Projects 6 years into a 6 month 1954 GMC project

been bouncing around between several projects for years and never finishing any of them.
Sold my 52 Plymouth Belvedere 2 door wagon and am happy to see it being done by a new friend.
turned my focus to one project and was still moving slowly till about a month ago when I enlisted my 17 year old Grandson to help. things are jammin' and I see a new rodder on the horizon
I've had it mocked up several times but this time it's getting bolted together

 

The biggest mistake most of us make is having more than one car project going at one time. It not only drains our energy and time, but also our money. Looks like you are going to finally focus on that one and it looks good.

Don

 

I had three projects goin at once. Bit off alot. Finally theyre done. Tha garage is fulla shiney. I need to sell some of this crap cause I'm not pissing off the neighbors anymore and have never seen so much TV. I think the wife's getting tired of me bein in the house too. I almost have all the shelves in the kitches all properly arranged.

 

much of the lost time is putting customers cars ahead of mine. I can go into the shop at midnite on sunday and feel guilty working on my own project

I have a chopped 1956 ford P.U. I'm doing the glass on and decided that I need to get mine on the road too!

 

Its GREAT to see a young guy working on a classic. Keep us in the loop with the progress.

 

when you said young guy, you were referring to me right?? my goal is to
have my grand son drive it to Bonneville in August.

 

a couple before shots........COST $340.00 notice that it looked like a 54 Chev back then

 

When I switched the truck 4 speed for a 3 speed overdrive I modified a Hurst Dual Gate Shifter to fit the trans, it had a real smooth 7 inch throw from 2nd to 3rd. but it allso looked 10 years newer than any other part of the truck. so it had to go.

the floor shift lever on the grannie geared 4 speed had been extended 14 inches and set near the top of the windshield. which was a popular thing in the late 40's early 50's (that I grew up in). those CARTOONS with the hand on the shifter sticking out the roof was not that far off.

I cut the the long 4 speed lever off and the Hurst lever and now have a smooth shifting 3 speed with only 27 inches from 2nd to 3rd.......COST ZERO

 

still moving, It is amazing that every change you make causes two new problems to overcome. but thats what rodding is about. making it work

went to put the radiator back in, it was not only old and damaged the hoses were on the wrong side.

I went to my radiator stack (I have so much crap, that comes in handy) the closest thing I had was a home built 4 core that was cut down from a heavy truck with home built top and bottom tanks.

I took the side mounts off the GMC radiator and modified them as needed to fit the core.

then I needed one more inch width in the core support. cut off one side and flipped it, so now it points out instead of in.

the radiator fits the core support. went to install it and now I need to notch the inner fender well.
I'm just heading out to finish it will post photos tonight......COST ZERO

 

Been there, done that.... Had it altered three times as other problems reared their head. Would have been cheaper and easier to just have a radiator custom made.

 

I'm already buried almost 2 grand in this truck so I can't bring myself to spend 400+ on a new radiator when I have a half dozen good ones in stock lol

 

Chopped, channeled and sectioned the stock seat wasn't going to cut it. about two blocks from my house sitting on a lawn was a free sign on two seats. free is a very good price!

turned out they were 88 Chev extra cab. the back seat was a fold down type that is almost to narrow for an adult. pretty much useless. the front seat fit fine but was to tall for my truck. looking at what I had verses what I needed.

I modified the rear seat frame to accept the front seat cushions and it worked. the rear seat track is low and has 14 inches of travel. I slide the seat all the way forward and recline it all the way back and I have a bed suitable for sleeping on road trips. 50 years ago when I was 20 I would have been thinking Drive In Movies or Parking in the hills.
Also when driving, reclining one or two clicks and the talllest friends can still have head room. I extended the cab 10 1/2 inches so there tons of room for and aft. the head room is enough for 6 foot and under and I've had a 6'4" customer was suprised how much room he had with the seat back down just one click.
Cost zero

 

I'm at another decision cross roads. wheels and tires. I think I'll have to go with two sets. the small tires on 14's for weekend runs and the 235 70 R 15's for working. I like the slammed look but my Radial white walls are going to raise it about 2 1/2 inches

 

Love it, cool as hell. I also like seeing all these threads popping up with the grandkids getting their hands dirty. I wish I had even just one friend that was into what I was doing, let alone a family member.

 

It is real strange that I never got my kids involved in cars. My daughters have only MPG on their minds when it comes to cars. My son has been involved Quads, Bikes and Buggies. got his first old car at age 43

My grand kids have been buried in sports and computer games. my second youngest (the photo) need summer work. has never touched a wrench. still working on learning a rachet. he has found that it is cool working with a grampa that is so cheap (me) that he will make he own theads on round stock instead of buying funky looking threaded rod. he's doing real well with the mig and power tools. but the biggest joy for me is he is a hard worker and never questions the dirty tasks. and wants to drive what we build.
Highand is 17 the 48 ford in the back corner of the shop has been sitting 19 years.

