How to Tell Them Apart

[Dave Young]

I'm sure most, if not all, of you already know all this, but I thought it might be helpful for some to know what differentiates each model year from the next. Here goes...

1960:
There are two key features that set the '60 apart. The grille is, for lack of a better word, plain with C H E V R O L E T stamped in the lower portion. The other is the hood 'nostrils' which are divided into 3 sections; the middle being the blinker. Other features to take note of are the dual-headlight design and the wrap-around windshield, also known as the "knee-knocker."

1961:
There were very few changes made to this model. The grille was updated, as well as the 'nostrils.' C H E V R O L E T is now written across the middle of the grille and the 'nostrils' now have horizontal dividers in the inner and outer sections.

1962:
In '62 there were 3 distinct changes. The hood was probably the most important update. This will be the hood they use through '66. The next major change is the headlights; going from the dual-headlight design, used since '58, to the single headlight. The change seemed to be undertaken somewhat reluctantly, however, as the headlight section remained wide enough for two. You'll also notice that the grille design has reverted to the 'plain' style similar to that used in the '60 model.

1963:
Only 1 significant change was made in '63. The grille/headlight section would undergo it's last major modification, fully committing to the single headlight design. Take note of the circular headlight bezels. This would also be the farewell year for the "knee-knocker."

1964:
The major difference is the windshield, doing away with the "knee-knocker." They also went from circular to square headlight bezels. The main thing to pay attention to for the next three years is the emblem on either side of the front clip. In '64, it's the Chevy bowtie with the model (10, 20, etc.) underneath, located on the fender. Another minor change was the relocation of the stamped C H E V R O L E T to the top portion of the grille.

1965:
In '65 the emblem was moved to the outer cowl panel just above the fender and was changed to a side-by-side rectanglular format.

1966:
This year, the emblem was changed back to the bowtie on top and model on bottom, but retained the rectangular shape of its predecessor. I was also moved back to the fender.

I hope that was helpful. I didn't spend any time on the bed of the truck, since I don't believe it changed at all from '60 to '66. There were more differences than I listed, but I wanted to focus on those that would help distinguish at a glance. If you have any questions, let me know. I love doing the research.

[66c10]

Nicely done... now a good thing to do would be to add major mecanical changes like suspension, transmissions and engines.

[Dave Young]

Feb 11, 2008 17:09:21 GMT -7 66c10 said:

Nicely done... now a good thing to do would be to add major mecanical changes like suspension, transmissions and engines.

Stay tuned...

[azdon]

The chassis that is under 60 thru 62 pickups is a beefy, x-boxed behemoth that had front torsion bars and ball joints that bolted to the ends of the a-arms. It also used a differential with a drop-out pumpkin.
In 1963, a ladder-style, c-channel chassis was introduced that featured modern-style stamped a-arms with pressed-in ball joints, front coils, and a twelve-bolt rearend.
The exact mounting locations for the cab and bed were changed for 63, but only require some re-drilling to properly fit if you are mix/matching across these model-year lines.
I'm not going to say outright that one is better than the other....... only express my opinions of why I believe the 63-70 chassis is preferable:
1) It was the next step in GM technology that stuck around for a few years
2)more accesibility under the truck, especially for the driveshaft, trans, center support bearing, and exhaust. Torsion bars intensify this challenge!
3) All the available aftermarket disc brake/suspension stuff is for 63 and newer!
4) All surfaces are accesible for cleaning/painting
5) when you look underneath the truck, you can see the drivetrain!
I'm not saying that I wouldn't restore on a 60-62 chassis, just think the later chassis is easier to deal with and produces a better result. Since I'm partial to the wrap windshield, this makes 63 the model year of choice for me!

[azdon]

Each model year had unique badging as Dave has shown. The LMC catalog has all this badging pictured and available.
A couple of additional differences between a 63 cab and a 64 (besides the windshield) are too obvious to mention, but here goes:
The doors and all their parts (except the handles) are NOT interchangeable between these two cabs. The upper door frame around the glass was reshaped to fit the new a-pillar that accomodates the flatter windshield. Note that 60-63 wing windows are wider at the top while 64-66 wings are pointed at the top and wide at the bottom.
Another difference between these cabs is the dashboards and instrumentation:
60-63 has two large, hooded rises for the instrument cluster and glovebox. The early instrument cluster is also specific to these models.
64-66 has a dash top that is straight across and thus has a unique instrument cluster that is not as tall and has a "sweeping" speedo needle.

