Ringbrothers, the world-renowned custom car builder and parts manufacturer, has unveiled its latest creation, a custom-built 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer known as "TUKA." Designed with a dual focus on off-road agility and the aplomb of the city, TUKA is a singular edition to Ringbrothers’ storied lineage of K5 Blazers and delivers Ringbrothers’ signature attention to detail.
Investing more than 3,700 hours, the TUKA project enhances the K5 Blazer’s original lines and proportions by raising the tailgate and box sides by two inches to match the door height and create a seamless and timeless profile. The fiberglass rear top is hand-built and integrates a panoramic roof from a modern Blazer, while the rear window was grafted from a contemporary Jeep Wrangler and canted to mimic the Blazer’s factory top. The sculpted bodywork is finished with a BASF Glasurit Waterborne mix called Galactic Black.
"TUKA is distinct from the Blazers we’ve built before as it melds our knowledge of the platform with updated underpinnings creating our desired on and off-road vision,” said Ringbrothers co-owner Jim Ring. “This project is all about crafting something new and highly functional from a tried, true and familiar K5 that can be used daily while no stranger to playing in the dirt.”
Beneath the Ringbrothers carbon-fiber hood resides a 525-horsepower GM Performance 6.2-liter LS3 V8 channeling 487 ft-lbs of torque to the ground through a Bowler Tru-Street GM 4L60E automatic transmission and NP208 transfer case. Uniquely, TUKA incorporates class-leading chassis elements from a third-generation Tacoma with the Toyota’s independent front suspension modified for purpose with Total Chaos control arms and a custom rear suspension with King shocks fitted all around. The Blazer rides on a set of one-off 18-inch bronze wheels from HRE and features a custom spare tire mount behind the rear seat.
The techno-utilitarian, entirely bespoke cabin was penned by designer Sean Smith and crafted by Gabe Lopez and the team at Gabe’s Custom Interiors. The carbon-fiber dashboard houses instrumentation from Dakota Digital as well as billet-machined and 3D-printed switchgear, gear selector, handbrake and a carbon-fiber steering wheel.
“Almost every piece of this Blazer is custom,” added Ringbrothers co-founder Mike Ring. “We wanted to leave no stone unturned in creating something wholly unique, designed to embrace the open road and the unbeaten path. This truck is built for driving in style and with modern comfort. None of this would be possible without our trusted partners at BASF, Dynamat, Gentex Corporation and HRE Wheels helping us fulfill our vision and bring the character of this build to life.”
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