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What You Should Know about the GMC C1500

• The C1500 was a full-sized pickup truck sold under the Chevrolet and GMC nameplates from 1960 until 1999 in the United States.


• The "C" in the C1500 name indicates that the vehicle was a two-wheel drive. GMC also had a K1500, in which "K" meant that it was a four-wheel drive.


• In 1967, the GMC C1500 came with a new, modern look as well as a nickname, "Action Line." In this model year, General Motors made revisions to the truck by adding GMC C1500 accessories that give comfort and convenience. While it came standard with leaf springs, its Chevrolet counterpart was built with a coil spring and a trailing arm in its rear suspension.


• The model year 1967 was also the year of the small rear window. In 1968, however, this was replaced with a larger glass behind the vehicle. Another difference between the 1967 and 1968 GMC C1500 parts was that the latter had the addition of side-marker reflectors on its fenders.


• Beginning 1968, the letters "GMC" were no longer embossed in the horizontal crossbar on the C1500's grille. The component's design was changed again in 1971, in which portions of the grille were painted over with black.


• When the third generation was launched, the GMC introduced an all-new, clean-sheet redesign of the C1500 in 1972. While it had been developed beginning 1968, simulated assessments of the vehicle were only done on computers before the first prototype pickup was built for real-world testing. At the time of launch, the GMC C1500's design, particularly its cab, was considered revolutionary in appearance. This is because the design itself departed from the typical American pickup truck concept of that period.


• The third-generation C1500 was officially known as the "rounded-line" generation. Nowadays, some refer to it as a "square body" because the truck appeared square-like compared to contemporary automotive design standards. The "rounded" exterior was fashioned by GM's design engineers. This was done in an effort to improve the truck's aerodynamics and gas mileage by using wind-tunnel technology to help sculpt the body.


• Other design traits of the third generation were "double-wall" construction, sleek sculpted bodywork, flared secondary beltline, and an aerodynamic cab. The new traits then featured rounded doors that cut high into the roof. It also had a steeply raked windshield that had a hidden radio antenna embedded into the glass.