What colloquialisms are used to refer to these trucks?

[kipps]

Fords have a pretty decent list of names--

bump side -- 67-72
dent side -- 73-79
bull nose -- 80-86
brick nose -- 87-91
OBS(old body style)92-96(97)
jellybean -- 97-03

Chevy has fewer that I'm aware of, and most of those are just carryovers from factory literature.

task force -- 55-59
??? -- 60-66
??? -- 67-72
squarebody -- 73-87(is there a term to differentiate between 73-80 vs 81-87?)
gmt400 -- 88-98
gmt800 -- 99-06
gmt900 -- who cares, but how lame is this "gmt" business, anyway?

Can these lists be fleshed out any more than this? What terms have you heard that actually make sense and that are recognized by more than just you and your buddy?

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

61-66 Fords are referred to as slicks. My personal fav of the pre smog Fords.

[special-K]

None for me. People keep making up stuff I guess but I just say it like it is same as it's been all my life... Pre-war, 41-46, 47-55, 55-59, 60-66, 67-72, 73-87, 88-98, 99-02, 03-07 and usually follow with "style" so any of GM's freaks they created find their way in. Like the 88-91 Blazer/Jimmy/Suburban/3+3s or the 99-00 and 07 "Classics". Colloquialisms? Is that a word that even belongs in any topic concerning trucks? Sounds too white collar/college boy to be used when referring to trucks.

How did we get to GMT400s when there were never any GMT100s, GMT200s, or GMT300s? Are 88-98s the fourth series of trucks? I know for a fact they aren't. Just a bunch of BS if you ask me. I guess I'm just not a very colloquial kinda guy

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by kipps

squarebody -- 73-87(is there a term to differentiate between 73-80 vs 81-87?)

Yes. 73-80 trucks are "round eye".

K

[samkost]

Say wha?
My 1999 Silverado (new body style) is a gmt800?
First I have ever heard of that description.
Please tell me more.
Sam

[jeffahart]

Oh, it's a much longer and more colorful list if the rust bucket won't start!


j

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by kipps

gmt900 -- who cares, but how lame is this "gmt" business, anyway?

Originally Posted by samkost

Say wha?
My 1999 Silverado (new body style) is a gmt800?
First I have ever heard of that description.
Please tell me more.
Sam

Absolutely.

That was the internal GM development code for those full size truck models, used for reference even before the marketing names are established. Not only does it give you a handle on what to call it during development, since they don't necessarily have a marketing name yet, but it gives some level of secrecy from the media and enthusiasts so, should some news leak out, they don't know for sure what you are referring to.

Passenger cars would simply be "GM123"; experimental and/or show vehicles would get a "GMX" descriptor. The last program I worked on before I retired in March had a GMX name (and never got an official marketing name - although it does have a "colloquial" name, which I am not allowed to reference).

The basic code for these trucks was GMT800, but the specific models had unique identifiers within that.

For example:

2 door swb SUV = GMT810
4 door swb SUV = GMT820
4 door lwb SUV = GMT830

So then, you could add suffixes to further identify subsets:

ie, Denali = GMT820D/830D
Escalade = GMT820C/830C

So - an Avalanche would be...

...GMT805.

That means an Escalade EXT (what I liked to call an "Escalanche" before it had a name) would be a GMT805C, right?

Nope - GMT806.

The planning groups would create these codes (in a vacuum) and roll them out to the rest of the organization; I have no idea of the rhyme or reason. The jump from GMT400 to GMT800 to GMT900 kind of makes sense (although I would have saved some space for future models), but there must have been a new guy on board when they went from GMT900 to "K2" and then "T1". Perhaps they are meant to indicate a difference between an evolutionary update and a significant jump in vehicle architecture.

K

BTW - I designed the engine air induction system in your truck. That was my first design/release assignment. My first day on that project was January 2, 1994, just to give you a sense of how long vehicles are in development before going to production.

[Keith Seymore]

...

[Keith Seymore]

I no longer have one of these for C/K/R/V (I wish I did), or the other GMT models - but here is the model chart for the K2 program. I've never posted this anywhere before, ever.

