This week on Shitbox Showdown, after spending a week abroad, we’re sticking with vehicles made in the good ol’ US of A. We’re going to go decade-by-decade, sticking to a $5,000 price cap, and trying to find the best of what domestic brands had to offer. And we kick the whole thing off with two examples of that quintessentially American beast of burden, the full-size long-bed pickup truck.
We finished up our international week on Friday with two cars from a generally car-unfriendly place: Jamaica. Cars are more necessities than playthings on tropical islands, and the vehicles you find for sale reflect that. But I always find it interesting what vehicles thrive in places like that. The little Suzuki Swift put up a good fight, but many of you wished it had a manual transmission. Nobody cared much either way about the drivetrain in the more utilitarian Toyota Probox, and it took home a comfortable win.
The Probox is exactly what I would want in Jamaica – for someone else to drive. It’s just about the perfect island taxi. Throw your luggage in the back, climb into the back seat where the driver has the air conditioning cranked, and let the reggae wash over you as you watch the scenery go by. My wife and I are going back there in October for our 20th wedding anniversary, and I can almost smell the jerk chicken from here.
Trucks have been around as long as cars have, but it’s Henry Ford who’s usually credited with coining the term “pickup.” The 1925 Model T Pickup was the first complete factory-built truck; earlier efforts were built by coachbuilding firms on bare chassis. Pickup trucks came into their own after World War II, when drivers started using them as everyday transportation rather than strictly for business. By the 1960s, the basic template for the standard truck was set: a two-door cab with three-across seating, an eight-foot bed, and a bit of style to keep things interesting. Let’s check out a couple of scruffy examples.
1967 GMC C1500 Deluxe – $5,000
Engine/drivetrain: 292 cubic inch OHV inline 6, three-speed manual, RWD
Location: Olalla, WA
Odometer reading: 91,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives fine
The 1967-72 Chevy and GMC pickups were given the name “Action Line” by GM’s marketing team. These trucks were a step up in refinement over previous GM trucks, and set the stage for the long-running “Rounded Line” trucks that followed, which, ironically these days go by the nickname “squarebody.” The Action Line trucks are prized among Chevy/GMC truck enthusiasts, and have recently become the subject of overpriced restomods. But if you are willing to shift your own gears and put up with a more authentic experience, you can have this GMC for one percent of the price of that Icon restomod.
This truck is the most basic of basic models, with no power steering or brakes, and an inline six instead of a V8. Two sizes of inline sixes were offered, 250 and 292 cubic inches. It’s hard to tell the difference between the two, but I believe this is a 292. It drives the rear axle through an honest-to-goodness three-on-the-tree, which is something every enthusiast should try driving at some point. It runs and drives, but that’s about all the information we get. This drivetrain is about as complicated as an anvil, so anything it does need should be easy to take care of.
It’s actually in pretty good shape inside. There’s a tear in the driver’s side of the seat, and a little wear on the door panels, but for a fifty-nine-year-old truck, it’s surprisingly well preserved. I have a feeling that the glovebox is open because the latch is broken, though. But stuff like that is the kind of thing you fix on a Saturday morning while you’re puttering around.
Any old truck worth its salt has some dents and rust. Clean and shiny trucks are all right, I guess, but to me they always look kind of sad, like they’re longing to go do some work. It does need one thing before it’s ready to haul stuff, though: like many older trucks, the Action Line has a wooden bed floor, and this one needs to be replaced. The seller has not replaced it, because they thought the buyer might want to choose the wood themselves.
1968 Dodge D100 Sweptline – $4,250
Engine/drivetrain: 318 cubic inch OHV V8, four-speed manual, RWD
Location: Lake Oswego, OR
Odometer reading: unknown
Operational status: Runs and drives OK, needs a little work
Ford and Chevy trucks from the ’60s get all the glory, but for those in the know, there is a stylish third choice: the Dodge D series, especially in the “Sweptline” bed style. This truck’s square-jawed front end and that long “check-mark” crease along the bed side are unmistakable and stand out in a crowd of more common Fords and Chevys. This is a later Sweptline, with a more prominent grille and only two headlights.
