Car of the Week: 1987 Chevrolet R10 Square Body

A two-tone paint job, a broad chrome grille and a bench seat can bring back an entire era.

The 1987 Chevrolet R10 is that kind of truck. It looks perfectly at home beside a weathered barn, parked outside a hardware store or waiting in the driveway for another Saturday project.

Its appeal starts with a familiar shape. The R10 belonged to Chevrolet’s pickup generation introduced for 1973, now widely known as the “square body.” The 1987 model year marked the final year for the traditional regular-cab, half-ton version in the United States, although related crew-cab trucks and sport utility vehicles carried the older design into 1991. Wikipedia

That makes the 1987 truck a farewell to a familiar design—but also a vehicle with a few important changes of its own.

The first was its name.

For 1987, Chevrolet changed the outgoing truck line’s designations from C and K to R and V. The R identified two-wheel drive, while V identified four-wheel drive. This separated the older trucks from the redesigned C/K pickups arriving for the 1988 model year. The familiar C10 effectively became the R10. 73-87.com

The styling remained straightforward. Silverado models featured four rectangular headlights and a grille with a body-colored center bar. Long, clean body lines gave two-tone paint plenty of room to shine. There was nothing delicate about the appearance, but nothing especially complicated, either. General Motors

Under the hood, buyers had choices including a 4.3-liter V6 and 5.0- and 5.7-liter V8s. The available 350-cubic-inch V8 was rated at 210 horsepower in the lighter-duty trucks, giving the R10 a useful combination of pulling power and familiar small-block character. 73-87.com

One of the biggest improvements was less visible: electronic fuel injection replaced carburetors on the gasoline engines. Contemporary coverage highlighted better cold-weather starting, more precise fuel control and improved drivability. Beneath its old-school appearance, the 1987 Chevrolet was moving toward a more electronically managed future. 73-87.com

Inside, the cabin favored simplicity. A full-width bench seat, straightforward instrument panel and adjustable vent windows created an unmistakably traditional pickup interior. Chevrolet offered different upholstery materials and interior colors, giving buyers some choice without changing the cabin’s basic character. General Motors

The working end of the truck mattered just as much. Fleetside cargo boxes came in approximately 6½- and 8-foot lengths, with ribbed steel floors and double-wall construction. Those separate inner and outer panels helped keep cargo dents from showing on the exterior. General Motors

Underneath, the two-wheel-drive R10 used independent front suspension with coil springs and a leaf-spring rear suspension. It was a practical arrangement for a pickup expected to balance everyday driving with carrying a load. General Motors

Those details explain the truck’s purpose. Its personality is harder to put on a specification sheet.

Picture a red-and-white R10 with sunlight catching the grille, a few tools behind the seat and an empty bed ready for whatever the day brings. There is no need to imagine a

racetrack or a red-carpet arrival. A trip to pick up lumber supplies enough of a story.

That is what makes this Chevrolet worth celebrating. It invites appreciation for ordinary things: a useful cargo bed, a familiar dashboard and a design that does not need embellishment.

The 1987 R10 represents a meeting point between traditional pickup styling and newer engine technology. But its lasting charm is simpler than that.

Some classics make you dream about where you could go.

A square-body Chevy makes you remember who used to take you there.