Junkyard Parts Interchange?
 

What parts can I pull off of a different vehicle to stick into my 71 GMC Truck?

Such as will a 71 Nova Bench Seat fit? How about a 65 C10 bench seat?

Will the tilt steering column from a 79 Chevette fit into my truck without any fabrication?

Can I substitute my rusty grill for a shiny one off of a 59 Cadillac?

What parts from other vehicles can I use on my truck without having to do any welding? Seats, Steering Column, Dash, Instrument Cluster, etc

Re: Junkyard Parts Interchange?
 

I think that Cadillac grill would be a perfect fit. Make sure you upload pictures.

Seriously, though, there's not a lot of interchange without some fabrication work.

Re: Junkyard Parts Interchange?
 

1971-77 and some possibly until 1996 GM vans have some parts that will work in these trucks, such as tilt columns, inside door handles/knobs, marker lamps, steering wheels, and radios. Not too many other GM vehicles' parts will directly swap over, other than driveline parts.

Re: Junkyard Parts Interchange?
 

You might look for an old Hollander Interchange Manual. They were a junkyard bible back in the 50-60-70s' I don't know if they were printed every year, but each edition would reach back 10 or more years. There was a lot of overlap and they weren't cheap at the time. Most wrecking yards had several additions that covered the years that worked for them at the time.
A Google search will give you many that are for sale and a better description of what they were and how to used them.

Around 1972 I was building a 1948 Dodge 1/2 with a '61 Imperial 413 drive train. The Dodge had terribly small brakes. A search through a Hollander told me that the Imperial used the same front wheel bearings as a '60 Dodge 250 truck. The '60 3/4 was solid axle with slightly larger king pins than the '48 1/2. A truck shop rebuilt the 1/2 axle with 3/4 kingpin and '58 spindles I found.
The Imperial brakes and hubs bolted on with maybe a hole drilled on the backing plates.
The Imperial had 5 x 5.5 lug pattern, 15" x 6" Artillery wheels that looked like the Nascar wheels ( before the aluminum). The Imperial rear axle gave me the same lug pattern and better gears.

Without the bearings, anything else would have been a lot more work, lot more time and a lot more money. In '72 you couldn't just go out and buy aftermarket discs for anything.

Re: Junkyard Parts Interchange?
 

Most GM radiators from 1967-1975-1980 from basically any GM vehicle, Cadillac, Camaro, C10, C30, Buick, Trans Am.....they all fit to a certain extent. But the inlet and outlets might be a little incorrect. But in general their exterior dimensions are very close.

Most are roughly 24-28" wide and 17" tall.


Steering wheels.

Maybe a rear view mirror.

Re: Junkyard Parts Interchange?
 

As mentioned Van and motorhome steering columns, Vans also for marker light lens and door handles. Lots of GM into the 80s used the window cranks. Radiators from many GM RWD from mid 60s into the mid 80s at least generally fit. Seats maybe-especially if you use the truck tracks-there are posts on what people have used. Square body for disc brake conversions and steering boxes. Engine and transmission SB/BB there is a lot of overlap. Corvettes to 82 used the SB short water pump, but that stuff is usually priced higher. If you change transmission to something non-standard there may be a driveshaft out there, but you would need to measure. Depending on the yard these are bent in handling a lot of times anyway though. If you had a 71-72 then 5 lug wheels from vans and some big cars and of course 2wd square bodies fit. Headlight and dimmer switches from GM late 60s into early 80s mostly fit. There is probably more.

Re: Junkyard Parts Interchange?
 

I sold a 69-70 bench seat to a guy who said it bolted right into his 66 C10. So theoretical a 66 should bolt right into a 67-72 C10.