Well, we’ve made it to the end of another one. Happy Friday to you all! Today we’re talking trucks, but not in the traditional sense. But first we need to find out which manual sedan you chose yesterday:
Yeah, I think I agree. The Caddy is cool, especially inside, but the repairs sound like a lot of hassle. Besides, I’m a sucker for British cars.
By now, the pickup truck formula has been pretty well established: body-on-frame construction, a separate cab and bed, front engine, rear wheel drive. And for better or worse, for the past decade or so, the most common version has been a four door crew cab with a short bed. But before the market settled into that configuration, automakers tried all sorts of ideas for hauling small amounts of cargo around. Today we’re going to look at two old trucks from General Motors that definitely don’t fit the typical truck mold.
1963 Chevrolet Corvair 95 Rampside – $5,000
Engine/drivetrain: 145 cubic inch overhead valve flat 6, three-speed manual, RWD
Location: Martinez, CA
Odometer reading: 68,000 miles
Runs/drives? Yep!
The Chevy Corvair, as you may have noticed, is something of a favorite around here. All of us are fans of GM’s rear-engine marvel, sometimes to an unhealthy degree. But as cool as the typical Corvair sedans, coupes, and convertibles are, the Greenbrier vans and trucks are even cooler. And my personal favorite is the version that leans hardest into the rear-engine layout’s advantages: the Rampside pickup.
The Rampside, as its name implies, has a fold-down ramp on the right-hand side of the bed in addition to the typical tailgate in the back. This ramp leads directly to a lower section of the bed floor right in the middle of the truck, about a foot lower than the rear section over the engine. Rampsides were favored by the telephone company, because the design made loading huge spools of wire easy compared to a traditional truck. I always figured it would make hauling beer kegs a cinch, too.
This ’63 Rampside “runs and drives” and has “many new parts,” but that’s literally all the information we get. I guess an inspection and a test drive would be in order if you want to know more. Corvair trucks used the same engine and transmission as the cars, and there are enough Corvair specialists around that mechanical parts shouldn’t be a problem. Trim might be harder to come by, but this truck looks pretty complete.
I have to say, I really dig this truck: the two-tone paint, the go-fast stickers on the glovebox door, the white ball shift knob, even the dings and scrapes – it all just works. I have absolutely no idea what I’d do with it, but it’s cool as hell, and I want it.
1985 GMC Caballero – $4,200
Engine/drivetrain: 305 cubic inch overhead valve V8, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Petaluma, CA
Odometer reading: 100,000 miles
Runs/drives? Sure does!
The ute – essentially a coupe with a truck bed – never really caught on in the US, but Australians (as we know) love them. Ford and GM sold utes in America for quite a long time, but they were always outsold by traditional pickup trucks. This ute, the GMC Caballero, is the same thing as a Chevrolet El Camino, and is the closest thing to a passenger car ever sold at GMC dealerships.
[Editor’s Note: Well, that’s not exactly true; in Argentina, GMC dealers sold the South American version of the Chevette as a GMC! Look (photo via Wikimedia Commons):
So, GMC did sell an actual non-truck passenger car. Just in the other America. – JT]
Based on the G-body intermediates, the Caballero is basically a Chevy Malibu coupe from the doors forward, and rides on the same chassis. This means the interior is a little nicer place to be than the typical GMC pickup trucks of the time. This one is in really nice condition inside, too, with a comfy-looking velour bench seat, power windows and locks, and air conditioning, though the seller says it doesn’t work.
This late model Caballero is powered by a 305 cubic inch V8, backed by an overdrive automatic. It’s not the hottest setup, but a car that already has a Chevy small-block in it can be as powerful as your budget and local emissions laws will allow. The seller says this one runs and drives well, and has current registration, so it’s a good starting point mechanically.
The body isn’t in quite as nice condition. The paint is faded, there are some dings and scrapes, and a bit of rust along the leading edge of the hood. It’s fixable, of course, or you could just live with a little patina. It is a truck, after all.
