By the late 1960s, trucks were becoming more than just tools and GM as the first to realize that people might want trucks that could be used as regular vehicles. It seems obvious from our point of view 50 years later, but the 1967 GM C/K pickups were a revolution. The options list was a mile long, cabs were bigger and more spacious with more sound insulation, and the suspensions were refined enough to be comfortable as well as capable. Three wheelbases, four transmissions, and more than a half-dozen different engine choices meant there was a pickup for any job, even if that job was just getting someone to the office every day.

For our money, the GMC versions of the C/K pickups are appealing simply because there are far fewer of them. This 1972 GMC K10 4x4 long bed stands out thanks to its unique grille and badging, but still retains all the square-jawed ruggedness that makes these trucks so popular. Hailing from Boise, Idaho, it’s a good, clean, straight truck with good bones and the ideal look for a collector piece today. It has been recently and expensively repainted in its original code 536 Ochre and White combination, which, rendered in modern two-stage urethane paints, looks awesome. The side trim provides an obvious place for the paint break, but you’ll note that these guys wrapped it into the door jambs, going the extra mile to make it look right. The bodywork is laser straight, a combination of good history and quality work, and all the stainless trim was polished up to look its best. It also wears a fresh spray-in bedliner that was color-matched to the bodywork, and new chrome bumpers—dig the way the rear bumper has cut-outs for the exhaust, a trick that’s subtle enough to almost pass for stock.

This truck is equipped with an unusual Saddle bucket seat interior, which was another way these trucks were blurring the line between work and pleasure. The same tooling on the seats and door panels gives it an old west vibe and the console between the seats gives it some useful storage that’s sorely lacking in the bench seat trucks. All the soft parts are new, including carpets, door panels, seat covers, and even the dash pad, and it was obviously fully disassembled for paint, because the dashboard is as beautiful as the exterior. A fat wood-rimmed wheel is considerably more substantial than the original skinny plastic piece and the column shifter is linked to a sturdy TH350 3-speed automatic transmission. You’ll also note this truck is equipped with optional gauges and a tach, which is a nice find in a pickup, and we’d argue that these are some of the best-looking dials in any vehicle, never mind a pickup truck. A brand new A/C system uses OEM-style vents and controls with modern hardware working behind the scenes, so it’s extremely effective. There’s also a digital AM/FM stereo head unit that fits so well it could almost pass for factory-installed at a glance, which was surely the point. It powers speakers discreetly installed in the doors. This is a nice place to hang out.

The engine is a great-running 350 cubic inch V8 that was recently rebuilt to stock specs and suits the vintage pickup just fine. Wearing corporate orange paint (it wouldn’t be right to call it “Chevy Orange”) it really pops in the engine bay and aside from the modern A/C compressor, it’s pretty much the way GM built it in 1972. A 4-barrel carburetor lives under the factory air cleaner and there’s a giant radiator up front that keeps things cool even when you’re slogging through the mud. A fresh master cylinder, new belts and hoses, and a new dual exhaust system that sounds awesome all make this truck turn-key and ready to enjoy. It starts easily, idles well, and seems to ignore the mass it’s hauling around for the most part. It’s remarkably easy to drive for a machine fast approaching its 50th birthday.

Underneath you can see evidence of a clean life out west, with only the outer floors of the cab being professional replaced. The rest is original and in excellent shape, so good that the cab and bed didn’t need to come off the frame. The TH350 3-speed automatic transmission feeds a 2-speed transfer case, along with a Dana front axle and a sturdy GM 12-bolt out back, all of which is up to the rigors of playing in the dirt once in a while. Newer shocks keep everything under control and it’s worth noting that the suspension is stock, not lifted or modified. There’s a receiver hitch out back, so you can still use this truck as a truck and while there’s a bit of surface scale under the bed, none of it compromises any of the steel—this is a solid truck. American Racing aluminum wheels look great and are wrapped in beefy 265/75/15 white-letter radials.

These trucks are red-hot right now and having one with the advantages of 4-wheel-drive can really expand your hobby opportunities. Add in the long bed, which we think looks great and can carry just about anything, and you have a fun truck that doesn’t mind doing a little work on the weekends. Call today!

Harwood Motors welcomes and encourages personal or professional inspections of any vehicle prior to purchase.