This Chevrolet was imported into the Netherlands as a new truck, it got its first registration in August 1980. Under the hood Chevy’s 350 engine. Logically, after a career of almost 40 years it looked a bit rough around the edges. But it did get a new flatbed and some other parts.
A set of old-school wooden dropsides would be nice, but maybe the owner has other plans for the cargo bed. The whole truck might as well be still in the work in progress-phase.
Nonetheless, so far the job has been very well executed. That’s a high-quality, robust new flatbed alright. Can anyone identify the taillights? At first sight I’d say Jeep Wrangler.
Some other new parts are the rear fenders and the storage box underneath the bed.
And now for my own QOTD: it’s registered as a Chevrolet pick up (seriously?) with a payload capacity of 875 kg, that’s 1,929 lbs. Given that number, would the model designation be C-30, or…?
It looks like the fender badge that would ID it as a C10, C20 or C30 is on the drivers side fender, but the photo does not show it well enough for me to read. The C30 should have 8 lug wheels, as I recall, but again the angle and the deep wheel offset doesn’t allow for counting the lug nuts.
I noticed the fender badge too…once I got home, looking at the pictures. No matter how I zoom in on the original picture, I can’t read it either.
The C20 had a full-floating rear axle and the 8 lug wheels too. I think the only difference between the C20 and C30 was stiffer springs. And the C30 was available with dual rear wheels.
I don’t remember on the GM’s but over at Ford and International besides the higher rate springs the “1 ton” got bigger brake shoes and corresponding larger wheel cyl than the “3/4 ton”. Moving from the 357 (12″ x 2 1/2″) to the 358 (12″ x 3″), though the larger brakes often came with the camper package on 3/4 tons or were available as stand alone options in some cases.
Most light and medium trucks are considered pickups for legal purposes. I used to drive an old F-250 stake truck for work. It was much bigger than a normal pickup, but I always had to list it as a pickup when going through a weigh station or POE.
The bed on this truck may just be decorative. It could be useful for carrying a small vehicle like a snowmobile, but I’d think it would need some kind of hooks or rings to fasten the tiedowns.
Good catch on the lack of tie downs. My old ’87 Dodge 3/4 ton started life as a flatbed but that came off and went to the scrapheap when I bought it. Flatbeds have their uses but it’s not a use I’ve yet to need.
A flatbed works best with both dropsides and any form of hooks/rings. Example below: dropsides and simple hooks, welded underneath the bed’s metal frame.
That has always been the standard here, no matter how small or big the truck is.
Yeah we have similar set ups though if its a working truck those hooks have to be load rated, Dropsiders are the most versatile version of a pickup, New Japanese utes can be had with factory fitted dropside flat decks all steel or alloy.
Yeah not very useful w/o any tie down points or pockets for the stake sides.
Johannes I’m inclined to say this started life as a half-ton (C10) based upon the appearance. Many of these Chevrolet pickups rusted with alarming speed so in the big scheme of things, this one is in pretty decent shape.
Below is information for a 1980 Chevrolet pickup. What it says (if I read it right, I’m not wearing my glasses or contact lenses) goes along with this being a half-ton. But that doesn’t mean your example hasn’t been beefed up along the way.
The tail lights are generic units. One can go to any farm and home store today and purchase something identical. The Jeep did have similar (if not identical) for a while but these aren’t anything exclusive to a particular model.
These are very nice driving pickups and it’s easy to see why they continue to be popular.
Well thanks Jason! I just checked its plate again, the truck’s registered GVM is 2,815 kg (6,206 lbs -> C-10). Curb weight 1,940 kg + payload capacity 875 kg = 2,815 kg GVM.
So the whole 1/2-, 3/4-, 1 ton (respectively C-10, C-20, C-30) description doesn’t say much about the real payload capacity?
Sorry for going astray, but if I want to know something, I really want to KNOW something…
Johannes, next time get a shot of the wheels. The C10 used passenger car-type wheels and a semi-floating (passenger cars type) rear axle. The C20 and C30 used totally different hubs and a heavy full-floating rear axle and bigger 8 lug wheels. There’s nothing external to tell the difference between the C20 and C30, unless the C30 has dual rear wheels.
None of your shots of the wheels are definitive, but my guess from what I can see, it looks like a C10. But that’s just a guess.
I will certainly remember that!
Way back in the day the 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, and 1 ton designations did give you a close approximation of the actual payload capacity. Note that is Payload, not total capacity so a “1/2 ton” may be good for 1200-1500lbs total. This however seems to be one of the emissions dodging “heavy half” that came out so they could sell a “1/2 ton” pickup without a catalytic converter and if desired a “big block”.
So at GM you had the “heavy half” and “BIG 10” while Ford called it out on the fenders creating the F150 to slip in between the F100 and F250.
Another factor was the slid in camper rage of the late 60’s and early 70’s that had the camper special “3/4 ton” with a greater payload than the base “1 ton”.
