![]() ![]() Though well regarded for its power and reliability, the Twin Six was expensive for GMC to build. For these customers, GMC needed an even-bigger engine for use in its beefiest heavy-duty rigs. Though the diesel variant was a powerful companion to the gasoline-fueled V6s, many customers shunned it, opting to stick with gas. GMC also developed a large-displacement diesel using the same V6 architecture. Why go with a V6 instead of a V8? Apart from an inherent lack of smoothness compared to a similar-displacement V8, V6 engines feature fewer moving parts, shorter (and thus lighter) crankshafts, as well as stouter and more rigid blocks, all of which should have-and reportedly did-result in engines that were long-lived and inexpensive to maintain. ![]() Thus, these low-revving mills were perfect for the sort of lugging, towing, and hauling that people at the time purchased trucks for. The 305, for example, cranked out 260 pound-feet at just 1600 rpm-really just a little over idle. ![]() Though their horsepower ratings were relatively low for their respective sizes, GMC’s V6 engines developed impressive amounts of torque at very low rpm. These 60-degree V6 engines were available in a number of cubic-inch displacements, including 305, 351, 379, 401, 432, and, amazingly, 478. While Chevrolet trucks soldiered on with a lineup of familiar straight-six and V8 mills, GMC’s truck lineup-including medium- and heavy-duty rigs-went almost exclusively with the new V6s. Redesigned alongside the new-for-’60 Chevrolet truck roster, the 1960 GMC pickup truck line played host to a series of all-new V6 engines that would be exclusive to the brand. There was a time, however, when GMC and Chevy trucks differed not only in style, but also in drivetrain availability. The Twin Six was born of GMC’s family of V6 engines, which debuted for the 1960 model year. ![]()
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