Chevrolet Trucks Through the Years

Taking the Long Road to Silverado

The current Chevrolet Silverado has been around since 1998, but the history of Chevy trucks goes back much further to the early days of the company in the 1910s. The first Chevrolet pickup was a direct response to Ford’s successful Model TT. Like the Model TT, the Chevrolet 490 Series was built from the company’s basic chassis and running gear but given a truck bed in back. Chevy’s pickups continued to share their basic underpinning with Chevy’s cars into the 1930s when the Chevy Master arrived offering heavier-duty components, stronger frames, and larger engines. A truncated AK Series straddled WWII, still sharing its platform with the Chevy Deluxe but also serving as the basis for the Suburban carryall.

The Advanced Design pickup, arriving in 1947, was the advent of a new kind of truck from Chevy. Tough and capable yet stylish and comfortable. Growing demand saw Detroit’s automakers reimagine their once spartan trucks as consumer-friendly daily transportation; the modern pickup was born. Below we trace the many designs and iterations of Chevy trucks over a fifty-year period from those initial post-war years to the advent of the Silverado in the late 1990s. These are Chevrolet’s pickups through the years.

Advanced Design 1947-55

• The new Advanced Design pickup debuted in June of 1947 alongside its GMC New Design analogue. Like the AK Series, the Advanced Design was the basis for the Chevy Suburban as well.
• The Advanced Design designated the basic ½-ton truck as the 3100, the ¾-ton as the 3600, and the 1-ton as the 3800.
• A host of new creature comforts were introduced with the Advanced Design, including a roomier cabin, a wider bench seat (room for three abreast!), a glove box, a heater/defroster, and an optional AM radio.
• The standard engine was a 216 cu.-in. “Thriftmaster” straight-six providing 90 horsepower and 175 lb.-ft. of torque mated to a three-speed synchromesh manual transmission.
• The Advanced Design received a major refresh for 1954 that saw the split window design traded for a single-piece curved windshield. Additional changes included new taillights, a new dashboard, and a new steering wheel.
• New engines were also introduced in 1954 as the 216 cu.-in. six-cylinder was replaced by a pair of straight-sixes displacing 235 cu.-in. and 261 cu.-in., respectively.

Task Force 1955-59

• The next generation of Chevy pickup was dubbed the Task Force and arrived in mid-1955. The GMC equivalent was given the moniker of “Blue Chip Money Makers,” shortened to Blue Chip.
• The GMC version split more than a naming convention this time around as the Blue Chip ran GMC’s straight-sixes and borrowed V8s from Oldsmobile and Pontiac rather than Chevy engines.
• The Task Force was a major visual departure from the Art Deco-inspired look of the Advanced Design as it brought with it a new wraparound windshield (an industry first), integrated headlights, and a new hood and egg-crate grille.
• A 12-volt electric system was also introduced along with options for power steering and power brakes.
• A new 265 cu.-in. V8 was added for 1955 with a three-speed column-shifted manual (aka three on the tree) as the standard transmission.
• Bed lengths were offered in 6.5 ft. and 7.5 ft. with the initial 1955 model sporting a 7 ft. bed.
• The Cameo Carrier variant added car-like niceties like a push-button radio, gauges borrowed from the Corvette, and a flat-sided fiberglass bed.
• In 1958, Chevy altered naming conventions for their truck line designating the light-duty trucks as Apache, the medium-duty as Viking, and the heavy-duty as Spartan.
• Air conditioning became an option in 1958.
• New “Styleside” flat-sided beds were also introduced in 1958, named the “Fleetside” for Chevy and “Wideside” for GMC. These came in 6.5-ft. and 8-ft. versions and replaced the Cameo Carrier’s flat-sided fiberglass paneled bed.

C/K Series 1st Gen 1960-66

• The C/K Series Chevy trucks include four generations spanning across as many decades. The new naming convention designated C-Series for 2WD trucks and K-Series for 4WD.
• The C/K Series was the first time a Chevy truck had been built from the ground up and as such it was given a new ladder frame chassis. It featured a dropped center to allow for a lower cabin position, improving ride quality and ease of ingress/egress.
• The Apache/Viking/Spartan names were retained but new numerical designations were given to differing payload capacities: 10, 20, and 30 for ½-ton, 50 and 60 for ¾-ton, and 70, 80, and 90 for 1-ton.
• Engines included the 236 cu.-in. I-6 and optional 283 cu.-in. V8, with the GMC running its own 305 cu.-in. V6. This was the first time Chevy trucks offered 4WD from the factory.
• The C/K also had a new suspension set up with a torsion bar front and rear coil springs in the rear, though the GMC trucks kept leaf springs for their rear suspension.
• For 1963, new engines were brought in. These included 230- and 292-cu.-in. straight-sixes, with 140 and 165 horsepower respectively, as well as a 283 cu.-in. V8 with 175 horsepower.
• In 1964, a flat windshield replaced the once-signature wraparound.
• An optional 327 cu.-in. V8 was introduced in 1965 for the ¾- and 1-ton versions. The same engine was made available for the ½-ton a year later.
• 1966 also saw the 230 cu.-in. six-cylinder replaced with a new 250 cu.-in. “Turbo Thrift” making 155 horsepower as the standard engine.

