1981 GMC Sierra Grande History

[Chris.S]

I was searching for some information on this model for many years and I never found another one like it. My father bought it new in 1981 In Edmonton Alberta Canada. It's a 1981 GMC Sierra Grande Gray and black stripes(Photo to follow) Fleetside long box 350 auto interior is bucket and red velour and sun roof. It also came with chrome push bar roll bar and tarp.

I would like to know how many they made? Is it a rare model since I never found another one in the 81+model I did find some 80 and older.

[Chris.S]

The photo First one is when it was new the first winter. The rest is from last summer

[GRADYS Performance]

Most likely the roll bar, push bar, tarp, sunroof and running boards were added after the vehicle left the factory.

[Chris.S]

Yes maybe It was a showroom truck

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Chris.S

I was searching for some information on this model for many years and I never found another one like it. My father bought it new in 1981 In Edmonton Alberta Canada. It's a 1981 GMC Sierra Grande Gray and black stripes(Photo to follow) Fleetside long box 350 auto interior is bucket and red velour and sun roof. It also came with chrome push bar roll bar and tarp.

I would like to know how many they made? Is it a rare model since I never found another one in the 81+model I did find some 80 and older.

Not a factory package.

That's an aftermarket update, like the StarCraft conversions.

K

[Chris.S]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Not a factory package.

That's an aftermarket update, like the StarCraft conversions.

K

OK Nice to know. Do you know what compagnie would have made them?

[cadillac_al]

I like the stripes. I have never seen that design before. I'd say it's a cool truck anyway.

[Chris.S]

Originally Posted by cadillac_al

I like the stripes. I have never seen that design before. I'd say it's a cool truck anyway.

Thanks I never found another one like it. And it looks like nobody else knows anything about those trucks

[GRADYS Performance]

Could have been a one off by a local shop contracted to do the work by the dealer.

[Chris.S]

Originally Posted by GRADYS Performance

Could have been a one off by a local shop contracted to do the work by the dealer.

That's a possibility I will try to rebuild it to its original look. I may take it out of the lumber shed this summer.

[natedogg]

I think what you have is the GMC equivalent to the 1981 Chevrolet Cheyenne package. 81 was last year for the Cheyenne package and 81 was only year that style of emblem was available. The 75-80 Cheyenne emblem was different. No Sierra Grande or Cheyenne for 1982.

[special-K]

That's a conversion, either by a known big company or dealer set-up with a local shop. The big guys would have some sort of label/I.D. What do the seats look like? IIRC buckets were not offered in '81? I could be wrong on that, but they did stop offering them in pickups at some point in the square bodies around then

[Chris.S]

Originally Posted by natedogg

I think what you have is the GMC equivalent to the 1981 Chevrolet Cheyenne package. 81 was last year for the Cheyenne package and 81 was only year that style of emblem was available. The 75-80 Cheyenne emblem was different. No Sierra Grande or Cheyenne for 1982.

Yes I did find that out over the years. I could find some older emblems but not like this one

[Chris.S]

Originally Posted by special-K

That's a conversion, either by a known big company or dealer set-up with a local shop. The big guys would have some sort of label/I.D. What do the seats look like? IIRC buckets were not offered in '81? I could be wrong on that, but they did stop offering them in pickups at some point in the square bodies around then

I don't have any photo of the interior like you see in the photo it's not really accessible and its 12h drive away haha

But I did search in google and the closes one i could find is from a blaser in the photo the center console is definitely the same. That is where I use to sit when i was a kid haha

[Chris.S]

I am trying to track down the dealer

[Chris.S]

So update from my father There was 6 of them at the dealer when he bought it there was some same stripes but black and gray and there was some short box Probably build for the dealer