What is a Square Body?

[Enceladus]

The 73-87 GM pickups were officially called the "Rounded-Line" trucks by GM’s design engineers - the people who designed them starting in 1967. It took over four years (1967-1972) to complete them before they were finally released for the 1973 model year.

The Rounded-Line name referred to the new aerodynamic cab which had a steeply-slanted windshield with rounded corners and rounded door frames that cut high into the rounded cab roof, unlike the 67-72 GM pickups which had squared door frames and so on. The 73-87 cab is far more aerodynamic than the 67-72 cab it replaced.


Brownell, Tim "Rounded-Line Models, 1973-1987" Chevrolet Pickup History (Truck History) Chapter 9 Page 88-89


The body of the 73-87 pickups was also more sculpted with the "waterfall flare" which flares out and then rounds down and the rounded pickup box corners (Fleetside only, not Stepside).


Wind tunnel testing during development, circa 1968


The waterfall flare runs the length of the vehicle down both sides, and (if fitted with the Fleetside pickup box) ties both sides together by continuing the waterfall flare around back across the tailgate.

I myself own a 1987 Rounded-Line Chevrolet V-10 Fleetside (currently under restoration)


Other references to the Rounded-Line name:

Chevytrucks.org uses GM's name for the 73-87 generation: http://www.chevytrucks.org/general/links.htm

And the classic truck site Stovebolt also uses GM's name: http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/series.htm

[LONGHAIR]

This kind of reminds me of the Harley "head" names
Flat head
Knuckle head
Pan head
Shovel head
Block head
Then they jumped-ship to twin cam

These were not Harley's words originally, though they have stolen them and trademarked them as such....
Their original designation was
Side valve= flat head
All of the others were referred to as OHV, of the particular year group.
36-47
48-65
66-84
85-00 .....Harley called these Evolution

All of the original service manuals just called them Over Head Valve.
They went a little goofy in the late 80s -early 90s stealing a bunch of terms that were just common use words among the bikers. They trademarked things like hog and forced vendors to quit using it.

I am still confused by them allowing the Sirius radio people use the word Sportster?

[Redcap]

Originally Posted by Enceladus

The 73-87 GM pickups were officially called the "Rounded-Line" trucks by GM’s design engineers - the people who designed them starting in 1967. It took over four years (1967-1972) to complete them before they were finally released for the 1973 model year.

The Rounded-Line name referred to the new aerodynamic cab which had a steeply-slanted windshield with rounded corners and rounded door frames that cut high into the rounded cab roof, unlike the 67-72 GM pickups which had squared door frames and so on. The 73-87 cab is far more aerodynamic than the 67-72 cab it replaced.


Brownell, Tim "Rounded-Line Models, 1973-1987" Chevrolet Pickup History (Truck History) Chapter 9 Page 88-89


The body of the 73-87 pickups was also more sculpted with the "waterfall flare" which flares out and then rounds down and the rounded pickup box corners (Fleetside only, not Stepside).


Wind tunnel testing during development, circa 1968


The waterfall flare runs the length of the vehicle down both sides, and (if fitted with the Fleetside pickup box) ties both sides together by continuing the waterfall flare around back across the tailgate.

I myself own a 1987 Rounded-Line Chevrolet V-10 Fleetside (currently under restoration)


Other references to the Rounded-Line name:

Chevytrucks.org uses GM's name for the 73-87 generation: http://www.chevytrucks.org/general/links.htm

And the classic truck site Stovebolt also uses GM's name: http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/series.htm

"Rounded-line" is a hilarious name for perhaps some of the most square trucks ever built. GM may have called this series by that particular moniker, but the consumer ultimately will assign the name that sticks.

Squarebody is MUCH more fitting.

[rollin thunder]

Wow! well you learn something new everyday.

