Chevy C10 Trim Options
Last Updated May 6, 2024 | Meghan DrummondThough it was only available for a little over twenty years, there were a number of trim options available for Chevy’s C10 pickup truck, all of which changed and cycled repeatedly.
Knowing which trim packages were available for each year can help you with purchasing a C10 that has all of the features you want or restore an existing to C10 to period-correct styling.
Though trim packages often get dismissed as being largely superficial with few or no actual performance benefits, they exist as a convenient way for auto manufacturers to bundle together some of the most popular options and features for each vehicle. Trim levels affect everything from what type of seat and steering wheel you have to whether or not you have the interior lighting packages you need.
Trim Levels
Unfortunately, the C10 saw a lot of upheaval and change in its short lifespan, so there’s no definitive “best” trim since the top level was frequently renamed. If you’re trying to figure out what equipment your vehicle should have had based on the name of the trim package, this is where you’ll find a breakdown of what each trim package was designed to encompass.
- Custom Appearance Equipment
- Comfort and Convenience Package
- Custom Sport Truck
- Custom Trim
- Custom Deluxe
- Cheyenne
- Cheyenne Super
- Scottsdale
- Silverado
1960-1970 Chevy C10 Custom Appearance Equipment
For the first generation, the Custom Appearance Equipment option was a bundle that combined a few features designed to improve the overall exterior appearance of your truck. This typically included moldings on the truck, though it also included a chrome horn ring. After several years, additional interior improvements crept into the package, including such features as color-keyed-vinyl floor mats.
Starting in 1971, most of these features would be rolled into the “Custom” base level package.
1960-1970 Chevy C10 Custom Comfort and Convenience Equipment
The Custom Comfort and Convenience Equipment was primarily a package for all of the features associated with the interior comfort and usability of a C10.
Some of the standard features associated with this package included a full-depth foam seat cushion and outside locks on the passenger side instead of just the driver’s. Starting in 1967, the passenger got a few comfort features with this package, including an armrest, a sun visor, and could be upgraded to bucket seats, with a console in-between the driver and passenger for extra comfort.
1968-1970 Chevy C10 Custom Sport Truck Option
Eventually the Custom Sport Truck was offered as a way of combining the features of the Custom Comfort and Convenience pack with the Custom Appearance package and rewarding customers who decided to outfit both the interior and exterior of their truck with a few extra CST only features, like matching carpet.
The CST was a short-lived package since new package options were offered only at the start of 1971.
CST Trim
1971-1974 Chevy C10 Custom
Custom eventually became what Chevy called its base models. Though it seemed like Chevy was just naming their base package, they did actually keep most of the original “Custom” features, they just now came standard with every truck.
1971-1985 Chevy C10 Custom Deluxe
The Custom Deluxe started out as an upgraded version of the base package, but starting in 1974 was used as the name for the base packages. Much like Chevy using “Custom” to describe the base package, the features of the Custom Deluxe were largely preserved and just offered as a standard upgrade.
The bench seat started to come in a plaid pattern as well, which makes this era of C10s fairly distinct.
1971-1982 Chevy C10 Cheyenne
Though it was one of Chevy’s shortest-lived packages, the Cheyenne is still seen as highly desirable and comes with many sought after features. In addition to comfort features like a nicer bench seat that could be upgraded to bucket seats with a center console, the Cheyenne also came with a fair number of exterior aesthetic improvements, like a chrome bumper, and practical features, like dome lights.
1971-1974 Chevy C10 Cheyenne Super
The Cheyenne Super only existed for three years, but for those three years, it was the absolute top-of-the-line-trim available. Interestingly, it is actually less sought after than the Cheyenne trim primarily because top-of-the-line involved using a lot of trends that haven’t aged well. The Cheyenne Super trim boasted a houndstooth patterned seat and woodgrain everything. If you’re looking for a truck that screams ‘70s though, this is the package for you.
1975-1985 Chevy C10 Scottsdale
Scottsdale was introduced originally as a package in-between the Cheyenne and the new top-of-the-line package the “Silverado.” Over time, Chevy tried to create more points to distinguish the Cheyenne and Scottsdale from each other. This took several forms, the most prominent being a couple of years where the Cheyenne and Scottsdale offered similar packages but the Cheyenne was only available for regular cabs and the Scottsdale was only available for crew cabs. This created some confusion since the packages were no longer strictly linear. The Silverado, still the top of the line, included Cheyenne features for regular cabs and Scottsdale features for crew cabs. Subsequently, the Cheyenne was phased out, and the Scottsdale became the middle package between the base and the Silverado.
1975-1985 Chevy Silverado
The Silverado replaced the Cheyenne Super as the top of the line trim starting in 1975, and became the name that was selected to continue on. Silverado is still in use for Chevrolet trucks today.
