The General Motors 4x4 cousins of the Chinook

[Guest Russel C.]

It's a bit non-related in some ways, but if any of you have a curiosity about these rare General Motors 4x4 campers (a variation of the more famous Toyota Chinook), see http://www.blazerchalet.com/, and please join our Yahoo Auto Groups forum at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/ChevyK5BlazerChalets/

Our Yahoo forum is a bit less sophisticated, not having a guest section like this. I bought a '77 Chalet in March and have been google searching for more photos & info, that's how I found your site - nice place you have here! One of our members attempted to fix his rear door using one out of a wrecked Toyota Chinook, but discovered it was 2 inches too short.

And, I've heard 4x4 Toyota Sunraders were very low production. So, if any of you bought one out of Carlsbad New Mexico a few years ago with hail damage to the roof & hood, then you bought my sister's old camper. She upgraded to a big Lance on a late '90s Chevy 4x4 with a 454. Drains gas tanks in seconds flat!.

[Gulfstream Greg]

Wow, I had no idea these units even existed. Were these designed specifically for the Blazer or could they fit in say a later model big Bronco?

[Guest Guest]

These are Blazer / Jimmy only. My guess is that since Chinook was putting their campers on Toyotas and Datsuns already, they must have approached General Motors about doing the same thing. Premature senility prevents me from me from remembering if I read in the http://www.blazerchalet.com web site or elsewhere that Chinook was considering a version for the Bronco....

Do a search on eBay for Blazer Chalet, there's one currently available this week, they show up about once a month for auction. Under the eBay Stores section, there's a few brochures and a 'shell-only', a fellow would have to do a bunch of measuring to see if that thing could fit a Bronco.

[Guest Russell C.]

Oops, forgot to sign my post right above.

Say, Turbo Greg, speaking of amateur radio and Blazer Chalets, check out this site: http://www.qsl.net/ae0q/

Would you be able to contact him to find out if he still has his Chalet? I tried sending an email to his wife, ab0mv, no response yet. Ironically, my dad was heavily into amateur radio for decades 1940 to 1970-something, never picked up the hobby, myself.

[Gulfstream Greg]

Oops, forgot to sign my post right above.

Say, Turbo Greg, speaking of amateur radio and Blazer Chalets, check out this site: http://www.qsl.net/ae0q/

Would you be able to contact him to find out if he still has his Chalet? I tried sending an email to his wife, ab0mv, no response yet. Ironically, my dad was heavily into amateur radio for decades 1940 to 1970-something, never picked up the hobby, myself.

I do not have the radios to contact him. His email though is ae0q@arrl.net

As far as the Bronco, I was just curious. I have no plans on building or finding one. Since they were the same basic size as a Blazer I thought maybe they would have built one on the Ford also. The Bronco was basicly the short bed pickup with a full body instead of a cab and bed.

[Guest Russell C.]

Thanks, email sent!

Nuts, for a second there I thought I had enticed you into building the "Ford Chinook that should have been".

Yep, there's a Bronco of that general vintage that parks near my front window, been thinking of doing an Adobe Photoshop alteration of my shell onto it to see what the combination would look like.