Projects New GMC Shop Truck Project

So, last summer I was in need of money and ended up selling my 66 C10. I hated to sell it since it was just like I wanted it other than needing a motor that I had actually started putting together. It was a cool driver and not too nice to use. I have been without an old pickup ever since it sold and somewhat have been keeping my eyes open for another one to use. Anyway, I thought I had found an O/T 71 F100 that would be a good pickup, but the lady that owns it isn’t ready to sell yet. Then, I went and saw a 33 Ford 1/2 ton and a 49 F1 that I would love to have. But, that owner isn’t ready to part with those yet either (still waiting on these). So, fast forward to this past Thursday when I get a text out of the blue from a co-worker. It said a good friend of his had a 61 GMC that he wanted to sell. His grandfather had bought it new and now his brother was wanting to sell it since he realized he wasn’t up to fixing it up. He sent me a couple pics and I was interested. I called the guy and got a little bit more information including things like how it only had around 40,000 miles on it, it had been parked for about 40 years, and they didn’t need an arm and a leg for it. I asked for a couple more pics of the interior and the rear which he sent Friday night. After seeing all the pics and considering the story, I was pretty sure it could be the pickup I had been looking for. Anyway, late Friday night, my daughter called us from work and asked if she could stay the night with her older sister. Then, my wife was planning to go to an all-day beekeeper meeting. So, my Saturday had just freed up. I asked the owner of the GMC if I could come check it out and he said he was available. It was 2-1/2 hours away, so I figured I better take cash and the trailer just in case I wanted to drag it home. I was also possibly interested in the Lark sitting behind the pickup mainly because it’s story was way cool. I’ll get to that later.

So, I hooked up the trailer and headed out early Saturday to go see the pickup. It couldn't have been better weather for a drive in the country on the two lanes. I even passed a group of about 20 or so Model A’s on a drive. I was headed to a part of the state that I really haven’t spent much time in so the drive was definitely interesting. When I got to the guys house to see the truck, it was basically as expected. The brother that owned it met me in the driveway and started with the stories of how their grandpa had only driven it to the post office about a mile and a half up the road every day but not much else. He then told me how one of his brothers had bought the pickup from his grandfather and started using it as a fuel truck on his farm. This brother didn’t like that assuming the pickup would get messed up, so bought it and started using it as his driver. Then, after he had to move to Dallas for work, he decided it best to leave the GMC back on the farm to not have it fighting DFW traffic. So, that is when it was parked in the early 80’s in a barn for safe keeping...until about 20 years ago when the barn started to fall down and the pickup was moved outside to where I found it. Apparently the owner had been somewhat stressing about what to do with the pickup knowing he likely couldn’t restore it like he wanted but also not wanting to sell the pickup to someone that wouldn’t appreciate its history. I was told as we had it loaded up that he was happy for it to go with me to its new home and that stress had gone away. Oh, and the 40k miles was higher than what it actually is...35k is where it sits now.

My plans are to go through it mechanically and see what all it needs. There is the obvious things like brakes, fuel system, tires, etc. But, it also needs the bed floor replaced as well as some other cosmetic things to be a driver. I’ll try to post progress pics here for anyone interested in me getting this GMC back on the road.

Enough story, so here are some pics.

The pickup I sold last year leading up to this whole story.


The text pics I received this past Thursday.



The trip to go see the pickup.


The owner and his brother. There were actually 5 brothers in this family and they were good folks and a hoot.


The dirty V6.


We had to get the tires aired up. Thankfully, they had the front sitting up on blocks to keep it from sinking into the ground. The rear had fallen off the blocks, but the mud tires had tubes, so they still held air. Anyway, we used their nice green tractors to make easy work out of dragging it out of where it had sat for the last 20 or so years and up onto the trailer. The Willys roof stayed so it could go to the guy that recently bought the 56 Willys.


Headed home.


Saw this 56 Olds on the way home and had to stop. It was original paint, factory A/C, and only had 15k miles. Great car, but the price reflected that.


After a quick bath.


Anyway, as is always the case, it’s fun to have a new project to play with. This will be a neat old pickup to get back on the road and planning on it to be a keeper.

I’ll get to the story on the Lark another time. But, here is a sneak peak. It has a 283 and floor shifted 3-speed to start the story and was driven by all 5 brothers as their first vehicle.

 

good luck with it and keep us posted

 

What a great score! Yes, by all means keep us posted. Besides I wanna ride!

 

Great story, & pics too. for me, that front end is so ugly that it is Cool

 

Cool. Doesn’t even need paint.
Ya did good

 

How cool!!

 

You just keep finding the JEWELS, Jeff.

Ben

 

Side bar...Anthony, love the avatar.

 

Man, you always up to somethin, ain't ya?

 

Even the bus dressed up for Halloween that year.
Costumes in a size B600 are hard to find. She’s getting a.new costume today

 

What’s the motivation plans?
Keep the v6?
SBC?

 

I believe they have a different front suspension from your previous truck. I’m sure a 1960 does. If you had a GMC V6 before you know their idiosyncrasies so no need mentioning them here. Good luck.

