(first posted 10/30/2011) I can’t let the weekend go by without some kind of truck or RV. And this one definitely caught my attention, sitting at an RV dealer in Junction City. It’s not for sale; yet, anyway. But the salesman was willing to take my number (aren’t they always?). This well-pampered 1968 GMC pickup has all of 42k original miles. And the Chinook camper is every bit as pristine.
For an original truck, this is a living time capsule. Who can forget that upholstery, and there’s the vintage CB radio too. Starting in 1967, GMC pickups were made on the same assembly lines as Chevy trucks, and their differences were minute, unlike in previous generations. This one undoubtedly has a V8 backed up by the THM. It could be a 307, 327 or 396. I know which one we’d all like to think it is.
The origins of Chinook go back to the thirties, when the Mair brothers started building little pickup campers. The company eventually became under the control of the Lukeharts, also pioneering RV builders, and finally went belly up in 2006. The Chinook Concourse, like I own, was their signature legacy product, along with the little Toyota pop-up camper that was once so popular.
So what will this rolling time machine fetch? Anybody’s guess, but I suspect it won’t be cheap.
I believe the engine would be under the GMC Emblem. The truck alone would be worth 6 or 7 G at best. The camper would be either a plus in it’s condition or a negative if someone did not want them together.
A beauty for sure not seen in a long time in this condition!
Nice. I’m hoping for a 327, that would be a nice mix of power and mileage.
It wasnt. My best friend Doug had his dads 68 3/4 ton GMC 2wd with 327 when we were in high school ’80-84. FUN truck, mileage stank. One has to remember, however, that 68 was the only year that the 327 got the Quadrajet, and it was the LAST year for a 4 barrel 327. Dougs (dads) truck still had all the paperwork with it, THM400, 4.11 axle was bought new by a Salem boatyard for a shop truck, Keith (dad) bought it in ’71, sold it for $300 in ’86…sigh…
Want badly. Wish I didn’t see it. Mr. Niedermeyer you are a cruel cruel man.
I own this truck now and it will be for sale in the next few days.
Most likely auction sell.
What auction are you going to put it through?
That is sharp. I imagine the camper and truck have been together since the beginning. These make much more sense than the 40′ long mobile billboards more commonly seen today.
I’ll bet that there are a lot of pickup fanciers who would buy the unit, then sell or scrap the camper. That would be a shame. In this economy, I am guessing $7,500 for the pair, and that is pretty much all in the truck.
There is nothing I love more than a pristine, original, unmolested old vehicle. And I love the colors.
That is one cool unit that brings back some memories. A buddy of mine used to borrow his folks ’68 Chevy with a “caveman” brand camper much like this one during hunting season.
With a 327 it had plenty of power for the job, although driving it on the freeway in a crosswind was exciting to say the least. This one looks like it was someone’s pride and joy, it would be a shame to split them up.
“So what will this rolling time machine fetch? Anybody’s guess, but I suspect it won’t be cheap.”
Would you give $10k? I’d have to think about that. If I had it…
Indeed that thing looked brand new. Love the aqua color as well. But someone who loves the truck so much to keep it in that condition for so long isn’t likely to sell it, is he? He’s more likely to be buried in it.
The salesman said it would be for sale soon. He said something about it being involved in a 100th birthday event for Chevrolet (?), and then it was going on the block. I suspect the current owner bought it from the original owner recently, and knows what he has.
That is a great one. Not quite as classic, but this one spotted over at BringATrailer is interesting in its own way… http://bringatrailer.com/category/german/
So as to update us….do you know what happened with this truck and camper?
Has anyone over here in North America seen a Toppola? would love to see an example here – basically it’s a camper that sits in the rear of a Saab hatchback, all I know is it had a queen bed ands insulated for the winter.
Wow, what a looker!!!
Love the mirrors, and the spare mounted on the front. This is nice, in SouthWest Ontario I could see the asking price being over $20,000.
I’ve said it before here, but THATS a truck.
This sort of thing was all over the place in the 60’s-70’s, at least in the Soutwest. I never saw one with a spare on the front though. Probably people were concerned with airflow and cooling.
