Ringbrothers Rule SEMA Show Again With Holley EFI-Powered '71 Blazer

01/11/2019
10 min read

Ringbrothers Rule SEMA Show Again With Holley EFI-Powered '71 Blazer

01/11/2019
10 min read

SEMA show goers, dazzled year after year by the Ringbrothers latest creation, were blown away again this year by something altogether different from Jim and Mike Ring's Spring Green, Wis., hot rod shop. Instead of another mind-blowing muscle car like the ones that have established them as true icons of the high-performance automotive world, they delivered a rugged-yet-subtle resto-modded '71 Chevy K5 Blazer. "We’ve built a lot of vehicles and, honestly, this is the one I want in my garage," Jim Ring told the SEMA Show crowd in Las Vegas.



Dubbed "Seaker," it represents the first time the Ringbrothers team has ever tackled a 4×4 or SUV build, and to the surprise of absolutely no one, it's another showstopper. Instead of completely remaking a vehicle from the ground up as they did with last year's all-time-great "Defiant," the award-winning duo's take on a '72 AMC Javelin, "Seaker" enhances the rugged early '70s Blazer look that was there all along with subtle touches and intricate details. 



The most obvious mods are the removal of the canopy and addition of a roll bar and bikini top, and they smoothed the sides and designed and built their own one-off side panels, running boards, engine covers, air box, and floor. Countless trick components come directly from their extensive catalog. Painted Mercedes-Benz Brazilian Smoke Silver, the truck has just a one-inch lift and rides on custom 17-inch wheels and chunky BF Goodrich all-terrain T/A tires that they made room for with special hand-formed wheel wells, and the suspension remains almost entirely stock, with only the shocks and sway bars upgraded.



The classic K5, destined to spend its days prowling the beaches of Florida carrying proud owners Paul and Susan Hereditch, is powered by a 6.2-liter GM crate motor fueled and completely managed by a Holley Dominator EFI system. The LS3 powerplant puts out nearly 450 horsepower and expels spent gasses through a Flowmaster exhaust. Power gets to all four wheels via a four-speed 4L60-E automatic transmission prepared by Bowler Performance Transmissions.


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