This gives you some idea of the amount of proliferation within the full size truck portfolio. The models you see here would be available in two or four wheel drive, with five or six or seven different powertrains.

By way of reference the GM truck portfolio was/is larger than Volkwagen, BMW and Audi combined, in terms of both breadth of offerings and production volume (and profitability).

K

[Ol Blue K20]

Nice chart, thanks Keith.

[samkost]

"BTW - I designed the engine air induction system in your truck. That was my first design/release assignment. My first day on that project was January 2, 1994, just to give you a sense of how long vehicles are in development before going to production."

Thanks Keith for the info and your design input on my 99' Silverado.
Still going strong with 304,000+ miles on its impressive 4.8 V-8

Great work

[67ChevyRedneck]

Love my K2. Never did understand the jump from GMT to K. At least GMT made sense... GM-Truck.

[special-K]

I thought of Keith when making my "GMT" remarks. I totally understand such acronyms being used within factory operations. But I ain't no factory!

Those Ford trucks have some mighty gay collokier... nominaclay... er, made up names!! I wonder how that came to be? . Can we please not go that route? I identify with the trucks. Not so much the other

[CG]

I remember calling short box 4x4 Fords back in the 70's High Boys.

[kipps]

Originally Posted by CG

I remember calling short box 4x4 Fords back in the 70's High Boys.

Evidently, the "correct" usage of "highboy" is only for the F250's of certain years.

https://www.blueovaltrucks.com/ford_...highboy-f-250/

[Ol Blue K20]

The 67-72 "bump side" 4x4 F250 is what I thought was the high boys.

[CG]

I think colloquialisms were a product of the area you are from. So to me there really isn't a "correct" usage.

[davischevy]

Keith Seymore, you may have announced your retirement elsewhere and I missed it, but anyway congratulations on that retirement.

Thank you for being a part of building some great vehicles. We still have a '94 K2500 running in our fleet. With 350,000 miles, It doesn't see daily service, but it starts every time and does what is asked of it.

[special-K]

Huh? Didn't realize the retirement either. Get back to work! I knew something changed about GM trucks. Congratulations Keith!

A Ford High Boy is an F250 4wd up through '77, when they had divorced transmission & transfer case. The height dropped drastically the last two years of Ford 4wd with a good front axle (except F350) and that body style. The grille Changed, so all Highboys are before the enlarged 78/79 grille. The Twin Traction Beam came along with the body change in '80.

It's funny how Ford has no such colokeel name for their 4wds. Not even a different letter for 4wd. You have to say four wheel drive after F150, F250, or F350.

[joedoh]

the ones I know are

squarebody = 73-87
OBS = old body style (GMT400)
NBS = new body style (because in 99 you could get either like samkost said)
NNBS = new new body style (2007-201?)

I didnt make these up haha
https://www.gmtruckclub.com/forum/th...ts-what.79469/

[toms68cst]

I heard our series of trucks referred to the "Glamor" series on a TV show the other day. I don't care for this.

I like "Sport Truck" Series my self. If we made a concerted effort, we could get this to stick.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Yes. 73-80 trucks are "round eye".

K

What would an '80 with rectangle head lights be called? A Square Eye?

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by special-K

What would an '80 with rectangle head lights be called? A Square Eye?

I guess it would be "a round eye with RPO V22".

(lol)

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by special-K

What would an '80 with rectangle head lights be called? A Square Eye?

I actually "paid attention" to a 1980 for the first time this past weekend. I was at a small car show with a friend walking the rows and noticed the weird looking plastic that stuck out like 2" around the headlights. He said it was a 1980 only thing.

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

I actually "paid attention" to a 1980 for the first time this past weekend. I was at a small car show with a friend walking the rows and noticed the weird looking plastic that stuck out like 2" around the headlights. He said it was a 1980 only thing.

Funny, I had a 1980 for about a year and a half, and I never noticed the grill difference from the 1973 that I traded in. Now I have to go find some old pictures and see if it had round or square headlights.