Our dealership just sold two 1972 C10s. One Cheyenne Super restored to factory specs with all options and the other a Cheyenne that was lowered and had dubs (ralph). Both were white and lovely “ochre” yellow two tone that had been pampered as part of a large (90+) collection of an older gentleman from the Portland area, where we purchased them at auction. Neither had a camper. The stock one sold for $16,000 and the lowered one went for $18,600.
GMC dealership downtown has a nice collection of GMCs from the early 60s till the early 80s. My favorites have thin crome/wood applique rub strips on the doors.
There is still a good chance at that rig having a 305 V6. GMC still had it’s own powerplants up to 72.
The V6 disappeared from the pickup option book with the 1967 makeover.
I remember those well; first because as a kid, I was an avid reader of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics and because later, I a) lived near an owner of a 1968 GMC pickup; b) Had on my paper route an owner of a 1966 Chevy Suburban; c) Did volunteer litter pick-up with my Boy Scout troop, the city lent us a truck, it was a 1966 GMC with the V6; d) Later worked for a small-town DPW which ran Chevrolet trucks exclusively; and had mostly mid-sixties models at that time. So, overall, I had quite a few good looks at both lines, Chevy/GMC, in both eras, pre- and post-1967.
As for the GMC V6: I didn’t know much about engine design; but the idea of a vee-SIX engine intrigued me. This was before I discovered/paid attention to the Jeep V6…which was easy to miss, since neither the Jeepster nor the CJ were big sellers… So I did some reading. Ads, reviews, some light technical stuff that a kid could find. Smokey Yunick’s car-clinic…in P/S…where at least three times, knuckleheads wanted to change out their “oddball” V6s in their used GMCs. And yes, Smokey, in his own inimitable fashion, told them each what they were throwing away and what they themselves were.
General opinion seems to be: The GMC V6 truck engine was a superior product which didn’t find widespread acceptance by individual consumers and small-fleet buyers, because of its unusual, for the time, layout. So by 1967…it was gone from the pickup/one-ton chassis lineup.
Very sad…pathetic, even. That a TRUCK engine couldn’t overcome emotional responses…and that a very-large truck manufacturer couldn’t see the need to educate buyers and fleet managers to overcome it…
Thanks for that! I thought they kept the big 6 all the way to the re-design for 73. For some reason though I remember seeing a great deal of trucks in the TradinTimes advertised as 305 V6 rigs. I always thought they were confusing the 305 SBC for the GMC.
After a quick search I found that the Big 6 was used in medium duty(2500/3500 in todayspeak) trucks through 72. The wiki author may be the same guy that said the Chevelle name died in 1972.
See my correction: According to Wikipedia, the V6 was available if not heavily promoted, through 1970.
My great-grandpa’s ’69 GMC Stepside (in that same color) had the GMC V6. (Oops, looks like this got corrected. But still an interesting data point, I guess.)
Wrong! I have a 69 GMC 2500 owners manual and it lists the 305 V6 as available. Not to mention the You Tube video of the 68 2500 with the V6…
As to this specimen: There was a time, when I’d be going insane with lust. Where I’d be scouring the trade books, or now the Internet, to find out who has it and where. But those times have passed…I know enough about owning a period-pure special-interest vehicle, to know it’s a PITA and, aside from showings, pretty useless as a toy. Always, always…worried about theft; about parking it in public lots; about insurance; about parts.
No…I’ll always love those truck designs (my preference is to the Jimmy/Blazer of the period; after a Jeepster it would be my must-have 4X4) but I’ll pass. Now, if I find one with a non-stock engine; one rebuilt with panels or fiberglass, one that’s a work truck, not a collector’s prize…then, I’d bite.
Here’s a short video of a 68 big 6.
That video didn’t show much – the cameraman working the choke and starter; the tach; the smoky exhaust. Could have been any engine running under there.
A check on Wikipedia says yes, GMC did offer the V6s through 1970. That surprises me, because I know they weren’t advertising them. The badge under the “GMC” simply would say (engine size, and) (six) or (eight).
I always took it to mean they were downplaying the no-longer-vee sixes. Well…they obviously were working up toward that end…
1968 appears to be the last year for the 305 and 351 GMC V6 engine in light-duty pickups. Among other reasons, there’s no doubt that GM had no desire to spend the money to de-smog this one. And with the availability of the 396, plus the 350 within a year or so made it pretty redundant.
