Research status: Verified vehicle identity and principal factory configuration. Engine association is probable. Mileage and full ownership history remain unverified.
Vehicle identity and factory equipment
VIN TKL146Z501557 identifies this surviving 1976 GMC K1500. The publicly displayed SPID label and build sheet, together with the certification and loading labels reviewed for the RareTruckInfo sample owner report, support a Fremont-built Sierra Classic 4×4 with a red-and-white finish, red vinyl trim, LS9 350 V8, M20 four-speed transmission, and GT4 3.73 rear axle. The federal certification label is dated October 1975. The reviewed rating labels record a GVWR 6200, front GAWR 3600 and rear GAWR 3750 (literal label figures; no mass unit added). The build sheet identifies Hamilton Motor Co. as the destination dealer.
The 2021 Bring a Trailer auction listing, lot 62,015, preserves the VIN, period documents, vehicle photographs, and seller description. Bring a Trailer records a $40,250 winning bid on December 21, 2021 after 34 bids. Its gallery includes photographs of the SPID label, build sheet, and engine stamping. The listing is a valuable source for the truck’s condition and documented equipment at that sale, while its seller statements about mileage and ownership are treated as claims rather than independent proof.
Selected factory-document transcription
The following entries were read directly from the source-hosted photographs on September 30, 2026. They are selected legible fields; abbreviated or incomplete label descriptions have not been silently expanded.
- SPID label: VIN TKL146Z501557; model TK10903; wheelbase 131.5; order H47656; LS9 350 V8; M20 four-speed; GT4 3.73 rear axle; YE9 Sierra Classic; and ZY4 deluxe two-tone paint. The paint line reads “73L MED RED 12 WHITE”; the trim line reads “73W XDD1 RED CUS VIN.” Those are the photographed label’s own strings, not a universal trim-code definition.
- Build sheet: repeats VIN TKL146Z501557 and order H47656; identifies Fremont, California, and Hamilton Motor Co., Hamilton, Montana; and records LS9, M20, GT4 and YE9. The color lines identify 73L medium red lower, 12M white middle and 12U white upper. Its rating fields read GVWR 6200, front GAWR 3600 and rear GAWR 3750; no mass-unit legend is visible beside those fields.
- Federal certification label: repeats VIN TKL146Z501557, shows 10/75, and carries the same 6200/3600/3750 rating figures.
- GM identification/loading plate: repeats VIN TKL146Z501557 and the same weight ratings. This physical plate is distinct from the paper build sheet.
These photographed documents corroborate the recorded identity and configuration. They do not establish lifetime mileage, an uninterrupted ownership chain, the originality of every current component or forensic authenticity of the papers and labels.
Claims and limits
- Verified: The VIN agrees across the primary vehicle records reviewed in the sample report; the SPID and build sheet support the principal factory configuration.
- Probable: The photographed derivative T6Z501557 matches the truck’s model-year, plant and sequence characters; a companion close-up shows V1006TYX. These photographs support the recorded engine association. Final suffix, casting, stamp-pad and continuity review remain necessary before a stronger originality claim.
- Not assessable: The five-digit odometer shows about 12,000 miles in the 2021 listing, but continuity and actual mileage are not established.
- Unverified: The complete ownership chain and the seller’s two-owner history have not been independently documented here.
Source trail
- GMC SPID label, build sheet, federal certification label and identification/loading plate, photographed in the Bring a Trailer gallery for lot 62,015. Exact image links and selected direct transcriptions appear above. The sample owner report summarizes the findings; full document transcription remains incomplete. The four document images and two engine-stamp close-ups were retrieved and visually reviewed September 30, 2026.
- Bring a Trailer, “1976 GMC K1500 Sierra Classic 4×4 4-Speed,” lot 62,015, auction ended December 21, 2021, listing and photo gallery; accessed September 24, 2026.
Publication note: This text links to the original auction and summarizes visible evidence. RareTruckInfo does not reproduce the auction photographs or private owner documents here. Findings may be revised when additional primary records are transcribed or contradictory evidence appears.