Camper Special or Custom Camper?

[White70C20]

I recently got a 1970 C20. It is a 350/TH350. It is pretty plain except for the exterior trim and chrome bumper. It has heavy-duty springs and shocks. The side emblems say "Custom 20". I noticed on the options sticker on the glovebox lid that it has two camper options. Is my truck a Camper Special or Custom Camper, or just optioned that way?
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[whoryou1979]

Custom Camper. Camper Specials were produced by the other guys.

[White70C20]

If it was a Custom Camper, wouldn't it say "Custom Camper" on the fender? Im wondering if maybe they just didn't order the complete package. What are those two camper related options on my option sheet?
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[whoryou1979]

To my knowledge, it should have the Custom Camper emblems on the fender if the original owner requested them. If not, it was standard to have the Custom Camper emblems on the doors.

[Mayo]

Originally Posted by whoryou1979

To my knowledge, it should have the Custom Camper emblems on the fender if the original owner requested them. If not, it was standard to have the Custom Camper emblems on the doors.

I believe Custom Camper on the doors is 72 only
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[whoryou1979]

Also, the camper wiring could be ordered seperately, without a Custom Camper package. Having said that, the other options I can see, coupled with the 'Name Plate' option, would make me think this was in fact a Custom Camper.

[SS Tim]

Your SPID calls out for the Z84 Custom Camper name plate option. The truck had to have certain equipment levels to qualify for the option but it was a N/C option. Your truck being a '70 should have "Custom Camper/20" on the fenders. The 67-68 trucks had a fender emblem like the white truck that was not series specific. 69-71 used a different fender emblem that superseded the the series emblem with a "Custom Camper/XX" call out emblem like the gold truck. 72s used door call out script "Custom Camper" above the exterior door handle and kept the normal fender emblem for that series and trim level.

[jocko]

Originally Posted by SS Tim

Your SPID calls out for the Z84 Custom Camper name plate option. The truck had to have certain equipment levels to qualify for the option but it was a N/C option. Your truck being a '70 should have "Custom Camper/20" on the fenders. The 67-68 trucks had a fender emblem like the white truck that was not series specific. 69-71 used a different fender emblem that superseded the the series emblem with a "Custom Camper/XX" call out emblem like the gold truck. 72s used door call out script "Custom Camper" above the exterior door handle and kept the normal fender emblem for that series and trim level.

Ya just had to post "the one that got away" didn't ya...
Dang, that thing was nice.

Here is a pic of the 72-only (for chevs) Custom Camper nameplate for additional reference. (I believe it was on more than 72's for GMCs - back to 69 or 67-ish, don't recall exact yr)

And also - to Tim's point - pic #2 is a 71 Cheyenne Super that just happens to have the Custom Camper nameplate that supersedes the Cheyenne Super emblems.

And to add to the naming confusion - Chevy did eventually change to "Camper Special" nomenclature - 73 and up I think (not 100% on the year). Fords were Camper Specials pre-72 though. And to make it ever more confusing, some of the Chevy plants (72 and earlier) listed "Custom Camper" on the SPID as "Special Camper"... (even though it was still a Custom Camper thru 72). I believe Fremont did this fairly often.

[SS Tim]

Yes... My masterful evil plan of having you buy the truck and putting your wood and buckets into it before deciding it was way too big then selling it to me for a huge loss didn't work! :-(

Would one of these have been a better choice? :-)

[sboris]

Welcome from southern Ia. How about some pics of this bad boy. We like pics
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[1972RedNeck]

Does your truck have leaves or coils? If leaf, does it have overloads? If so, could you post a few pictures of them.

[SS Tim]

Originally Posted by 1972RedNeck

Does your truck have leaves or coils? If leaf, does it have overloads? If so, could you post a few pictures of them.

The SPID indicates G70 leafs but without the other half we can't se if it has the HD G50 springs or the G60 Helper Springs. As an aside the G60 helper springs were not offered on K20s but the HD G50s were.

[White70C20]

Thanks! I'll put up pics tomorrow.
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[jocko]

Ugh. the elusive northwestern Black over Orange Yeti. Whose/where, pray tell, is the light yeller 72?

[SS Tim]

Originally Posted by jocko

Ugh. the elusive northwestern Black over Orange Yeti. Whose/where, pray tell, is the light yeller 72?

You mean this one? Ha... its a Cheyenne 30 Longhorn, light yellow with green buckets and a tach. Took me a year to even get a lead. No wait... that evil plan thing, don't worry about it. You want to buy a truck???

