Is the side door missing here (and on 1st gen minivans) for financial, structural, and/or child-safety reasons? Or one reason publicized as another? Much later, there was a two door Tahoe that looked like a long bed Blazer.
One other possible reason for the missing 4th door – that was the way they had always been. Given the panel truck roots of these, that 3rd door was probably seen as a big bonus when it was added (as opposed to something like the Dodge Town Wagon that was strictly a 2 door). Maybe, just like the minivans, nobody at GM thought a 4th door was something that anyone cared about.
I went to summer day camp in 69 while my older brother went to Woodstock.
They had a fleet of Suburbans going back a few generations.
They had that school bus door handle thing for the driver to remotely
open the curb side door. They all had three-on-the-tree transmissions,
no power anything and no street side passenger doors. Likely the poverty spec
special for a typical 60’s camp owner.
I remember my counselor bitching about steering that thing when it was
filled with kids.
The 3rd door was finally introduced for this body style, previous Suburbans only has the 2 front doors. I’m told the lack of a 4th door was both as a cost cutting measure, and the public had not been clamoring for it like they did for the 3rd door.
There are very few paint colors that would make me think really hard about not buying a vehicle that is in all other ways a reasonable combination of price and condition. This might be one of them.
Otherwise, I like these more every year. I would still choose a Travelall (if given the choice) but I like these a lot, even despite the odd 3 door arrangement.
Well, hello Sunshine! Love some of these bright 1970s colors – what a contrast to the grayscale automotive world we live in today!
I also remember these three-door Suburbans from well from summer camp in the early 1970s. I actually liked sitting behind the driver, because it provided a secure spot from which to defend myself from the two or three other kids in the seat who would always end up pushing, shoving, and fooling around.
This 3 door model was produced from 1967-1972…..Prior to 1967, these came with 2 doors only( plus two rear opening doors) and were also known as ‘carryalls.My Dad was considering factory ordering a ’72 Suburban back in the day until he found out that the upcoming 73’s were an all new bodystyle so he ended up waiting a bit and factory ordered a lime green with woodgrain Cheyenne Super ’73 C10 Suburban.
The 2 door Tahoe was basically a renamed full size Blazer.
The full size Blazer was introduced in 1969 and was produced through the 1994 model year until it was renamed Tahoe in 1995 and remained in production through 1999..
The 4 door Tahoe was introduced in 1995 and is still in production…..The GMC version of the full size Blazer was called the Jimmy and was introduced in the late 1960’s and ran until 1994 when it was renamed the Yukon in 1995……The Yukon also became available in 2 door and 4 door models until the 2 door was dropped in the late 1990’s.
And the ’95-99 4-door Tahoe/Yukon also has a predecessor of sorts in the pre-’67 Suburbans, since, like the Tahoe, they were built on the same WB as the short bed pickup.
Oh, yeah ~ they used the 1967 long bed C10 panel trucks as B-Wagons (carry drunks) for a ling time .
There was also a ?1968? Dodge 1/2 ton panel truck assigned to the Van Nuys station as a parts runner, my old boss had it for his shop truck, the Mechanics took pity on him and swapped the A/C out of a crashed Metro ca, under the hood it was all bolt up .
“Suburban” was originally a generic word for this form of body style, much like “station wagon,” “carryall,” or “estate.” Some states like New York and Pennsylvania issued special license plates to “suburbans”…again, with a small “s.”
And that makes me wonder: At what point did “Suburban” cease being generic, and start being a “real” nameplate? When did “a Chevrolet C10 or C20 truck with a suburban (as opposed to pickup) body” morph into being “a Chevrolet Suburban?” 1973? I think that was the first year they actually put a “Suburban” nameplate on the back…
in 1949 my late stepfather Lawrence bought a brand new Plymouth Suburban station wagon to haul his sail boat sails in, he kept it until 1965 when it was too rusty to pass annual inspection, he bought the biggest Plymouth station wagon he could in ’65, it had a slant 6 of course….
That Suburban in exact colour scheme was the school bus that I rode for five months in Dallas during the spring of 1975. I did write a comment in that article about my experience with the Suburban school bus.
In the early 70s my school district still had some actual Suburban school buses which had single seats on either side of a center aisle, steps in place of the right front seat and a remote lever for the door. They were definitely the 67-72 body style but may have been built on the even rarer 2 door panel truck body. These were being used as backups for the Dodge Tradesman based conversions that had taken over the low volume bus rouyes.
Is there a CC on why bright or off-beat colors have all but disappeared? Now they scream “Ticket me!” because they’re so rare.
I’m sure manufacturers like fewer choices, and dealers are risk-averse, but why did blue fall from favor?
Is the side door missing here (and on 1st gen minivans) for financial, structural, and/or child-safety reasons? Or one reason publicized as another? Much later, there was a two door Tahoe that looked like a long bed Blazer.
I believe these had knit vinyl upholstery.
One other possible reason for the missing 4th door – that was the way they had always been. Given the panel truck roots of these, that 3rd door was probably seen as a big bonus when it was added (as opposed to something like the Dodge Town Wagon that was strictly a 2 door). Maybe, just like the minivans, nobody at GM thought a 4th door was something that anyone cared about.
How long until the manufacturers realize that on a large SUV people would probably appreciate and pay for six doors?
You heard it here first (maybe).
They were doing what IH had done, just 10 years later. GM did improve on it by putting the Suburban on the same WB as the long bed pickup.
I went to summer day camp in 69 while my older brother went to Woodstock.
