Y-History of GM's pickups

What seems to be an iconic truck to the U.S. are GM’s lineups of pickups. Chevy and GMC, who are owned by General Motors, started to produce pickups in 1919. Chevy and GMC have the same exact vehicles. The only difference is the name of the vehicles and the company’s logo on the front grille. The portions of the history I want to focus on are the trucks from 1962 till now. In 1962 Chevy/GMC started to put C/K stamps on the trucks. C meant two wheel drive, while K meant four wheel drive. Chevy had either a 10, a 15 a 20, or a 30, indicating what the size of the truck was. 10 meant half ton, 15 meant half ton long bed, 20 meant three quarter ton and 30 meant full ton. GMC had 1000, 1500, and 2500. There were two body styles. Chevy and GMC had a Fleetside, the sides of the trucks are smooth, and the Stepside, which had a bed that had steps on it by the cab. The models from 1962-1966 had a few different engine options including a v8 327 cubic inch that made 220 horsepower. In 1965, GM introduced air conditioning in to the Chevy and GMC pickups. The truck models from 1967 to 1972 were redesigned. GM came out with a new sport version. GM put new marker lights on the side of the trucks and added more chrome to the trucks. In 1969 there were three new v8 engines offered, The first two are 350’s, one offering 300 horsepower and the other offering 350 horsepower. The third is a 369 that made 310 horsepower. In 1970, both the GMC and Chevy trucks came out with a new three speed automatic version. The trucks from 1973 to 1980 received a new body style. GM started offering a four door cab or known to others as a “crew cab”. Engines ranged from a 250 cubic inch inline six cylinder that made 100 horsepower to a 454 cubic inch v8 that made 240 horsepower. In 1977 the full ton pickups were offered in four wheel drive. A v8 diesel engine was offered in the C-10 pickups. The trucks made from 1981 to 1987 were built lighter. During this time frame, GM also offered a new 305 cubic inch v8 engine that made 160 horsepower. It was more powerful and had better fuel economy than the 350 cubic inch v8’s. In 1982 GM offered a 6.2 liter diesel. Also known as the “Detroit Diesel”. This was offered on the K pickups. Also a new 4 speed automatic transmission was offered in 1982. It created less wear on the engine and created a better fuel economy. In 1987 GM changed the nomenclature for their four wheel drive and two wheel drive vehicles. The four wheel drive trucks had a V, while the two wheel drive vehicles had a R. This was then changed back to C and K during the timeframe of 1988 to 1998. Instead of the stepside, GM came out with the sportside , which is a leaner version of the stepside. 1988 was also the first time, GM offered “shift on the fly” four wheel drive. This meant that the driver could put the truck in to four wheel drive while the truck was in motion. Originally the driver would have to turn on locking hubs on the front tires and then would have to put the truck in park or neutral and put the truck in four wheel drive. In 1992 GM upgraded the 6.2 liter diesel engine to a 6.5 liter diesel engine. In 1993, GM had improved engines that included three different v8’s and a v6 4.3 liter engine. The three v8’s include a 5.0 liter, a 5.7 liter and 7.4 liter. In 1996, all of the gas engines GM was using were named “Vortecs”. The current generations of trucks ,1999 til now, saw little changes. In 1999, GM offered their pickups with the Silverado and Sierra naming depending on if you bought a Chevy or a GMC. GM offered new v8’s that ranged from 4.8 liters to 6.0 liters. They still kept the same v6 engine and the 6.5 liter diesel. The 6.5 liter diesel engines would later be dropped and the Duramax diesel engines would be substituted in. The GM trucks were offered with high class options like satellite radio, DVD players and other options in 2003. From 2003 till now, the GM truck models would stay constant, only the body styles would change up a bit. GM’s trucks have always been a favorite for many.