Sometime during this model year, spade fuses were used, so glass fuses can still be found in early production units.
1979
The headlight bezels and turn signals were now combined into one unit, and General Motors added an apron underneath the grille. It also added a “decorative ridge” to the front of the hood. Trucks with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) up to 8,500 pounds now had catalytic converters as standard.
1980
The Silverado trim levels now featured rectangular headlights; other trim levels still had the round lights found in 1979. The grille gained the “egg crate” styling again (although it’s different from the 1973 version), the mirrors sat lower on the cab, and cast aluminum wheels became standard. The 292 V-6 model now had a dual exhaust option.
1981
The front end of the truck was completely changed in 1981, and it stayed essentially the same until 1987. It now had a new grille with four headlights (with two as an option) and horizontal side-marker lights. There were also new bumpers and the tailgate was also changed. The dashboard changed shape slightly, as did the seats, gauge cluster, and sill plates. The 305 V-8 now came in a California-only edition and one for the remaining 49 states. The gas tank also was relocated to the driver’s side of the truck. These changes reduced the truck’s weight by 300 pounds.
1982
The chrome grille and front bumper were now standard features. The 6.2 diesel was introduced and came with the 700R4 automatic overdrive. The 305 V-8 with the 2-barrel was discontinued. The Cheyenne trim level was discontinued.
1983
The front turn signals were relocated from the bumper to behind the grille by the headlights, and now the 700R4 automatic overdrive transmission became optional for all trucks.
1984
The quadruple headlights introduced in 1981 were now optional equipment. The wiper controls, cruise control, and high-beam lights relocated to the turn-signal stalk.
1985
This year introduced the Vor-Tex V-6 with a 4-barrel carburetor. Two-tone paint became optional again, and the grille changed slightly.
1986
This was the first year that didn’t have any major changes to the lineup. The trucks were effectively the same as in 1985.
1987
An engine equipped with throttle body injection (TBI) was introduced, and came with computerized ignition controls. This was the last year that a Stepside bed was available; the next-generation GM trucks had a “Sportside.” This was the last year of this body style, however. The 1-ton trucks, 3/4-ton trucks, Suburbans, and Blazer/Jimmys remained with few changes until 1991.
In 1973 and 1974, Chevrolet and GMC offered four trim levels for their trucks. The Custom line for both brands was considered the standard model. It was the base truck and had no option code.
The next tier was the Custom Deluxe (Chevrolet) and Super Custom (GMC), considered the mid-range truck. These had an option code of Z62.
The luxury trim was named the Cheyenne (Chevrolet) and Sierra (GMC), and had an option code of Z84.
The highest-tier luxury trucks were the Cheyenne Super (Chevrolet) and Sierra Grande (GMC). They used a YE9 option code.
All of the option codes remained the same until 1987.
In 1975, the names changed again. The base model was now the Custom Deluxe (Chevrolet) and Sierra (GMC). The mid-range tier was the Scottsdale (Chevrolet) and Sierra Grande (GMC). The luxury trim was named the Cheyenne (Chevrolet) and High Sierra (GMC). The top-of-the-line luxury trucks became known as the Silverado (Chevrolet) and Sierra Classic (GMC). These were in place until 1981.
The Cheyenne Super was the top-of-the-line trim level in 1973 and 1974, and it showed. The badging on the fenders was the first sign of something special, and the two-tone paint job and interior trim stood out as well.
This truck hasn’t been restored, but it does have all of the Custom Deluxe original trim and materials, plus low mileage (less than 90,000). If you can get past the rust on the hood, trucks like this are perfect project vehicles.
In 1982, the lineup looked like this: Base model trucks were still the Custom Deluxe (Chevrolet) and Sierra (GMC). The mid-range tier was the Scottsdale (Chevrolet) and High Sierra (GMC), which was a name shift for the GMC line. There was no more luxury line (option code Z84), but the top-of-the-line luxury trim remained the Silverado (Chevrolet) and Sierra Classic (GMC). This was how the lineup looked until 1987, when the 1/2-ton trucks ended their run.
Base-model trucks had very little chrome on the exterior. There was no carpet; instead, it came with a rubber mat on the inside. The seats usually came in vinyl, although in 1982, custom or deluxe cloth became an option that you could buy at the dealer. There was also very little interior insulation, the door panels were wrapped in vinyl, there was no headliner, and the dashboard was a simple, black-trimmed model.
The mid-range model (Z62 option) was a base-model truck with a few added amenities. The exterior featured slightly more chrome, for example.
On the inside, the floor mat was now the same color as the rest of the interior, but was still not carpeted, except in certain rare cases. For upholstery, buyers could choose between “custom cloth” and “custom vinyl,” which you could also buy in the Z84 and YE9 models, but the Z62 models had some unique patterns and colors that you could only buy in those trim levels. There was also no headliner, just as in the base model; the insulation still was minimal; and the door panels featured slightly more trim, including chrome and wood grain.
The next two levels, Z84 and YE9, were both considered to be luxury models, and were close to each other in options. The Z84 had a deluxe molding package, plus a tailgate insert on the Fleetside bed models. An insulated headliner appeared on the interior for the first time, as did cut-pile carpeting. The door panels were now longer in appearance, with the addition of a map pocket at the base, and they also had either brushed-aluminum or wood-grain panel inserts. Finally, General Motors added insulators located at the hood and cab to the fender, which reduced noise. The Z84 option was available from 1973–1981 only, and was likely discontinued because of its similarity to the YE9.
The top-of-the-line trim level, YE9, took the truck to even higher luxury levels. In addition to the Z84 exterior trim, additional items were added to the truck.
In 1980, the V22 chrome grille/Deluxe front appearance package became standard, although other trim level models could have the package for a price. The interior of the YE9 trucks included the BC2 Deluxe instrument panel, which came in either wood grain or brushed aluminum, and it had full gauges all the way around