Though the Silverado included primarily the type of comfort equipment that you would expect to see on the Cheyenne or Scottsdale packages, the Silverado also included features like heavier insulation designed to make it quieter on the road.
It seemed to be understood from the get-go that if you were one of the people driving a Silverado package C10, it was likely that it was a vehicle that you intended to take on long road trips, or possibly even daily drive. The Silverado package was a key part of Chevy envisioning pickups not just as work or recreation vehicles, but as vehicles for every aspect of life.
Trim Level Comparisons by Year
Each year, the trim level packages varied, with some years packaging trim packages together evenly, with exterior and interior features. Other years saw a more definitive hierarchy, with one trim level being designed to be the best.
Understanding what features were available each year can also help you to decide what modifications you may want to invest in based on what was available at the time. Likewise, a great restoration starts with knowing what your C10 came with originally.
1960-1966 C10 Trim Levels
Custom Appearance Equipment was one of the earliest trim packages, and included a silver anodized aluminum radiator grille and headlamp door assembly, as well as chrome-plated windshield reveal moldings, bright-metal upper rear quarter trim plates, and a chrome horn ring on the steering wheel.
The other options at this time included the Custom Comfort and Convenience Equipment, which came with a left-hand armrest, right-hand sunshade, left-hand door outside lock, chrome cigar lighter, and a full foam rubber cab seat cushion.
Essentially, the appearance equipment made your truck look nice, and the comfort package made it comfortable for driving around.
1967 C10 Trim Updates
For 1967 a few extra features were added to the Custom Cab interior. It included a full-depth foam seat, with woven fabric that was color-keyed to the exterior choice as well as vinyl trim. It came with a left and a right-hand armrest, padded sunshade, cigar lighter, cowl insulation, underbody coating, and embossed vinyl door trim panels. You could upgrade the custom cab option to bucket seats if so desired, which would include a console seat, which could be lifted for storage, or have the backrest lowered to create a padded armrest for driver and passenger.
1968-1970 C10 Trim Levels
For 1968 the trim levels became more standardized. Standard Cab represented the base package, with a Custom Appearance Option available, a Custom Comfort and Convenience Option, and the Custom Sport Truck Option, which was the top of the line for this time.
The Custom Appearance option included exterior and interior upgrades. The exterior upgrades included bright radiator grille moldings, ventipanes, and headlight frames, as well as moldings around the windshield, rear window, fenders and the front edges of the hood.
On the inside, the Custom Appearance option came with color-keyed vinyl-coated rubber floor mats, and inserts for instrument panel control knobs.
The Custom Comfort and Convenience Option included a full-depth foam seat cushion that combined woven fabric with vinyl trim. It included full depth armrests and padded sunshades on both sides as well as a cigar lighter. It also included cowl insulation and underbody coating.
Finally, the Custom Sport Truck included everything from the previous two packages, as well as matching carpet over the floor, bright frames for the clutch, brake and accelerator pedals, and inserts for the instrument panel control knobs. The CST package could be upgraded to include bucket seats with a center console seat but came standard with vinyl seats.
The Custom Camper option, previously available for the C20 but not the C10, was expanded to include an option for the C10 this year. It came with a front stabilizer bar, 2,000 pound rear springs, and heavy-duty shock absorbers.
1971-1974 C10 Trim Levels
In the early 70s, Chevy completely renovated the C10’s trim packages with the introduction of the square body generation. The base package was now called the Custom, and there were three trim packages above it that all combined interior and exterior features.
The Custom, or base, package included vinyl seats in black, blue, green or parchment, and came with molded door panels with armrests. The instrument panel and low-profile steering wheel were color-keyed, and everything came with bright metal hardware. It also came standard with front and rear side marker lights and reflectors. Though many might complain about giving a trim package a name, the truth was that Chevy did, in fact, preserve a lot of the same equipment that they had been including in their Custom package, they just now included the equipment as standard.
The Custom Deluxe was a step up from the Custom interior. The full-depth foam seat came in patterned cloth and vinyl trim, though the colors were black, blue, parchment, or olive.
The door panels had decorative embossings, and the vinyl-coated floor mat was color-keyed.
It also included dome lights, a cigar lighter, and cowl insulation. It also included bright metal windshield and rear window moldings.
The next step up was the Cheyenne. Like the Custom Deluxe, it came with a full-depth foam seat, but this one was all vinyl and had embossments to match those in the door panel. This seat could come in black, blue, saddle, parchment or olive.
With the Cheyenne package, you could upgrade the seats to the bucket option.
The floor was carpeted and came with a color-keyed headliner in a bright metal trim. The exterior features for the Cheyenne package included a chrome front bumper, a cargo compartment light, and bright lower body side moldings and tailgate trim for Fleetside pickups.