As is typical of pickups, the D series was available with a wide range of engines, from a 225 cubic inch Slant Six all the way up to a 440 big block V8. This one has a smallish 318 V8, backed by a four-speed manual. It has a “granny” first gear, though, so in normal driving, it’s really a three-speed. You start out in second, unless you’re hauling or towing a big load. It runs and drives, and the seller says you can drive it home if you’re not too far away, but warns that it has a vibration around 30 MPH, but not below or above that. Its carburetor could use a rebuild as well, they say, but I doubt the two are related.
The seller says this truck is missing its carpet, and has had its bench seat replaced with more modern buckets, but neglected to take a photo to show all that. Instead, we get this shot of the dashboard, and the neighbor’s cars across the street. The dashboard is in good condition, at least. I’m pretty sure I had that exact same Sony tape deck in a car once upon a time.
It has rust, and dents, and Bondo, but it’s in a great shade of blue, and it has all four original hubcaps. The Bondo is the part that scares me. Rust is one thing, but hidden or badly-repaired rust is a whole other story. I’ve seen too many shoddy rust repairs fail after a couple of years. Take a magnet along when you go look at it, and make sure it’s something you’re willing to deal with.
The great thing about old trucks is that they can still earn their keep. Some classics are just toys, but a truck is always a truck, no matter how old it gets. And these two are in that sweet spot condition-wise, presentable but not so nice that you’re going to lose sleep over every little scratch. Which one of them could find a spot in your driveway?
That GMC is a fine truck. It’s also so common as to be invisible.
I’ll take the Dodge with its greater character, visible scars, and four-on-the-floor. Bring granny along for the ride!
I was never fond of the way this series of Dodge trucks looked, when I was a child. I’ve grown, my tastes have changed, and now, with a bit more life experience, I really dislike the way that truck looks.
Can I have the Chevy in blue?
Oh, I mean GMC?
No?
Well I’m a six with a three on the tree guy, so old bloodstain red will have to do.
Too bad it doesn’t have the GMC 302 six, that thing was amazing.
Both of those trucks have sightlines that are way too good, front ends that are too low, and beds that are too easy to get things in and out of, which means people will likely question your sexual orientation if you drive one of them, if I understand the rationale for current design trends correctly.
My friend from collage drove a short bed 1970 or thereabouts Chevy truck with a big block, dual quads, and straight pipes. He sang , danced, played piano and saxophone in several broadway shows, not in the chorus or the pit, he was an actor with major characters. And he was very gay and died of aids in the 80s. When Bette Midler donated a park to NYC she named it after him. Swindler’s cove.
Anyway, Billy Swindler had a very gnarly truck and was undeniably gay.
The poseurs with trucks with carpet can put all the plastic scrotums the want on their trucks and they will never have as great a truck as Billy’s truck. The term pavement ripping is used occasionally, Billy’s truck could put a pothole right there, right now. It may have been more about the quality of mid 80s NYC paving, but still it could do serious insult to asphalt.
I have no idea why he had it to drive from the east village up to 44th street. Maybe it was the sound.
I still miss him a lot.
This is an outstanding remembrance. Thanks for sharing about your friend and his badass truck.
I question the sexual orientation of the bros who apparently want to f**k their truck.
Do the Jimmy-Jimmy shake. That run is my absolute favorite pickup of all time. My Dad had a new one every year for a company truck and I can attest that the straight six could take all kinds of abuse. Three on the tree is cool but first gear isn’t synchronized. Dad taught me how to double clutch. I’m getting misty. The side marker lights confuse me as I thought they started in 1968. Congrats on 20 Years!
The side marker lights are not factory; they were first mandated in1968 and the ones installed on this look non-stock – neither a matching pair nor lined up. I inherited a 1969 GMC 910 (first year with the larger rear window) that came with zero options other than a 350. The original owner was mechanically inclined and installed one of those wretched small block 400s from an Olds Vista Cruiser, only power it has is to consume vast quantities of fuel. Canadian built GMC trucks were numbered 910-960 and were identical to the Chevrolet models; while only the badges are different now, back in to the fifties the GMC had some unique engines that we didn’t get; similarly prior to the 1965 Auto Pact Canadian Pontiacs were re-skinned Chevrolets.
Taking a second look, you’re right about the markers.
GMC for me. I take honest rust holes over bondo. It also looks better. I’ve always like that generation of Chevy truck.
Not really a Mopar guy, but I do love a D100.
