Can someone clarify what I think I know about 88 Classic Body style.

[mopar346]

Good evening I went and tinkered with my new dually today and I have a few question or need some clarifiecation on a few things. If memory serves in 88 they made the new body style but 1 tons were still the old body style. It is a GMC Seirra, it is a stripped model with no A/C, rubber floor matt and base trim. It has a single big square headlight and no computers at all. It's a 350 with a TH400 and 4.56s. Anyway this should make an ideal tow vehicle, I am still sorting through what the end configuration will look like but I have now added a ramp truck set up to the thought process.

So what can you tell me about the 88 Classic?

Thanks in advance, Kevin

[wyattglock]

You are correct! From 1988-1991 the 1 ton, crew cabs, K-5, and Suburbans were the old square style. Starting in 1992, all the body styles were switched over.
You're truck will be a great pulling truck with that drivetrain. You didn't say if it was a crew cab or not. However, I do know that there were some carb'd options for the 1988-1991 trucks depending on GVWR. Not to clear on all that myself, but I am subscribing so I can learn a little more myself.

[mopar346]

It is a short cab 155 inch wheel base with a flat bed with stake sides (the sides if not the bed will be gone as soon as it's home. It will end up in one of the 4 configurations in the end at this point:

Roll back (may have to stretch the frame)

Ramp truck (if I have to stretch the frame I will go roll back)

Shorten the frame and use a long box dually bed

Stretch a long box dually bed about 2 feet to fit the wheel base

[RandyP]

It came out of the factory with Throttle Body Injection and did have a computer controlling it. Does not mean someone has not ripped it apart and removed all the original fuel injection and electronics. I'm almost 100% positive all of the squares 87 up with the 350 were TBI.

[mopar346]

Well since I don't know 100% I wont disagree with you, but due to the originality of everything and the COMPLETE factory look and fit I highly doubt it has been converted back to carb. Even has the sendung unit only in the fuel tank, mechanical pump and a single hard steel line to the pump in tact, no high pressure fuel line splined to an old hard line. I would quicker think the VIN plate has been changed than think it was converted, but there is no evidence of that either, keep in mind this is a 3500 cab and chassis unit from the factory.

[RandyP]

Got a VIN or even better yet a picture of the SPID label in the glove box? We can get a lot more information for you that way.

It is very possible it is a factory carb truck, I just normally remembered seeing the 87+ squares being big blocks with carbs, not the small blocks. But they did offer them that way. Never really understood why, maybe GM was just trying to get rid of all the older parts or something back then.

[mopar346]

The VIN is 1GDJR34M4JJ5XXXXX, the label is still there and in good shape but the truck is not to my shop yet so I don't have access to it today. Feel free to decode anything else you can buy the VIn as well.

Thanks, Kevin

[GCncsuHD]

Originally Posted by wyattglock

You are correct! From 1988-1991 the 1 ton, crew cabs, K-5, and Suburbans were the old square style. Starting in 1992, all the body styles were switched over.
You're truck will be a great pulling truck with that drivetrain. You didn't say if it was a crew cab or not. However, I do know that there were some carb'd options for the 1988-1991 trucks depending on GVWR. Not to clear on all that myself, but I am subscribing so I can learn a little more myself.

FYI, 88-91 1 tons WERE the new style in regular, and extended cab trucks with the exception of some fleet/work trucks. ALL crew cabs and SUVs were the old style through 91.

[Ski-me]

Here is my guess:
USA
General Motors
GMC Incomplete
10,001-14,000 GVWR (Hydraulic brakes)
Conventional Cab
1 Ton
2 Door Cab
350, V8 4BBL
Check digit
1988
Janesville Plant

example:
1988 chevy 1 ton
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1988-...item3a763e9a20

[mopar346]

Thanks, check digit as in it was a check digit or I should check the digit?? If it's the later then the registration and the application for title shows a 4 in that spot, but I cant check the truck righht now it's 15 miles away.

Thanks again for the info guys keep it coming, I'm I correct on the wheel base or does that show in the VIN or only on the door decal?

It does have hydra-boost brakes if you were asking.

[Ski-me]

As far as I can tell it's just called a "check digit". I don't really know the significance, if any. The VIN decoding just called it a check digit.

