What Is A Square Body Truck?

Square Body Trucks are the third generation of Chevrolet and GMC C/K pickups introduced in 1973 and produced for almost 14 years, from 1973 to 1987. Initially named ‘Round-Line’ by the company in 1973, when they introduced the whole line of square body trucks, the trucks acquired their moniker ‘Square Body Truck’ due to its iconic box-like shape. It was famous for making giant leaps in many areas compared to its predecessors.

During the early 1970's it was considered even a style statement among car enthusiasts as it boasted a charismatic design and an extensive feature set. The advanced capabilities of these cars set them apart from just about any alternative. 

Early Years And Evolution

Introduced in 1973, it was such a visual change for the drivers who had been bored with the same car design over the years with a much broader and larger frame making it one of the hottest-selling car models of those times.

These trucks were a design masterpiece as they had square wheel openings with round corners instead of circular wheel wells. In contrast, rounded windshields and door frames helped the car balance its boxiness with sculpted sides, adding dimension. With a comparatively larger glass area, fewer blindspots led to better visibility, making these models even more popular with customers. 

With every model in circulation, they made drastic improvements which also led to the release of the Chevy C30, the first Chevy truck with a factory crew cab option, which even offered seating for up to six people. It was also the first model of modern heavy-duty pickups.

By 1975, with additional features added year after year, these trucks were the hottest product on the market to be sold by Chevy, with almost 75,000 models sold just that year. By 1975, Chevy also started providing new trim levels making every model different from the previous one: they added features like changing the position of the windshield wiper, rain gutters as a standard feature, and changes in the size and appearance of the grille change. The catalytic converter also became a standard feature for all trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating under 6001 pounds. 

By the 1977-79 era, we could see a lot of trims available on the market & there were also other added features like power windows and high-back bucket seats with more hood details that could be customized. In 1978, Chevy introduced the C10, the only model to receive a 5.7L V8 diesel engine that broke records by selling 1,300,000 trucks within a year.

Then came the era of 1980 Square Body Chevy, which was like an outlier within the group with a very similar body design but featuring a unique egg-crate grill that was made only for just one year, adding to the exclusivity of the model. Manufacturers continued with the same features for the next 2-3 years, where there were not many significant changes, except all the models featuring a two-level grille. 

As the 80s progressed, many refreshing changes were being made to the Chevy Square bodies to make them even more popular among the public. Along with a weight reduction of almost 300 pounds and a new front end and redesigned sheet metal, they also modified fenders, hood hinges, and vent windows. Detailed changes were also made in the hood design and the position of wind wipers, making it a more driver-friendly vehicle. External changes were made to it with more options like quadruple headlights, new bumper designs, and an updated tailgate. The truck insides also received a refresh with more unique instrument panels, seat designs, dash shapes, and sill plates. With the introduction of the 6.3L 379 diesel engine with a 4-speed overdrive manual transmission, the trucks became more powerful and popular among the general masses.

By 1985, there was another refreshing change made to the square body trucks where there was the introduction of newer grille designs and the addition of the 4.3L Vortec V6 engine with fuel injections which provided the most potent base engine for a Chevy Truck ever. By 1987, there were also significant name changes where the models went from being named by numbers 10,20, and 30 to those designated as 1500, 2500, and 3500. The most popular Chevy Truck to this day remains the C1500 which is also known as Silverado. 

Summary

With tough competition from Ford F-Series, the square body truck was losing its charm and market leader position. Even after being a muscular yet clean take on pickup concept, which helped contribute to a roomier cabin concept with better ventilation and a quieter & smoother on-road experience, by 1987, they were replaced by the Fourth-Generation of the truck riding on the new GMT400 platform. By the 1990s, only a few models were left for sale, with the majority vanishing pretty quickly.

Whatever you call them, these square body trucks are getting more popular due to affordable prices, an abundance of parts in supply, simplicity in being able to be worked on, and greater modifiability. All these features have helped these square body trucks become vintage cars, which have grown more popular over the years, especially among enthusiasts interested in acquiring vintage models and remodeling them.

When we look at its price over the years, we can find that it was very inexpensive even by today's standard ranging from about $12,000-$60,000 depending on the model of your choice. 

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