May/June 2026 Vintage Truck
/The May/June 2026 issue of the magazine is available in our gift shop now and will be available on newsstands soon. The cover features Howell Fowler’s 1969 GMC Fenderside. Check out the cover story by Daniel Perkins, Photos by Brad Bowling.
Cover Story | 1969 GMC Fenderside
Low on Miles, Big on Smiles!
Howell Fowler’s 1969 GMC Fenderside represents the final years that General Motors Truck & Coach produced something unique!
Story by Daniel Perkins, Photos by Brad Bowling
The explanations of how GMC trucks differ from their Chevrolet siblings are so numerous they could fill a whole issue of Vintage Truck. During the era of the GMT400 models of the early 1990s, conventional wisdom was that “a GMC is a Chevrolet with lock washers on all the bolts.” Indeed, by that decade, GMC was nothing more than a badge-engineered item shared with Chevrolet. It was every bit as good as a Chevrolet because it was a Chevrolet.
This evolution to identical twin status is a far cry from the golden era when truck manufacturers saw it as a personal challenge to one-up the competition—even if the competitor lived under the same corporate umbrella. The General Motors Truck & Coach division, otherwise known as GMC, took pride in making a next-level, heavy-duty product above other manufacturers, including the in-house Chevrolet gang. It was that upgraded GMC character that caught the attention of both owners of the 1969 GMC C-1500 you see here.
Discerning customers
Not only did the 1960s produce massive changes in trucks—it affected the truck customer, as well. The number of American households making between $10,000 and $15,000 annually (about $104,000 and $156,000 in today’s buying power) quadrupled in the 1960s. This meant disposable income for many families. With this larger household budget, many families bought a second vehicle, with some 70 percent of those purchases being trucks.
The requests of these first-time pickup and SUV owners brought about more comfortable suspensions and options lists that now fill books versus a single page, much to the delight of sales staff everywhere. This was the market that Chevrolet was tailoring its smooth-riding, luxuriously trimmed trucks to please.
One specific type of buyer, however, remained unimpressed: the old-school truck customer!
This was a buyer who looked hard at the bottom line when it came to a truck. A customer who believed that a loss in operating economy would be valid only if the payload increase justified it. A customer who wanted a heavy-duty truck first and comfort second. These customers probably spent more time operating equipment from Caterpillar, Euclid, Mack, and Autocar than General Motors.
Such was the GMC customer.
We would love to get a copy of the May/June 2026 issue of Vintage Truck magazine in your hands! 10 pages of GMC goodness and so much more is waiting for you!
Fields & Fenders Subscribers:
Did you spot the correct color or did we stump you? Send us your comments!
Articles in this issue include:
FEATURES
Yes, Like the Band
Ted and Mary Stahl’s 1936 REO Speed Wagon is the elegant result of leftover luxury car bodies!
Story by Jim Volgarino, Photos by Al RogersLow on Miles, Big on Smiles!
Howell Fowler’s 1969 GMC Fenderside represents the final years that General Motors Truck & Coach produced something unique!
Story by Daniel Perkins, Photos by Brad BowlingA “Kangaroo Chaser” for Us Yanks
Jim Clare’s 1960 Ford Falcon Ranchero was an elegant execution of a Down Under idea!
Story by Robert Gabrick, Photos by Eric Neurath
DEPARTMENTS
Letter from the Editor
Letters to the Editor
The Road Less Traveled: Clydesdale Trucks
Milestone Pickup Trucks: 1958 International Travelette
Spoked Wheels: Driver Comfort and Protection
Photos from the Attic
Aid for the Anxious Amateur: Make It Shine Like a Fresh Penny!
Classifieds
Show Guide
Granny Gear: La bohème
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