Pickup trucks don’t have to be huge hulking beasts with four doors and the ability to tow a mountain. We know that. Sometimes they can be low-slung car-based runabouts, or weirdly practical rear-engine side-loaders. Either one of these could make weekend lumber yard runs in style, and be a whole lot easier to park. Which one is more your speed?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I just did some research, and that Rampside 95 has a 9 foot bed!!! I’ll take that for the win!
Having driven a manual-trans Corvair Rampside, gimme the Malibu ute. The Corvair shifter felt unconnected to anything, the manual brakes were worse than downshifting (if you could find second gear in that slop), and the steering ratio was absurd. Don’t romanticize these terrible shitpiles. Owner sold it for a big premium to some rich idiot in Japan.
I can drop a built SBC and T6 manual into that ute without too much trouble.
I picked the GMC because Im in love with El Caminos. Both are pretty rad in my opinion!
I don’t want to get into some sort of ‘woke tizzy’ here, but before you post pictures of anything related to that era of Malibu that the Callawhatttever comes from, you should at least have the respect for us to provide a trigger warning. Having had to drive some of that shit, it just brings back hurt. This POS needs to be crushed, not posted on line.
Deep breath. Oh Ya, “Shitbox Showdown”…
The Corvair may have had it’s weaknesses, but at least someone tried to make a good vehicle. That Malibu crap was akin to a restaurant deliberately poisoning it’s diners.
Sorry wanted to go Corvair but lousy pics rampside pic taken from the driver side and questionable parts availability give the edge to the available here 10 less years with higher sales so parts easier to find
Corvair for me mainly due to the novelty factor.
Rampside has my vote.
With the number of new small tricks on the market like the Maverick i’m expecting gm to come out with the all new electric Corvette El Camino. Suicide doors for the rear seats, big T tops that cover both doors. Frameless windows to make it almost a convertible. And a removable rear window with a midgate for extra utility.
Use the flying buttresses from the sugar scoop C3, and you can even do chrome bumpers on a truck still.
Malaise GM. Non merci, I’ll take the death trap Corsair.
I am not sure I agree with the UTE never catching on here. The El Camino was available for sale for 30 years. I feel like had the general not started making the lowly S10’s and they had continued to make decent mid sized sedans on full frames, they would have still made the Ranchero past 87 or so.
As much as I love a nice Ute, that Greenbriar for that price in that condition is a steal. Greenbriar it is for me and if this was in the East, I would be very tempted.
I have to vote no. To both. The Corvair is a death trap. The GMC is just a wanna be truck, and claustrophobic shit box. Sorry not sorry.
So what you want to live forever? Live hard, die young, leave a good looking corpse. BE A MAN!
Well this was the easiest decision ever. Rampsides are awesome and that one is dirt cheap. That other thing is ugly and has the taillights in the bumper. Enough said.
I have to vote for the Rampside.
Also, GM was stupid to not sell Holden utes as GMC. They could’ve easily sold the Commodore utes as GMC El Camino or something. They could’ve also used CKD kits if necessary.
I love the idea/look/style of the Rampside and the red/white two-tone is my favorite color scheme of all time, but I don’t think I could ever really be comfortable driving something where my feet are the front crumple zone. I’m going with the sensible (relatively speaking) choice on this one.
The Corvair has more future collectability, but the ad is WAY too light on details. Not even a seat-condition image. Caballero it is! (Although a ’57-58 Caballero is where my collector’s heart resides. )
(Edit: I’m starting to vote more for cars with well-presented ads. This two lines and four images crap is not to be rewarded! I offer more details for things I’m giving away for free!)
Rampside! With the possible exception of Hudson’s late 30’s Terraplane trucks, this has always been my favorite pickup out there and I’ve wanted one for years. Wish it was a couple thousand miles closer – I’d buy it this afternoon.
not that it’s a bad engine by any means but the 305 can only go so far. your standard heads/cam/induction upgrades go a lot further on a 350 than a 305. for a long time it made financial sense to go with a 350 than put money into a 305, I’m assuming that’s still the case.
I didn’t necessarily mean building out the 305. I just meant that if there’s already an SBC under the hood, it’s easier to do whatever you want, because you know any other SBC will drop right in.