Before its decade-long hiatus from commercially oriented medium-duty trucks, GM’s offerings were the Chevy Kodiak and GMC TopKick. The vast majority of these trucks were chassis cabs intended to be upfitted for commercial use, but there were some custom upfitters that would turn these into pickup trucks. One such example is up for auction on Cars and Bids; a 2005 GMC TopKick C4500 with a crew cab and a bed.
From the C-pillar forward, this is a pretty typical four-door GMC TopKick. It has silver paint, huge mirrors, clearance lights, and a big chrome bumper. Behind the C-pillar, however, this looks a lot like a GMC Sierra 3500HD. That’s where the bed is sourced from, and it’s period-correct, color-matched, and has the appropriate width to accommodate the dually rear-end.
The interior looks like it could be stock if there were such a thing as a TopKick Denali. It’s been modified with leather upholstery, simulated wood trim, a center console with locking storage and cupholders, and a power reclining rear bench seat that can go flat, resembling a bed. A few other modifications include a trailer brake controller, front fog lights, side steps, a DeeZee toolbox, and a fuel transfer tank with an electric pump.
Power comes from a Duramax turbodiesel 6.6L V8 LBZ linked to an Allison 5-speed automatic transmission. It’s rated at 300 horsepower and 520 pound-feet of torque, which is plenty, but it might feel weak compared to a modern Sierra HD with 975 pound-feet of twist. These trucks were underpinned by the GMT560 platform, and it was also marketed as the Isuzu H-Series, the first and only conventional-cab commercial truck from Isuzu.
Although it’s still a bit odd-looking, this is about as close as you can get to a “civilian” spec TopKick that’s a normal crew cab pickup. GM partnered with Monroe Truck Equipment to convert these commercial trucks into pickups for the common man, and they’re hard to find, especially with mileage as low as 20,200, like this one has.
The high bid as of this writing is $40,000, and the auction ends on Wednesday, May 28th. Get your bids in now for a rare chance to own a clean and low-mile GMC TopKick pickup.
Comments
“GM partnered with Monroe Truck Equipment to convert these commercial trucks into pickups for the common man”
Buyer beware: if you’re interested in this be CERTAIN of the ownership and licensing requirements in your jurisdiction; this may have a pickup box but in many places it’s still considered a commercial truck.
If it’s under 24,000 lbs one doesn’t need a CDL.
Too bad you’re stuck with a Chevy Express-derived cab up front.
Always thought using the Express cab was a pretty good cost-savings move.
The too bad was when GM abandoned the market to Ford and left owners dry on parts. Still hard feelings out there and one reason the current MDs aren’t selling.
Careful with the negative Express van remarks on GMA. With the amount of Express/Savanna articles on here, it’s a more sacred vehicle than any other GM model in existence.
OMG! OMG! If I had this in my town, MAGA Country, I would be a hero even though I voted for Biden 9 times in Wisconsin in 2020. 4 times in PA.
🤣👍