Where did all the 4x4s go?

[Gander]

I live in the Houston area. Anyone around here can tell you squarebodies have a HUGE fanbase in Houston. There’s car shows specifically for them and even at regular car shows or classic car meetups or whatever there are always tons of squarebodies, (9 out of 10 of which are LS swapped but that’s another story). I go to a meet or two a month and there’s always a TON of squarebodies but very rarely will you ever see a 4x4. I’ve only ever run across one 4x4 pickup at a meet and it was highly modified, LS swapped, the whole deal. It’s a little more common to see a 4x4 Blazer or Suburban but the 2WDs are more common even then.

I was at a big meet last Saturday and parked next to the only other
4x4 there, a jacked-up highly modified Blazer. He got into a conversation on this very subject with someone else walking by. He was saying that he didn’t understand why you never see 4x4s out there at these meets and he didn’t understand why they “don’t get the love” the 2WD trucks do. The guy he was talking to said it’s not about love, but about the fact that there were fewer 4X4 trucks built PLUS they tended to live an even harder life than the regular trucks did so there just aren’t that many out there.

So is that it, is it just that the life of a 4X4 was that much rougher? I’ve had the same thing said to me at a couple of meets, basically “we tore all of them up back in the day”.
I was around back then and have to admit there’s at least a little bit of truth to that but still they used to be everywhere, GM built tons of them.

Anyway, just something 4X4 related I was wondering about.

 

[xm20k]

4x4s were more popular in the very snowy areas like the rust belt and that also may account for a lot of them rusting back into the earth. Not to mention they were used more often as work trucks, off roaders, and on farms so yes, they typically lived a harder life. A lot of the 4x4s around here were converted into plow and tow trucks and were ran into the ground and/or rusted to the point of not being salvageable.

There are so few good condition drivers here that most like myself, buy them from areas where they are more common and cheaper to purchase and ship them in.

 

[Frankenchevy]

Interesting to see 2wd Blazers more commonly that 4wd…

I always thought 2wd Blazers were pretty uncommon.

 

[xm20k]

Interesting to see 2wd Blazers more commonly that 4wd…

I always thought 2wd Blazers were pretty uncommon.

Probably more common in some areas because more survive due to being used more like a station wagon than a work/off road vehicle.

 

[Redfish]

@Gander I am certain that there were a lot fewer 4wd squares than there were 2wds. Back in 1977 when Pop got his and then lifted it a couple inches, that truck was special. It attracted a LOT of attention back then because there just were not very many around.

I see this one every day but the owner is a jacka$$ and treats it like it is still 1987. He uses it for various tasks and even drives it to work sometimes. This one does still have its original TBI 350 and SM465 4speed.

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[nvrenuf]

My bet is it’s because dad’s no longer have squares to give to their kids so you’re seeing them get gmt400’s & 800’s now.

Older people like us still have them but they’re probably being worked on to bring them back to life.

 

[goldpack]

I can't even recall seeing a K5 blazer or a 80s kind of Bronco that was 2wd,....
ultra rare to see a 2wd Ram Chargers yes,...but came originally from someplace else without salted sand.

but anything 1980s if used local from that time,...rusted to death and long long gone...like crushed by 1999.

I would think my own square body was 2wd trailer tower that was parked in winter next to a corvette,.... (previous owner said it had spent a good deal of time in ohio,..
2wd typically turn tighter than 4wd for maneuvering a trailer....
however,...the only suck thing would be turning around where you don't belong like on soft dirt/ mud/ sod... where you need 4wd/AWD to escape.

 

[Gander]

Interesting to see 2wd Blazers more commonly that 4wd…

I always thought 2wd Blazers were pretty uncommon.

Agreed, so did I, but there were 3 2WD Blazers, all 3 slammed to the ground, at this last meet and only that one 4WD Blazer parked next to me, the only other squarebody 4X4 there. I remember back in the day seemed like 90% of Blazers were 4X4, almost never saw a 2WD. Duallys outnumbered us yesterday too, couple of single cab duallys for sure and at least 2 3+3s that I saw. Hell, there were more Mexican C10s, as in the shortbed 4 speed 2WD squarebodies they built in MX until 1991 than there were 4X4s and those used to be so rare no one up here had ever seen one. I counted 3 at the meet yesterday. One parked on the other side of me. 1986 model. Straight 6 carbureted with granny low 4 speed and a SWB with a wood floor.

 

[Turbo4whl]

I see this one every day, but the owner is a jacka$$ and treats it like it is still 1987.

No Andrew, the owner treats it like it was made to used! Now I don't personally know the owner, guess he could be a J******.

 

[goldpack]

Over the years of me watching and reading used ads for pickups and suvs . Dixie states have a whole lot of rwd, that would never be in the north east usa.
I would think that is right on original dealer allotments going back 50 years.
Like if looking for a rwd used yukon xl or suburban, you are going to find no listings in the northeast .... too many muddy slush covered steep driveways and public roads to fight,....
Exacerbated by the giant size and weight.
In dixie... some places flat, where a rwd with a limited slip can thrive most days.... maybe just avoiding where they know to only follow a 4wd with a tow strap.

 

[Redfish]

Over the years of me watching and reading used ads for pickups and suvs . Dixie states have a whole lot of rwd, that would never be in the north east usa.
I would think that is right on original dealer allotments going back 50 years.
Like if looking for a rwd used yukon xl or suburban, you are going to find no listings in the northeast .... too many muddy slush covered steep driveways and public roads to fight,....
Exacerbated by the giant size and weight.
In dixie... some places flat, where a rwd with a limited slip can thrive most days.... maybe just avoiding where they know to only follow a 4wd with a tow strap.

A few years ago my plant, located in south Louisiana, brought a gentleman from Red Deer Canada to help us with some issues. I remember him being astonished when he saw F-250 diesels that were 2wd. He could not believe it. I started pointing out the numerous GM 2wd 2500s and the Dodge 2wds and he could not hide his disbelief. He took pics to send back to his friends in Canada. He did not know they even made 2wd 3/4 tons.

I personally have to have a 4wd, my lifestyle demands it.

 

[bucket]

Growing up in Ohio, the 4x4's were certainly common, but they were far outnumbered by 2wds. Except 2wd K5's, they were rare.

These days it's more of an even mix of 2wd and 4x4.

Also these days, if you see a slammed, 2wd K5, it very likely started life as a 4x4.

 

[Gander]

Growing up in Ohio, the 4x4's were certainly common, but they were far outnumbered by 2wds. Except 2wd K5's, they were rare.

These days it's more of an even mix of 2wd and 4x4.

Also these days, if you see a slammed, 2wd K5, it very likely started life as a 4x4.

I never thought of that but you’re right, it wouldn’t take a whole lot to convert a K5 to 2WD. I didn’t peek inside to see if any of those lowrider Blazers had high hump floorboards.