What makes anyone think the GMC isn’t also full of Bondo? Two dents that were oversprayed? Rare day I’d vote Dodge over Chevy but I had to pull for the underdog this time, its got class, murdered trim on the GMC has crass.
GMC has visible full perforation rust holes pictured. That gives a better initial impression to me. Either would need a good look
Fair enough, say what you will about West coast cars, but you don’t necessarily want one that lives right by the bay. I wouldn’t kick either one out of my driveway for eating crackers.
No, you don’t want a car that has lived at the beach. I’ve looked at a few over the years and they can be as bad as a car from the rust belt.
The Puget Sound is a bit different. Not only is the saline level quite a bit lower but it also doesn’t get the wave action to churn up the salt spray like the ocean.
Dodge all day long and twice on Sundays!
The GMC would be the logical choice, despite the column shift and some questionable wiring under the hood. But for sentimental reasons, it’s the Dodge. Way back in the day in college I had a (1st-gen) D-100 stepside with the big slant six for a couple of years, it was an ex-DOT truck in flat red with round black spots on the doors where they removed the state stickers. But a decent truck, if you weren’t in a hurry. And I’ve been the column shift route already (SAAB V4 with the four-on-the tree).
2:1 and I am surprised it wasn’t even more lopsided of a poll.
That era of Dodge pickups kind of sucks. That era of GM pickups does not. Even though the Dodge had better features, the GMC is a better truck.
There’s only a year between then, and with the Dodge even being younger, and yet they feel generations apart.
GMC all the way.
Definitely a “both” day for me. These are both very cool machines, and they are both reasonably priced (unlike a lot of sellers, the owners of these trucks actually know what they got).
These trucks appear to be 20 footers, which is about perfect – they are presentable enough to take to a show, but not so nice you are afraid to use them for truck stuff. I can appreciate a pristine trailer queen show truck, but I would rather own one of these.
For voting purposes, I went with the GMC. I slightly prefer the styling of the GMC to the Dodge. Plus, the GMC sounds like it is in better running condition. It would be hard to pass up either of these trucks for these prices if for sale locally, though.
The Dodge looks so dated. We had a ’53 Dodge pickup that had a transplanted 318 and a glass pack muffler and it did NOT make great noises. And those opposed (vs parallel) wipers must leave a huge blind spot right in the middle of the windshield.
My dad had a ’61 C10 with an engine that looked a lot like the one in the GMC and a three on the tree. I think C10s of that era looked better with the quad sealed beams, but I digress.
GMC it is for me today. I really wish they (no telling who) hadn’t put those marker lamps on the roof, but at least it doesn’t have an exhaust stack. I think $5K is a bit much, but this is the one I’d rather have in my driveway.
GMC for me. This one looks like Frank*, the ’68 I had back in the mid-90s, would have been equipped from the factory (in seafoam green instead of red).
When I got it, it had a crate 350, an automatic, a ??? rear end (five bolt, likely from a car; I carried two spares just in case), and new steering column (old gold).
*- “Frank”, as you might have guessed, was short for “Frankentruck”.
International? Do you mean International?
Oh. Not International, then. Fine.
D100! Well, this was pretty easy even though I love both…but I really love that Dodge more. Wow, it’s just awesome w/ that beautiful blue + V8 + 4spd manual + it doesn’t need as much work
I voted Dodge partly to be contrarian and partly because I like the looks. Both trucks are in the PNW so shouldn’t be rusty unless they came from somewhere else. Also at the moment I’m only a,few minutes from Lake O.
Two more V’s, one more gear, save several hundreds decided it for me, but the clincher was the GMC doesn’t come with brakes? Sure red flag.
I like the looks of the Dodge, but like so many others here, don’t trust the Bondo or the dodgy interior mods.
While I have no use for either one, my pick goes to the GMC mainly because it seems to have less rust. Plus I like the style of the Chevy a bit more.
My use case for it would be to rent it on Turo for anyone who wants the ‘old truck’ experience.
I’d pay like $200 for a day. I think I’d be very tired of it after a few hours.
I’m sorry… I can’t do less than $300. But if you rent it for a whole month, I can knock it down to $295.
A “neither” day because WTF am I going to do with a smelly, dumb old truck that ought to be in a crusher?
But I prefer the looks of the Dodge, and I know its 318 from previous Duster-drivin’, so it got my vote.