Welcome to the DARKSIDE...
When it comes to the Southern California Squarebody C10 & K5 Blazer community, Redondo Beach local Eddie Dean is a well-known name along with his 1986 Chevrolet K5 Blazer AKA “Darkside”. Why Darkside you ask? If Darth Vader ever decided to trade in his TIE Advanced or Lambda-class T-4a shuttle for an ’86 K5 Blazer, it would look something like this. He purchased it back in 2009 and has some a long way since then.
Starting with the engine, the original 305 V8 was swapped out in favor of a 6.0 LQ9 V8. More power, more torque, more reliability - why not right? This is the same Gen 3 small-black V8 engine that powered a number of vehicles in the early 2000s like the Escalade, Silverado, and GMC Sierra. Eddie has driven his Blazer all over California & Arizona for truck shows and it’s never left him stranded. Like a rock… (if you got that reference, you’re old like me.)
Looking over to Darkside’s chassis and suspension setup, it’s nice and simple - nothing crazy or over the top. The front consists of Porterbuilt setup while the rear has a custom 4-link design. To get the chassis laying on the ground in proper fashion, air ride and control is handled by Accuair.
While the exterior looks pretty much stock, those that know will be able to see that Eddie has upgrade to LED headlights, side mirrors, and LED sequential taillights from UPcarparts. Eddie’s style is choosing high-quality parts that he likes without making his builds look over-the-top. He has future plans to update all the wiring and a new A/C system would pay dividends during the hot summer months. Clean and simple - the perfect example that less is more…
