73-87chevytrucks.com
73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Body, Glass & Paint => Topic started by: ehjorten on November 22, 2016, 11:05:18 am
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So...is it correct to say that the 1988 - 1991 Square Body trucks had GM factory galvanized body panels? I have heard this and want to find a bed for my '77 that has this because they basically don't rust!
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Roughly 1984 and up for the cab floors. I don't think anything else had it.
Chris Lucas
73-87chevytrucks.com
squarebody.biz
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I can confirm 1984 cab floor does
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According to stuff Engineer has posted in the past: "Try finding OE doors, hood, and fenders from a 1988~1991 Blazer or Suburban. They are galvanized and resist rust better than the steel up to 1987." I would think that the 88-91 pickups would have it too.
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Well I parted out a pretty rusty 91 Suburban, door rusted just like any other year. I still have the doors and front fenders in Indiana, I'll give them a looking over and scratch some paint off but what I remember they are just the same run of the mill rust scale as always. I'll be back up there for Christmas
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Hmmm?!
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Everything from my research and info is that the floors were the only galvanized pieces.
Chris Lucas
73-87chevytrucks.com
squarebody.biz
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In the later years they advertised rust warranty for 6 years or 100k and they used a different greyish green primer. Not sure if they galvanized. I guess its irrelevant because if you find good used ones either they are rusty or they aren't.
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have to find pictures of my truck. but my 91 idk if its the cheap paint or what but the hood fenders doors and bed are all peeling and what is left behind is either really good primer or galv.
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My old 88 V10 Blazer had the same peeling paint issue. it was fixed under warranty and then peeled again. Ford had the same issues those years.
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didnt even Chrysler have it also?
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didnt even Chrysler have it also?
They rolled off the line with faded paint and oil leaks.
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So why not make them out of titanium? Super strong, lightweight, impossible to rust. I know, i know....but wouldnt it be awesome? I think some of us would have paid the extra for at least stainless.
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i want to say ive seen one stainless but it would be a pain in the ass to keep it clean or a slight ding would cost a bunch. we do some work on them stainless dump trucks that look pretty
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do you mean the chrome K5?
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might have been, its been years since i saw it (on here i think).
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I have seen '82 model trucks with the cab floor galvanized.
I know for sure starting in 1988 the doors, hoods, fenders, and cowl grille were galvanized. There is a picture in my build thread that documents this. I haven't seen too many 1988 R/V series trucks up close to know exactly what all is galvanized. I worked for a place 20 years ago that had a 1988 R30 Dooley but when it came time to paint it they just wanted it to change color as fast as possible so there was no paint strip to see just how much of it was galvanized.
If the 1988~1991 R/V series truck beds were galvanized they would be worth a small fortune due to their scarcity.
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Adder, (important, please read):
When I stripped my M-1008 bed (circa 1986 MY) to paint for my monster truck (pics coming to my build thread soon) I noticed that there were a couple of the small panels on the front of the bed which were in fact galvanized. The big panel in front is not, nor are the bed sides. The two panels on the front that are galvanized, strangely, are welded to the bedside which, as mentioned before is not galvanized.
However, the large, single sheet that makes the bed floor, and the wheel wells are galvanized. Oddly, the cross members that are welded under the bed floor are not galvanized.
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quarter panels, tail gate and tail gate support rods and latches are galvanized on my 88 crew cab so i would say it's a good bet all 88-91 r/v series body panels were, oh and based on what i saw under the flaking paint on the upper cab between the doors on my parts truck (http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=33645.msg286382#msg286382) i would say the main cab bodies were galvanized as well. Unfortunately i didn't get photos of said exposed galvanization and i no longer have the truck to go and take photos.
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I got a used 88-91 Big Block Radiator Support the other day to replace mine that is broken in spots. The top panel of the rad support is definitely galvanized and the lower panel as well!
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i have a hunch (but no actual evidence) that the 88-91 blazers/suburbans etc. even if they didn't have galvanized panels had at least improved primering and paint technology than say the 73-81 models.
Can't really explain it well in words but i seen too many 90's era gm cars vs. older ones and there's just something different about the paint etc. The paint and shine just lasts longer.