Special Edition Trucks of the ’70s: K-Billy’s Super Badge and Stripe Jobs (2024)

Dodge was the first manufacturer to produce a factory special-edition pickup in the 1970s, and it was subtle compared with what would come later. The Dude Sport Trim package was a D100 pickup snazzed up with big black- or white-stripe decals that extended down the sides of the truck, culminating in “Dude” lettering on the flanks with a logo that included a tilted cowboy hat. Dude! The look was clearly a nod to Dodge’s wild muscle cars of the era but with a distinctly Western vibe.

Dodge hired legendary comic actor Don Knotts, known at the time for his role as Barney Fife on the hit sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, to market the Dude. But because Dodge trailed far behind General Motors and Ford in pickup-truck sales at the time, just a couple of thousand Dudes were produced over the two-year run. Yet the Dude set the scene for many other wild factory specials that appeared throughout the decade.

Racing breeds greatness, and so it was with the Ford Bronco. Legendary builder Bill Stroppe turned his attention to Ford’s little Bronco practically the moment it hit the ground. In fact, Stroppe had one modified and running in the very first Baja 1000 off-road race in 1967. In 1971, Parnelli Jones and Stroppe won the race outright and set a new record. That same year, Ford and Stroppe joined forces to produce a limited run of Baja Broncos as replicas of the race-team vehicles for the general public. The rigs were painted red, white, and blue, Stroppe’s signature colors. To make room for beefier tires on either mags or chrome-reverse wheels, the wheel wells were cut, radiused, and flared.

These little beasts all used Ford’s 302-cubic-inch V-8 backed by a three-speed automatic—although some sources report a few Bajas were equipped with four-speed manuals. (The Baja Bronco was the only way you could pair power steering and an automatic on a Bronco before 1973.) Stroppe offered a wide range of standard and optional upgrades from his Long Beach, California, shop where he built these trucks, including suspension—dual shocks were standard—plus roll cages, Detroit Locker differentials, and even a winch. Today, early Broncos are darlings of the auction scene, and a perfect Baja Bronco would be a blue-chip investment.

The marketing folks at Chevy trucks were ahead of the special-edition curve, and by 1972, the company had a full lineup of wild graphics packages for Chevy trucks. In addition to the Blazer Feathers, there was a huge selection of decal editions for other Chevy vehicles. Ads of the time proclaimed them Chevrolet’s “wild new put-ons.” There was an Eagle and a Hawk pickup; a Flame El Camino and Blazer; a Rippler van; and a Sandman pickup, Suburban, and Blazer. There was even a Little Eagle version of the Vega.

The Feathers package is seen mostly on white Blazers in the advertisem*nts, but it could be had on just about any color Blazer. Some were equipped with dealer-installed slotted mags along with a front push bar with driving lights. And when so delivered, Feathers was just about the hippest-looking early Blazer one could buy—and a great send-off for the last year of that first-gen SUV.

Most of the 1970s special editions, with their wild stripes, were aimed at youthful and fun-loving truck enthusiasts. But the Beau James was a classier machine designed for those who wanted a more refined ride. The Soft Silver and Blue paint, the “Beau James” graphic on the bedsides, and the special hood ornament gave the truck its signature look. And just like the most expensive Cadillacs of the time, this GMC wore wire wheel covers and whitewall tires—classy.

Buyers could choose the 350-cubic-inch V-8 or the big-block 454 in this light-duty two-wheel-drive pickup. On the inside, Beau James owners were coddled by Prado velour seats. GMC reportedly produced just 4000 Beau James trucks, making them a rare find today.

Named for the 1942 boxing-themed film Gentleman Jim, or simply because it was a more civilized version of the GMC (Jimmy) pickup, this truck was one of the first luxury-themed pickups. It was based on the C10 long-bed pickup and painted black and gold—one year before the color scheme was popularized by Pontiac for its 1976 50th Anniversary Edition Trans Am. The truck was available only in 1975. Its buyers were pampered in saddle-colored vinyl bucket seats with a center console and padded armrests—fancy stuff for a pickup at the time. GMC also added sound-suppression materials beneath the carpeting.

