1960

It’s 1966 and the new requirement of the US Department of Transportation becomes law. This requires all new cars and pickups to be equipped with backup lights. Though this may have been for safety (warning a passing vehicle that a backing vehicle is in reverse mode) it created extra expense for vehicle manufacturers. Those that had already designed their future...

And The 1960 That Made It All Happen This month’s Feature Truck is almost never seen among restored vehicles in today’s world. Because it is a ¾ ton, it was bought for work duties on the farm or hauling merchandise for a company. There was almost no concern in keeping it nice for a future generation. Actually, prior to the...

During the early years of GM truck production, many examples exist which relate to their vehicles being designed more for work. Changing a trim part for appearance reasons was usually secondary if it resulted in unnecessary expense. Often parts were used that had already been on GM automobiles. This eliminated expensive new tooling costs and kept GM truck prices in...

  The differences between these two series of tail lights is an excellent example of lowering costs during production. To keep competitive, manufacturers will always consider making products of equivalent quality, but at lower prices. In 1960-1966, GM, as well as several aftermarket companies, used a redesigned tail light lens and eliminated the need for the earlier metal bezel. The...

  To keep vehicles base price low, GM made many items dealer accessories. If the buyer required extras, the dealer was the installer. This created less complications on the assembly line when they were special ordered and added more income for dealerships. One exception is 1966. That year, the US Dept. of Transportation made it a requirement that all cars...

  To keep production costs down during the 1960-66 Chevrolet truck series, GM made very few changes on their ½, ¾, and 1 ton. Only the more skilled truck enthusiast can correctly identify each year in this series. Keep this following data close at hand when you evaluate these years. 1960 Dual headlights. The sheet metal part of this hood...

  Though at first, a new person in the GM truck hobby might think all 1960-66 Chevrolet cab trim (only on the deluxe models) is the same. In reality no less than three changes occurred during this seven year body style. During 1960 (maybe into early 1961) the optional stainless cab side trim on the Chevrolet truck was designed to...

  During the early 1960's GM's majority of truck buyers chose the base truck with few dealer installed options. It was ending an era of very limited disposable income among the average US citizen. General Motors saw the trend toward more extras on trucks and began to offer visual extras such as two tone paint, side trim, and upgraded interiors...

By the 1960-61 years, the V-8 emblems on Chevrolet were not placed on the truck's doors or fender but were only on the nose of the hood. They were shaped different when the truck came with a 283 V-8 instead of the standard 235 six cylinder. The V-8 front emblems have become very difficult to locate. Most remaining trucks show...

  The seats on this 1962 GMC Suburban are pure factory original. Their shape is designed for only the Suburban body. They allow for access to the rear seat. Horizontal white vinyl in the back rest is characteristic of many GM vehicles during this era. It was an extra touch that added a little more flair to the deluxe models.

  The two distinct styles of hoods during this seven year series (1960-1961 and 1962-1966) were each the same for Chevrolet and GMC except for one slight difference. The spot welded insert across the front (5" x 82") is a different stamping for Chevrolet than for GMC. This created a changed appearance with less expense! Because of this different insert...