 

even when I didn't have time to work on it I was still gathering parts and accessories now I'm trying to get it all together. I figure that when it is done I'll pick up at least 2 1/2 bays of space.

 

Great to see you makin some progress on this super cool worktruck!!

 

love your avatar. If I had done research before I started, I would have come up with a way different truck.
now that it is getting close I'm glad I did it my way. the whole project was just fixing one problem and causing two more
I chopped the top and that was going to be it. when done I didn't like the tall hood and low roof, also didn't have running boards. so the 5 1/2 inches from the bottom of the door to the bottom of the front fender was the amount taken out of the fire wall.

It was simple to do. I never unbolted the fenders or cab just started cutting that amount out of the firewall and cowl back half way to the door then one cut straight down between the fender and door. that cut went deep enough to reach the floor in the cab. then cut the floor about one inch inside all the way around then lowered the cab down to mate the 5 1/2 inch hole in the fire wall. I did have to cut the back bottom of the cab and raised the section that wraps the frame. I bent a piece of sheet metal to fill the gap where the door opens. my fenders and floor are still in the stock uncut positions.

the cab extension was only done because I didn't have a bed and a neighbor gave me an old ford with beat to shit utility boxes that turned out to be to short for my truck. at that point it was shorten the frame or stretch the cab I had a free52 Chev COE truck with no title that I cut up for the stretch.

this whole project has been built from free scronged parts and some exchange of my labor (which I consider free cause Im not worth much more than that) the only big ticket items were
truck................$340
disc brakes........$450
windshield.........$165
wire kit.............$150
total................$1105

adding up all the rest of the receipts and I'm $8.35 short of $2000

 

when I mounted the utility boxes to line up with the bottom of the cab I had to cut the bottom of the compartment door directly over the wheel well for tire clearance. I had thought of just boxing it in and seal it.
I had the back haif of a 60 chrysler with the boomerang tail lights leaning against a tree in front of the shop for several years. I finally cut it up for scrap and saved the wheel wells

it's not pretty but I made them fit and they will do the job. I bend some sheet metal to hide them when the door is opened to access my gas cap

first photo you can see the door above the tire

second shows where I cut the bottom and bent it up so I could mount the box

third is the ugly chrysler wheel well

fourth is looking up from the tire side

 

when I mounted the utility boxes to line up with the bottom of the cab I had to cut the bottom of the compartment door directly over the wheel well for tire clearance. I had thought of just boxing it in and seal it.
I had the back haif of a 60 chrysler with the boomerang tail lights leaning against a tree in front of the shop for several years. I finally cut it up for scrap and saved the wheel wells
it's not pretty but I made them fit and they will do the job. I bend some sheet metal to hide them when the door is opened to access my gas cap

 

thats one cool project!

 

my plan is to get it on the road. then work on the details later, possibly much later lol

 

The front bumper is a 52 DeSoto I had a 50 pontiac gravel shied that fits the bumper but needs a little trimming to fit the fenders. that is todays project.
went down and made a appointment to get the interior done. It's going to be real nice inside and rough as a cob outside. a true Rat Rod
Cost zero

 

Good to see some one is getting together and looking good too!
I took my rod apart for another rebuild in 1965,even sold off some of its parts and got side tracked over the years on racecars ect. tell now,making some parts fit back together now.

 

Haha, I like that thread title.
Keep at it man, glad you have a youngster helping too.

 

Time sure flies when your having fun!!! being 70 I feel that I'm only getting about 3 months a years

 

I really like this build! Lots and lots of cool ideas.


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finished the wheel wells sprayed under coating, painted the boxes and mounted with proper pads. it will never come off again. pictures this evening
the spray under coating was among a bunch of old cans given to
Cost Zero

 

some days I just tackle small item that need to be done. I went out to "Pile of crap" pile looking for a rear bumper. the third one I tried looked the most promising but had way to much curve to fit. I have a reciever hitch that I want coming thru the bumper. I marked the center for the hitch the stood the bumper on it's two end and started whacking it in the center with my "fine adjustment tool" (a 14 pound dead blow hammer) and it now fits fine.
I installed two of my four tail lights. the bottom two are for tail light, brake and turn signals. they are 4 inch with chrome hooded bezels. the top two I need to run to ACE for long screws. are 60 dodge bezels with 41 GM bus 6 inch glass "STOP" lense's that well be 3rd & 4th stop lights