The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk AD Chevy vs. GMC

I have a 1952 GMC, made in Canada, with a Chevy engine. I wonder how buyers back then decided between GMC and Chevy, in particular here in Canada, where both came with the same engine.

Were both GMC and Chevy sold and serviced by the same dealers? Was the balance of supply and demand such that you bought whatever was available? Did people feel strongly about the shape of the grille? Any other reasons? :confused:

Johannes

It would take a scientist to figure this one out

aside from the engine, GMC's had a range of different features that were "heavier duty" than the Chevs, and always have appealed to those looking for a "truckier" truck - I think the dealers then were the same as now, split between the different divisions, w/ certain car makes going w/ each truck make, and I'm sure folks choosing one or the other was just as irrational as it is today - whatever way the family always leaned!

Bill

Technically, that should be AD Chevy vs. ND GMC...

This is an interesting part of history. If you look at individual parts from say an AD truck built in Canada and one built in the US, they almost always have different casting numbers, even if they are the same part. This duplication seems to be a ridiculous waste of money, to me.

i went to a salvage yard once to get a 3spd tranny from a truck,,found one in a 50 GMC 100..i couldn't believe how much better shape the frame was built than the Chevy( and i'm a Chevy nut)to me GMC is more of a work truck...built a little sturdier...

Engine blocks are tougher, too...and have full-pressure oiling.

GMC much more heavy duty in a lot of ways. Even the grill was bolted directly to the top of the frame instead of the front sheet metal and you could actualy push with it if you weren't concerned with cosmetics. In the 55-59 trucks GMC had heavier everything including two diagonal tubes from the corners of the firewall to the front of the frame and in 67-72 GMC never did use the coil spring rear like chevy. After 73 as far as I can tell they are generic. Just a few of the many differences in the earlier trucks. When I look for stainless trim around windows and windshields for AD trucks I find a GMC and there it is.

As far as I can tell,in trucks like 1/2 and 3/4 ton,GMC and Chevys use the same tranmissions,axles,springs,brakes,and the thickness and width of the frame rails is the same with minor differences on the front crossmember.Other than the grills,the sheetmetal is nearly identical.
That leaves the engine as the only real difference.Was the 228 GMC better than a 216 Chevy as the way trucks were used back then?Did the GMC last longer? Chevy was the truck sales leader back then even with the funky oiling system on the 216's.If the Chevy engines were inferior,they wouldn't have sold so well.Besides GMC,the flathead Mopar 6 was a reliable full oil pressure engine,the Ford was also full pressure,both the flattie and overhead valve six and the block cracking flattie V-8's.
Chevy outsold all the others cause the Chevy must have been a better value for the money at the time.

The GMC AD grill was not bolted directly to the frame. Yes, most of the differences were cosmetic with the exception of the motor. However, GMC buyers were very happy being fed the illusion that the trucks were sturdier.

One thing I noticed on my '54 GMC, the brake lines are held to the frame with clamps. On the '55 1st Chevy they're held with clips. There are lots of other little things like that but I can't think of more right now.

The '47 and '48 (and maybe '49) GMCs used a big-truck style grille that "floated" separately from the front sheet metal.

GMCs were more expensive than Chebbys, and were produced at a much lower level. For many years GMC was in the light truck business so that fleets who used the large GMCs could buy all their trucks at one place, rather than sending them to a Chebby dealer to get the lighter-duty trucks. Chebby was the "mass market" division.

Chebby trucks are perfectly sturdy - but those splash oiled motors with the low-nickel bocks would become boat anchors under much stress. Why do you think you never see an early 235 these days?

I think of myself as a GMC guy, but I actually own an early 235 that still runs. Not well, but it does still run...

Wow. Most of those things returned to the "ore" state while Truman was still in office.

They often said the GMC was the 'caddillac' of trucks. Now you can get a caddy truck...

All of the answers are right but also if I recall when living in the big cities Chev trucks were sold at Chev dealerships whereas GMCs were sold at Pontiac dealerships here in Canada. If you wanted something a little more sturdier than a Chev than you bought a Pontiac GMC.
Cheers. BobT

I think it's kind of like Chev-Pont,Camaro-Firebird,Mustang-Cougar,Vega-Astra,Chevelle-Beumont,etc.One is a little more deluxe looking than the other. For some reason the less deluxe one is more valueable than the other, and the other is usually used as the parts car.Later as time progresses and the less valuable one becomes rare, the prices seem to even out.I still think you should buy what you want, not what is considered the most popular.I once considered the 59 Impala to be one of the most beautiful cars on the planet, so I bought one. I soon discovered that they were so poorly designed mechanically that it was a wonder that there were any left on the road.My first true car love turned out to be the biggest piece of garbage on the road .It was prone to all sorts of break downs thru design flaws that I've ever seen,I could only imagine how bad an Edsul could be.So even though I loved this car ,I decided to rid myself of this constant head ache. No body wanted this absolutely mint looking car.After a few months of advertising and dropping the price to $200.00 ,I ended up trading it for a rusty 60 Ford Sunliner convertable.This I unloade for $500.00, thank God. Soon you rarely saw a 59 Impala ,they became rare because any one in their right mind wouldn't own one of the lemons.Now, just because they are rare, they are selling for a high dollar.I guess who ever is buying them will soon find out what a pile of junk they are,go figure.Rare = high dollars