heater delete plate

[bigblock73]

Does anyone know if GM ever offered a 73-87 without a heater/defroster and if so, are there GM heater delete plates out there??

While i was thinking about this I was wondering, "what was the weirdest/rarest option GM ever offered on our trucks?"

I have heard rumors of rear factory 6x9 brackets, wood floor short fleetsides (I know it was available in 8 foot fleet beds), etc etc...but have never seen any of the "rumors"

Sooo, anyone out there know about the heater question and does anyone have any info on rare options for our trucks?

-Jeff

[1974ChevyC10]

my truck has a wood bed floor and its a longbed.as far as the rest i dont know off the top of my head

[PHOENIX]

I never seen any of those, but if I do Ill be sure and post about it.

[BigRed]

I've looked everywhere online today for a heater delete but can't find one. Your best bet would be to do something like Swervin did for his radio delete. You could probably cut your own and get it to look pretty nice. I'll keep looking though.

[esbstuff]

Hey I know this is a super old thread, but what the heck...maybe still looking???

YES GM did offer a heater delete plate! I ran across a 78 1/2 4x2 super plane jane years ago that was sold new in Hawaii. This truck had NO options, none!

Story... I live in the midwest where it gets cold and because of the Fort, we get quite an influx of trucks from parts unknown. I had a recenly transplanted GI call one day and ask if I had all the stuff to add a heater/defroster to his truck. I said sure and he came out to visit. My first thought was that he had removed all the stuff to make a 'hotrod' special. BUT when he brought the truck out there was no sign the heater was ever there, none. There was plugs in the firewall for the blower motor and heater lines. Also there was a bolt-in plate (like the radio delete plate) for the heater controls. There was no holes drilled for the inside/outside box mounting. There was no box under the dash and no defroster box either. I will say that the brown wire to power the heater was in the harness.

I do have the plate still, if that is I can find it. No its not for sale, but if I can find it I will get a picture of it.

Originally Posted by bigblock73

Does anyone know if GM ever offered a 73-87 without a heater/defroster and if so, are there GM heater delete plates out there??

While i was thinking about this I was wondering, "what was the weirdest/rarest option GM ever offered on our trucks?"

I have heard rumors of rear factory 6x9 brackets, wood floor short fleetsides (I know it was available in 8 foot fleet beds), etc etc...but have never seen any of the "rumors"

Sooo, anyone out there know about the heater question and does anyone have any info on rare options for our trucks?

-Jeff

[J Knight]

Wow, I would have thought a heater/defrost would have been standard as windows or door handles.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Keith Seymore]

I was a little surprised to hear about a "no heater" truck, since I thought heater was standard.

My second thought was that it was perhaps a "heater delete" SEO truck. The SEO group (Special Equipment Option, as opposed to Regular Production Option) was characterized by taking low production volume special builds and converting them into production variants. Typical numbers for those guys were 10, 20 50, or maybe a hundred or two total volume. They are the guys that do the fleet orders, for Penske, Ryder, U haul or whomever.

I found codes for all kinds of interesting deletes, like seat, inside rearview mirrors, outside rearview mirror, even tailgate and fuel tank deletes.

Probably the most interesting SEOs I saw were "8Z1 - Engine Delete" and "8Z2 - Trans Delete" (hard for me to imagine) but - alas - I did not see anything for a heater delete.

After a certain model year a heater/defroster would have to be required, since we need them to meet Federal MVSS standards for window defrost/clearing.

While I was looking for the heater information I stumbled across this page relative to wood floors. Based on this document, and on a "spot check" of this one year (1978), it would seem the wood floor was not available on the short box fleetside.



K

[hatzie]

"8Z1 - Engine Delete" and "8Z2 - Trans Delete" That's one way to meet CAFE. Wonder how many were shipped with those options.

[Weasel Diesel]

I would have bet good hard earned money that D.O.T. would have required a minimum of a heater for defrost purposes. Huh, who'd thunk it...

