7 Of The Best Looking Square Body Trucks Ever Designed

Beginning in 1973, Chevrolet started to produce one of the most curiously named pickup truck lines in history. The Rounded-Line truck was the third generation of the Chevrolet and GMC C and K pickups. The factory wanted to call attention to the rounded windshield and door frames, but truck fans instantly renamed the entire generation.

An official square-body truck is a Chevrolet or GMC C/K built between 1973 and 1987, otherwise known as a third-generation C10. The Square Body was a hit at a pivotal time in the industry, just as the golden era of the big block muscle car was ending. It was GMC's longest-running truck production, selling an estimated 10 million units. Not only was it popular and accessible when it came out, but it remains so.

According to Classic.com, the third-generation C10 claims an average price of $25,946 on the used market. The lowest recorded sale is a mere $2,200. Admittedly, the top sale is $228,250, but there is always an outlier. 

These trucks carry classic lines and make incredible restoration and restomod projects. They remain almost purely mechanical, and amateurs can work on them in garages over the weekend. The third-generation C/K in particular is one of our favorite restomod project candidates.

The truck retained its charm through all the design and engineering changes of its 14-year production run. It remained squat and rugged but possessed a sculpted sentience that still draws the eye. Let's take a look at some of the best-looking square bodies ever designed.

The 1974 Chevrolet C10 came a couple of years after the 1972 debut of the inaugural Rounded-Line model, and it had more square body than curved lines. Third-gen C10s got the recessed egg crate grille until 1974. It is a dead giveaway for an early model.

Chevrolet dropped the 307 cubic-inch engine from the initial C10 and bumped the 402 cubic inch motor in favor of a 454. With growing pains out of the way and an engine that is as much a symbol of an era as it was a powerplant, the 74 aged into a timeless truck that looks as good today as it did fresh out of the factory.

As an early example of a beloved tradition, the 1974 C10 is slightly more valuable than its fellow square bodies. With an average used market value of $35,425, someone clearly wants them. Imagine finding a nice, running '69 Bronco in 1983. It was just another truck, but a few years later, nostalgia made it into something special. Could this happen with the square bodies? It's hard to say, but if it does, the 1974 should be head of the class.

[Featured image by order-242 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.0]

Look at it. You know this truck. The best wrestler in your high school had it. One sat for sale for years, rotting away in a field you drove by on the way to your part-time job. It's the 1976 Chevrolet K20. Maybe it's the side view mirrors jutting out like a pair of dopey ears, but even today, it looks eager to please.

This truck can be a best friend or a block bully. It can be rebuilt and rigged for anything from towing to pulling stumps, and the right one can stack ribbons at car shows. The mustard yellow beater pictured isn't the best representative of that, but the 1976 K20 cleans up nicely and is an excellent candidate for a restomod project.

Mechanically, Chevrolet only updated the 1976 model slightly from the previous year, but why mess with perfection?  A new gauge and removed engine decals made up the bulk of the changes. This truck is grunty and grippy and can serve as anything from a low rider to a farm truck. The used market currently pins the average for a '76 at $30,025. That might be out of the toy budget for many of us, but someone needing a classic, solid truck ought to take notice.

[Featured image by Matt via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

This is a beautiful truck. That is all.

The example of the 1980 Chevrolet Big 10 pictured is cared for. That pearlescent paint, the drum-tight tonneau cover, the gleaming fenders — not every 1980 truck cleans up like this. This is that square-body charm. It is Americana and elegance. It still looks amazing 44 years later. The average used market price for this truck is $18,162. Let that sink in. 

Not every example will look like this one, but a grease monkey with a garage and a decent set of tools can go far with this truck. Daily driver, showpiece, it could even serve as a farm truck — given it's no longer in production, it would be a shame to see a busted axle consign it to a field, though. Even the top sales numbers for this truck are low. While the 1970s editions above saw six figures at auction, the 1980 model fetches a mere $35,000. If we were Jim Kramer, we would be ringing some kind of bell.