They had a fleet of Suburbans going back a few generations.
They had that school bus door handle thing for the driver to remotely
open the curb side door. They all had three-on-the-tree transmissions,
no power anything and no street side passenger doors. Likely the poverty spec
special for a typical 60’s camp owner.
I remember my counselor bitching about steering that thing when it was
filled with kids.
The 3rd door was finally introduced for this body style, previous Suburbans only has the 2 front doors. I’m told the lack of a 4th door was both as a cost cutting measure, and the public had not been clamoring for it like they did for the 3rd door.
There are very few paint colors that would make me think really hard about not buying a vehicle that is in all other ways a reasonable combination of price and condition. This might be one of them.
Otherwise, I like these more every year. I would still choose a Travelall (if given the choice) but I like these a lot, even despite the odd 3 door arrangement.
This is a rare 3 door Suburban. The ochre color is polarizing but put me firmly in the camp of loving it. It’s a great period color.
Well, hello Sunshine! Love some of these bright 1970s colors – what a contrast to the grayscale automotive world we live in today!
I also remember these three-door Suburbans from well from summer camp in the early 1970s. I actually liked sitting behind the driver, because it provided a secure spot from which to defend myself from the two or three other kids in the seat who would always end up pushing, shoving, and fooling around.
This 3 door model was produced from 1967-1972…..Prior to 1967, these came with 2 doors only( plus two rear opening doors) and were also known as ‘carryalls.My Dad was considering factory ordering a ’72 Suburban back in the day until he found out that the upcoming 73’s were an all new bodystyle so he ended up waiting a bit and factory ordered a lime green with woodgrain Cheyenne Super ’73 C10 Suburban.
Similarly my ’99 Silverado extended cab has three doors, my 2001 has four.
The 2 door Tahoe was basically a renamed full size Blazer.
The full size Blazer was introduced in 1969 and was produced through the 1994 model year until it was renamed Tahoe in 1995 and remained in production through 1999..
The 4 door Tahoe was introduced in 1995 and is still in production…..The GMC version of the full size Blazer was called the Jimmy and was introduced in the late 1960’s and ran until 1994 when it was renamed the Yukon in 1995……The Yukon also became available in 2 door and 4 door models until the 2 door was dropped in the late 1990’s.
And the ’95-99 4-door Tahoe/Yukon also has a predecessor of sorts in the pre-’67 Suburbans, since, like the Tahoe, they were built on the same WB as the short bed pickup.
A nice old truck .
I like the yellow ochre color .
The L.A.P.D. had quite a few dark blue Suburbans, the few 67’s were all 250 i6 powered .
The 1970’s were almost all four door .
They remained in service until 2001 or so .
-Nate
I remember those. L.A.P.D. had a few ’67 panels as well.
Oh, yeah ~ they used the 1967 long bed C10 panel trucks as B-Wagons (carry drunks) for a ling time .
There was also a ?1968? Dodge 1/2 ton panel truck assigned to the Van Nuys station as a parts runner, my old boss had it for his shop truck, the Mechanics took pity on him and swapped the A/C out of a crashed Metro ca, under the hood it was all bolt up .
There were quite a few older oddballs .
-Nate
“Suburban” was originally a generic word for this form of body style, much like “station wagon,” “carryall,” or “estate.” Some states like New York and Pennsylvania issued special license plates to “suburbans”…again, with a small “s.”
And that makes me wonder: At what point did “Suburban” cease being generic, and start being a “real” nameplate? When did “a Chevrolet C10 or C20 truck with a suburban (as opposed to pickup) body” morph into being “a Chevrolet Suburban?” 1973? I think that was the first year they actually put a “Suburban” nameplate on the back…
I still have the final NYS registration papers from 1984 for my 1972 Gran Torino wagon. The body style is listed as “SUBN”.
Good question. Here, let me throw this into the cauldron.
Thanx Mr. Stern ;
in 1949 my late stepfather Lawrence bought a brand new Plymouth Suburban station wagon to haul his sail boat sails in, he kept it until 1965 when it was too rusty to pass annual inspection, he bought the biggest Plymouth station wagon he could in ’65, it had a slant 6 of course….
-Nate
A 3/4 ton C20 at that. Probably bought to haul a big Airstream trailer.
Love that color.
Isn’t that the same Suburban profiled in this article three years ago?
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake/cc-outtake-three-door-suburban-hit-a-pole/
That Suburban in exact colour scheme was the school bus that I rode for five months in Dallas during the spring of 1975. I did write a comment in that article about my experience with the Suburban school bus.
No. That one was in Oregon. The odds of it moving to Arizona and Jim shooting it would be astronomic. But then the CC Effect is very powerful.
That one has a white lower stripe and the mirrors are different. Just two people with the same taste in colors and trucks…
In the early 70s my school district still had some actual Suburban school buses which had single seats on either side of a center aisle, steps in place of the right front seat and a remote lever for the door. They were definitely the 67-72 body style but may have been built on the even rarer 2 door panel truck body. These were being used as backups for the Dodge Tradesman based conversions that had taken over the low volume bus rouyes.
Is there a CC on why bright or off-beat colors have all but disappeared? Now they scream “Ticket me!” because they’re so rare.
I’m sure manufacturers like fewer choices, and dealers are risk-averse, but why did blue fall from favor?
On that subject, I saw one of these today.
Reminds me of the colour of Toronto police cars up to the mid 80s, but I am somewhat colour blind, so it might not be a close match.