Back in the late 1960s when GM was preparing the third iteration of its C/K trucks, computers were a pioneering technology and the Detroit giant made full use of it. As such, the more refined trucks, more streamlined trucks, which entered service in 1972, could better serve the desire of the age, which was to allow these workhorses to moonlight as personal vehicles, leisure use and all. And it seems that this restomodded 1981 Chevy, which brings a utility truck presence to car shows, perfectly balances the two types of attributes.
1981 was a big model year for the Chevy C/K series, since it saw the introduction of the first major revamp. Following the 1979 oil crisis, which was the second of the decade, GM went back to the drawing board for what was essentially the mid-cycle revamp of the series.
As such, the machines lost some 300 pounds (135 kg), while wind tunnel optimization, which had also been used for the originals, saw the body being redesigned from the windshield forward—while an untrained eye might not spot the myriad of little changes, all these updates had a noticeable impact on fuel efficiency, especially at cruising speeds.
Nowadays, enthusiasts seem to love all forms of these Square Body Chevys, as this utility bed-gifted example comes to show.
From neglected iron to restomodding star
According to its current owner Jarrod Chesser, the truck had been left on the side of the road in Texas, which caused it to be repossessed. One thing led to another and the enthusiast ended up paying a mere $800 to the man who had taken over the vehicle.
However, this Square Body is more like Cinderella now (or is it Cylinderella?), since it’s been completely overhauled.
As part of the restomodding stunt, the Chevrolet was slammed on massive wheels supplied by Detroit Steel. So, featuring Infamous Steel front and rear control arms and a wishbone kit, along with air springs, the machine was slammed on 22-inch wheels at the back and 20-inch units up front.
A modern V8 was fitted under the hood—while Jarrod briefly mentions the motor in the clip below, we were able to identify this, and feel free to throw in your thoughts on the matter.
The cabin has also been redone and now comes with goodies like air conditioning and plenty of custom gauges to monitor everything.
Oh, and since the aficionado, who built the truck together with his friends, owns a plumbing company in Texas, that work bed isn’t there just for the show.
