Here’s a neat video for those of you out there who share my obsession with cool old trucks and wreckers. This is a 1982 GMC promotional film centered around the idea of the superiority of the GMC platform for use in the building of small wreckers. Now, we say small but don’t mean like dinky small, we mean like one-ton truck small. In fact, the example rig in the video is absolutely awesome. It’s a 1982 3500 series one ton with a 454, a four speed, a killer 1980s period tape stripe job, and best of all, it is decked out with every option including four wheel drive. I’d kill to own this very truck, it is that good.
The video is not totally dry because we get to see all the different parts of the truck as well as the thing in use and tooling around. The available engine options are not exactly going to stir your soul but they will give you more of an appreciation for what the OEMs were cranking out at that time. It’ll also show you why there were speeding towards a near failure. The optional engines available in these trucks were largely the same exact stuff that that was being used decades before. Weird that people got tired of it, huh?
If you love wreckers an 1980s trucks, this video is your jam!
I believe it’s actually an 81. The paint scheme is that of an 81 Indy Hauler. My guess is this wrecker is as probably used at Indy as a support vehicle.