Do I have a frankencar??

[Kcenderjim]

I recently purchased what is titled a 1971 C10.
1) it has a '70 grille.
2) I'm having some electrical issues and it seems the only fuse box I have been able to match to mine is a '72.

Wondering if anyone might be able to help clear this up....

[jocko]

Welcome, recommend post your VIN and SPID (sheet pasted in the glovebox).
69-72 grilles are relatively interchangeable, so could be any of those years.

If your VIN starts with "CC" (and is of the 67-72 era), it will be a 72 and the 6th character will be a 2 (CCE142...)

If your VIN starts with a single "C" (and is of the 67-72 era), it will be a 67-71, with the 5th character indicating the second digit of the two digit year (CE141 if your C10 is a 71, CE140 if your C10 is a 70).

(the "E" will be an "S" if your truck originally had a 6 cylinder engine)

[rockyrivermark]

Also check the ID plate inside the drivers door jamb. Should have rosette style rivets
Possibly someone swapped cab or just that plate

[Kcenderjim]

I have done the vin lookup and it comes up a '71. Just puzzled that nothing adds up to a '71. I have also looked for the paper in the glovebox but it's either been removed or a new insert was put in.

[jocko]

Then you at least know it's a 71 cab as long as it has undisturbed rosette rivets still in place. It's just likely that it has a 69-70 grille from a po. Is the inset 69 or 70 (outer is the same, inset is different between 69 and 70, if original). If you'd like to learn a little more about the truck, you could find the frame VIN and see if the last 6 or so characters match the metal VIN tag on the cab. It's usually located on the driver's side frame rail in the vicinity of the power steering pump or thereabouts. It's only a partial VIN, but it would match the last 6 digits of the cab if they are original. Also, does your truck have disk brakes up front? That' another indication it's truly a 71 (though they can easily be swapped onto earlier trucks). If your VIN says 71, and you have disk brakes, and it "looks" original, I think you can safely assume someone just stuck a 69/70 grille on your 71.

[rockyrivermark]

Possibly an early 1971 that they used a '70 grille one.
Lady at my work had a 71 with 70 grille at my work years ago. Was all original.
Then used 71-72 wiring harness.
Just a possibility.