GMC Sprint tailgate anomaly?

by relic7680 Tue Nov 02, 2021 3:28 am

I recently had the original tailgate from my '76 Sprint media blasted....and it uncovered a strange thing. I strongly believe this gate to be the one that my car was born with because it still had the code 13 Silver Poly paint underneath the crappy black respray from the early 90s.
Anyway, take a look at these pics. There are five weld-filled holes at the lower RH corner that mimic the attachment points for an El Camino emblem. The holes are very cleanly welded and appear to have been done by a machine. The Sprint gates DID NOT HAVE AN EMBLEM, though I have seen some cars with a decal at the upper LH corner.
Has anyone else seen this? Could it be that GM had a batch of gates already earmarked for El Camino production that were needed for the Sprint? Or are all Sprint gates like this?

by zucchi Tue Nov 02, 2021 11:24 am

relic7680 wrote:Could it be that GM had a batch of gates already earmarked for El Camino production that were needed for the Sprint?

Hmm

Nothing about this is mentioned in any of the service bulletins I have so I favor your speculation.

The manufacturing plants did all sorts of things to "get product out". Speaking strictly about my '74 Monte Carlo, according to the build sheet, it was manufactured in Van Nuys, CA, in August, 1974, in other words, very late in the 1974 model year. My car came from the factory with HEI (introduced in 1975 model year) and the heater/AC blower motor installed by the factory is for their pickups and suburbans; the "correct" motor will not fit. The build sheet mentions nothing about the heater/AC blower motor.

This doesn't solve your mystery but it supports your theory.

by Iggy Tue Nov 02, 2021 11:48 am

I had a 1977 Monte Carlo my father purchased new in September 1976 - The carb # translated to a 1976 3/4-ton PU with a 400, the engine translated to an L82 in a Corvette (what GM now sells as the 290 HP crate 350) with a TH350 trans and 2.51 gears. I never did figure out the how it came to be, but the car was a real dog below 60 MPH - then you had to hang on!

Keep in mind both the El Camino and Sprint were built on the same assembly line. Any of a multitude of things could happen!

by relic7680 Thu Nov 04, 2021 2:19 am

I'll likely never know....but I'm sure GM welded up those holes.

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GMC Sprint tailgate anomaly?

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