1974 Chevy C10: The Coolest Features On This Pickup Truck – HotCars

We could spend all day staring at modified classic Chevy C10s, however, without General Motors churning out the original versions like the 1974 Chevy C10 back in the days, we would never have had these awesome custom-builds. The 1974 model was among the third-generation versions of the Chevy C10s that had a production run from 1973 to 1991, making it the longest-produced generation version of the C10s.

Officially known as the Rounded-Line generation, the third-generation series debuted in 1972 for the 1973 model year with a completely new design and a product range that included the traditional two-door pickup, chassis cab trucks, as well as a newly introduced four-door crew cab pickup truck. Although it was produced in the second year of the series, the 1974 Chevy C10 had its fair share of impressive features.

The chassis consists of an all-steel ladder-type frame with a drop center design which allows for easy entry and exit due to the low cab mounting. It also features strong and durable deep-section channel side rails equipping the truck to withstand the duties of hard truck use.

Furthermore, the chassis features two-stage multi-leaf rear springs built to provide strong, firm, and steady support when the truck is loaded or empty.

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For power, the trucks rely on either six or eight-cylinder engines. The Chevy six-cylinder engine has a displacement of 250 cu in and a compression ratio of 8.5 to 1.

However, the standard engine on most C10s is the 350 2-barrel V8, while a 4-barrel carburetor version of the same engine is optional.

Finding the perfect driving position in a vehicle could be hard sometimes, hence, to mitigate this problem in the 1974 Chevy C10, General Motors fitted the truck with an adjustable steering column called the Comfortilt steering wheel.

This steering can be adjusted to six different positions to provide maximum comfort for a diverse set of drivers. Notably, the Comfortilt steering wheel can be found on C10 models with both an automatic or 4-speed transmission.

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The Cheyenne Super interior option gives the 1974 Chevy C10s cabin an exquisite demeanor. The cabin is fitted with a bench seat with a full-depth foam cushion of about 7 inches thick. The foam cushion is then upholstered in special all-vinyls or herringbone striped nylon cloth with nylon bolsters.

Also, the Cheyenne Super interior consists of full-gauge instrumentation set in a simulated wood-grained panel, finished in bright trim as well as door trim panels with wood-grain inserts and storage pockets.

The 1974 C10 pickups appearance is enhanced with chrome front and rear bumpers made of heavy-gauge steel. Also, the truck is fitted with drip moldings that collect and direct water flow from the roof, a lockable sliding rear window that increases ventilation while also providing an improved camper-to-cab communication.

Notably, the 8-feet Fleetside pickup features an exterior tool and storage compartment made of a reinforced plastic box.

4-wheel drive is standard on all models of the 1974 Chevrolet trucks with V8 engines making it a full-time feature its a two-axled vehicle drivetrain designed to send and focus torque to all four wheels at the same time.

Also, the full-time 4-wheel drive feature on the V8 C10s allows for constant compensation for speed variation on the rear and front axles, thereby constantly supplying driving force to both.

The third-gen Chevrolet truck featured a new and improved set of powerful brakes. To determine the appropriate fit, the ordered trucks gross weight rating is computer-matched with a complete set of braking systems with heavier duty brake systems assigned to heavier-duty trucks.

Also, the trucks have front disc brakes with a road splash shield as a standard feature they are fade resistant and recover quickly from water immersion effects.

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The Fleetside model 8-feet body is fitted with a deep-embossed steel floor as a standard feature, while a wood floor with steel skid stripes was optionally available. However, for the Stepside model, the body floor is made of kiln-dried long-grain southern pine boards and steel skid stripes braced by heavy steel cross sills.

Also, the rear light is made of tough Lexan lenses which are extremely durable and tougher than acrylic plastics.

Changing to a spare tire could be a relatively easy task when the right tools are available, otherwise, it could be one of the hardest things to do on a vehicle. Knowing this, General Motors fitted the 1974 Chevy C10 with a Glide-out spare tire carrier to reduce the burden of the several processes involved in changing tires.

This feature provides easy access to the spare tire located underneath the truck.

General Motors fitted the 1974 Chevy C10 wheels with finned-drum rear brakes that are cast in iron-steel for efficient cooling. These brakes also feature curved outer edges keeping contaminants away from the linings.

Furthermore, the wheels are wrapped in whitewall tires of different sizes (including G78-15B tubeless tires for the regular cab trucks) and capacities while a set of four stainless steel wheel covers provides protection as well as an esthetical enhancement for the wheels.

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Olakunle has contributed as a writer on several platforms over the years. Right from childhood, hes been fascinated by the world of automobiles. Hence, he finds contributing to HotCars quite interesting a surreal experience.

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1974 Chevy C10: The Coolest Features On This Pickup Truck - HotCars