[jocko]

I thought we both didn't like light yellow.... If that's changing, then there's a goooood looking cheyenne custom camper in san dog for us. I'm just sayin.

Ha, I'm broke now, so gotta play the hand I dealt myself.

[darush01]

I know that our years were custom campers but it was said that Chevy never made a camper special I had a 75 that had camper special emblem I will say it was Frankenstein because of a bad case of cancer and my dads supply of old trucks it was our wrecker for yrs I was just wondering if those emblems were stock
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[SS Tim]

As jocko posted up in #12 the name did change in '73 to "Camper Special" and added a "Trailer Special" package. They both had a distinctive badge on the door pillar with a gross weight rating for your friendly law enforcement officer.

[White70C20]

Ok, here's the pictures I promised. Its gotta be one of the cleanest 70s scored for under 3 grand.

Notice the left "add-on" fuel door. It doesn't go anywhere. Any ideas?
Also, notice the trim and emblems. Does my truck look like a Custom Camper?








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[SS Tim]

Looks like a good project truck. The bed has added fuel tank doors on both sides. These were to access the fillers of very common saddle tanks added to the truck and then removed at some point. They ran about 20 gal. a side, so think what it would have cost to fill your truck 3x. Plus if you don't drive it a lot the gas goes bad. Often the tanks are not used or removed all together. Or if your bed has been changed they may have been on the donor truck. Most often the fuel transfer valve is mounted to the floor between the seat track and the driver's
door sill.Might want to check into that for mods. that should be corrected.

The lack of Custom Camper/20 emblems could have several explanations. They may have been broken and replaced with easier to find custom badges. Since your truck was apparently repainted the fenders may be replacements from another truck. Or lastly if these can be disproved it might with the slightest possible chance been a miss build with the wrong emblems.
With some more pictures we might be able to go further with this, just depends on where you want to go.

But one thing you need to do is clean up the wiring and try to reduce the rubber in the fuel line as much as possible. Under hood fires can do a lot of damage.

[paintersinc87]

I always thought my 72 was a custom camper but it doesn't have the emblems, just camper wiring and extra fuel tanks. Does anyone know what was included in the custom camper option?

[SS Tim]

Originally Posted by paintersinc87

I always thought my 72 was a custom camper but it doesn't have the emblems, just camper wiring and extra fuel tanks. Does anyone know what was included in the custom camper option?

Like I said earlier in this thread (and several others) the Z81 "Custom Camper" was an emblem only option, in fact it was free if the box was marked on qualifying orders.

For the 67-72 production years there was not a specific package like later trucks. All that was needed was to meet specific equipment requirements, these varied with the truck models, and the emblems could be ordered.

Camper wiring and aux tanks might indicate it was used a camper carrier but have no bearing on if a truck was or was not a "Custom Camper". A SPID or a build sheet are going to be the only way to verify a factory Z81 truck.

[FirstOwner69]

Originally Posted by SS Tim

Like I said earlier in this thread (and several others) the Z84 "Custom Camper" was an emblem only option, in fact it was free if the box was marked on qualifying orders.

For the 67-72 production years there was not a specific package like later trucks. All that was needed was to meet specific equipment requirements, these varied with the truck models, and the emblems could be ordered.

Camper wiring and aux tanks might indicate it was used a camper carrier but have no bearing on if a truck was or was not a "Custom Camper". A SPID or a build sheet are going to be the only way to verify a factory Z84 truck.

Off topic, but...

Hey Tim... welcome back!!!

Jim

[71 super]

The emblems use same pin location- they are enter changeable

[special-K]

Welcome back,Tim. I might have missed it but,although GM did call them Custom Camper in 66-72,some SPIDs are printed with Special Camper(1st pic) and others with Camper Nameplate. All '72s I've seen have Custom Camper Equip typed on the SPID. Here's one I've pondered. Can anyone offer anything on these emblems (2nd pic)? They say the GMC version of the Longhorn was called Custom Camper,although none had any type of badge. This always confused me,since any 2500-3500 could have the Custom Camper option. So,if you had a 133" Wideside with Custom Camper option you had a Custom Camper Custom Camper and your buddy's 127" is a Custom Camper. Let's not get into adding a trim level in (1969 Super Custom Custom Camper Custom Camper). < Please leave that one original or we'd have a custom 1969 Super Cus... So,what did my 3500 Custom Camper badges come on? I've never seen any GMCs with Custom Camper fender badges.