Guide

Squarebody Consoles Built for Your Truck

Posted August 18, 2026 · 7 min read

A Squarebody cab has plenty of character, but it was not built around modern drink holders, phone storage, or keeping small gear from rolling under the seat. That is why Squarebody consoles are one of the first interior upgrades many owners look at. The right setup makes the truck easier to live with without making the cab look like it belongs in something else.

The catch is fitment. A console that looks fine in a listing can crowd a shifter, hit the seat, block access to a seat belt buckle, or sit at the wrong height for the cab. These trucks deserve better than a universal plastic box screwed to the floor. Before buying anything, figure out how you use the truck and what the center of your cab actually has room for.

What a Console Needs to Do in a Squarebody

A good center console should solve a real problem. Maybe your daily-driven C10 needs a safe spot for drinks and a phone. Maybe your K10 trail truck needs a place to keep a radio, recovery gear, and loose hardware from bouncing around. A show build may be more concerned with a clean, color-matched look that ties the interior together.

Those are different jobs, and one console layout is not automatically right for all three.

Start with the basics: storage, cup holders, armrest height, and access to controls. Then look at the truck-specific stuff. Is it a bench-seat cab or bucket-seat cab? Automatic, manual transmission, or a four-wheel-drive truck with a floor-mounted transfer-case shifter? Does the console need to work around an existing stereo, amplifier controls, switch panel, or wiring? Every one of those details changes what will work.

For a 1973-1987 conventional-cab pickup, cab layout matters just as much as model designation. The 1973-1991 K5 Blazer, GMC Jimmy, and Suburban interiors have their own considerations as well. The 1987-1991 R/V-series trucks carry the Squarebody style, but you should still confirm the exact console and cab fitment instead of assuming all parts interchange.

Squarebody Consoles: Choose the Right Starting Point

There are a few common directions owners take, and each has trade-offs.

A low console or cup holder setup is usually the cleanest answer when you want better function without changing the whole look of the cab. It keeps the center area open, gives you a place for drinks, and can be a smart choice for a truck that still needs room around a manual shifter or transfer-case lever. The downside is limited storage and less arm support on a long drive.

A taller center console adds more storage and can give you a usable armrest. That works well in a cruiser, a long-haul truck, or a build with bucket seats. But height is not just a comfort issue. If the console sits too tall, it can interfere with shifting, make the seat feel cramped, or look out of place against the dash and seat cushions.

Console lifts are another option when the existing console is close but not quite where you need it. Raising a console can improve cup holder access and make the top surface more useful, especially when the original layout leaves your drink low by the floor. Still, a lift needs to be built around the console and the Squarebody cab. Raising something without checking seat travel, lid clearance, and shifter movement just creates a new problem.

Custom-built consoles make sense when the truck has a specific job. A sound system, switch bank, radio equipment, or a unique seat setup can call for a layout that off-the-shelf parts will not handle. That route gives you more control over finish and function, but it also requires better planning. Measure twice before committing to mounting holes, upholstery work, or wiring routes.

Measure Before You Order or Drill

The quickest way to waste money is to buy a console based on one photo. Measure your truck with the seats where you actually drive it, not pushed all the way back in the shop.

Check the width between the seats or between the seat and the transmission tunnel. Measure from the front edge of the seat cushion to the dash area where the console will end. If you have a floor shifter, run it through every gear and watch where the handle travels. On a four-wheel-drive truck, do the same with the transfer-case lever. You need room for your hand, not just enough clearance for the lever to barely miss the console.

Also check seat movement. Slide the seat forward and back. Recline it if your setup allows. Make sure you can still reach the seat belt buckles without digging between the console and seat. These details sound small until you have lived with a bad console for a week.

If you are mounting to the floor, look underneath before drilling. Old trucks have had a lot of owners, and you never know what wiring, repairs, or previous modifications may be hiding under the carpet or mat. Keep mounting secure, but do not create a rattle-prone setup that beats itself apart on rough roads.

Cup Holders Are Not a Small Detail

Squarebody owners joke about factory cup holders because there really were not any worth talking about. But a cup holder upgrade is not just about coffee on the way to work. In a truck with a stiff suspension, worn roads, or trail use, a loose drink becomes a mess fast.

Look for holders that are positioned where you can reach them without taking your eyes off the road. They should hold more than one common cup size and keep the drink away from shifter movement. A holder that works only for a small can is not much help when you have a travel mug or a bottle.

Adjustable cup holders are useful because they can handle different containers without leaving everything loose. They also make sense for a truck shared by different drivers. The important part is that the upgrade belongs in the cab and mounts solidly. A flimsy add-on might technically hold a drink, but it will look cheap and eventually become another thing that rattles.

Plan the Console Around Your Audio Build

The center area of a Squarebody can become valuable real estate once you add audio. Even a simple speaker and head-unit upgrade needs clean wiring and a place to keep the cab organized. A bigger system may need room for controls, switches, charging ports, or equipment that has to stay accessible.

Do not use the console as an excuse to stuff wiring wherever it fits. Run wiring cleanly, protect it from sharp metal, and think ahead about service access. If a fuse, control, or connection will need attention later, burying it under a fixed console is not doing yourself any favors.

This is where a platform-specific interior part earns its keep. At Blazin' Biddles Off-Road, we build Squarebody-focused console lifts and adjustable cup holder upgrades around the way these cabs are actually laid out. The goal is not to pile more parts into the truck. It is to make the cab more useful while keeping the fit and look right.

Keep the Interior Looking Like a Squarebody

A clean console upgrade should work with the truck's interior instead of fighting it. Pay attention to color, texture, and height. Black plastic can be fine in the right build, but a color-matched piece may make more sense if you are putting real effort into the rest of the interior.

Avoid forcing a late-model look into the cab just because a part is easy to find. Squarebody dashes, door panels, seats, and trim have a simple, squared-off style. A console does not have to be factory-original, but it should look intentional.

That does not mean every truck needs the same treatment. A work truck can wear a durable, practical console just fine. A show truck may call for a more finished piece. An off-road rig may need storage and secure cup holders more than a polished appearance. Build for the truck you have and the way you use it.

Do It Once, Not Twice

A center console is a simple upgrade on paper, but it affects comfort every time you get behind the wheel. Take measurements, check shifter clearance, and be honest about what you need it to carry. If a part is advertised as universal, assume you may need to make it work unless its fitment is confirmed for your truck.

The best console is not necessarily the biggest one or the one with the most features. It is the one that fits your Squarebody, stays out of the way, and makes a drive in an old truck a little more comfortable. That is the kind of upgrade you will appreciate every time you climb in.