C, K, R, V... What Do They Mean?!

[El Camino Man]

Hey guys. Im still new to the square body and Im trying to figure everything out I can!

When I went to register my ttruck, I noticed it was called a R30. I always thought it was a C30? So I went with it. Then I started wondering WHY! I googled it and came up with this:

Chevy C/K Trucks
C-Series Truck = 2 Wheel Drive (1960-2002)

K-Series Truck = 4 Wheel Drive (1960-2000)

C10 = “½ Ton” 2wd (1960-1987)
C20 = “3/4 ton” 2wd (1960-1988)
C30 = “1 Ton” 2wd (1960-1988)

K10 = “½ Ton” 4wd (1960-1987)
K20 = “3/4 ton” 4wd (1960-1988)
K30 = “1 Ton” 4wd (1960-1988)

C1500 = “1/2 Ton” (1988-1999)
C2500 = “3/4 Ton” (1988-2000)
C3500 = “1 Ton” (1988-2002)

K1500 = “1/2 Ton” (1988-1999)
K2500 = “3/4 Ton” (1988-2000)
K3500 = “1 Ton” (1988-2000)

Chevy R/V Trucks
R-Series Truck = 2 Wheel Drive (1987-1991)

V-Series Truck = 4 Wheel Drive (1987-1991)

R10 = “½ Ton” 2wd (1987-1988)
R20 = “3/4 ton” 2wd (1987-1988)
R30 = “1 Ton” 2wd (1987-1988)

V10 = “½ Ton” 4wd (1987-1988)
V20 = “3/4 ton” 4wd (1987-1988)
V30 = “1 Ton” 4wd (1987-1988)

R1500 = “1/2 Ton” ( Didn’t Exist!?)
R2500 = “3/4 Ton” (1989)
R3500 = “1 Ton” (1989-1991)

V1500 = “1/2 Ton” (Didn’t Exist!?)
V2500 = “3/4 Ton” (1989)
V3500 = “1 Ton” (1988-1991)

(Courtesy of 1Aauto.com)

This answered a few questions but not all. The Cs and Ks named trucks from 1960-2002, so why did they go off on a tangent from 1987-91 and give them names like R and V?

Thanks guys!

 

[Mattchu60]

I think the renaming in 87' from C-R and K-V was to make those designations available for the GMT400 trucks which came out in 88'. That is my theory anyways.

 

[chubble]

Yes, it makes it pretty confusing and difficult and I have argued with several Parts counter guys because mine is an 87 and falls into the V10 category on this technicality but I will always consider it to be a K10 because it is a square body and not a GMT400.

 

[bucket]

I think originally GM planned to introduce the GMT 400 trucks for the '87 model year, which is why the R/V thing started in '87. Ever notice that GMT 400 tailights have an '87 DOT stamp?

Then in '89, they updated the trim on the R/V series (styled like the new body trucks) so they started the 1500/2500/3500 thing then along with the updated trim.

 

[El Camino Man]

So why didn't they carry the R and V into the GMT400 generation lol.

 

[Mattchu60]

They didnt carry them in because they wanted to keep using the c/k lettering. The R/V was because some squares were made at the same time as the GMT400 trucks. Like the Blazers/Suburbans/Crew Cabs. I think they all went to 1991. The GMT400 was to carry on the C/K designation, but they couldnt use that naming with a different (the old) bodystyle, so they were called R/V.

There was overlap in the lines, so the old line got renamed while the new line carried on with the C/K into the future. It made sense to do it that way.

 

[chengny]

FWIW:

Alphabet Soup

While the text above provides a reasonably accurate list of changes in the Chevy truck lineup over the years, the GM model numbers can be very confusing, so I'd like to focus briefly on the 1973-1991 trucks. Note that Chevy's part numbers may look like CC12345 or CK98765; I drop the initial "C" and focus only on the second letter as a model differentiator.

For 1973-1987, any 2WD full-size truck would be a C-series. K-series trucks are the four-wheel drive versions.

1/2-ton capacity trucks, including pickups, the Blazer / Jimmy, and Suburbans, are model 10, so a C-10 Suburban is a 2WD, 1/2 ton. Using this system, a 4WD Blazer is a "K-10" (even Chevy's paperwork calls them this) and not the "K-5" on the badge.

3/4-ton trucks (pickups and Suburbans) are model 20, and the 1-ton pickups are model 30. A K/20 pickup, for instance, is a four-wheel drive 3/4 ton.

In the split years of 1988-1991, things unfortunately get a little weirder. 1/2 ton trucks are now 1500 models, 3/4 tons are tagged as 2500 and the 1-tons are 3500. (Note that GMC started this in the late 70's, but Chevy took a few years to change over.) However, the 2WD/4WD designator depends on body style.

The new body style (regular and extended cab pickups) keep the "C" and "K" designation, so a K1500 in these years is 4WD with the IFS. The old body style (the Blazer/Jimmy, Suburban and crew-cab pickups) have an interim "R" and "V" designation (for two- and four wheel respectively.) A 3/4-ton Suburban is therefore a V-2500 and has a very solid front axle.

Therefore, those of us with these inbetween trucks must be careful to specify "I have an R/V truck and not a pickup" when obtaining parts. I had a devil of a time finding a front receiver hitch for a 1990 Suburban because folks assume (incorrectly) that parts for a 1990 pickup would fit. It may be easier to verify that parts would fit a pre-1988 pickup (old body style) as well as your later-model vehicle.

On the baby Blazer side, these trucks were often sold as "S-10 Blazer" or "S-15 Jimmy". Note that the S-10/15 desgination only applies to 2WD versions; 4WD versions were actually coded as T-10/15. Hats off to the General for making things unclear as always.

 

[roadwolf]

and to complete this strange naming, the checy squares weight capacities were designated by the figure 10,20,30 whereas gmc used 1500,2500,3500.

a chevy k20 silverado* is the conterpart of the gmc 1500 sierra grande or high sierra depending on the year for the trim level .

*the trim level silverado of the square body, was re-used as the commercial name of the truck by chevy starting from 1999.