If you are wondering about the question mark in the subtitle, we can tell you it’s no typo! Let’s just say that building a vehicle for a Rockstar is not a straightforward deal and the story of this Blazer is a bit of a head scratcher on what ultimately unfolded. We followed along on this journey and can tell you that it was interesting to say the least.
With that being said, let’s start with how Travis Barker (drummer for Blink-182 and other music artists) got involved with this vehicle. It all kicked off a number of years back when he had Delmo’s Speed & Kustom finish a previous ’71 Chevy Blazer. Around that time, he was still mentally recovering from a near-death plane crash and had the truck completed to in order to help spend more time with his kids. Over time, Travis developed a desire for a more luxurious lifted vehicle and opted for a 2018 Mercedes G550 4×42, which is a $250K off-road beast complete with a twin turbo V8, carbon fiber fenders and 18-inches of ground clearance.
As the German battle wagon proved its worth, Travis rolled his old Blazer across the block at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ. Though he loves the G-wagon, he is a true lover of GM products and even has the Cadillac and Chevy Bowtie emblems inked on his skin. And while cruising around Barrett-Jackson, Travis took notice of Hogie Shines’ work and had the itch to start another Blazer project with modern drivability.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would know that Dan Hogan of Hogie Shines is the “goto guy” as he specializes in creating eye-pleasing restomod lifted trucks that are very off-road capable. Every year since opening up his own shop, Dan has built a personal project to help promote the business. Showing them and then selling them off at Barrett-Jackson to fund the next one has been the winning formula.
Travis liked what he saw and chatted with Dan to see about building a replacement Blazer with one stipulation, it must be black. Dan then acquired this ’71 Blazer (original black vin code vehicle) through a friend who pulled it out of New Mexico and started making plans for it. At the time, Travis had an assistant step in to talk about the dealings and inquired about sponsorships on parts. The ordeal was difficult to work around and Dan decided to go forward with the build and simply hit up Travis when he was done.
To get a jump on the build, Dan ordered a Roadster Shop RS4 coil-over chassis along with a set of Currie axles as this setup is one of the best on the market. Powering this classic SUV is a Whipple supercharged 6.2L LS3 V8 that is just as clean as the outside. Since finish work is Dan’s specialty, the body was worked smooth, painted black and white with modified MAR-K C-10 truck trim to split the colors.
The inside was even topped off with custom upholstery work by Ceballos Customs to really set it off. Up top is a custom roll cage and above it is a floating star headliner for a truly luxurious finish. After completion, this Blazer was taken to the 2021 Dino’s Git Down event in Phoenix, where it was well received by all in the classic Chevy truck community.
A few weeks after the show, it was time to haul it from AZ to Los Angeles in order to meet up with Travis and see if a deal could be made. Travis and his fiancé Kourtney Kardashian were then given the night to test it out and they were genuinely super impressed by the work. They even posted a few photos on their Instagram pages to show their love for it too.
Though they were interested in making a deal with Dan, there were a few things that came up. Travis was a little unsure that it was the right vehicle for the both of them to fully enjoy on a regular basis. Also, the asking price ($300K) was an issue as Travis has many offers by major automakers looking give him just about any new vehicle for free all while also paying him high dollar amounts for social media posts.
Sticking to his asking price, Dan declined the lower offer which included any social media shoutouts and opted to sell the Blazer at Barrett-Jackson like his previous builds. Because he had sold many other high-quality trucks there, he was able to roll it across on the Saturday evening (Prime Time) of the auction. At the event, there was an underlying buzz that Travis would make a surprise stop and bid on it, but it never happened, and Dan sold it to the highest bidder for a whopping $400K!
In the end, Dan made out on the money end with this Blazer build and has no regrets about how everything went down. In the process, he learned more about what celebrities are looking for in vehicles and how to cater to his clientele better. You would think that he would be living large after the sale, but Dan has decided to up his game by using the newly acquired funds to build even more trucks to auction next year. We are super excited for what he has cooking next and we will be there to capture it all again.
Dan would like to thank his wife Janee, Shine Hogan and Locklynn Hogan, the guys at Hogie Shines (Ike, Jake H, Jake F, Armondo, Darrell, Victor, Tristin), the late Pete Morrone, Adam from Denton Racing, Tanner from Soundwerks, Tanner from Rad Fab, Curtis Hoyt, Kyle Detweiler, Nick Hogan, Chad Herrall, Nick Bielenda, Daniel from Bell Auto Upholstery, Frank from Ceballos Customs, Jordan Sawalqah, Anthony from Filardi fab, James from State 48 glass, TAD drive line, Hughes transmission, Dan from American Racing, Edwin from The Chrome Guy, Tod Krupp, Phil from roadster shop, Isaac From Handmademetalworks, David Filborn from English color, Jim from Epic Screen Printing, Brad Ralf, Snowden, Ronnie Wetch from C10 Talk, Travis Barker, Nick Crouch from Surface Art, Ron Hernandez, and Arlo from AK Automotive.
Hogie Shines ‘71 K5 CST Blazer AKA “Blink”
- 6.2-liter V8 LS3 engine finished in Inferno Orange
- Whipple supercharger
- Hughes 4L80E automatic transmission
- NP205 transfer case
- DeWitt’s aluminum radiator
- Custom air intake
- Chevrolet valve covers with hidden coil pack adapters
- Roadster Shop fuel cell with dual Walbro fuel pumps
- Roadster Shop RS4 coil-over chassis with dual sway bars and 4-link front and rear suspension
- Currie high pinion axles
- Fox 2.5 coil-over shocks with hydraulic bump stops
- Stainless-steel exhaust with MagnaFlow mufflers
- Wilwood disc brakes with Hydro-Boost
- 17-inch KMC Machete wheels
- 35-inch BFG All-Terrain rubber
- PPG Chevrolet Black and Ice White two-tone paint job
- Modified MAR-K C-10 truck trim
- Refinished fiberglass
- Upgraded gas shocks on rear hatch
- Precision Replacement Parts weatherstripping and glass
- Floating star headliner with backlighting
- Hidden side marker gas filler
- Factory seats with Snowden foam covered in black leather, white stitching and “cloud” material inserts
- Classic Instruments gauges
- 15-inch original-style steering wheel
- Flaming River tilt steering column
- Custom TIG-welded roll cage
- Vintage Air climate control system.
- Retrosound head unit
- Custom-made speaker panels that hold four Infinity Cappa 6.5-inch speakers, two Infinity Cappa subwoofers, and Alpine 600x4 and 1000x1 amplifiers
- American Auto Wire harnesses