The 7th generation represents any vehicle manufactured between 1980 and 1986. From the 7th generation, you can select one of the following OBS trucks
In general, 1988 was a threshold to the breakdown between the old body style and the new body style trucks. Some automotive experts might even limit the OBS trucks to the ones made in the United States. However, thats not always the case, and there are some exceptions to include other sleep and unique imported models.
There aren’t any specific criteria for distinguishing regular trucks from OBS trucks. Some manufacturers might distinguish them using a certain year threshold, while others might distinguish talks by the different design style. Some automotive experts even introduced the old OBS trucks, which stand for the old body style. Thus, the definition of the OBS truck is still unclear and can be a little subjective.
Unfortunately, after GMC introduced the and no GMT 800 platform, customers were not happy with it, and they still felt that the new upgrade and new generation did not match their desires from the GMT 400. Thus, thats when people started looking for the OBS trucks from both Chevrolet and GMC.
While the design of the OBS trucks is very popular, loving these trucks did not prevent people from applying some modifications to enhance the overall look of these trucks. The majority of OBS trucks lovers preferred to keep the engine and the major components as is while adding some modifications to the external and other minor features like the following:
What Does OBS Truck Mean?
What does OBS truck mean? It means “Old Body Style” in reference to the boxy and rugged truck designs by American manufacturers of the 1990s era. The criteria for an OBS truck is rather loose, as it is a term used by enthusiasts of this old body style.
In general, an OBS truck is limited by year of production. Interestingly, some gearheads also coined the term “OOBS” to describe “old, old body style”, which is to be distinguished from OBS. The only other criteria of an OBS truck is that it’s American-made, but sometimes a desirable import model with the same style is also called OBS.
The start of the 1990s, or specifically the year 1988 is used to mark the birth of the classic OBS truck. Since the overhaul of pickup design happened around the year 2000, trucks from 2000 onwards are called “New Body Style” and 2000 marks the threshold for a truck to be considered OBS.
Now over two decades later, classic cars are becoming more popular than ever, and OBS trucks have been seeing increasing demand. Enthusiasts of the classic look quickly realized that these oldies but goodies can turn heads again with just a good paint job, a new set of rims, new rugged tires and other minor modifications that wouldn’t cost a fortune. Now, there’s a culture surrounding old body style trucks.
For most buyers, yes, it’s fueled by a nostalgic movement, which could be attributed to memories of your parents or grandparents owning one of these larger than life trucks, but there’s also interest from younger enthusiasts as well. Plenty of factors make these trucks desirable, such as the clean design, practicality when it comes to building/re-building, fuel injection, affordability & availability, and they’re a lot of fun to slam or lift.
If you want to measure the popularity this way, you can find podcasts, forums, and social media platforms dedicated to this growing interest, proving it’s not a “trend” that’ll fade out – it’s here to stay. Despite its prevalence, some might be on their phone with Google open asking what “OBS” refers to – we’ll save you the trouble.
When you couple that with support from the aftermarket industry, it helped the body style to take off. General Motors knew they had something big and began marketing the truck aggressively – it worked.
What’s driving the surge is not only that they’re incredible trucks, they’re rugged, fuel injected, and you can easily find the parts you need without breaking the bank. You can talk to ten enthusiasts and get different answers. Simply put, these are cool trucks with a lot of character that have options dependent on your specific preferences. If you own one, you know what you have, and if you’re considering a purchase, you’re justified in your feelings.
OBS, otherwise known as “old body style,” refers to Chevy C/K trucks manufactured by General Motors between 1988 and 1998. These trucks were marketed under the GMC and Chevrolet brands, and the C/K included various vehicles, as well as a truck and two SUV models. Although they’re most commonly associated with pickup trucks, the line also features medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks. The “K” refers to four-wheel drive, while the “C” references two-wheel drive.
FAQ
What is a Chevy OBS?
