Keep on Truckin’ – A Look at Kirby’s 1977 GMC Sierra Classic

Kirby Wilcox’s love for his 1977 GMC Sierra Classic Squarebody started long before the recent trend in popularity of these beloved hauling machines. His very first set of keys were to a 1976 two-tone green GMC pickup. Fresh out of high school he went down to his local bank and secured a loan for $4400 to drive away with that GMC. The thrill of owning this pre-owned truck quickly wore off and it wasn’t too long before Kirby found himself at his local Chevy dealership.

This time he ordered himself a brand new 1978 Chevy Scottsdale model. “It was cool back in those days because you could go right down a list and check the options you wanted, none of these “packaged” options like we have today, you got what you wanted…or in my case what I could afford”. This, in Kirby’s case, was $6,470 greenbacks.

It didn’t take much time at all to start ripping into his fresh Blue with White wagon-wheeled Scottsdale. Truth be told, the truck only had 64 miles on the odometer before he was in his dad’s garage cutting the exhaust off and throwing on a set of headers and Cherry Bomb mufflers.

Through the years trucks have come and gone as well as many hot rods but the thought of getting another Squarebody never left his mind. A search online commenced to find a good donor vehicle. Kirby knew he wanted a bucket seat interior and a short bed. What he didn’t know going in, was even though General Motors produced millions of these trucks how tough it would be to find one in decent enough shape.

Initially, the thought was to build a Squarebody on a Roadster Shop Spec Chassis. However, like most builds we do in our head rarely pan out. Instead, he found this original trim, pristine 76,000-mile rust free truck from Arizona. A 1977 GMC Sierra Classic already outfitted with buckets, A/C, electric windows, locks, and cruise.

A call was made to good friend Roger Burman of Lakeside Rods and Rides fame who picked the truck up from a car jockey Kirby purchased it from. To get this truck looking and sitting right Roger used a McGaughey’s 4/6 lowering kit with a C-notch and flip kit along with dropped spindles.

Now that the stance was taken care of, a fresh set of USMags Sierra (No pun intended) wheels were bolted on. It’s an old-school rally wheel that some of these trucks came with from the factory but are modern enough in a 20-inch configuration that they fit with the overall appearance of the truck.

Time will tell if Kirby’s truck will stay as you see it here today or goes under the knife with a modern chassis and a LS swap. Stay tuned is what I’d say…you never know what this thing will morph into. One thing is for certain though; this truck will be driven and enjoyed no matter what configuration Kirby chooses.