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Weasel Diesel

I would have bet good hard earned money that D.O.T. would have required a minimum of a heater for defrost purposes. Huh, who'd thunk it...

They do now (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard). I don't recall what year that started.

K

[Slonaker]

The engine and transmission delete might have been for trucks ordered by race teams and folks like that who would not use a stock engine or transmission. Just a thought...

Slonaker

[KQQL IT]

You can buy big trucks known as "Glider kits"
without engine trans or even with out rear axles or suspension.
Posted via Mobile Device

[esbstuff]

I should say that I am not 100% sure on the year so that might be wrong... but it was for sure a 73-80. Of course the guy may have not known what year truck he had to begin with anyway. Intill I can find that plate the texture is unknown, I know that would help track it down alittle. ( and my search is on the back burner because I've good a big project going on, so please bear with me) That truck passed though my place in the 1992-1995 time frame, so needless to say I've slept once or twice since then.

I wondered about the shortbed/wood floor too, so thanks for looking that up. Was 87 the last year for that option? I had a guy years ago claim he had an 87 with a factory wood floor, but I never actually got to see it.

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

I was a little surprised to hear about a "no heater" truck, since I thought heater was standard.

My second thought was that it was perhaps a "heater delete" SEO truck. The SEO group (Special Equipment Option, as opposed to Regular Production Option) was characterized by taking low production volume special builds and converting them into production variants. Typical numbers for those guys were 10, 20 50, or maybe a hundred or two total volume. They are the guys that do the fleet orders, for Penske, Ryder, U haul or whomever.

I found codes for all kinds of interesting deletes, like seat, inside rearview mirrors, outside rearview mirror, even tailgate and fuel tank deletes.

Probably the most interesting SEOs I saw were "8Z1 - Engine Delete" and "8Z2 - Trans Delete" (hard for me to imagine) but - alas - I did not see anything for a heater delete.

After a certain model year a heater/defroster would have to be required, since we need them to meet Federal MVSS standards for window defrost/clearing.

While I was looking for the heater information I stumbled across this page relative to wood floors. Based on this document, and on a "spot check" of this one year (1978), it would seem the wood floor was not available on the short box fleetside.



K

[esbstuff]

Keith, Hey try option code C48...

[78 Big10 454]

When I was a rookie Los Angeles fireman in 1975, the LAFD ordered a boatload of 75 Chevy pickups where they were assigned to fire station duty. These squares barely had door handles and windshield wipers, they were that stripped down. No radio, heater, power steering/brakes, trim, chrome bumpers, hubcaps, nada! They were all equipped (surprisingly) with 350's and three on the tree. They made a standard Custom Deluxe look like a Silverado!

[Johnny Merder]

I have a 1974 C-30 that is radio delete, I bought it from a convent. I will try and post a pic up after lunch today.

[slinginrods]

a little ot but my friend in high school had a 1970 nova ,no heater/def,straight 6 3speed,rubber floor.i wanted to get it soo bad and 454/ muncie that thing.it wouldve been nasty fast.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by esbstuff

Keith, Hey try option code C48...

C42 is the code we always used (Heater only, meaning non-A/C).

The usage string would be written so that C42 is "standard" or "required" if that was the desired result.

K

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by esbstuff

I wondered about the shortbed/wood floor too, so thanks for looking that up. Was 87 the last year for that option? I had a guy years ago claim he had an 87 with a factory wood floor, but I never actually got to see it.

I checked the '87 information and there was no mention of the wood floor - that last paragraph was entirely removed.

So - I'd have to say that option was gone some time prior to (and not including) '87.

K

[406 Q-ship]

I know that Federal Regs required Defrosters in cars after 1968.....it is the reason that the L88 Corvette stopped production in 1968. Now those Federal Regs do not always get applied to vehicles bought for government works or vehicles that ended up outside the country.