1973 cheyenne 454- need help!

[troutbubbles]

Ok so I recently acquired a 1973 Cheyenne crew cab 454 from my family. I am trying to find out as much information as possible on this particular model and so far have had very little luck!
What I know:
454, Edlebrock carburetor
factory A/C
4x2
crew cab, and I believe it's a long bed too?

Anyway I could really use some help with identifying exactly what this truck is and if anyone else owns or has even heard of such a huge truck before. I believe it is the "camper" edition based on the mirrors it has, but am brand new to the whole classic chevy truck world so any information would be greatly appreciated!!

[Corts60]

Welcome Aboard!

That is a really clean looking truck. Well, you know it is a 4x2 and the 20 on the fender badge will tell you it's a 3/4 ton.

go to LMCtrucks website and look in their truck catalog to get the VIN breakdown and use it with your VIN. You can see exactly what engine it had from the factory and where it was assembled. Any other info you want to find out, look and see if there is a S.P.I.D. label in the glovebox. That will give you everything else you need to know. Good luck!

[N2TRUX]

Welcome to the forum troutbubbles. I'm not sure what your looking for, so let me offer what I can tell from the pics.

You have a very clean long wheel base Cheyenne Super truck. As Corts60 said if that badge on the fender says C-20 then it is a 3/4 ton which equates to a 2500 by todays designation. If it were a C-30 that would be a 1 ton or 3500 series today.

Based on the mirrors, attachment points on the bedside, and it appears the tailgate is missing I would surmise this was used with a large slide in style camper. Considering the condition from the pics I will guess that has has been stored inside or protected from the elements.

So what you have is a big truck. It appears to be in good condition and has great potential to be used for what ever your needs may be.

[Eyegore]

Nice truck in such good condition. What is the 4 rectangle things on the bed, 2 on each side. Are they the hold down connectors for the camper?

[75gmc454]

Great looking truck. The service parts identificaton sticker on a 73 should be on the drivers side fender well. All of the info will be on it.

[troutbubbles]

Thank you! I was pretty sure I had a great find on my hands, I put a new carburetor on it as it had been running with a Carter AFB and was really running horribly. The rectangular pieces on the sides are certainly for strapping on a bed camper, which is exactly how it was used prior to me taking it. Unfortunately, the tailgate is long gone, and so far have been unable to find one in the correct color to take its place.

I really appreciate all the feedback for finding out more about my truck "Sherman," I will have to see what else I can learn. I have never seen one like it, are they quite rare? I feel very lucky to have come across such a clean truck, that is very clean, inside and out.

[Telecasterjoey]

You'll probably have a hell of a time tracking down the right colour tailgate! really nice looking truck you've got there. Do you have any interior pics?

[troutbubbles]

Originally Posted by Telecasterjoey

You'll probably have a hell of a time tracking down the right colour tailgate! really nice looking truck you've got there. Do you have any interior pics?

yes thank you! It's been nothing short of luck to get my hands on it in such well kept condition! The tailgate has been ever-elusive, and I decided it probably looks better this way than with an odd colour tailgate.
It has a stock 454 engine in it, which of course means it's a real pig with fuel economy. I think it currently averages about 7 MPG, would love to know if there is a way to improve on that!

[troutbubbles]

Also, the back seat is a major bummer. Wish I could say that it isn't as hideous as the picture makes it out to be, but it is.

[Vixvega]

Must have been a BIG dog that rode in that back seat...... Sweet truck!

[troutbubbles]

What is the maximum fuel economy that I could hope to get from this truck? It's a 454 with and Edelbrock 4 barrel carburetor. Currently averages around 7 MPG.

[C-10 simplex]

As far as MPG, the first thing to do is to verify speedometer and odometer accuracy by matching it with the mile markers on the highway.

Try that, then report back.

[Zane M]

Great truck, congratulations!

You might be able to squeeze 10 MPG out of it if the moon, stars, and the planets are all in alignment.

Just the nature of a big block, heavy truck.

[troutbubbles]

I will have to check back for the odometer, I know the speedometer is about 5 miles off, it runs roughly 5 mph faster than the speedometer says

[troutbubbles]

Originally Posted by Zane M

Great truck, congratulations!

You might be able to squeeze 10 MPG out of it if the moon, stars, and the planets are all in alignment.

Just the nature of a big block, heavy truck.

haha so true! I know I have seen it do far worse than 7, when it needed a tune up. So I count myself lucky to do as well as I am with it. And thank you! It's been in my family a long time and there's a lot of memories here, so it's nice to have rescued it from being taken to the junk yard and returned it to it's enormous glory.

[74 stepside]

Cheyenne Super was top optioned trucks until 1974. Ck inside the glovebox for the info sticker. More than likely that is a camper special. Which would include heavy duty springs, trans cooler, etc. Those door panels are awesome. The only ones that arent reproduced. Beautiful truck.

[troutbubbles]

Originally Posted by 74 stepside

Cheyenne Super was top optioned trucks until 1974. Ck inside the glovebox for the info sticker. More than likely that is a camper special. Which would include heavy duty springs, trans cooler, etc. Those door panels are awesome. The only ones that arent reproduced. Beautiful truck.

I believe it is the Camper Special, It also has the tie downs for campers on the sides of the bed. Another bonus, was to discover that it has a stock 5th wheel hitch in the bottom of the bed!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by troutbubbles

I believe it is the Camper Special, It also has the tie downs for campers on the sides of the bed. Another bonus, was to discover that it has a stock 5th wheel hitch in the bottom of the bed!

Just so you know those are not a part of the Camper Special options. The tie downs were either installed by the dealer, or where ever the camper was installed.

Thats odd that it has all the signs of a slide in camper, yet has a 5th wheel hitch too. Looks like it served a dual purpose life.

[troutbubbles]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Just so you know those are not a part of the Camper Special options. The tie downs were either installed by the dealer, or where ever the camper was installed.

Thats odd that it has all the signs of a slide in camper, yet has a 5th wheel hitch too. Looks like it served a dual purpose life.

You're probably exactly right. My parents bought it in 1996 and it already had all of those things, we always used it for a slide in camper, and later, a pull behind with the bumper hitch. It seems to have a little bit of everything