Need help with paint

[Big Chip]

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There shouldn't be a fender emblem on the tailgate but I think the GMC may be correct. This is the other style that was correct for my ‘79 (I think).

 

[Big Chip]

I had to refresh my memory and @gotyourgoat is correct on the GMC location. Chevrolet was on the right side.

 

[gotyourgoat]

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There shouldn't be a fender emblem on the tailgate but I think the GMC may be correct. This is the other style that was correct for my ‘79 (I think).

There was a good discussion about the different tailgate bands available from a truck I posted in the 'I spy a squarebody' thread. posts #3950 to about #3970

 

[legopnuematic]

What I think is that the cab forward is mostly original, but the bed was swapped for an 80's bed as when it was painted and bondo'd up as the original bed was too hashed for bondo (and likely good shape 80's beds were easy to acquire at the time)

For reference, here is parts of my 79's original bed:

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Then an 85 bed side. The 85 has some plastic plugs up at the front whereas the 79 does not. not sure when they added them but I say with confidence that it was not until the 80's

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From your other thread you can see the plugs

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On the tailgate itself the trunnion a 79 should be spot welded on, in the 80's they went to bolt on. Along with a 79 GMC should have the GMC embossed in the center of the tailgate, in the 80's it was off set to the left.

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You can see the clear coat stone gaurds that AFAIK was never on any 73-80 truck. I do know for certain that by the mid 80's they were standard on trucks. @Keith Seymore might be able to shed more information on this as he was there during this era.

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So if I was you I'd pull the trim panel off the tailgate and see whats underneath. If you are worried about a cab swap, I would look at the rivets holding the VIN tag on, if they are flower shaped its the OG cab, if not then its been tampered with. Happen to have any underhood pictures with a good view of the firewall?

 

[Big Chip]

I shouldn't have said I think it's the correct one, I know that it is.

 

[79dentside]

Yeah, the emblem should be on the left. My guess is it is glued on.... oh well. I am not worried about it’s looks too much. I’m contenting with the patina, however, the holes through the corners of the doors and the rotted cab corner and not so great.

Thanks for the help guys!

 

[80BrownK10]

Looks like a '79 to me. My dad had a '79 suburban that was that color, or very close and I've always liked it.

Edit-looks like Dark Green to me, #46

Dark green 46 I think is the two tone code version of 505 "Chevy dark green" . That's what color my truck is now. It's not a metallic color so if his has any flake it's not Chevy dark green unless someone added flake to the factory color. But to me the color does not look like that it's just me of the others.

 

[Big Chip]

Dark green 46 I think is the two tone code version of 505 "Chevy dark green" . That's what color my truck is now. It's not a metallic color so if his has any flake it's not Chevy dark green unless someone added flake to the factory color. But to me the color does not look like that it's just me of the others.

I suppose it depends on what I'm looking at it on. It looks darker on my computer than my phone.

 

[80BrownK10]

Even if the bed is from the 80s I believe it's all the same...except for things like partially hidden plugs and the way the tailgate latches attach etc. The body lines are all the same.

 

[80BrownK10]

I suppose it depends on what I'm looking at it on. It looks darker on my computer than my phone.

My Avatar pic is my truck. That's Chevy dark green. And it's coming to me more that I am typing. I researched greens for months. 46 is the same as 505. But 4- was the number they used on a two tone truck. I have no idea why they didn't use 505 as well but they didn't. I guess it was a way to denote a two tone painted truck? So to clarify again a one color truck uses code 505 and if it was the same color but two tone that color had the number of 46.

 

[79dentside]

Y’all are awesome. As much as I don’t want to know my trucks dirty past, you all are a wealth of knowledge.

don’t laugh... my trucks hood is yellow. Previous owner said he bent up the hood when the latch jammed. He ended up ruining the hood trying get it open and had to put a donor hood on. I painted it flat white on top to make it less noticeable.

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when I pulled the dash, it was green and so was the underbelly

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The rivets on the vin tag are the flower type.

 

[legopnuematic]

This would be the correct tailgate for a 79-80 GMC

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Either of these tailgate panels would be correct for a 79 GMC (det 15 in 1st pic, but saying GMC instead of chevy)

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[79dentside]

This would be the correct tailgate for a 79-80 GMC

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Either of these tailgate panels would be correct for a 79 GMC (det 15 in 1st pic, but saying GMC instead of chevy)

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Looks like I got me a bed swap or a bed side swap... funny enough, it was when I pulled the rear right taillight, I saw a little metallic blue on the inside of the bedside. Maybe they were playing with colors??? Who knows. Looks like it’s got a different bed though. I love the truck how it sits, even though it’s had a rough past it looks like, I could care less.

I’m not caught up in the details of its impurity, I just wanted a color baseline, and I got that.

This is my beater and I’m okay that it’s not perfect, and I welcome the fact that it’s not perfect! I will never restore this, just a fun toy.

Thanks folks!

 

[legopnuematic]

I point out things that are not original/year correct as while an 87 bed shares the same body lines as a 79 bed, there are small differences that can be a bite in the ass when it comes time to fix something. One big thing is 77-87 doors are the same but there are two thicknesses of windows used, so if someone has a truck that had thin glass doors from factory and then had doors with thick glass swapped in, if you go buy weather strip for the year model of truck you will end up with your windows binding up and not wanting to move at all due to the difference in glass thickness.

Also, with yours being a 79, you can send $50 to the GM heritage center with your trucks vin number and they will send you a digitized copy of your trucks invoice from when it was purchased listing the options, invoice date, what dealer it was sold to and how much.

Which luckily for you they chose a good truck to put a later bed on as its a dual tank fuel door truck originally, which negates the issue of GM changing the primary tank to the drivers side in the 80's and that a 79-80 bed is closer to an 81-87 bed than a 73-78 bed is to a 81-87 bed.

 

[79dentside]

I point out things that are not original/year correct as while an 87 bed shares the same body lines as a 79 bed, there are small differences that can be a bite in the ass when it comes time to fix something. One big thing is 77-87 doors are the same but there are two thicknesses of windows used, so if someone has a truck that had thin glass doors from factory and then had doors with thick glass swapped in, if you go buy weather strip for the year model of truck you will end up with your windows binding up and not wanting to move at all due to the difference in glass thickness.

Also, with yours being a 79, you can send $50 to the GM heritage center with your trucks vin number and they will send you a digitized copy of your trucks invoice from when it was purchased listing the options, invoice date, what dealer it was sold to and how much.

Which luckily for you they chose a good truck to put a later bed on as its a dual tank fuel door truck originally, which negates the issue of GM changing the primary tank to the drivers side in the 80's and that a 79-80 bed is closer to an 81-87 bed than a 73-78 bed is to a 81-87 bed.

No I greatly appreciate it! Seems like a lot of work that someone did to this old girl... worrisome, but it is what it is. It’s my beater, so who cares.

The fun in this thing is not how it looks, but rather how it drives. It doesn’t look like much, but it is pretty quick. It has a newer motor and a built up rear end. It is a definite sleeper.