I’m going to do a piece on the GMC V6s one of these days.
Look forward to that this is the era of real pickups not the overblown pose queens built nowLove the Holden HK,T,G arm rests Paul GM parts bin strikes again
One more observation: GMC made a big, big deal for a time…about those QUAD HEADLIGHTS on its pickups. An identifier, about what made it “special”…
Okay. I’ll buy that. (Not really.) But let’s try to remember…quad headlight systems were first okayed on street vehicles in 1958 (some 1957 models jumped the gun on the law change). By 1959, just about every newly-designed model had quads…Corvair to Chevrolet/GMC medium trucks…those 2.5-ton hay-wagons with the stake bodies on them. Only the Ford Falcon and the first Lark avoided them…
By 1962, the novelty had worn off and Ford, Dodge, and Chevrolet had reverted to dual headlights. Only the GMC kept them.
And only for nine more years. By 1973, the GMC model had duals…the only difference by that time was the plastic grille and equally-plastic name-badging.
Why is this important? I dunno. For a few years there, GMC was so AGGRESSIVE in promoting their differences…anyone around at the time will remember the in-yer-face grille of the mid-1960s GMCs…their metal beam-grille, the Hollywood “G M C” sign in its mouth…the prominent V6 engine, like no others…and inside of a decade, it all went away.
I thought the GMC still had a V-6 available in those years…but the V-8s were all Chevies. My uncle had a ’68 GMC 1500 with the Chevy 307.
Goal before the snow flies, begin in earnest on my ’68 Chevy C-10. It’s been waiting patiently in the garage since 1996…
That is a real beauty. I’d guess something like $10k for the pair. As others have said it would be a shame to separate them.
The bed and rear talights of that truck probably havent seen the light of day since Nixons first term.
1968.
Tet.
Hippy chicks.
Berkeley Barb “under-ground” newspaper.
Black Panthers.
Forrest Gump spoiling their “party” 🙂
Civil unrest here there over yonder in many locales.
Groovy black light posters.
Vinyl records
Nifty pick-up trucks, so basic in many ways compared to today with all the pluses and minuses that entails.
Nostalgia for some, ancient history to others and a past unimaginable to those with “lower intellects” that every society/culture has in abundance for various reasons.
Oh, I forgot the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and Fat Freddy’s Cat.
Meow.
+1 for the Fabulous furry Freak Brothers! And Fat Freddy’scat? “wait til he puts on his stereo headphones”! I had a ’72 Chevy stripper. 307 and 3 on the tree. A good, genuine truck.
Wasn’t it the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers who said that “dope will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no dope”? Not that I in any way condone the use of illegal drugs; I don’t necessarily condemn the use of illegal drugs either, adults can make their own decisions.
Yes, it was Freewheelin’ Franklin Freak!
I’ve always been a sucker for vintage American pickup trucks. My favourites are the 1968-1972 GMC 2500 and 3500 pickup truck. I have an uncle who had a 1970-1972 GMC truck. I don’t know whether his was a 1500, 2500, or 3500 truck. But I remember its distinctive front grille.
Here is one of the campers for sale as of May 2015 close to where the Chinook Campers were built. On Craigslist Spokane, WA.
I agree, this truck is a time campsule, can’t say that for approx. 95% of ’68 3/4 ton GMC’s out there. Funny nobody has mentioned one of the rarest things of all on this truck, original 16.5″ one piece rims with clips, which allows you to keep the original hubcaps, which this truck definitelystill has.
I have a 1970 GMC 2500, mine has factory original small block 400 4bbl with Turbo 400 tranny. I don’t know if the SB 400 is just a Canadian thing, but it is listed on the glove box decal as original.
Fantastic! I hope the truck and camper are still of a piece–it’s a shame if they were split up.
Needs to be made into a greenlight diecast.
I know that in 1969, the Chevrolet 350 small-block V8 became available in both the Chevy an GMC trucks. That engine lasted all the way into 2002 in the big vans.
Great article and a great find! I’m sure the truck and camper has been sold by now and I hope it is still in primstine condition. I like the 1967-68 optional side chrome trim design and sloped hood better than the 1969-72.
