Tailgate Color?

[jbgroby]

That's it, I did not realize is was a 1959 color though, no biggie I'm in love with my truck so I'm happy !

[1960HDGMC]

Hey Jake, no doubt. And you are taking your time and doing it the way you want it to be. I am the same way about my truck. I like learning the minutia of corporate standards and practices concerning these old trucks, but I do not feel obligated to replicate there trucks. Even GMC made running changes during model years in an attempt to make there trucks better. And who knows what makes a truck better than the trucks end user. Its my truck now. I do what I like on my dime. While I am glad to see rare low mile survivors protected in there native state, I am also glad to see people save these old trucks from the scrap heap by doing them up any way they like. Heck, my truck has a 396 and auto tranny, radial tires and cypress wood in the bed. Not exactly stock choices. As Frankie sang, "I did it my way". GM

[gmccollector]

Originally Posted by GMCNUT

Pete, I know you will never believe its true, but I am about to have in my possession a NOS / pull off wideside tailgate that does indeed have factory applied White tailgate lettering - I have a tracking number finally so should be here this week. I will post clear pictures so you can see they do exist - this one was with the original owner in a California barn loft until a few months back.

Steve , did you ever get this gate ? Curious on the color ?

[GMCNUT]

Originally Posted by gmccollector

Steve , did you ever get this gate ? Curious on the color ?

I did get the gate but it does have the silver paint like Pete said they all came with, so I am siding with Pete that this is correct unless someone can de-bunk this as a hard fact. I challenged this as being a hard fact only because the seller said this gate was NOS / pull off w/ white lettering but he was wrong so at this point I have no evidence to suggest that White lettering was ever used except in re-painted gates just like Pete said in the beginning. I was contacted by several members of this group all saying they had seen multiple gates painted with white lettering over the years, as had I, but none of us could produce a guaranteed not-repainted / pull off or original factory photo of one, so until someone does I believe Silver was indeed the only color used. I do still wonder if 58-59 widesides or even 60-61 trucks could have had white lettering on standard models maybe, but there is too little information or stock photos out there on these years and the 1958 and 1960 GMC's wideside bed trucks I own both have been repainted so I can't tell from either of them.

[GMCNUT]

Originally Posted by 1960HDGMC

Hey Jake, no doubt. And you are taking your time and doing it the way you want it to be. I am the same way about my truck. I like learning the minutia of corporate standards and practices concerning these old trucks, but I do not feel obligated to replicate there trucks. Even GMC made running changes during model years in an attempt to make there trucks better. And who knows what makes a truck better than the trucks end user. Its my truck now. I do what I like on my dime. While I am glad to see rare low mile survivors protected in there native state, I am also glad to see people save these old trucks from the scrap heap by doing them up any way they like. Heck, my truck has a 396 and auto tranny, radial tires and cypress wood in the bed. Not exactly stock choices. As Frankie sang, "I did it my way". GM

Wondering when the Harley logo and lettering is going back on it I still think using modern vinyl wrap that is removable would be a great choice

[bigblockv6]

55-59 fenderside tailgates had silver letters as well as 58-59 and 60-61 widesides. The white didn't come into use till 1970 because that's what Chevrolet used, GMC trucks lost their identity and were considered at that point as re-badged trucks.

[1960HDGMC]

Hey Bigblock, I was wondering what year GMC ceased to be a Division of GM, and if that was the year they became a "brand"o f GM products. I was thinking it was 1967, the first year after the 6066 run. Was 1970 actually the year of there transition to brand status? I wonder who has the very last true GMC and what it looks like. Thanks,GM

[1960HDGMC]

Originally Posted by GMCNUT

Wondering when the Harley logo and lettering is going back on it I still think using modern vinyl wrap that is removable would be a great choice

Hey GMCNut, I am struggling with two choices. paining them on "Ghost Flame"style, or full on original sign painter style,as appears on the original picture. I just do not know about the vinyl. I am still researching that stuff. I may try that to see if I want to leave it on long term,or go ahead and paint it back on. Truck looks pretty good clean too. I have definitely decided that I don't know what to do. haha. GM

[bigblockv6]

GMC never ceased to be a division of GM, what you're saying makes no sense at all. Despite the talk of 67 being the same as Chevrolet that is not true either. 1967-68 even though were a new body style were still being produced in the same manor 66 and earlier trucks were other than Suburbans. Light duty trucks were still manufactured in GMC's Pontiac Michigan plant and at other GM assembly lines on separate assembly lines from Chevrolet. GMC's exclusive colors like Terrace Blue and Palomino tan also carried over and so did rear leaf spring rear suspension. Now 1969 became a transitional year, no more GMC exclusive exterior colors, Dana 44 axles were dropped in favor of Corporate 12 bolt axles, coil spring rear suspension became available, the availability of the V6 was down to just the 305E and that lasted till March of 1969. 1970 came no light duty pickups were manufactured at GMC's Pontiac Michigan plant, just at GM assembly plants, the V6 was gone but continued on in medium and heavy duty trucks and of course silver was no longer used on tailgate letters. It may have not been official but by then GMC light duty trucks were looked at as being rebadged Chevrolet trucks though they still had some considerable differences over Chevrolet. Now 1973 GMC were nothing but Chevrolet trucks, they came off the same assembly lines and all that was different were emblems that fit in the same holes a different grille insert that screwed into the same holes, only the tailgate was different because it had "GMC" stamped on it. It wasn't unusual for a GMC truck to be delivered to a dealer with a Chevrolet tailgate at that point.

[1960HDGMC]

Originally Posted by 1960HDGMC

Hey Bigblock, I was wondering what year GMC ceased to be a Division of GM, and if that was the year they became a "brand"o f GM products. I was thinking it was 1967, the first year after the 6066 run. Was 1970 actually the year of there transition to brand status? I wonder who has the very last true GMC and what it looks like. Thanks, GM

Thanks for the clarification. And sorry it did not make any sense. I read someone's synopsis recently, and it explored how GMC trucks went from being independently produced by a GM Division(GMC Truck and Coach DIV.), to being not much more than rebadged Chevy trucks produced on the same line(GMC Brand). Not unlike the 6066 Canada trucks were considered to be Chevy trucks with GMC badging. From your synopsis, I take it that GMC trucks were more or less "true" GMC's until 1973. At this time there production was a plurality of Chevy trucks, so to speak. I thought the modern GMC trucks were just rebadged Chevy trucks. Are there any substantial, mechanical differences in the two makes from 1973 on? Or from that year forward, were they just more or less the same, minus badging? I know the two truck lines used a lot of the same metal in 6066, but I always thought that the rest of there differences were enough to consider them "different" from each other. It looks like GM sort of phased out independent GMC light truck production over a several year period, until by 1973 they were Twins from the same line. Thanks again for the help, GM