The 1981 Kodiak's hood sits taller than before to clear a bigger diesel — yet the hood itself is actually shorter, front to windshield, than the truck it replaced.
Lead trim: Kodiak C70 Caterpillar 3208 turbodiesel V8 (10.4 L)
Chevrolet Kodiak / TopKick C70/C7000KODIAK-C70 · 1981–1990
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Chevrolet Kodiak / TopKick C70/C7000 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe 1981 Kodiak's hood sits taller than before to clear a bigger diesel — yet the hood itself is actually shorter, front to windshield, than the truck it replaced.
The Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC TopKick are a range of medium-duty trucks built by General Motors from 1980 to 2009 (three generations), introduced as a variant of the medium-duty C/K line and slotted between the C/K trucks and the GMC Brigadier Class 8 conventional as the basis for vocational trucks such as cargo haulers and dump trucks. For 1981 GM introduced the Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC TopKick, officially the Chevrolet C70 and GMC C7000, Class 7 trucks and the largest versions of the medium-duty C/K series, developed to take the Caterpillar 3208 V8 diesel from the larger Chevrolet Bruin and GMC Brigadier. The larger radiator called for a taller hood with the headlamps repositioned below the grille and the cab mounted several inches higher, though the hood was shorter, cutting the BBC length from 98 to 92 inches; the Kodiak came in single and tandem-axle drive configurations, as both straight trucks and semitractors. The Kodiak name followed Chevrolet's "frontier beast" tradition for heavy conventionals (Bison, Bruin), while TopKick was military slang, and after Chevrolet left the Class 8 segment following 1981 the Kodiak became the largest truck Chevrolet offered. Built at Pontiac, Michigan (East Assembly 1980–1985, Central Assembly 1985–1989) and Bogotá, Colombia. The engine is the 10.4 L (636 cu in) Caterpillar 3208 turbodiesel V8, whose displacement is above the catalogue's displacement field and so is stated here only, with 5-, 10- and 13-speed manuals (including a 20-speed 5×4) and 4- or 5-speed automatics; wheelbase 137–254 in, length 213.8–383 in and height 100 in. The page gives no power figure.
Collectors Spotted in the Chevrolet Kodiak Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Chevrolet Kodiak yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kodiak C70 Caterpillar 3208 turbodiesel V8 (10.4 L) | 1981–1990 | V8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The President's armored limousine, "The Beast," doesn't share its chassis with any Cadillac sedan — in 2009 it was seen testing alongside GMT560 GMC TopKick trucks, the same medium-duty platform as this Kodiak generation.
For a decade, GM sold its Kodiak/TopKick school-bus chassis to exactly one body builder — Blue Bird — an exclusive arrangement that was unusual for the industry at the time.
The 1981 Kodiak's hood sits taller than before to clear a bigger diesel — yet the hood itself is actually shorter, front to windshield, than the truck it replaced.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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