Bahus was an Active Duty Specialist in the Army and began traveling the world . About two years into his service , however , the unthinkable happened on a trip back home .
“ I had just got back to the states from a tour in Bosnia and we were getting ready to head to NTC in California . Some friends and I were out messing around on our dirt bikes like we always did and I was probably going about 80 miles per hour , somehow lost control and wiped out . All I could remember was seeing the white light and having a fuzzy feeling . I came as close to death as you could without dying . I ended up breaking my back , three ribs , three vertebrae and punctured my lung .”
The accident left Bahus a paraplegic , obviously changing his life forever .
“ Every day since then it ’ s just been what can I still do or how can I get around and make things happen ?” he says . “ A year after I got hurt , I went out to Long Beach , California , for these wheelchair games for disabled veterans . I ’ ll always remember one day in particular while I was out there . A few buddies and I went for a drive up and down Long Beach in a 1970-ish model K5 Blazer . We had the top off , beverages in hand and just had the time of our lives . Ever since then , I knew I had to own a two-wheel drive K5 Blazer someday .”
THE DRAG STRIP IS A REAL EXTENSION OF FAMILY . YOU CAN PICK YOUR
FRIENDS AND YOU CAN MAKE NEW ONES AT EACH TRACK YOU VISIT .
Fast forward about 12 years and Bahus finally had a chance to make his dreams of owning a K5 come true . He came across a restored Blazer for sale at a used car dealership in Washington State .
“ We made the long trek from Missouri to go pick up this Blazer , and needless to say it wasn ’ t exactly what it was supposed to be ,” Bahus laughs . “ I traced it back to the guy who restored it and come to find out he was so blind he could hardly see his hand in front of his face . He had painted the car and the Chevy bowties that were embroidered in the seats were backwards ! Man , it was something else . Once we got it back , the OCD part of me made me start pulling it apart . I took the body off the frame and went through it all . I welded up everything to make it as solid as possible . I think I replaced everything down to the nuts and bolts over the course of a year in my shop .”
Once satisfied , it was time for Bahus to get the Blazer running , so he contacted good friend Brendan Patten , owner of LT1swap . com , to help install a Dart 454 LS7 into the truck . “ Brendan is a wiring guru that is amazing at LS swaps ” Bahus says . “ He helped me wire everything and it fired right up . We took the gas pedal totally out and installed full hand controls for braking and acceleration . We are running an M & M Turbo 400 transmission , M & M 4500 stall axles , a Strange driveshaft and a Precision Performance N2O air shifter .”
The next weekend Bahus brought the Blazer to Ozark Raceway Park in Rogersville , Missouri , where he showed up with no cage , no arm restraints , no window net , no nothing . Surprisingly , he was still allowed to make a few 330-foot passes down the track , which convinced Bahus his new ride needed a full roll cage and safety equipment .
Now on the hunt for someone who could make his Blazer as safe as possible , Bahus wound up tracking down Steve Harrah , owner of Huey ’ s Fabrication in Greenbrier , Arkansas . “ I caught him at the right time when he was quitting his day job and we had the cage installed in just a couple weeks after bringing the truck to him .” Bahus says . “ I gave Steve a vision and he put his tweaks on it and it came out awesome . He helped me get the cage in and then we installed Kirkey racing seats and full Stroud harnesses .”
Bahus knew he wanted to race the Blazer from day one , but says he mostly built it for a good time . Though the “ Open Container ” name reflects the truck ’ s no hood , no roof configuration , Bahus says it actually originated from late nights spent in the garage with friends . And although he has a catch can made out of a used Bud Light bottle ( that his little brother swears was his ); Bahus insists the name is not really about the alcohol at all .
“ It ’ s not about drinking ; it ’ s more just about hanging out , late nights in the shop working on hot rods , talking about life and having a couple of beers with your buddies . It doesn ’ t get any better than that , just being a rebel about stuff and doing it because you love it with no filter .
“ I don ’ t go anywhere that I don ’ t make friends in life ,” he continues . “ The drag strip is a real extension of family , you can pick your friends and you can make new ones at each track you visit . To be honest that ’ s how I got discovered this past year . I ran into David Cunningham , owner of the infamous Cadzilla , while we were at the first Street Car Takeover in St . Louis . We were checking out the two-step in the Blazer and it got the attention of Kyle Loftis and Garrett Mitchell ( of 1320Video ) from
38 STREETRACE