Julian Cocklin's

1965 GMC 1-Ton Panel 4 WD

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16 September 2005
#1222

I was given this 1965 GMC Panel 1-ton 4WD 305 V6 monster about three months ago to restore. I'm just learning the ropes on this restoration thing though so I'm always asking for suggestions.

The GMC is pretty far from stock. An enthusiast came out and took a look at the truck and said it wasn’t originally four wheel drive because it didn’t have the "K" emblem on the body. The front axle is a heavy duty Dana 60 splice or something like that. The rear is also a heavy duty Dana of some kind. It has a set of split rims wrapped in 12 ply, 35 inch tall tires. The leaf springs have four inch blocks under them. It also has huge ball joints on the front axle.

The windows that have been installed on the side are probably out of a trailer. The bumpers front and rear are enormous. Huge channel iron has been used to attach them. The original steering setup has been replaced by some weird one. It's a twin stick transfer case. The transmission is a four speed.

I want to do a lot of work on this truck but the first thing I have to do is get it running, which I'm still in the process of so I can get it home to Camas. I want to slaughter all the rust on the body and replace the floor boards, door jams, and rockers first because they've been rusted out.

I'm also told that the 305 V6 in it is a torque-monster but sucks gas like a top fuel dragster. If I really wanted to go another level with this truck, I would like to put a 11.1 liter Caterpillar diesel in it (but that’s just wishful thinking).

Hopefully I'll have this truck running in a couple days now.

I was going to sell it for $850 and was bombarded with emails and phone calls inquiring about the rig. So, I decided I wanted to keep it.

Julian Cocklin
Camas, Washington

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