The inside mirror gets a surprisingly specific mention in GMC’s 1973 brochure. It has a day/night setting, and GMC makes a point of mentioning the soft vinyl around its edge. A few lines earlier, the company is talking about the shape of window regulators and the feel of dashboard knobs.
Those details sit under “GMC Standard Safety and Security Features” on page 13. It’s a small section beneath much larger pictures of accessories, including a CB radio, air conditioning and a rear bumper.
Start inside the cab
GMC leads with an energy-absorbing instrument panel and pad, followed by padded sun visors and a thick laminated windshield. Seat belts get a mention too, with their push-button buckles singled out. Then the list moves to door locks, hinges and latches.
The smaller pieces get almost as much attention as the larger ones. Inside door-lock handles are described as recessed. GMC calls the window regulators smoothly contoured. The instrument-panel knobs are soft, illuminated and identified. Those are three separate qualities packed into one short entry: how the knobs feel, whether they’re lit and whether their purpose is marked.
The brochure covers pickups, Suburbans, and cab-and-chassis trucks. Its general safety list doesn’t break the equipment down by individual model, so this is a look at GMC’s sales literature rather than an equipment checklist for every truck.
Wipers, lamps and brakes get their turn
From the cab fittings, the list moves out toward visibility and lighting. GMC specifies two washer nozzles and an electric wiper with two speeds. The hazard flasher gets its own detail: a separate circuit.
There are reversing lights, front and rear side markers, and parking lights that come on with the headlights. The turn-signal entry mentions a lane-change feature. GMC spends enough words on the lamps to describe some of their behavior, rather than simply naming them.
The brake entry is more crowded. It names front discs and rear drums, self-adjustment, a dual hydraulic system and a low-pressure warning light. An energy-absorbing steering column closes the section. In just three short columns, the brochure has moved from a padded visor to the braking system.
The mirror gets a longer description
The 1974 and 1975 brochures keep giving attention to these small cab details. Both describe the inside day/night mirror with vinyl edging, shatter-resistant glass and a deflecting support. Both also mention soft, low-profile window-control knobs and lighting for the wiper, washer, heater and defroster controls.
Those descriptions tell us what GMC chose to highlight in each edition, not when the parts first appeared. Back on the 1973 page, even the soft edge of the inside mirror earned its place alongside the brakes and seat belts.
Sources: GMC’s 1973 Pickups, Suburbans, Cab & Chassis brochure, ADV 73-2 (8/72), printed page 13; 1974 GMC brochure, ADV. 74-1 (8-73), printed page 13; 1975 GMC Pickups, ADV. 75-3 (8-74), printed page 11 (PDF page 6).