IMPERFECT PERFECTION
CAN YOU IMAGINE BEING involved with the first K5 Blazer design and build? Or the release of 1973 Chevrolet C-series trucks? My friend Mr. Paul Hitch was the chief engineer for Chevrolet Trucks from 1965 to 1976—and he gave us the lowdown.
I had the honor of interviewing him about his tenure with Chevrolet (1935-1978) and the time he spent engineering Chevrolet trucks during the C10 era, and he said one of his biggest accomplishments was the completely redesigned 1973 C10. The truck was to be originally released to the world in 1972, but because of time delays they pushed the “Squarebody,” as we know it now, back until 1973.
Think about that. The 1972 Squarebody. Or the ’67-’71 era. They just don’t sound right at all, do they? Nope, things happened the way they did, and it’s funny to think of them—or want them— any other way.
All of our trucks have their flaws. Cabs smell like gas. Rockers rust. Hoods crease … I can go on and on. Just like you and me, these trucks weren’t perfect, but their imperfections evolved into legend. Without the “stories” of exploding saddle tanks, folding hoods and frames that crack by the steering box, what would we talk about?
How about the funniest one for you squarebody guys—that damn glovebox ghost! As a kid, that thing would randomly just “plop” open and bounce a time or two, scaring the crap out of me. You just gotta laugh at that nowadays.
If we could go back and have a meeting with Paul and his team, what would we tell them? OK, fellas, we have a few things we need you to fix:
Please make it so the battery tray acid has a path to travel, so it doesn’t just sit on the inside of the fender. Please design all cabs with big back windows. Please make steering wheels that don’t melt in the sun and dash pads that don’t crack like the Grand Canyon.
You can meet a total stranger and they’ll say, “I remember my dad’s old truck. He would have to pump that thing 20 times before it would start,” or “My dad would have to get under his truck and hit the starter with a hammer five times, before it would start.” The list goes on, but it’s just another bond of loving these old trucks.
We can’t go back and tell the engineers what to fix, but would we? Nah. That would take the fun out of it.
Chevy runs deep, whether you’re a 102-year-old former chief engineer or the proud new owner of your first C10 about to learn about rusty rockers, smelly cabs and steering wheels that melt. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.