The Classic Chevy/GMC Truck Club doesn't discriminate against vintage GM sport utilities such as the Chevy Blazer or the GMC Jimmy just because they're SUVs and not trucks. The Chevy El Camino and GMC Sprint, officially trucks but basically cars with cargo boxes, are also accepted by the club, as are panel trucks and sedan deliveries. In fact, as long as the truck is no bigger than one ton, it doesn't have to be a classic (1989 and earlier). But it does have to be a Chevy or a GMC.
Founded in 1993 and a longtime chapter of a national club that went defunct recently, the Classic Chevy/GMC Truck Club runs the truck part of the annual All-GM Show at the State Fairgrounds (June 7 this year). The club has about 50 members in the upper Midwest, with most residing in the metro area. In addition to monthly meetings and a monthly newsletter, club activities include annual banquets and picnics. Members also regularly visit and enter other area car shows. And the club supports worthy causes and makes an annual donation to the VFW where it holds its meetings.
Why do people join? It's simple; they like GM trucks. Mark Berger, a club founder and president since 1998, has had about a dozen GM pickups over the years because he's always liked the body style. He started with a 1971 Chevy he bought in high school and restored. Currently, he drives a 1972 Chevy pickup and a '72 Blazer.
Club vice president Reg Orth has a lot of truck driving experience, much of it when he owned a poultry farm. He currently has a 1957 International Harvester A100 and a '69 Chevy CST with all original parts. He uses that truck, which was featured in a 2000 national calendar, to pull a 1959 Lone Star outboard runabout.
Carl Bloom got into trucks to share an activity with his son, who now owns 1963, '64 and '66 Chevy pickups. Carl bought a '64 Chevy C-10 because Chevy truck parts are easy to find and because a decent version of his first car, a 1955 Austin-Healey, would have been much more expensive. He's since added an `85 El Camino because, he says, "I always liked their looks and I finally found one at a reasonable price."
GM trucks aren't the only appeal, of course. Members like each other and the club's family orientation. For more information, call 763-784-0783 or e-mail carlb95@aol.com.
More clubs to add to list
Here are two area clubs that we weren't able to include in recent car club listings:
Minnesota Sport Bike Riders - www.mnsbr.com, info@mnsbr.com
Mt. Olivet Motorheads - www.mtolivet.org, kurtk@mtolivet.org, 612-767-2269
