Others, like the Isuzu D-Max and the Ford Ranger: a very rare sight on our roads. This is an excellent system and gives a smooth ride in comparison to the straight axle system from 1959 and older. So to complement the front suspension, Chevrolet engineered a rear coil spring suspension for its ½ ton and ¾ ton models. A new hood with a cleaner bevelled leading edge eliminated the pods from the hood. This was probably the generation that gave rise to the conventional wisdom as I picked it up from my farming brother in law — Chevy trucks are for driving, Ford trucks are for working. Pickups just naturally found an increasing acceptance in this new lifestyle.
They were more complicated and required more maintenance. That brings me back to the 1961 C20 I spotted back at a Chevrolet-Cadillac dealer alongside. Much better fit and finish all around. It was the first truck that really made passenger comfort the top priority. Almost no changes between 1954-87. The dust infiltrated real bad. The shop installed this when he asked them to repair the heater, told him this was the way to go for whatever reason.
I expect that the lop-sided ones had a broken torsion bar. Ford Trukck Line — 1957 The Cameo Carrier was not a sales success, but it was a beginning of a concept to make trucks stylish. Ed Cole had been successful in helping transform Chevrolet from a stodgy economy car to something that was more along the lines of a baby Cadillac. This is an atempt to record some of those ideas and provide a place to view them. New thin-wall casting 230 and 292 sixes replaced the 235 and 261. This engine was introduced mid-year but was limited to the C20 and C30 pickups. The drive train was flexible.
The fact is 2wd trucks used to be the most common and that was what casual buyers usually chose. To complement this new, smooth riding suspension Chevrolet also engineered a new chassis to help the 1960 Chevrolet trucks be the lowest riding trucks yet. An old-fashioned ladder frame, solid front axle and stiff riding leaf springs front and rear. The cast iron generator was history. Btw: I like the styling of the 60-61 models with these hood pods and wrap around windshields. I finally gave up on it when the rust got so bad that the bottoms of the front fenders began to flap like wings at 50 mph or so. They also stuck with quad headlights much longer.
Whoever did most of the styling, there is an uncanny similarity in the grille treatment of the 49 truck line and that of the 47 Commander. Changes beyond trim and grille included factory installed air-conditioning added to the option list, while the engine line-up grew with the addition of the 327 V8. The instrument panel and switch gear looked and felt worse than a Cozy Coupe. This suspension not only created a far smoother ride, but also allowed the truck to sit much lower to the ground. There not common here, but the market is rising. I have seen a number of people swapping the newer suspension onto the older trucks, but I know there are some minor differences.
The roads back then in the east were pretty bad and most people thrashed the hell out of their trucks. The Roadster Shop has carefully designed and engineered 4041 pre-hardened upper and lower control arm mounts, heavy duty splined sway bars that are built into the chassis, and billet aluminum steering arms for strength and weight reduction. In the 20s, you would be seen as a rube in a pickup; in the later 50s and 60s, it was already cool. Now, some 10 years later, a new paint job brings a more retro look and has become a real head-turner. Here is a site you have to see for some great truck ideas. The market for 1961 was depressed and so total production decreased to 306,175 trucks, which was still enough for Chevrolet to remain the sales leader. Chevrolet was on the right track with the Cameo Carrier, foreseeing that the pickup market could expand beyond its traditional market.
Nonetheless, beneath the modern looking skin was a pretty conventional chassis design. While this suspension was relatively simple, it proved to be rugged enough for truck use and it also found its place in Motorsports. The model lineup grew a bit with the addition a long wheelbase K10 pickup to supplement the short wheelbase model. The only weak spot on the truck was the wood floor in the cargo box. Chevrolet engineers were well aware that friction free coil springs were far easier to tune for a smooth ride than old fashioned leafs. Chevrolet actually introduced its first camper option package. The wide cab increased all of the interior dimensions, but the largest increase was 6 inches of additional hip room.
Over 75 individual components make up this all-out performance suspension giving you un-matched proven performance in braking, skid pad, and slalom course, insuring you have what it takes on the street or on the road course. Chevrolet also introduced a high-priced Cameo Carrier, with flush box sides for the first time on a pickup, in 1955. He had a valve job done and also had an aftermarket heater installed which only dumped heat on the floor, no defroster. Another surprise is how common sixes and manual transmissions were back then. The trucks also reverted to using dual headlights with rather large oval bezels.
Nicely done article on a mostly forgotten, once common truck. Owners of these trucks claimed they rode better than the coil spring trucks but that is anecdotal at best. In addition to the 235 six and the 283, the 261 Chevrolet six was now available. Exner was given to them, to get him out of the studios, which were now firmly back in Loewy control. Due to the rarity of this grill, restorers today usually chrome the standard white grill.