Chevy 4×4 History

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The Chevrolet 4x4 has been around for quite a while and is definitely one of the most iconic vehicles in American culture. There is not a Chevrolet pickup or SUV that has been made of which there are not ample examples of lifted off roaders all over the place. Four inch lifts and 32 inch tires are just not terribly uncommon in the United States, especially in the South, and these trucks may or may not ever actually be taken off the road. Don't ever mention that to their owners, though. You can call it a 4x4 or you can call it a show truck, but don't ever suggest it wouldn't make it through the mud. That might cause a fight.

Although the first Chevrolet Pickup came onto the scene way back in 1918 as a modified version of a passenger car, it wasn't until 1951 that the first four wheel pickup hit the road, and even it was an aftermarket kit installed by NAPCO. Chevy just did not seem to see their truck as just a worker, even back then, choosing instead to concentrate on reasonably fast, road worthy models. Many manufacturers beat them to the punch with four wheel drive trucks, including Dodge, Jeep, and Toyota, while GM did not build their first four wheel drive pickup until 1957.

1968 saw the first Chevrolet Blazer 4x4 in the form of the 1969 model. With features such as air conditioning, power steering, and power brakes, it was a four wheel drive vehicle that anyone could hop in and drive. Well, as long as they didn't mind the fact that it was fairly monstrous.

It wasn't until the late 1970's that lifted 4x4s became popular with the first being Bob Chandler's Bigfoot in 1974. This was the beginning of the whole “big truck” competition, and saw pickup and SUV owners all over the United States putting lift kits and enormous tires on otherwise unassuming trucks. Of course, by now, people were grabbing pickups of all year models and aftermarket companies were producing lift kits to jack up pretty much anything that could be referred to as a truck.

Nowadays, most pickup owners probably harbor some dream of either raising or lowering their pickup, and those with jacked up 4x4s tend to look down upon (literally) those with lowered trucks in disdain. After all, it's not a real truck if it has to slow down for a speed bump, is it?

4x4 Chevy History Articles

	Chevrolet Apache Pickup The Chevrolet Apache pickup is of the age of pickups that I have only known as history. Having seen less than a hundred of them in my life, and the vast majority of those having been at car shows or cruise nights, I suppose I forget that these were originally meant to be work trucks.
	4x4 Chevy Cheyenne When many people mention the Chevy Cheyenne, they could be referring to just about any Chevrolet pickup. A lot of folks out there seem to think that "Cheyenne" is the name for any Chevy full-size pickup, but that is just untrue. The label "Cheyenne" actually refers to a trim package of the Chevrolet C/K, nothing more, nothing less.
	Chevrolet C-10 The Chevrolet C10 could be referring to a lot of different trucks, depending on who is talking. Technically, however, the C10 was the shortbed version of the original halfton Chevy C/K made, beginning in 1960. These are the earliest Chevrolet trucks that I have personally seen many of modified, including lift kits, engine modifications, or just killer paint jobs. At nearly 50 years old, it is truly amazing how many of these are still on the road – and, in my opinion, they are still some of the best looking trucks out there.

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