The 1980s are often maligned as a dark time for large, powerful engines, but there are gems like this transitory square body that bridge the gap between the 1970s and 1980s in design. The truck oozes stalwart capability, and it's still accessible — for now.

[Featured image by MercurcySable99 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

We've got a big boy here. The 1980 GMC Sierra Classic is very much a square-bodied truck. Possibly it is the squariest, bodiest truck of them all. This quad-cab monster arrived last year before the square-bodied trucks received a facelift.

The first half of the 1980s was a big time for Ford trucks — they came out and took the lead in truck sales and have not relinquished it. While the GMC Sierra Classic may not been able to out-compete the best-looking Ford models of the day, it was an enormous truck that could carry an entire work crew and all the gear they needed.

Admittedly, this quad cab is a niche taste. Not everyone has the space or patience for a battleship in their driveway. Will it fit through the drive-thru? No one can say for sure. But if this is a dream truck, it commands an average of $21,927 on the used market.

[Featured image by dave_7 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]

The C20 designation is a three-quarter-ton truck, while the C10 is a half-ton truck. Either can be square bodies. The 1981 model came with four engine choices: a 292 cubic inch inline-six, and a 305 cubic inch, 350 cubic inch, or 454 cubic inch V8. Any of those V8s can be great for hot-rodding, and you can use the 292 as an anchor for your canoe.

The used market is not exactly on fire for these things. The average used value is $20,000, and the top sale is $27,500. Hagerty estimates that one in good condition ought to fetch around $10,400. Find the right one, and you can commit that much more money to the restoration budget.

While the market does not value them, there's a lot of potential in a 1981 square-body truck for practical and hobbyist projects. Just beware when checking one out. Many have been subject to some hard work and more than a little abuse, but easily replaceable parts and an enormous technological family at Chevrolet give the 1981 C20 tons of upside.

[Featured image by MercurcySable99 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

1980s car design is rarely heralded as the pinnacle of automotive art. Nevertheless, the 1984 GMC K-1500 Sierra Classic still looks like a classic today: steel bumpers, running boards, that squared-off look, and a single cab 4x4. It's for when you go to the woods with your dog and no one else.

The 454 V8 was gone as the largest displacement option, replaced by a 379 cubic inch diesel engine. However, both the 350 and 305 survived the early '80s, and the six-cylinder did not. The diesel engine would be perfect for a work truck, and the V8 has enormous potential as either a beastly build or a commuter.

This truck is at home in a car show as it is a bowling alley parking lot. It can be a joyride with the sweetie on a summer night or a side-gig winter plow machine. It's a truck from way back, and it remains surprisingly affordable.

The desirability of these K models means the ceiling is a tad higher on the used market. A top sale of $74,800 suggests that someone wants these trucks — especially the right one. However, the average sale price of $21.925 keeps them squarely in the practical arena.

[Featured image by Greg Gjerdingen via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]

In the final year of the official square body truck run, we include the 1987 Scottsdale to show that the series went out looking as good as ever. Words like timeless and classic get thrown around, but 14 years can feel like a century in the car development world. And the square body retained its charm the whole time.

In the name of the mid-1980s, the six-cylinder returned in a 262 cubic inch 155 hp version, and that wasn't all. V8s galore can be found in the sale pamphlet for the 1987 Scottsdale. A 305 or 350 small block selection generating between 170 and 210 hp, a pair of 379 cubic inch diesel engines making no more than 148 hp, and the queen of them all, Chevy's 454 cubic inch making a whopping 230 hp.
This truck is definitely three times as loud as it is fast, but sometimes, that's what trucks are about. 

The model also tends to creep up on the market, with a top sale of $88,000, the highest on our list. However, the average sale price is still under $30,000 at $28,365. Getting near any car for that type of money is nigh on impossible these days. Could the square bodies be ripe berries for the plucking?

[Featured image by MercurySable99 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]