Cool Blazer Story !!!

[ABLAZN]

I will try not to get sappy or long winded about this, but I think that it a cool story. You always hear stories of how someone as a kid has a car or truck and sells it only to regret it for a long time. Later, the same person finds their old ride after many years and buys it back. Well, that is what happened to me and I did not even know it. I just got the title records today from the Oregon DMV and confirmed that I now have my old Blazer back after 22 years. I did not know at first, because it had been repainted a different color and many parts have been changed over the years. What got me thinking it was my old truck was the way I had cut the dash to put a radio in the first time I owned it. That, plus knowing it was a factory 4 speed rig and the original paint color was olive green. Based on those three things I decided to spend the money for the records to see if indeed it was my old ride. I can't explain how I feel at this moment, but I know that this thing is not going anywhere soon. If I have my way about it, one of my girls will end up with it.

Here a couple of threads about when I was thinking of buying it and some pictures that I posted about when I owned it the first time.




http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=232120



http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=238060


.....and some pictures from 22 years ago and now if you don't want to read the whole saga

[RckyMntnKng]

Wow, that is a great story! Glad to see you have it back....now dont make the same mistake you made 22 yrs ago and ever get rid of it!

[crzngmychvy]

Great story man!

[1971K54X4]

I,m Happy for you. Don't let it go again.

[Chevyman63]

That is incredible! Congrats!

[johnnywagon]

Cool!! I've told a similar story only I was the middleman. A few years back I sold a 65 Chevelle two-door wagon to a collector. 2 weeks later he called and told me he ran the vin only to discover it was the same car he bought new from the dealer in 1965!

[NTR72GMC]

Thats funny that you didnt know it was your old blazer till now. Cool story.

[LUV2XCLR8]

[bouncytruck]

That is very cool. I keep looking for my '70 Challenger that I sold when I went to college, but I haven't spotted it yet. My Dad got a call from a kid about 15 years ago in Hermiston, OR who had just bought it from the gal I sold it to in Sandy, OR. She never registered it in her name. Apparently she pulled the 4bbl carb off it right after she bought it from me to put a 2bbl on it and never got it running again. I don't think she even drove it.

[55dude]

Originally Posted by bouncytruck

That is very cool. I keep looking for my '70 Challenger that I sold when I went to college, but I haven't spotted it yet. My Dad got a call from a kid about 15 years ago in Hermiston, OR who had just bought it from the gal I sold it to in Sandy, OR. She never registered it in her name. Apparently she pulled the 4bbl carb off it right after she bought it from me to put a 2bbl on it and never got it running again. I don't think she even drove it.

isn't that your car in "vanishing point 2?"

[65-72 chevytoys]

What are the odds? Now go buy a lottery ticket.

[bouncytruck]

Originally Posted by 65-72 chevytoys

What are the odds? Now go buy a lottery ticket.

1 in 44,266 to be exact.

[70gmcjimmy]

That is way cool! Bet you had a nagging feeling that you were "back home" or maybe deja vu when you were in it! Any way like 67-72 toys said, go buy a lotto ticket!

Later---DAC

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Congrats for sure...

[special-K]

I think you used your luck up on that one.That`s a cool story.Now,how much did you sell it for and how much did you pay this time?

[Yukon Jack]

Very cool! It was cool 22 years ago and mega cool now!

[RustyParts]

Same thing happened to me except my stepson was the one who bought it and he sold it back to me. Felt like closure to me.

[ABLAZN]

Originally Posted by NTR72GMC

Thats funny that you didnt know it was your old blazer till now. Cool story.

Like I said, a lot of things changed over the 22 years since I first had it. The paint and interior colors were both changed. Also, the gauge cluster that had the factory hand throttle was gone as well as the factory skid plate for the gas tank. It now has 6 inches of lift and the grill outer has been replaced along with the right side door. The drive terrain is now a 454 with a turbo 350 instead of the 350 with a SM465. To top things off I have not had the time to work on it until lately and really look at it close since I bought it (back). I guess what it really came down to though is I just refused to believe that it was possible that it could my old truck. In reality it never went more then 35 miles from when I sold it according to the records that I received. The things that are the same is that it has a bad case of saggy butt and I can't wait to get the top off (again).

