OWNER: Tom Switz
RIDE: '86 Chevy Blazer
HOMETOWN: Waterbury, Connecticut
When Tom Switz's '86 Blazer rolled out of the Chevy assembly plant, it started its life as a 4x4. Luckily for this Blazer, it would meet up with a young Tom back in '93 while he was still in high school. Tom purchased this Blazer with big plans for it. Tom, who's 30 today, was a young buck back then and was really into trucks. When his buddy told him he had a pretty beat-up two-wheel-drive Blazer for sale, Tom took advantage of the opportunity to pick up a new frame for his 4x4 beast.
So now, Tom had a great two-wheel-drive chassis from a Blazer, with a beat-up body, and a smooth-looking 4x4 Blazer. What he did next was plunge into a 10-year project. Tom began by doing the frame swap. All the 4x4 scrap was junked in order to bring his Blazer closer to Mother Earth. Once this was accomplished, Tom figured more power was a necessity, so what was better for this than a TPI motor? Once the Blazer was lower and had some get up and go, it was a fun cruiser for a while that would make most people proud. At one point, Tom decided to 'bag half of his Blazer, while he was still in high school, but this was for the birds. So, a full airbag system would soon be in order, with a full-triangulated four-link. Now he was really cruising and getting all of the looks in town.
Eventually, some Mercedes-Benz Green paint made its way into Tom's hands, which he generously applied onto his smooth Blazer. Most people wait until they know they've finished a ride to paint it, but Tom wanted to see his old 4x4 looking fresh. In order to get to the next level and really look good, Tom, with the help of Eric from the Ground Scrapers in Maine, cut up the Blazer's body once more for a whopping 4-3/4-inch body-drop. The look Tom wanted was finally achieved. A few more additions, such as interior and a Kicker explosion inside the Blazer, and here we are today. If we can learn anything from Tom, it's that anything is possible with some determination-even slamming an old 4x4.