GM K Platform (1975)

The

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

K platform (commonly called the K-body) was the

automobile platform A car platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components, over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of cars, often from different, but somewhat related, marques. It is pract ...

designation used for the

rear wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-wheel ...

Cadillac Seville The Seville was manufactured by Cadillac from 1975 to 2004 as a smaller-sized, premium model. It was replaced by the STS in 2004. Origin of the name The name of "Cadillac's first small car" was selected over a revival of LaSalle or the GM de ...

midsize luxury models from 1975 to 1979. The

rear-wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-wheel ...

K platform was based closely on the very similar 4th generation

GM X platform General Motors has used the X-platform or X-body designation for two different automobile platforms. All X-bodies were compact car Compact car is a vehicle size class — predominantly used in North America — that sits between subcompact c ...

, and 2nd generation F-bodies of the 1970s, all of which shared many components (control arms, springs, steering linkage and associated steering gear) in common. The K platform stretched the X platform to 114.3 inch wheelbase, but also improved isolation from sources of structure-borne vibration in the drivetrain and suspension. While automobiles built on these three platforms had different bodies, they shared the same

unibody A vehicle frame, also historically known as its '' chassis'', is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism. Until the 1930s, virtually every car ha ...

construction technology using a separable elastomer isolated front subframe assembly, a design which first appeared in GM vehicles on the 1st generation X platform in 1962 on the

Chevy II The Chevrolet Chevy II/Nova is a small automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, and produced in five generations for the 1962 through 1979, and 1985 through 1988 model years. Nova was the top model in the Chevy II lineup through 1968. The Chevy II ...

. Automobiles built on these three platforms (F, K, and X) also shared front and rear suspension systems, with tunings engineered to each application. The front suspensions used unequal length A-arms, coil springs damped with tubular hydraulic shock absorbers, ball joints, elastomer bushings, and recirculating ball steering boxes differing in ratios that were specific to the application. The rear suspension design used a live axle (solid axle - which was a GM corporate 10 bolt differential with an 8.5" ring gear) located by leaf springs (shared with the 1968-74 and 1975-79 X platform) damped with tubular hydraulic shock absorbers. Rear disc brakes were standard equipment in 1977 - this design later ended up with some 1979-81 Pontiac Trans Ams with the WS6 option. At the same time the rear disc brakes were made standard equipment the front brakes received a modified steering knuckle which used a 12-inch disc brake rotor (shared with the GM B platform station wagons and C/D platform except limousines and commercial chassis) - the wheel bolt pattern was changed from the GM 5 x 4.75 (used with Chevrolets and lower end BOP automobiles) to the 5 on 5 bolt pattern used with the rest of the Cadillac RWD lineup (also with higher end BOP automobiles and Chevrolet/GMC 1/2 ton light duty trucks, vans, and SUVs). In 1980, the Cadillac Seville was moved to the

GM K platform (FWD) The General Motors K platform (commonly called the K-body) was an automobile platform designation used for front wheel drive Cadillac models beginning in 1980. It replaced the rear wheel drive K platform. The K-body designation was used for ...

platform, similar to the

GM E platform The General Motors E platform or E-body was the automobile platform designation used for a number of personal luxury cars produced from 1963 to 2002. Notably, early E-bodies were produced in both front wheel drive and rear wheel drive configu ...

-based

Cadillac Eldorado The Cadillac Eldorado is a luxury car manufactured and marketed by Cadillac from 1952 until 2002 over twelve generations. The Eldorado was at or near the top of the Cadillac line. The original 1953 Eldorado convertible and the Eldorado Brougham ...

. Applications: *

(1975–1979)
List of GM VIN codes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gm K Platform (Rwd) K 1