Originally part of the C/K pickup truck family, the Blazer started life as a utility vehicle based on the short wheelbase pickup. It was introduced in 1969 (1970 for the GMC Jimmy) in both 2- and 4 wheel drive. The K5 Blazer and GMC Jimmy both had removable tops for the first few years until 1976 when a half-cab bodystyle was introduced. This bodystyle remained in production until 1991; 1992 saw the introduction of a new K1500 Blazer (and rebadged GMC Yukon) on the GMT400 platform - after 1994, the Blazer was rebadged as the modern-day Chevrolet Tahoe.
Upon the introduction of the S10 pickup in 1982 to replace the Isuzu-based Chevrolet LUV, the S10 Blazer was introduced for the 1983 model year, along with a GMC S15 Jimmy. The early years of the S10 Blazer (between 1983 - 1987) used the 2.8 L V6 as the base engine. 1988 and later models had the 4.3 L Vortec V6 based on the Small Block Chevrolet V8. During the middle of the 1990 model year, a 4_door version of the S10 Blazer and Jimmy were introduced. This came just months ahead of the introduction of the Ford Explorer. At the time, Jeep was the market leader with its XJ Cherokee 2 and 4-door SUVs.
1995 was the introduction of an all-new Blazer. This time, it lost the S10 prefix and became its own model based on the second generation S10/Sonoma pickups introduced a year earlier. Upon introduction of the 2002Chevrolet TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy, the 4-door Blazer was relegated to fleet sales, leaving only the 2-door available for retail.
The K5 Blazer was the smallest full size SUV version of the General Motors C/K Trucks family.
Introduced to the Chevrolet line in 1969, the full-size Blazer was replaced in 1995 by the Chevrolet Tahoe.
Although the GMT400 platform was introduced in the spring of 1987 as a 1988 model, the K5 Blazer, Suburban, and crew-cab trucks retained the earlier platform until 1991.
The S-series SUVs, so named because they were based on the Chevrolet S-10 and GMC S-15 pickup trucks, were produced in Moraine, Ohio and Sao Paulo, Brazil (the Brazilian version is based on the second-generation S-series; even though production ceased in the U.S., new Blazers are locally produced in Brazil with their own sheetmetal stampings).
In March 1990, 4-door versions of the S-10 Blazer and Jimmy were introduced; the 4-door had a 6.5 in longer wheelbase (2-doors had a 100.5 in wheelbase - six inches longer than the Ford Bronco II) and a one-piece front grille (1990 2-door S-10 Blazers and Jimmys had the 3-piece grille).
All 4-door S10 Blazers and Jimmies came with anti-lock brakes as standard equipment; unlike the 2-door model, only two 4.3 L engines were optioned - the base TBI and the CPI (introduced in 1992 for the S-series and Chevrolet Astro vans; these engines had the "Vortec" logo on the intake plenum).
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