1971 gmc k1500

[adricar1]

Hi guys ,
my name is Adrian and i live in the uk and I have just joined the us pickup club.

i have just bought a 71 4wd gmc 1/2 tonne pickup off ebay , and i am arranging the collection of this for export to me in the UK.
The truck looks in good shape , and has air con, and is a Cheyenne model.
If any one has any info on this model i would appreciate a link.
What i am trying to understand what is the towing capacity of the truck, as i do not understand the 1/2 tonne designation. its completely different here?

[srvivor71]

Hi Adrian. Welcome to the board! I have the same truck. Your truck will have a data plate on it showing towing capacity. I would check what mine says, but I'm at work now. I think different options might affect the towing capacity so it's best to check the data plate. Maybe someone here can give you a range. Enjoy your truck and make sure to post some pictures as soon as you can!

[MARKDTN]

If you have a GMC you do not have a Cheyenne. Chevrolet is Cheyenne and GMC is Sierra

[Coley]

Welcome to the board Adrian.
I have family in the U.K (Shropshire) area and being from Canada we share a few things along the line of the Metric system stuff.
Anywhooo, if your truck is a 1/2 ton its built to North American standards and measurements of that time....so all imperial measurements. This includes the gas tanks...remember the U.S gallon is different from an British (imperial) gallon.
The tow capacity of your truck probably starts at about 4000lbs or 1800kg. (Again, this is TOW not PAYLOAD capacity.
Depending on how your truck is equipped it can go up about 1000kgs from this but you would need the 3:73 rear gears, V-8, heavier transmission or 4 speed etc.
Some of the other guys will chime in on this...so hang in there.
Good Luck
Coley

[adricar1]

Cheers guys yes sorry my mistake its the sierra. its has a 350 v8 chevy engine. the tow capacity seems low as i have an isuzu and it can tow 3 tonne, and a 2500cc engine. Coley hi shropshire is not far from me. The paalte on the vehicle has max rear end weight 3500 lbs and maximum front end weight 3300lbs whilst the gross vehicle weight is 5600lbs?
when they stated the tow capacity was this due to the brakes on the truck? strange I have a 3.5 tonne car trailer which has 4 wheels and brakes , and wanted to tow it with the truck.

Can some one please explain the difference between the tow and payload?

[Coley]

Ok, just to recap for everyone.
A metric tonne is 1000kg or in 'North American'....2200lbs.
So if you had a 4 wheeled trailer weighing 3.5 tonnes that is 7700lbs...which seems about right and of course it has to have its own braking system.
Now tow capacity vs. payload.
Payload is what can actually be loaded ONTO the vehicle...wherein that load it going to be sharing in the vehicles tires/wheels/axles/frames, etc.
Tow Capacity is what is going to be PULLED by the vehicle...and that item has its own tires/wheels/axles and frame etc.
Tow capacity is always higher.
Quick analogy....say you have a fat neighbour who sprains her ankle and can't walk home. You have 2 choices to help her out....put her in a wagon and pull her home in that or....literally pick her up and carry her home by your own strength, etc. What is the easier option?
Now, same big girl, same big weight....needless to say, pulling her weight along in a wagon is WAAAAYYY easier than having to carry her weight because the wagon is doing most of the dead weight work.
You might be able to pull that trailer with the truck but you are going to have to supply more info on it with respect to tires, rear differential ratio, etc.
Is there a factory SPID sheet in the glovebox inner surface? (shows all the options that came on the truck).
Coley

[adricar1]

Coley thank you i understand now.
Unfortunately it will be 4 weeks or more till i see the truck, i have some photos though , but not one of the inside of the glove box.The seller has said it has 39k miles on the truck from new, the paint work does look very good . its auto and has air con and a rev counter fitted from new.

[adricar1]

a few picture of the truck i have bought

[adricar1]

Just a couple more photos , however it looks like a hose is off to the left of the engine bay? not sure what that is.

[Coley]

Originally Posted by adricar1

Just a couple more photos , however it looks like a hose is off to the left of the engine bay? not sure what that is.

The hoses on the left (passenger side) of the engine bay are for the heater...no worries.
Factory air conditioning....do you know if it was in working condition?
4 wheel drive....I don't think you are going to have any trouble towing your trailer with that truck.
The tow capacity of 4 wheel drives is/was usually higher than the 2 wheel drives.
Very nice truck!!
Coley

[srvivor71]

Beautiful looking truck Adrian! Best of luck with it. That will certainly be a head turner in the UK!

