1983 Chevy C/K Pickup Trucks- Video

[jerem0621]

Hey everyone,

I hope your day is going well.

I am thinking about picking up a K30 project and was poking around on YouTube.

Here is a video from the 1983 model year. Looks like a dealer promo video.

Video

Anyway, I enjoyed this blast from the past and thought you all might too.

I hope you all have a nice day!

Thanks,

Jeremiah

[DaveF-250SD]

Jeremiah,
Thanks for posting that great video. When you get that K-30 please post photos. They are great trucks. I have a '78 GMC Sierra Classic C-35 one ton SRW regular cab truck that I love dearly. Runs and drives like new with the 454/TH400 and 4.10 rear gear. Mine is the California version with 250 horsepower and 395 ft. lbs. of torque. Catalyst exempt due to it's 9,000 GVW rating. Tows my car hauler with car (around 6,500 ish pounds) like it is not even back there. Does 65 up any hill without a struggle. Seems to tow every bit as well as my 2004 V-10 SD 4x4 in my signature. Both get about the same mileage when towing the same load, but the Ford gets 1 or 2 mpg better highway fuel mileage when empty and not towing. GMC does have a 700 lb. lighter curb weight than my F-250 though.

[transamz9]

I got a good laugh when he said " with up to 13,000# trailer towing. I remember my dad hauling 10,000# of tobacco to the sales on the 12' flat bed on the back of my grand dad's 77 c30 pulling a trail with another 10k on it. Lol

[Grit_dog]

Hells yeah!
Now I feel old. Dad had an 83 and then an 85 when I was a kid. My first pickup was a '75 K20, but it was a POS rust bucket plow truck.
Love me some square body GMs!

Snatch up an 80s model now. They're starting to go up in price, but still can buy them with pocket money in decent shape.

[Chris_Bryant]

Man, I have several hundred thousand miles in that cab, 2 cab/chassis, moved truck body over. 5.7 4 speed manual (granny gear), always drive as a 4 speed. My friend called this our amusements if America truck, as it looked like a carny truck. There was another door on the other side if the body, and a transverse mounted Onan 45 kW genset. Truck and trailer weighed ~19k lbs, well over the gcvwr. Actually got cited at a Rhode Island weigh station for being over weight.

[BenK]

Jeremiah

Thanks for the short walk down memory lane !!!

Wished you had contacted me sooner, as by the time you asked...already donated my 1980 Silverado fake half ton (C10 with the Big Ten option...higher ratings)

Keep an eye out for broker sales, as am sure it is out there on the block...

To wet your appetite...and show what you might come across at an auction...

1980 Silverado C10 with +500,000 miles (but only a guess, as the speedometer cable broke when dad/sis/brother owned it)

5.7L 'built' engine (over Bored, SS rings, forged pistons, 280 cam, Edelbrock high rise intake, Edelbrock performer 4 barrel, Edelbrock HEI dist, SS valves, higher rate valve springs, flowed/ported/polished heads, shot-peened block/heads, molyb & synthetic every oil change, PureOne or NAPA Gold filters, cold/ram intake, extra large OEM intake filter and a bunch of stuff forgot). Plus my special break in procedures...

Auto tranny is also 'built' with HD clutches, shift kit and synthetic. An external ATF plate cooler rated for 40,000 lbs towing. Flushed every 2-3 years

Brake booster is a double diaphragm setup (rare) with home-made vacuum reserve bottle (DOT mandates min number of brake sessions after engine is off and this doubles that number)

Diff changed to 3.73's and synthetic

1 ton coil helper springs on top of the rear axle to frame rails

15x8 alloys

33/12.5r15LT tires...yes LT tires and are 'flotation' for off roading and towing

KYB Mono shocks on all four corners

After market rear bumper with my special bracing that saved the vehicle when eldest daughter was rear ended...totaled the full sized sedan which hit her from behind...and totaled the full sized sedan in front of her. It is still there and insurance adjuster couldn't believe it took that hit and was only bent a little. Hot dipped zinc coating

Front bumper guard and also hot dipped zinc coating

Bed shell, steel. Drop in bed liner with 1/4" green plywood between it and steel bed

55 watt stereo with poly speakers in the doors. Built a speaker box in each door with a 1/2" front panel that had the OEM door section screwed to...so it looks OEM...with it sticking out about 1" from the original panel. Took out the 8" base bazooka & it's 20 watt booster.

Mechanic shorted out a wiring harness and that was the end of it, as that was the last straw for me (keep them till can't/won't fix them anymore). He sold me a 2007 Nissan Frontier crew he was fixing up as his shop truck...84K miles and in extremely good condition...really, really low price as his ask for forgiveness (really not his fault...long story...but not complaining...)

Caught youngest daughter out on the local boulevard beating up Mustangs while she was in high school. First ride for both daughters and was known at their high school as "The Truck"...

Again, thanks for this short walk down memory lane...

[Dave_in_TN]

Hard to believe that was 35 years ago.

[JIMNLIN]

Thanks Jer. Yeah that brought back some old memories.
One of my trucks I had in commercial service was a '83 one ton DRW long bed std cab blue and grey 2 tone paint 4.10 gears 454 gaz guzzler with a whoppin' 230hp/385 torque. The truck got 11-12 mpg sitting still or 4-6 mpgs towing 16K GN trailers. It was the first of several I had, prior to that year model, that ran for 180k miles (3 service years) with little major mechanical malfunctions.
This was the truck I had a 10' 6" truck camper on after retiring it from service. The 454 and Fords 460 were the king kong engines in a LDT them days.

[Lwiddis]

THank you for sharing.