Originally Posted by bouncytruck

That is very cool. I keep looking for my '70 Challenger that I sold when I went to college, but I haven't spotted it yet. My Dad got a call from a kid about 15 years ago in Hermiston, OR who had just bought it from the gal I sold it to in Sandy, OR. She never registered it in her name. Apparently she pulled the 4bbl carb off it right after she bought it from me to put a 2bbl on it and never got it running again. I don't think she even drove it.

Bouncy, you and I must live in a parallel universe or something. I, like yourself, went to school at Oregon State ands LBCC. We both have had more then one Blazer and now I find out that you had a 1970 Challenger as well. I actually owned mine at the same time that I had this Blazer. I had to sell both of them at the time so I could afford to pay for college when I went to Portland State. I too received a call about 10 years later after I sold my Challenger from a person that had bought it. The car was in Arizona then, so I think the odds are that I will never see that one again. I certainly could not afford to buy it back with the price of them now.

Originally Posted by special-K

I think you used your luck up on that one.That`s a cool story.Now,how much did you sell it for and how much did you pay this time?

Actually I did win something on one of my lottery tickets yesterday, it just turned out to be just another lottery ticket though.

I sold it for about $1800 if I remember right, and paid $4000 to get it back. I already have someone who wants to trade me out of the 454 and I just found out that it has fairly new posi's in both ends with 4:56 gears that will trade well also.

[69TowRig]

That's a crazy story! I'm surprised you didn't have any record of the VIN from your previous ownership.

[ABLAZN]

Originally Posted by 69TowRig

That's a crazy story! I'm surprised you didn't have any record of the VIN from your previous ownership.

Are you kidding, I can hardly find my car keys after 22 minutes not talk about paperwork to a truck that I owned over 22 years ago.

Seriously, back then I switched rigs about every 12 to 18 months to get something different. Add in multiple moves and house cleanings to the mix and the records were thrown out a long time ago. I did however save the pictures, which helped me confirm that it was my old Blazer. When I got the records from the state, all the names and addresses of the previous owners had been "sanitized" from the paperwork, including my own old records. All that was left was the date of birth of the owner, and the license plate number. I found one of the records with my birthday that matched the time frame that I owned it, plus matched the plate number to a picture that I had scanned and enlarged.

[cayoterun]

Great feeling to meet them again after all those years, ain't it?
Congrats, enjoy, and don't let her get away.
Cayoterun

[Critter]

That's an AWESOME story. Do you live in a smaller community or a big city? Either way you got lucky when you "re-bought" it. I hope to one day get my old corvette and my 68 step side back, if only I knew where they went...

[ABLAZN]

Originally Posted by Critter

That's an AWESOME story. Do you live in a smaller community or a big city? Either way you got lucky when you "re-bought" it. I hope to one day get my old corvette and my 68 step side back, if only I knew where they went...

To answer your question, I live in a town of about 45,000. When I sold it the population was about 24,000. It has been about 6 months since this was brought back to the top, so I will update it a little. Since I first posted this I have had the chance to look over the records some more and did find someone who knew the owner before me and knew a little history on it. The records show that it seems to have spent most of the last 22 years in a town about 15 miles away from me. It looks like it has been financed or had a bank lean against it at least twice since a couple of the DMV transactions show a finance company as the owner. The guy that I met that knew the former owner said that he had bought the Blazer without a engine and it was missing a lot of other parts. He had plans of putting 38's it which would explain the 4:56 gears and lockers. It was painted by the owner before him, so I still don't know much about what is really under the paint. There are a couple of other people who think that the Blazer was stored in a barn in pieces, which may have saved it from the local 4x4 guys from destroying it.

As a side note, part of the records that were included was a photo copy of the paperwork from GM in Oakland CA to the dealer here in Oregon. It was sold new in 1971 to someone with a farm title. I am not sure if a farm owned it, or that was just what they called non-commercial titles back then. I may add some more later if I find anything interesting about its history.

[smbrouss70]

That is a cool story! Maybe one day I'll find my old 68 swb that I got from my grandfather. I sold it while I was in the Army to another guy in the Army with me, who in turn sold it to another soldier, etc... Who knows where it could be now! Although I still have the VIN number memorized, just in case...

[FRENCHBLUE72]

How did you go about tracking the history of the owners?