The Jim was fairly loaded, with air conditioning as well as an AM/FM–eight-track stereo. Big spenders could add an optional tonneau cover for the bed as well as Cibie “high-intensity quartz halogen passing beams” and locking lug nuts for those gold steel wheels. To us now, the Gentleman Jim just looks like a GMC truck with two-tone paint. But this truck truly was a pioneer for the upscale trucks we have today.

Unlike many of the trucks here, the Big 10 package helped boost capability more than aesthetics. General Motors saw a need to bridge the gap between light-duty 1/2-ton and heavy-duty 3/4-ton trucks. When buyers checked off the F44 option on Chevy’s two-wheel-drive C10 trucks, the Big 10 equipment was fitted. Big 10 trucks came standard with a six-cylinder with a GVWR of 6050 pounds or an optional 350-cubic-inch V-8 that was rated at 6200 pounds.

Up front, the coil springs of most were sized up to handle about 300 pounds more weight than a standard C10, while the rear leaf-spring pack was rated to handle an increase of around 450 pounds (depending on model year), making these the 1/2-ton pickups to have for towing a boat or trailer. The Big 10 also received unique tires, presumably to handle the increased loads, as well as Big 10 bedside decals. GMC offered a version of the Big 10 called the Heavy Half.

In the 1970s Ford was a bit staid, trailing General Motors and Dodge in the number of wild, garish, and just plain bizarre special editions for its trucks. But one of the most cohesive was this Bicentennial Edition F-100 for 1976. The base paint color was Wimbledon White or Bahama Blue, over which was laid a sweet golden stripe along the flanks with a flying eagle. Because, really, shouldn’t every vehicle from the 1970s have an animal on it?

On the inside, this patriotic machine had special plaid upholstery and, just in case you forgot what you were driving, a badge mounted on the glovebox. The package was available on trucks from the F-100 to the F-350.

These trucks had all the comfort of a modern motorhome. Produced by Chinook, the Chalet camper slid onto the chassis of a Blazer and incorporated a mini kitchen, a pop-up roof, and sleeping space for two. At an MSRP of around $12,000, the Chalet cost more than a fully loaded new Corvette of the day.

Life in the 1970s was a little spooky thanks to an explosion in the popularity of the occult, perhaps fed by a fresh wave of horror films, from The Exorcist to Carrie. Into this dark environment, Dodge launched the first pickup in its new Adult Toys lineup of custom vehicles—a truck named the Warlock. The Warlock first appeared as a concept, and thanks to a wildly popular reception, the Warlock went into limited production in ’76 and full production a year later.

The Warlock was available with two- or four-wheel drive in black, dark green, or red. All the early trucks had gold wheels, gold pinstriping, and Warlock lettering on the tailgate. The wooden bed and the stake bedsides gave the rig a decidedly down-home country vibe. Available engines ranged from the 318-cubic-inch V-8 on up to the monstrous 440 big-block. In its final year (’79), the Warlock was renamed the Warlock II, and six colors were offered.

Unlike some of its competitors, Chevy refrained from applying a testosterone-fueled nameplate to its 1976 Chevy Sport truck, and that’s part of what makes it one of the most tasteful specials of the decade. The Sport package consisted of white stripes on the hood and fenders. It was available on Stepside trucks initially, in both two- and four-wheel-drive guise. Sport trucks came standard on the mid-grade Scottsdale trim, along with rally wheels and white-letter tires. Later, the Sport package was expanded to include Fleetside models.

The striping package changed from year to year, although the white stripes of the first year are perhaps the classiest of the run. For those looking to make their Sport a real muscle machine, Chevy offered a 454-cubic-inch V-8, even though in 1976 the big-block produced just 240 horsepower.