc brakes are in the front and power
drums in the rear.
Undercarriage
Surface rust city underneath where everything that's not painted
drab green is colored by rust. Invasive rust and missing pieces are
noted on the inner and outer rocker panels. This tough mudder
probably did not shy away from rain and snow and that's the story
being told on the underside. However, we don't see a lot of oil or
extra grease around. Leaf springs are found front and rear and the
dual exhaust meets stock style mufflers before exiting behind the
rear wheels.
Drive-Ability
As the owner of an Italian military based SUV, this is not an
unfamiliar feeling as we roll this big rig onto the test loop where
the diesel's torque excels at moving this 5,000+ pound vehicle with
adequate acceleration and the power brakes do their job. Some of
the remnant military functions are no longer on board but
everything functional on the truck worked as they should. While
Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at
the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions
will be working at the time of your purchase.
Sometimes it's just great to have a utilitarian vehicle that you
don't mind getting dirty, that will take you where you want to go
in snow, mud, and floods, and that carries with it the mystique of
the U.S. military. This is just such a truck. Of course, we've seen
these restored and painted too, so that's certainly an option for
the next commander of this retired vet.
1G8ED18J4GF145654
1-USA
G-General Motors
8-Chevrolet MPV
E-6001 To 7000 GVWR
D-Military SUV 4x4
1-1/2 Ton
8-Blazer/Jimmy
J-6.2 Liter 130hp Diesel V8
4-Check Digit
G-1986
F-Flint, MI Assy Plant
145654-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in
person.
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