Meaning of "Bonus Cab" in 1985

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Old77

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Greetings guys, I'm new to the site and to GM in general. I just picked up this clean 85 Bonus Cab dually 3500, and though it has a few problems which I'll post about in a different thread, there's one thing I'm a little confused about.

What exactly is a "Bonus Cab?" I've read that it's basically a Crew Cab with the back seat deleted and converted into lockable storage, however this truck has a bench seat in the back. It's hard to find much of anything on trucks with these "Bonus Cab" badges, although I have heard they were popular with customization businesses.

I've got no paperwork to go on except a title. Any idea how many of these Bonus Cabs were made? Where should I go to find information like that?

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Glad you made it over :handshake: I’m the guy on GMFS who referred you to this sit :High 5:
 

gotyourgoat

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That's the factory location, on the style line.
Fair enough. Not sure I've even seen that emblem before.

His sits above the line though. At least from that pic. The line is hitting the bottom of the B.
 
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Shorty81

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Welcome from the Buckeye State. Nice truck !!!
 

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from that angle it makes more sense. it has that filler piece on the top. from the original picture, it looked as if the top half was sticking out away from the body.
 

Doppleganger

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Like these? I love these things but am kind of selfish with my 8 feet of bed.

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OsmiumTetroxide

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Thanks for all the well wishes guys!

It has some engine issues that I'm still trying to figure out, but I drove the 30 miles all the way home. I'll probably make a post about the motor problems soon.

That being said, gotyourgoat mentioned that it looked like a Choo Choo Customs interior. I think he was right on the money. Here are some pictures I found of an 86 Chevy C30 done up by Choo Choo Customs.

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http://topclassiccarsforsale.com/ch...-1-ton-dually-choo-choo-customs-interior.html


Exact same wood door paneling! I wish I had those wooden dome light covers though.

Kind of crazy, but this truck's original auction listing shows up as the second google image result when I search for "GMC 'Bonus Cab'"
 

OsmiumTetroxide

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If you don't believe me, here's a screenshot...

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Big Chip

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Bonus cabs were delivered with no back seat. There’s a video from GM someplace on this site that mentions it and shows one. They weren’t made specifically for aftermarket conversion companies.
 

gotyourgoat

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If you don't believe me, here's a screenshot...

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Hey, you're famous. Or at least your truck is..

Can you confirm the placement of that emblem? The pic you posted makes the emblem look like it sits part way above the body line.
 
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Craig 85

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Here's some pictures of an emblem. I think placement becomes self evident based on the lip at the top.

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shiftpro

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Naw, IMO, old Chevys don't look right with extended cab.
Unless it's a crew cab... in '78 or so I thought the crew cabs were ugly and awkward... my how times that change, change us..
 

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