 

Love those dealer installed rear step bumpers with the dealer name carved into them. I guess that was pretty typical back in the day in OK and TX and maybe some other mid west states as well.

 

There are people who fall in outhouses and come up smelling like roses. I think you're one of them. I spent a lot of time cutting wheat around Jet about the time your truck was new. Who knows, I may have even seen it back then? Congratulations on a nice find.

 

Congrats on the nice find. I had a 64 shortbed years back and really want another one. When I’m done having fun with my 49, I’ll sell it and buy me one.

 

I agree on the front end. The GMC’s all the way back to the late 40’s have always just been ugly enough that I started to consider them cool. I think part of it is that they are different than everyone’s Chevrolet that makes me like them now.

For now, I’m planning to get the V6 running again. According to the brothers, it ran like a champ when they parked it and I believe they are telling me the truth. We will see once I start to learn more about its condition now.

Yep, this truck has the torsion front suspension unlike the later trucks of this body style.

Lol! And, yea, you might have seen this truck. I have only been to Jet once for a wedding, but passed through it yesterday. Sounds like this hauled wheat a time or two as well back when nearly new.

 

After Anthony’s question, I decided to see if the engine might actually turn over just spinning the fan. Not quite that easy so far. I’m going to assume it just has really good compression.

Anyway, I did wash the motor off too. This thing hasn’t been messed with much at all. I love finding stuff that is unmolested. More to come after I get a couple late models running again... I am really not a fan of working on newer stuff and would much rather play with this.

 

In the mid 1970's, I had a 1963 GMC 1 ton with the 305 V-6 engine. I loved the song of than engine. It was a $150 find, with a utility bed, formerly a Hood Milk Company road service truck. Lots of rust, an on old washing machine donated the floor panels. It had 19.5" tires. Over the years, as tires failed, I converted the dual rear wheels to single tires. Eventually, the tread got too thin to pass a MA vehicle inspection. I did not have enough $$$ to replace the tires, so it got sold to the junkyard. I found out later, the engine was sold and swapped into another truck

 

Funny story on this pickup. Apparently back when grandpa (the original owner) drove it, the brakes went out at some point. Instead of fixing them, he put some boards down in his barn to slow him down as he pulled in to park. His grandson told me he had the timing down just right to get it stopped...until the time he didn’t and centered up on his vice mounted on a workbench trashing the hood. Apparently they went to the local salvage to get a replacement and it just happened to be the same color. That does explain why the hood isn’t quite as nice as the rest of the pickup.

 

Since I can’t do anything and am watching my grandson nap, might as well tell the story on the 59 Lark. Apparently some school teacher in town owned it and the 5 brothers dad bought it for the oldest to drive. Im sure he was thrilled to have a four door Lark as his first car. Anyway, not long after getting it, he blew up the 6 cylinder, so went to the salvage and got a 283 and 3-speed as well as a rear axle out of a Chevy II. This would have been in the mid-60’s. After putting those all in along with a Hurst floor shifter, he would challenge those that made fun of his car and beat them just outside of town. The dad made all 5 boys use it as their first car, but it was much more fun after the oldest got through with it. They offered it to me for about scrap price which I know is a deal even for just the engine and transmission let alone a decent body, but not sure I need another project right now and would actually hate to not just get it back going again somewhat as-is. Still thinking on this one...

 

That truck is a dead ringer for the truck the AG shop teacher drove when I was in high school. I didn't take AG but changed oil in it a number of times over three years and did a couple of tune ups on it.
Make sure you take the air hose and blow all the dust and crud and what not from around the spark plugs before you even think about taking one out if you haven't had one of those boat anchors before.

 

Good to know about the spark plugs and sure makes sense.

 

It would (kind of) color match "Pinky"......... Go for it!

 

Should make a great truck. The 305 V6 have tons of torque, don't get shit for mileage.

Probably a ways out, but the front susp out of a common (but getting less....) 73-87 half ton will basically bolt in to your truck. Buy that Lark, and use the SBC and trans in the GMC with the newer suspension swap.

Or buy the Lark as a cheap driver. Even as a four door it could be a good drive to work car.

 

Thats a nice find Jeff, congrats ! Funny how the "farm bumpers" and headache rack are kind of appealing to me on an old truck nowadays. Thats the first stuff I would have ripped off back in my youth.

 

I'd bet that that fender rotter bumper was made by the Perry Bumper company in Waco. Same outfit that made the Smash Hit grill guards that are popular on GM AD trucks. That dealer name and town thing stamped into the bumper was a big deal in Texas and Oklahoma in the 60's and 70's.

 

Oh man... GREAT SCORE!

Anxious to see what you do with that badass truck!

I would drive the wheels off that Lark!!! Just sayin'

 

For scrap price, I’d get it for the 283/3 speed for the GMC, then sell the the car off and not have another project

A friend in HS had an early 60’s GMC with the V6, but wasn’t (for him) used as a truck. He always was complaining about his MPGs, this is when gas was 65 cents a gallon for premium.
I’ve no opinion on the big V6, I’ve never had one. But have had a 283. Mileage and power was fine.

 

Great looking truck and even better story.....like everyone else said SAVE THE LARK.