[Rubble]

Been around these trucks since 1981,I was 16 when I got my first truck,a 78 C10. Never heard of the name square,like someone posted earlier,square was not hip!! All we called them was by their year or 1/2ton 3/4ton & so on....Didn't know the term square til I joined this site...
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[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Enceladus

The 73-87 GM pickups were officially called the "Rounded-Line" trucks by GM’s design engineers - the people who designed them starting in 1967. It took over four years (1967-1972) to complete them before they were finally released for the 1973 model year.

Some of the guys who designed this truck are still working (they retired and have now come back as contract workers).

I will ask them tomorrow when I see them if they remember any of this "rounded line" business.

I certainly do not, but admittedly I did not start with GM Truck until June of 1979.

K

[oldmann1967]

This thread was in the grave for six months. Zombie thread.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Billett]

Keith, this just came up on the facebook page. You ever hear anything else about this?

[TheBlueBomber]

88-98 is OBS (old body style). Saw on facebook a few months back a group with the square body in the name... It was based for the 88-98 trucks. I tried correcting them and showing the proof what real square body trucks were and I got banned...

oh well

[russellh575]

Yea I've been seeing a lot of people calling 88-98's "squarebodies". They are pretty square-shaped but come on, that nickname is already taken lol.

[TheBlueBomber]

Originally Posted by russellh575

Yea I've been seeing a lot of people calling 88-98's "squarebodies". They are pretty square-shaped but come on, that nickname is already taken lol.

They tried telling me that the 73-87 body style were called "heavy chevys"


Really...

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Billett

Keith, this just came up on the facebook page. You ever hear anything else about this?

No. None of the old hands I asked were familiar with the "roundbody" naming.

I had a nice visit with one of the guys. He is 72 years old and still working. He started in 1966 and his first assignment was as the design engineer for the underbody "tub" for the '68 Corvette. It was mostly carryover and they figured a new guy couldn't screw it up too badly.

K

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by TheBlueBomber

88-98 is OBS (old body style).

1988 - 1998 is the GMT400 model.

My first day in engineering was the day the teams split into the carryover C/K/R/V and into the new GMT400 team.

As with any re-organization there were all kinds of rumors and whisperings and speculation. My only thought was "...PLEASE don't send me back to the assembly plant!".

I stayed with the C/K/R/V product, by the way, for the duration of the production run.

K

[Billett]

Awesome thanks! Those are all of the facts I need. Wonder where this whole rounded-line thing started then...?

[Desert1957]

Crap, I thought I owned two "Square Bodies"

Now I don't know what I own.....



Desert

[Redcap]

Originally Posted by Desert1957

Crap, I thought I owned two "Square Bodies"

Now I don't know what I own.....

Attachment 1180508

Desert

That is a squarebody pictured.

[87 STEPPER]

Originally Posted by Enceladus

The 73-87 GM pickups were officially called the "Rounded-Line" trucks by GM’s design engineers - the people who designed them starting in 1967. It took over four years (1967-1972) to complete them before they were finally released for the 1973 model year.

The Rounded-Line name referred to the new aerodynamic cab which had a steeply-slanted windshield with rounded corners and rounded door frames that cut high into the rounded cab roof, unlike the 67-72 GM pickups which had squared door frames and so on. The 73-87 cab is far more aerodynamic than the 67-72 cab it replaced.

They were also know as the rounded line due to the fact that the side profile of the body is rounded and not..........will say FLAT like the 67-72's! This was because the door glass was changed in 73 to be contoured or rounded and not FLAT like the 67-72's!

Hope that clears up all the confusion

[factorystock]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Regarding the 73-87, as mentioned the 73-80 were called "rounded lines" by GM in some of their sales brochures. This was due to the the softer features of the new styling design that included rounded fender lines.

The "square body" term initially covered the 81-87 era due to the squared shoulder lines, and square headlights. The magazines picked that term up, and applied it to the entire 73-87 generation.

I still call 73-80s rounded line or round eye trucks.