This truck is definitely a C10 as clearly shown by the wheels, or more specifically the center cap. That center cap is too small, both in diameter and length, to cover the protruding hub of a full floating axle that was found on all C20 and above in this era.
Thanks dude!
I should note that over 6,000 lb GVW was the determining point for cat or no cat in 1975. However for some reason most of those dodgers had 6,200 GVWs, I guess to say “no we really aren’t doing this to get through the loophole” to the gov’t. Even the Scout II went to 6,200 GVW in 1975 up from the available 5,000-5,200 ratings of the 71-74.
Of course that cutoff point was raised over time, but the increase in truck ratings stuck, and only went up from there. There are F-150’s running around with over 3,000lb total capacity and F350’s that are pushing 3 ton capacities.
I was s little perplexed, too. 1,929 pound payload seemed too heavy for a 1/2 ton, as they usually rate around 1,500 pounds for this vintage. It also seemed too light to be a 3/4 ton, as they seem to rate about 2,500 pounds. I guess it likely is a “Big 10” version, but I wasn’t sure they still offered that option in 1980. I had an uncle who had a ‘78 (maybe ‘79, I cant recall the grill) Big 10 shortbed., in base Custom Deluxe trim.
My ‘80 F-150 had a rating of 1,580 pounds, if I remember correctly.
The brochure posted above is for the 1980’s and it specificially notes the C10/Big10 and its 6050-6200 GVW range compared to the standard C10 with a 4900 to 5500 GVW range.
They taillights aren’t really “generic” units per se as those are the same ones that GM and Ford used from the factory on their step side trucks in this era though they were sourced from Grote a supplier that is also big in the aftermarket so they also ended up on most trucks that were shipped as cab and chassis.
Here is the “Ford” lens https://cgfordparts.com/ufolder/fordpart.php?number=D7TZ-13450-A
And the “Chevy” lens https://www.ebay.com/i/162269661023?chn=ps
As well as one of the configurations of them being sold in Grote packaging with a Grote part number on the lens instead of a Ford or GM one. https://www.ebay.com/itm/GROTE-TAIL-LIGHT-52912/192406393339?epid=21017020072&hash=item2ccc5091fb:g:xFkAAOSwIVhaPVq6:sc:USPSPriority!98038!US!-1
The tail light assembly appears to be a standard US unit with a combination brake light/red turn signal light. Shouldn’t tail lights on vehicles registered in the Netherlands (Europe) have a separate amber turn signal per European lighting regulations?
For those pondering which iteration of Chevy pickup this is….would a C10 have had those mirrors? They look factory, but they also look big for a 1/2 ton pickup.
My dad’s ’79 did. The housings and bracket were painted white instead of chrome, though.
The tail lights are the standard industrial type lights I’ve seen on every flatbed I’ve ever worked with. I don’t think they are specifically a Jeep thing.
A few years ago, Jason Torchinsky of Jalopnik did an article about those taillights in which even he couldn’t find a definitive origin.
https://jalopnik.com/jalopnik-hive-mind-project-who-designed-this-iconic-ta-479787801
Sorry but he is an idiot they were originally produced by Grote, the leader in MD truck lighting for decades and supplier to all of the US mfgs at one point or another. See my post above for lenses with Ford and GM part numbers as well as the Grote number for one version of the entire assembly.
Factory dropside deck on a Ford Courier diesel
Compact and very practical, I like it. The smallest Ford flatbed/dropside truck here is the Transit.
And our smallest factory flatbed/dropside truck must be the Toyota Proace. It looks like a photoshop-job (based on the panel van), but it really isn’t.
Fiat professional offers an even smaller option
https://www.fiatprofessional.com/nl/doblo-ombouw
Smaller than the Proace, absolutely. Never heard of it before.
For non-Antipodeans – those dropside trays are super common in Australia (and presumably NZ) to the point that a normal pickup is often referred to as a “well body ute” to differentiate.
I worked for the company that dealt with all the imported Isuzu, Ford, Mazda and Great Wall (shudder) utes and they came off the boat as cab chassis, then a couple of guys would come into the yard in a little ute with a tiny crane and precariously stacked trays (at least four if memory serves), and mount them.
Obviously some cab chassis went to the dealers bare too.
That bed appears to be a homemade unit. A may be wrong, as I have no idea what’s available in Europe; heck, even in North America different regions have different manufacture specs, though that’s largely due to different fabricators. It’s rather expensive to ship those beds cross-country, so they’re usually built within a few hours transport of the upfitter. The same goes for utility trailers, too.
I don’t really like that bed, I prefer my front bulkhead to be at least as tall as the cab. Also, there’s no place to mount stakes or a side board; it seems the only way to secure a load is with ratchet straps. But, on the other hand, I see plenty of flatbeds like that.
That is a sweet looking bed, though. The fabrication looks superb. It’s just that bulkhead sucks…
It’s a on-off, custom built bed for sure, done in a professional way (by the owner or someone else). As you say, the fabrication looks superb.