[Coley]

What are you guys paying per litre for gas (ie petrol) over there in the U.K right now?
We are at about $1.30 in these parts....too much but no worries...LOL.
Coley

[adricar1]

yes gas £1.36 a litre ouch, this will be used on propane, and gasoline when needed.

[Coley]

Originally Posted by adricar1

yes gas £1.36 a litre ouch, this will be used on propane, and gasoline when needed.

....yeah, that is an ouch.
Thats about $2.20 a litre Canadian OR about $8.00 to $8.35 / U.S Gallon....thats steep for sure. (guys, feel free to correct my math on this if you like...but that was my quick calcs)
Still at the end of the day you will have a unique valuable vehicle that you probably won't have to do much to to drive reliably with very little (daily/weekly/monthly/yearly) depreciation.
Coley

[mmiddle]

The braking system is a major limiting factor in these old trucks. I know I had more than 4000 pounds in the bed of my 69 1/2 ton with no problems (city driving). The newer trucks are rated much higher than the old ones, that might be why your Izuzu has a 6000 pound tow rating (better brakes, better tires and better cooling system). This truck should have NO problems pulling that trailer anywhere you wish to take it. If it where my truck I would not blink about pulling 10,000 pounds with it. (provided everything is is good/safe condition).

[Coley]

Originally Posted by mmiddle

The braking system is a major limiting factor in these old trucks. I know I had more than 4000 pounds in the bed of my 69 1/2 ton with no problems (city driving). The newer trucks are rated much higher than the old ones, that might be why your Izuzu has a 6000 pound tow rating (better brakes, better tires and better cooling system). This truck should have NO problems pulling that trailer anywhere you wish to take it. If it where my truck I would not blink about pulling 10,000 pounds with it. (provided everything is is good/safe condition).

....respectfully, I'm not so sure it was the braking systems so much, particularly on the 71/72 models with the disc brakes up front. However I do know a really major limiter to load capacity on these trucks and their original GVWR plate ratings was the available tire quality that was around....which by todays standards, wasn't great at all.
In the late 60's and (very) early 70's the standard 15" truck tire had a load rating of about 1500-1600lbs due to the lesser quality at the time. This limited the theoretical load of the truck (via the tires) to about 6000-6400lbs. Remember a lot of these 'factory' tires sold and supplied on these trucks were still 'bias ply' and radials were just starting to come on line...more so with some of the high end cars.
GM always stayed within this maximum (based on available tire capacity) and shaved load off of those ratings with a safety margin. That is one of the main reasons why these trucks seem to have a low GVW by comparison yet seem to still be able to carry a lot (these days).
By contrast the new 15" truck tires available are vastly superior in construction and materials and easily have load ratings of 2200lbs or more (comparable to some 3/4ton 16" tires back 'in the day'). With those 'new tire' ratings the same truck can hold an extra 1000lbs + based on the tires alone.
That doesn't circumvent what the plate says from a legal/D.O.T standpoint...but it does align with the mechanics of the truck and its weakest link at the time...which was its tires.
My two bits.
Coley

[mmiddle]

2x^ Tires were a major limiting factor. The brakes are vastly better on a 71/72 verse older models, but is still a far cry from modern trucks.

[adricar1]

finally been collected form the seller, now got to wait 6-8 weeks for it to get here. Its going to be a very long wait.

[Tom Vogel]

Thays a real beuty!

[Tinkermc]

Welcome to the Forum, there is a wealth of knowledge here.

[Badger7C9F]

Nice looking truck adricar1. There are very few 67-72s over here. I find this forum invaluable for info, although the ideas you'll get from here can also cost you deep in the pocket department...lots of excellent info and helpful people.
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[adricar1]

Yes people on hear are most helpfull , and its great that they spend the time to pass on the Knowledge.

[adricar1]

not long now, due to get to the docks next Sunday, so after customs clearance and unloading ready for collection. i must say i am getting a little excited . been a long wait.
especially as the shipper said it was on a different ship.

[Coley]

This should be pretty interesting adricar....I'll bet you are getting pretty excited for the big 'in person' introduction to your new truck.
That will be a great addition to the English countryside. Take it down to Church Stretton/Shropshire and show my (Canadian) brother-in-law who lives in the U.K (35yrs+) and his son!! LOL.

All Good
Coley

[swamp rat]

I'd be pretty excited myself!