C/K Series 2nd Gen 1967-72

• The C/K Series was given a thorough redesign starting in 1967 that added a new hood and grille, revised paneling, and new fender lines.
• Amenities improved with the addition of an AM/FM radio, interior carpeting, and more two-tone paint options.
• Three different wheelbases were available: 155, 127, and 133 inches.
• The second-generation C/K was the last Chevy truck to remain exclusively two-door.
• Engines carried over from the prior generation, including the 250 and 292 I-6s along with the 283 and 327 V8s.
• A 396 big-block V8 (325 horsepower) was added to the list of engine options for 1968, as was a new 307 small-block V8 (200 horsepower).
• In 1968, Chevy marked the brand’s 50th anniversary with a gold and white special anniversary edition.
• The 1969 model served as the jumping off point for the all-new Chevy K5 Blazer and GMC Jimmy 4x4s. (The C/K also remained the basis for the Suburban).
• Visual updates for 1969 included new federally mandated side marker lights, new side paneling, a new grille design, and a two-spoke steering wheel.
• The updated version of the 396 big-block V8, now bored to 402 cu.-in., arrived in 1971. Front disc brakes were also added that year.

C/K Series 3rd Gen 1973-91

• The C/K’s third generation was dubbed the “Rounded Line,” but was less ironically referred to internally as the Square Body.
• Visual updates indeed saw a boxier design with a flushed egg-crate grille. Boxy though it was, aerodynamics actually improved, and with it fuel economy.
• The C/K’s interior was also quieter, thanks to additional sound deadening, and upgraded material quality.
• Wheelbase options were cut down to two options: 117.5 or 131.5 inches.
• The C20 got a four-door version, sans a rear seat, and ten years after Ford and Dodge trucks.
• The third-gen C/K debuted the Silverado and Scottsdale trim names.
• Engines ranged from the carried over 250 and 292 I-6s to the 307/305-, 350-, and 402 cu.-in. V8s.
• In 1975, a new 400 cu.-in. V8 was added to the engine lineup, becoming the biggest offering for the K-Series trucks.
• 1978 saw the C/K get a diesel engine for the first time, a 350 Olds V8 which was replaced with a 379 Detroit Diesel V8 in 1982.
• Exterior tweaks continued in 1977, ’79, and 1980 with a more thorough refresh coming in 1981 that saw interior updates, improved aerodynamics, and a shedding of approximately 300 lbs.
• The third-gen C/K Series ½-ton versions concluded with the 1986 model year, while the larger R/V Series third-gen trucks continued in production through 1991.

C/K Series 4th Gen 1992-98

• The new fourth-generation C/K Series continued to improve inside and out. The truck was given a new frame, narrower by four inches, yet the cabin was roomier. Aerodynamics continued to improve with a revised front-end design with a returning flushed grille, new bumpers, deleted vent windows, and new sheet metal.
• An extended cab was added (15 years after Ford and Dodge) for a total of four body styles that also included the Fleetside and Stepside single cabs and the crew cab.
• Engines carried over from the previous generation including the standard 4.3L V6, 5.0L and 5.7L V8s, and the 6.2L diesel.
• In 1989, Chevy added the Z75 off-road package to the options list. This included skid plates, aluminum wheels, and heavy-duty shocks.
• The W/T “Work Truck” 1500 came in 1990 alongside the 454SS sport truck that borrowed the 3500’s 7.4L V8 and paired it with features from the Sport Equipment package.
• 1992 saw the addition of a turbodiesel 6.5L V8 for trucks above a GVWR of 8,500 lbs. The same engine was opened up to light-duty versions in 1994.
• Revisions for 1995 improved the C/K’s safety as both a driver’s side airbag and ABS became standard equipment.
• The 1996 model was given extensive upgrades starting with the new line of Vortex V6 engines. These included new camshafts and cylinder heads as well as a switch to sequential fuel injection. Meanwhile, the diesel engine option was dropped.
• 1998 was the final model year for the ½-ton C/K as it passed the torch/bowtie to the newly anointed Silverado. The 2500, 3500, and HD C/K Series continued in production through 2002.

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