Chevrolet Pickup Truck

General Motors manufactured the first pickup truck model in 1924, but the in-house design appeared in 1930. After years of development, GM manufactured the Chevrolet C/K, a full size pickup truck that was produced from 1960 until 1999 in the US and Canada and from 1964 to 2001 in Brazil. The “C” that was part of the pickup truck’s name indicates a two-wheel drive while the “K” denotes a four-wheel drive.

The first generation of Chevrolet pickup trucks (manufactured between 1960 and 1966) had a brand new body style and a lot of new interesting features, such as: the new designation system, the drop-center ladder frame or the independent front suspension. Under the hood of the Chevrolet C/K was hidden a 305 cubic inches V6 engine for the GMC version. The exterior design was changed as well by eliminating the “wraparound” windshield and by redesigning the front grille. A new feature of the interior was the air conditioning introduced in 1965 along with the 327 cubic inches V8 engine that was available in three different capacities: 3.9 liters, 4.3 liters and 4.6 liters.

The second generation of Chevrolet pickup trucks suffered a lot of changes beginning with its nickname (”Action Line”) and became available for buyers in 1967 (the production continued until 1972). GM paid serious attention to the comfort offered by the Chevrolet C/K truck and tried to include a long list of items useful for the driver. The Chevrolet pickup trucks were equipped with a 4.6 liters V8 engine and with a 3 speed (optionally 4 speed) manual transmission. All the pickup trucks had coil spring suspension which improved substantially the ride and “small rear windows” which were replaced in 1968 with larger rear glass.

The biggest changes were made on the 1968 model of the Chevrolet pickup truck and included the addition of side-marker reflectors placed on the fenders and the elimination of the horizontal crossbar of the grille. In 1969, the Chevrolet C/K was available with a 350 cubic inches V8 engine and a redesigned grille. In the same year was introduced the GMC version that had suffered some internal cabin changes: the new parking brake system, the 2 spoke steering wheel system with the plastic horn button and the upper and lower side moldings. The 1971 model had a new grille and some interior changes were made as well in order to increase comfort. When it comes to the technical components, the 1971 Chevrolet pickup truck used a 400 V8 engine and new front brakes (the drum brakes were replaced by disc brakes).

The third generation was released in 1973 and was produced until 1991. The Chevrolet pickup truck was redesigned and the cabin received most of the attention. This new generation is known as the “rounded-line”, because of its modern look. The engineers improved the aerodynamics and the fuel efficiency as well. The Chevrolet C/K was now equipped with a six or eight cylinders engines and a manual or Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission, having a fuel tank capacity of 40 US gallons and driver control systems with front adjusting disc brakes and rear drum brakes. The later models were improved by redesigning the grille or the interior of the pickup truck.

The Chevrolet pickup trucks were well received by the customers spread all over the world. The GM introduced a lot of novelties in the pickup truck niche and was truly a strong competitor on the market.

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