[truckfan]

Originally Posted by GCncsuHD

FYI, 88-91 1 tons WERE the new style in regular, and extended cab trucks with the exception of some fleet/work trucks. ALL crew cabs and SUVs were the old style through 91.

I am pretty sure regular cab--cab and chassis were old BS. Regular cab--Dually (with fendered beds) were new BS. i have not seen one that was not FI. interesting.

[Dooley]

Originally Posted by GCncsuHD

FYI, 88-91 1 tons WERE the new style in regular, and extended cab trucks with the exception of some fleet/work trucks. ALL crew cabs and SUVs were the old style through 91.

There were 2 door regular cab square body pickups in 1988 model year but, only as a E63 with RO5 dual rear 4 wheel drive. Truck pictured is a 1988 V30 built May 1988 in the Janesville plant.
Pics from a 1988 showroom brochure

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Ski-me

As far as I can tell it's just called a "check digit". I don't really know the significance, if any. The VIN decoding just called it a check digit.

The "check digit" was just a random number generated digit in that spot of the VIN (0-9, or X). The random aspect keeps bad guys from being able to predict or re-create a complete VIN based on a given sequence number.

K

[Keith Seymore]

Dooley's chart is excellent, and you can see the distinction between the "old" (R/V) style truck and the "new" (GMT400) truck based on the line drawings.

You can see the regular cab dually pickup, as well as the regular cab chassis and crew cab chassis variants in the old body style.

I did pull the GM Heritage Center info packet for 1988 and it was, unfortunately, not very clear and very GMT400 intensive. It did, however, show a carbureted 454 engine in the Powertrain chart.

http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-h...olet-Truck.pdf (page 53 - 55 of the pdf)

K

[mopar346]

OK, here is something from left field, I think it has a single large square headlight on each side, is that posible?

[RandyP]

Yes, means it was a lower level trim package, that's all.

Keith, my Mitchell crash "book" (so it's not really a book anymore) shows in 88 you could get the cab and chassis with a 350 or with a 350FI, same with the 454. When it does not denote "FI" it is guessed to mean carb'd, I think.

[mopar346]

Thanks and by the way I think the 350 is out of a Corvette.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by RandyP

Yes, means it was a lower level trim package, that's all.

Keith, my Mitchell crash "book" (so it's not really a book anymore) shows in 88 you could get the cab and chassis with a 350 or with a 350FI, same with the 454. When it does not denote "FI" it is guessed to mean carb'd, I think.

Re: grille - agree. RPO V22 is the uplevel grille, which was available free flow on Custom deluxe and Scottsdale, and included with the Silverado package.

Re: Fuel injection vs carb - agree, although the Powertrain chart linked above specifically stated 4bbl carb.

K

[BigBlocksRule]

Originally Posted by mopar346

Thanks and by the way I think the 350 is out of a Corvette.

That USED to mean something, and does again now, but from the late 70's through the 4th gen of Corvettes, it means it's a low compression smogger engine.

I have an '86 that's very similar to yours, Dana rear with 4.11's, 454/TH400 package. Mine is a camper special, leaf spring stack is about 8" tall. Mine is a Silverado package with electric everything and a bench seat. I traded a 454 for my complete truck with a 454 in it (yeah, try to figure that one out!) and the carb was stolen off of it while it was parked in front of my shop. Hope to have it running soon so I can sell my '97 crewcab since I have one too many of those. I have tanks, switches, valves and a '91 gauge cluster for mine in case I decide to swap to TBI/4L80E, depends on how much I use it.
Crewcab squarebody duallies are more common in my area than single cabs, just don't see many of 'em around.
They just look like they're ready to work, IMHO.

[mopar346]

The Corvette line was a joke referencing Randy's signature line. It's a target engine. I still have the engine out of my son's 1500 sitting on a stand, 93 4 bolt main roller block, forged speed pros, tru-roller chain, comp 488/214, feulie heads, 70 factory aluminum dual plane and an double pumper forgot the CFM either 650 or 700. It specced out at 460/490. At this point I have no plans to put it in the dually but it better not give me a reason.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by mopar346

The Corvette line was a joke referencing Randy's signature line.

Yah - I "bit" too. My previous post was actually total fluff because I couldn't delete my comments....

(lol)

K

[mopar346]

So should we call you Fluffy????