The slang name is “square-body,” and there are a lot of good reasons to buy a 1973 to 1987 Chevy C10 or GMC truck. The number-one reason being 1973 to 1987 Chevy C10 trucks were produced for 15 years, the longest production run in comparison to the 1960 to 1966 C10 at 6 years of production and 5 years of production for the 1967 to 1972 Chevy C10 truck. The Chevy C10’s 15-year production span from 1973 to 1987 left 10 million good used trucks in the world with a lot of great OEM and aftermarket parts to service, restore, or customize with.
I have to admit I am a little biased toward liking 1973 to 1987 Chevy C10 trucks. You see, when I took over the editorship ofCustom Classic Trucksin 2005 the magazine only covered up to 1972 Chevy 10s, so the first editorial decision I made was to expandCCT‘s Chevy C10 coverage up to 1987. The next thing I did was find three good examples before the prices went up like they had on 1967 to 1972 Chevy C10s. It’s because of the 15-year production period with a lot of trucks produced that the prices have stayed relatively low on 1973 to 1987 builder Chevy C10 trucks.
There are good and bad facts about the early square-body Chevy C10 trucks. The bad is the early square-bodies were quite prone to rusting, and the hoods liked to buckle on the passenger side right in front of the hood hinge. As early as 1976 in California the first signs of rust on a 1973 to 1975 began on the lower rear section of the front fenders and above the wheelwells on Fleetside trucks. Three or four years into square-body production GM addressed the rust problem with better primers, zinc galvanized plating, and I’m guessing heavier-gauge sheetmetal.
The good news for California residents is 1973 to 1975 Chevy C10 trucks are exempt from emissions (smog) testing, and the ironic part is most customized square-bodies end up with a LS or Vortec swap that produces twice the horsepower and far lower emissions than 1976 to 1986 Chevy C10 trucks. In states where smog testing isn’t required for 1973 to 1987 Chevy C10 trucks, the path to higher performance and lower emissions is wide open.
Perhaps the best bonus over all else is the 1973 to 1987 Chevy C10 trucks are faster and easier to work on than the earlier 1960 to 1972 Chevy C10 trucks. Here’s a little test if you’d like to prove it to yourself. See how long it takes to remove a 1967 to 1972 C10 front bumper with its hard-to-access bumper bolts and then in about the same amount of time strip a 1973 to 1987 Chevy C10 down to the firewall. The early standard-equipment square-body C10s had weak frames that twist. The solution is to buy a Big 10 or Heavy Half with the F44 package, which in C10 shortbed or longbed form has heavier-duty framerails and crossmembers. Look inside the glovebox door for the SPID (paper sticker) and check for the F44 option. Any C10 with a 454 will automatically have the F44 option—it was mandatory. And a 350-powered Big 10 will have the F44 package.