Thanks for breaking down the sub era within the era. IMO, the 73 -80's (round eyes) are easier to look at, a more balanced design front to back.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Enceladus

The 73-87 GM pickups were officially called the "Rounded-Line" trucks by GM’s design engineers - the people who designed them starting in 1967. It took over four years (1967-1972) to complete them....

So this Enceladus makes one post, drops this article here and is never heard from again?

Any thoughts relative to that?

K

[boatpuller]

I call em .....old Chevy's...Which bring's up the question of " When is a truck old ? "

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

So this Enceladus makes one post, drops this article here and is never heard from again?

Any thoughts relative to that?

K

Keith you would be surprised at how many "lurkers" this site has. Note that Enceladus joined in Sepetember of 2012 but didnt make a post till 04-07-2013. There are hundreds (maybe thousands) of members that join and never post. There are those that read but dont join. Some are intimidated due to the poor response they got as newbs on other sites and just assume this one is the same.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Keith you would be surprised at how many "lurkers" this site has. Note that Enceladus joined in Sepetember of 2012 but didnt make a post till 04-07-2013. There are hundreds (maybe thousands) of members that join and never post. There are those that read but dont join. Some are intimidated due to the poor response they got as newbs on other sites and just assume this one is the same.

Hmm. Thank you -

K

[lha1992]

Originally Posted by ghettoluxury

47-54 Advanced design

55-59 Task Force

60-66 C10

67-72 Classic

73-87 Square Body

88-98 S#!t Box/ C/K

99-02 New Body Style/ Silverado

04-07 Cat Eyes/ Silverado

07-12 NEW NEW BODY

Idk why your calling the 88-98 trucks s#1t boxes. They're darn good trucks. Better than the ones that replaced it in my view in terms of build. To each his own had to say something.

Originally Posted by KrazyRay

I call the 88-98 trucks "metric" because you need to put away all of your SAE tools and break out the metric set. The later squares seemed to be half metric and half SAE so you need both sets of tools.

I wouldn't call them metric though as they are both half metric an half SAE. Worked on lots of these trucks including my own an it can be a pain to have both sets out. From the cars an trucks I've worked on seems to be that GM went half standard half metric around 1979-80.

Originally Posted by TheBlueBomber

88-98 is OBS (old body style). Saw on facebook a few months back a group with the square body in the name... It was based for the 88-98 trucks. I tried correcting them and showing the proof what real square body trucks were and I got banned...

oh well

Originally Posted by russellh575

Yea I've been seeing a lot of people calling 88-98's "squarebodies". They are pretty square-shaped but come on, that nickname is already taken lol.

Originally Posted by TheBlueBomber

They tried telling me that the 73-87 body style were called "heavy chevys"


Really...

You gotta be kidding right??? Heavy Chevy's really??? I've seen these so called "square body groups" on instagram an I'm like ohhhh 73-87 trucks?? Nope 88-98 an I'm like your kidding right???? 88-98s are GMT400s yes as Keith Seymor pointed out but since I was a kid I've known these trucks as the Heartbeat of America trucks or the "like a rock" trucks.

TheBlueBomber, did they really ban you? Wow that's dumb. All I can say is I bet they're just young people who don't know what they're talking about or anything. I'm 21 but at least I found out which is which.

Case in point I've heard 67-72 as the "action line" or glamor trucks and 73-87 as the rounded line. 60-66 I can't remember what Gm called them but have heard them called 1st gens.

[INSIDIOUS '86]

So does this mean 67-72 trucks were just a filler year and 73-87 was developed as the "perfect" truck? 88-98 was a mistake

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by INSIDIOUS '86

So does this mean 67-72 trucks were just a filler year and 73-87 was developed as the "perfect" truck? 88-98 was a mistake

No - (in all seriousness) - it always takes 4 years or so to develop a new product, so the cadence shown here is right on target.

We just launched the "all new" 2014 models and we are already working on the next gen trucks.

K