The Cheyenne Super was the top of the line equipment, and in addition to all of the features from the Cheyenne package, it came with houndstooth patterned nylon cloth and vinyl trim in parchment, blue or olive. Bucket seats and center console were also available.
The full gauge instrumentation for this package was set in a simulated wood-grain panel. The upper door panels and the glove box door were also wood-grained.
On the exterior, it included stainless steel upper body side moldings and black paint trim on fleetsides. Chrome hub caps and Cheyenne Super nameplates completed the package.
These packages stayed the same for the next several years, though there were some minor changes, like in 1974 the upholstery in the Cheyenne Super changed to Herringbone rather than Houndstooth.
1975-1980 C10 Trim Levels
In 1975 the four trim packages were renamed. The base was now called the Custom Deluxe. The next trim level was named Scottsdale, then Cheyenne, and the new top of the line trim was called the Silverado.
Other than the name, the Custom Deluxe was mostly the same as the Custom trim from before, except the vinyl now had a plaid pattern. The roof panel was painted to match the exterior color of the truck, and a rubber floor mat extended to the firewall. A new silver plastic grille insert and bright outside rearview mirrors, bright door handles and white painted front bumper and hubcaps completed the look.
The Scottsdale trim included a full-depth foam cushion, door trim panels with simulated wood-grain inserts, ashtray mounted lighter, door operated dome and courtesy lamps. The seats were a grid-patterned nylon cloth with vinyl bolsters and facings that could come in blue, green, saddle, or red. The hubcaps in this package were chromed and came with spear-type upper body side moldings.
The Cheyenne came with all of the features of the Scottsdale and Custom Deluxe, but the foam cushion was upholstered with a custom-grained vinyl and could be ordered with optional bucket seats. The floor was covered in nylon carpet, and the moldings were color-keyed. The steering wheel for this package was wood-grained as well, which matched the instrument panel.
The Silverado was upholstered in a basket weave nylon and included vinyl bolsters and facings. You could opt to get this in a “buffalo-hide vinyl” or order custom buckets seats as well. There was an insulated headliner, and insulation for the floor, cowl, hood, and back panel designed to make the Silverado a quieter ride. It also included wheel opening moldings and a full tailgate applique.
Not much changed for ‘76, except now the Silverado and Cheyenne came with ribbed velour with grained vinyl facings, or buffalo hide grained vinyl. The wood grain was now a “simulated tigerwood.”
In 1977, the Scottsdale was given the same upholstery options, and the wood-grain was re-christened Chestnut and made slightly lighter. For the first time, the Cheyenne package was only available on regular cabs, not Bonus or Crew Cabs.
For the 1978 C10, the wood-grain was gone and was replaced with a variety of instrument panel finishes. The Scottsdale and Custom Deluxe packages received a black diamond-patterned frame, while the Cheyenne received a silver diamond-patterned insert. The Silverado got a bright brush-finished instrument panel.
1981 C10 Trim Changes
For 1981, several big changes were made. The “Standard Custom Deluxe” Trim came with striped vinyl upholstery rather than the plaid. The door trim was now color-keyed, and door opening and window handles were now die-cast metal.
For the Scottsdale package, the instrument insert was now a black crackle, with bright trim in the door panels.
The Cheyenne package had a silver instrument cluster, and color-keyed vinyl door insert, as well as door storage pockets and color-keyed carpeting. The color-keyed headliner was perforated.
For the first time, the bucket seats were available for all trim levels and included a lockable console.
Final C10 Trim Packages
The early 1980s brought some big changes, among them was the end of the Cheyenne package. Over time, it had largely become redundant with the Scottsdale package, so it was phased out.
Even the Custom Deluxe interior of this time had a full-foam seat, and vinyl trim was now leather-grained. Scottsdale and Silverado packages included either cut-pile velour cloth or leather-grained vinyl, as well as pewter brushed aluminum instrument panels. It was a more subdued look that was reflective of the times.
The trim packages stopped applying to the exterior features so much and focused more tightly on the interior features, leaving the exterior ones to individual customization.
Until the end of the C10 in 1985, the trim options remained the same from this point on, and largely only referred to the upholstery options for the bench seat.
Though there were a lot of trim packages throughout the years that the C10 was around, and many of these trims changed as new better trims were introduced and also as more of the features that were once seen as luxuries were instead mandated as necessities, like seatbelts.
Regardless of which trim package you had or are considering purchasing, the vast majority of these features can still be added after the fact, whether you’re trying to get the woodgrain trim you’ve always dreamed of or just want to add some seatbelts to make your classic truck a little bit safer. C10 interior modifications can replicate original looks while also adding a little comfort.
Image Credit: Bring a Trailer, Hemmings, Mecum