As I recall from the 1968 brochure, the 305 and 351 V-6 were still offered. A peculiarity I remember was the 3/4-ton 4×4 had a 8100 lb max GVW with the 351 V-6 engine whereas the V-8 was 7500 lbs. Also, the 3500 1-ton could be had with the 9-foot Stepside bed but not the Wideside. Wonder why?
The 1968 GMC pickup is special to me for a couple reasons: 1) it was the last new vehicle my dad bought before he died; 2) He drove the truck from Seattle Washington to Alpine Texas and back — for a 9-year-old, lots of good memories of that trip and sentimentality for the truck; and 3) there are a few features in the 1968 that impressed me the last old-fashioned truck for GMC/Chevrolet: hand-operated emergency brake, manual choke, three-spoke steering wheel with horn button in the center, high-beam headlight button on the floor, interior with exposed dash, door, roof metal, vinyl seats, vinyl floor mats and manual ventilator vents. The 1969 was more civilized and carlike, in my opinion.
My dad’s truck was the CS1500 longbed with wood floor, 292 straight 6 with a 4sp manual (nonsynchro low first gear), full gauges. The color was a pale yellow with argent silver-painted grille, bumpers, wheels and hubcaps.
Wish I could find a unmolested stock, basic-trim 1968 GMC longbed (either 1/2-ton or 3/4-ton) with the 292 straight 6 and 4sp manual in as good condition as the subject truck. Most of the ones I find are ’69-and-later shortbeds with V-8 and auto and often customized pimped-out.
That is freekin gorgeous! That color seems to be something common to the era, and that camper just makes it more so. I hope that it does have a 305-351 V6 engine. Those V-6’s had a certain sound to them, not an Inline six sound, and not a V-8 sound either, those of you old enough to remember know what I mean. I love the Ford pickups of the 60’s, but would jump on this in a second! And what ever happened to campers like this? I do not see them around anymore.
I own a very similar ’67 GMC 2500 with the 351 V-6 and a New Process 4 speed. The Chevy straight 6’s were a credit option starting in ’64, but outside of Canada the 283 and 327 V-8’s were added to the GMC pickup line in March of ’67. GMC Suburbans and panels offered the Chevy V-8’s at the start of ’67 model year, but lost the V-6’s. Last year for the 351 was ’68, which was also the first year for the 396. The 305 V-6 was dropped in May of ’69, but the big V-6’s stayed in the medium and heavy duty line until the mid-70’s.
Although I’ve always like the looks of a front mounted spare tire, it has to be one of the dumbest ideas ever. Let’s block the air intake to the radiator, and at the same time load up this heavy camper to drive around during the hottest months of the year.
Front-mounted spare tires worked well with rear-mounted engines, i.e., VW Type 2 Microbuses.
Ooer! Whatta honey of a truck. Really, that’s the only acceptable colour for those ’67-’72 Chevs and GMCs.
That’s a very pretty rig. I wonder how many readers would actually like to routinely drive a combo like this. I had a ’66 F250 Camper Special which had carried a cab over for the prior owner for over 30 years. I got it after they dumped the camper. I thought that it was a very handsome truck, but very basic and “rough” compared to my Dad’s car-like ’75 Chevy short bed. Even if my ’66 would have been a restored example, trucks were different back then.
I went to a vintage camping trailer show a few years back and every one of those beautifully restored trailers were being pulled by modern trucks. I asked one owner why they didn’t have an equally vintage truck. She told me that nostalgia can only count for so much! She wanted all the comforts and reliability in her tow rig,
We had a 67 F250 Camper Special with a Dreamer slide in camper. First year family of SIX did a 2 week trip out to Yellowstone. The camper did not have as much hanging over the cab as this one. The next three trips were three weeks with 5 people and then I was out and the it was four. Seen a lot of the Western US and Western Canada. Unknown to me these trips were a great influence on me. I love road trips, especially out west.
We also used the camper for duck hunting, usually 5 for that. I still own the pickup and the camper is still in the family 50 some years later. Both will probably be going away soon.
One other comment, the braces from the front of the camper that bolt to the fender/cowl area was not a good idea. I saw a few with the braces pulled off the cowl. I don’t know if there was a bad installation or adjustment but there can be an awful lot of movement with that big load on the back.
It’s funny seeing the old comments on pricing. This thing would bring serious money today. My fear would be that the camper is removed and the truck is turned into a restomod brodozer.