San Ramon Street Sighting - 1972 GMC C1500 Stepside Pickup

The 1967-72 GMC stepside pickup truck has a special significance to me, because my father owns one. His is a 1971 1500 Custom with a 307 small block V8. This one is a far cry from that, but the two pickups have crossed paths on the road before.

This '72 GMC has been modified a lot from stock form. When you think about it, most surviving GM trucks from this era have been modified, and there were so many options, trim packages and body/bed styles available from the factory, it was like having a custom truck from brand new. Now owners mix and match parts, install fresh crate engines and transmissions, or go whole hog with modern components and build a full custom truck to their own taste. This one has a crate 350 small block hooked to a TH350 automatic transmission, big billet wheels and lots of shiny chrome. The grille comes from a 1967 truck, or at least is a reproduction 1967 unit. Oh yeah, and it's orange. Very, very orange.

Not everything that's been done to this truck is my style. Nothing on it is particularly offensive, either. For me what makes it special is it's not a Chevy and it's not a fleetside. The vast majority of old GM C/K pickups are Chevrolet fleetsides and while I like them, they're still very common. GMCs are more scarce, and the stepsides even more so. I love a clean, original looking truck but not even my family's own GMC is totally box-stock. So I'll settle for a clean truck that hasn't been cut up or blinged out too much. I might shoot other GM trucks of this generation in the future if they appeal to me. Time will tell.