You Can’t Rush Great Art
In those golden olden days of the last century, when you wanted to learn a trade, you apprenticed under a master craftsman. When he felt that you were ready, he would assign you a masterpiece and your work would be evaluated by the Craft Guild. Your entry into your chosen field would be dependent on the quality of your work. While the Guild and its evaluation process may be gone, the desire to create a masterpiece is still alive and well.
As a student in Wyotech at the Laramie, Wyoming campus, Justin Short learned from the best. He’s always been into cool rides, thanks to growing up in an automotive-oriented family where Dad encouraged a love for cars and trucks at an early age. The experts at Wyotech developed Justin’s natural talent and enthusiasm, preparing him for a job in the automotive industry. He’s been making a living as a painter for the last 20 years and throughout that time he’s been collecting ideas for his personal masterpiece. In fact, he found his ’69 Chevy K-5 Blazer while he was at Wyotech, buying it because that model had been his original dream ride ever since he saw a K5 Blazer in an Air Ride Technologies brochure. He transported the rough project vehicle back to his home in Tullahoma, Tennessee, storing it for more than five years while he developed a plan and acquired the funds.
When work finally began, the forty-year-old body was rough since some areas were only held together with good intentions. Separating the body from the chassis, modifications began with boxed rails, a C-notch in the rear with steel wheel tubs, and a Z-notch upfront. Fortunately, the frame on the Blazer does not hang down below the body so it was somewhat easier to get that ground-scrapin’ stance, with the Z-notch accounting for much of the drop. The open space between the rear frame rails was the perfect slot for the new 17-gallon aluminum tank. Front suspension upgrades began with a late model GM truck power rack and pinion steering, Ride Tech shocks, GM disc brakes, and 2.5-inch Mcgaughy’s drop spindles.
In the rear, a triangulated Thorbecke 4-link holds the GM 12-bolt, fitted with an Auburn Locker and 3.73 gears as well as GM disc brakes and Ride Tech shocks. Since a lowered profile was always part of Justin’s masterpiece image, the suspension uses a pair of Viair 480 compressors that fill a 5-gallon reserve tank and activate four Firestone 2600 pound bags using Big Red valves and 3/8-inch steel braided lines. Dakota Digital gauges on the dash keep track. The modified rails got rolling with tall Hipnotic Roxstar rims, fitting 20s up front and 22s in the rear. Nitto 35-series rubber keeps the Blazer in close contact with the asphalt.
Power was next on the list and the vintage ride moves quick, thanks to its small block 350 running a hot rodder’s dream sheet of performance parts. The engine was fitted with a steel crank, Speed Pro 10:1 pistons, Comp Big Mutha Thumper cam, Comp retro fit roller lifters, and a Cloyes gear drive. A Holley Street Avenger 670 carb sits on a polished Professional Products intake sending the fuel/air mix to Edelbrock Performer polished aluminum heads. A GM HEI distributor creates precisely timed explosions while stainless Block Hugger headers scavenge spent gasses, using a 2.5 inch system and dual Flowmaster 40-series mufflers. The mellow rumble from the side-exiting exhausts let you know this is more than just another pretty face. Justin chose a Be Cool radiator and dual electric fans to ensure the ride ran as cool as it looked. Power from the V-8 is multiplied by a GM TH400 trans with a 2800 RPM stall speed and a TransGo shift kit.
Once the chassis and power train were complete, body mods were next on the agenda. Since Blazers never came with rigid tops and Justin liked it that way, he decided to make his a full-time roadster, chopping the windshield and adding a tilt-forward hood along with a custom grille and roll pan. In the rear, he rounded the corners of the body and punched louvers in the welded tailgate, now sporting ’39 Ford-style taillights. Sheet metal caps were added to the tops of both doors. Since Justin’s specialty is paint, he wrapped up the exterior spraying complimentary shades of Scarlet Red and White Diamond.
Moving to the interior, the unique design was also part of the master plan, beginning with the four custom seats. Justin ordered a frame and foam kit and tasking the team at Tullahoma Seat Covers to put the package together using a combination of black vinyl and white ostrich. While they were hard at work, Justin built the dash from fiberglass, creating a custom center console that holds the new digital instrument package. The chrome gauge pod was designed for late fifties trucks, adapted to fit, and a Billet Specialties wheel sits on a Flaming River column. Every automotive masterpiece worth its trophy deserves a quality stereo and plenty of volume is always an important consideration in an open air truck. The Blazer runs a Pioneer head unit to control the pair of Massive Audio amps inset into the rear deck. The first four-channel amp powers four 6.5-inch Cerwin-Vega component sets and the second mono amp lights up the pair of Pioneer Champion Series 10-inch subs. Twin Optima Red Tops ensure plenty of juice.
You can’t hurry a masterpiece, especially when it defines your reputation. And when the only time you have to work is after customer cars are done, creating great art takes a while. Justin spent about 10 years on his project, doing everything himself including the body, paint, and engine work, only farming out the upholstery. His father, William (‘Willie T’) Short was a big help with Dad handling the wiring. (It’s also really nice that the truck is stored in Dad’s garage!) Since a masterpiece is often a continuously refined work of art, future plans call for a woody-style top, maybe even accented with a surfboard. Looking back on old traditions, we are certain that the Guild would be proud to accept Justin and his modern masterpiece with open arms!
TECH SPECSOWNER:Justin Short1969 Chevy K5 BlazerTullahoma, Tennessee
ENGINE:1969 Chevy 350Steel crankSpeed Pro 10:1 PistonsHigh-volume oil pumpComp Big Mutha Thumpa camCloyes gear driveComp retro fit roller liftersHolly Street Avenger 670 carburetorProfessional Products polished aluminum intakeGM HEI ignitionStainless Block Hugger headersSummit electric cutoutsFlowmaster 40-series mufflersBillet Specialties engine pulleysAluminum water pumpDual electric fansChampion radiatorGM 100 amp alternatorGM TH400 transmissionJeg’s 2800 RPM stall converterTransGo shift kitTransmission work by Rodney Hall of Rodney’s Body Shop in Tullahoma, TN
SUSPENSION:Frame was boxed, notched, Z’d, smoothed, and painted.GM truck power rack and pinion steering with GM disc brakes2.5-inch Mcgaughy’s drop spindles.Triangulated Thorbecke 4-linkGM 12-bolt rear, 3.73 gears and Auburn LockerDisk brakes on all four wheelsRide Tech shocks on all four wheelsFirestone 2600 pound bags on all four wheelsDual Viair 480 compressorsBig Red valvesSteel braided 3/8-inch lines5-gallon reserve tank
WHEELS AND TIRES:Red Hipnotic Roxstar rims, 20 x 8.5 in front, 22 x 9.5 in the rearNitto 255/35-R20 front, 265/35-R22 rear.
BODY AND PAINT:Full-time roadsterWindshield chopped three inchesSheet metal caps on the doorsTilt-forward hoodCustom grille and smooth panRounded rear cornersLouvers in the welded tailgate’39 Ford-style Devil Face taillights.PPG base/clear, Scarlet Red and White Diamond.
INTERIOR:Shop: Tullahoma Seat Cover and ownerTwo custom buckets, rear bench seat, and matching door panelsBlack vinyl with white ostrich insertsCustom center console with Dakota Digital gauges in a chrome surroundBillet Specialties wheel on a Flaming River columnPioneer AVH-P4200 DVD head unitTwo Massive Audio amps Four 6.5-inch Cerwin-Vega component setsTwo Pioneer Champion Series 10-inch subs.Two Optima Red Top batteries