[azdon]

Just wait until we get into climate control options and controls..... that really becomes confusing!

Dave- That's a nice group of trucks that you got pictures of!

[dirtydonnys]

Actually the most significant change in 1963 was the change from torsion bar suspension to independent coils up front. The frame then stayed the same up into the high 60s

[Scooter3]

If I am correct the biggest motor you could until 66 was a 283, and then in 66 you could get a 327, that is in a C-10. I think you could get a 327 in C-20 in the earlier models.

Something I haven't ever figured out is what determined which ones got back up lights and which ones didint. My truck is a custom cab with the chrome grille,bumpers, and chrome on the sides, and a small window cab, but has no back up lights. I like it without them but I have not been able to figure out a pattern, it just seems that some have them and some dont.

[supadave]

HELLO, I'M NEW TO THIS SITE AND TO ANY TYPE OF FORUM. I AM A 47 YEAR OLD MAN THAT HAS LITTLE COMPUTER SKILLS, BUT I'M LEARNING! I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW TO ASK ADVICE FROM SOME OF YOU GUYS, FOR EXAMPLE: I NEED TIPS ON DOING A REAR MOUNT GAS TANK ON MY 64. THANKS LOOK FORWARD TO ANY RESPONSE.

[Dave Young]

First of all, welcome to the site!

[shadow=red,left,600][glow=red,2,600]Member #100[/glow][/shadow]

Shouldn't you win something cool or something? You should go down a buy yourself a bottle of Mequiar's polish or something to commemorate the event.

In answer to your question, as you can see, the forum is divided into topics. The first thing you'll want to do is figure out which topic best suits your question. In this case, you'll probably want to put it under Tech Q&A; sub-category: General Tech.

Once you've clicked on the appropriate topic, you'll see a list of threads (or dialogs). I would first look through those and see if any of them look like they might answer your question.

If none of the titles look promising and you'd like to ask a new question, click on new thread, which is just above the list of threads; on the right hand side of the screen.

This will take you to the Post Message screen. I recommend filling in the Subject line with something short and descriptive to let others know what this new thread is about; something like "Rear Mounted Gas Tank on a '64."

Under Message, ask your question. Be as descriptive as possible to avoid a lot of clarification questions. For example, I'd list what the vehicle is, but also all applicable modifications, such as whether or not it was built on a '63 frame or tunneled out wheel wells.

There is a huge amount of knowledge on this forum. I think you'll have a very difficult time stumping these guys. Let us know if you have any other questions.

[mybluechevys]

Scooter3, the first year the 327 (220HP) was available in Chevy trucks was 1966. Only in C10. C20 and C30's. Before that it was the 283.

But the ElCamino you could get the 396 with 375HP.

Why not the 396 for the C10's?

Also a note on the 1961 Trucks - The only year with special side trim just for the Custom cabs. Not all of the 61's had the trim. And now the trim is what I need for my project.

See pic below for idea of what the '61 trim looked like. (That is not a pic of my truck ).




Also a note on the hood for the 1960 and 1961 trucks - the emblem in the front middle of the hood either had just the chevy logo or the chevy logo was on top of a wide chrome 'V'. The chrome 'V' meant the truck was equiped with a V8 motor. The hood has been refered to as - pods, jet intakes, cat eyes, ugly, and many other things.

The reason GM dicontinued the 'jet' hood was there were too many complaints about not being able to see the road in front of the truck. So they redisigned the hood for a lower profile. It is said the newer style hood gained 6 feet of viewing the road for the driver.



And the side custom cab trim (chrome piece on cab right behind the doors) for th 60-63 had the bow tie at the botom and said Custom on it. Where the 64-66 custom cab trim had it in the middle.



I am kinda crazy about these '61 trucks. As you can see.

[markeb01]

Thanks for adding the input. I never knew about the visibility issue. I just assumed they changed the design as the original fell out of fashion. It makes sense, the visibility is better with the newer hood.

[rowdy5000]

I just swapped out a 12 bolt rear end from a 69 for the original in my 64 (1/2, 6-lug). The rear end stuff on the 1/2 tons went unchanged from 64-69, with the exception of the panhard bar (tracking arm). It seems that in 65 they changed up the mounting locations for this.

[colotow]

What about the rear windows, was the big/small year specific, or an option over several years? I have the small one, and prefer it for looks, but have seen some with a much bigger one.

[joek3167]

Another thing of interest is of all the k-models the 60 was the only year to have the transfercase shifter to the right of the transmission shifter