1956 GMC

Owned by Shawn Gormley "Shawng56" Bolter # 22549 Peoria, Arizona Talking about this truck in the DITY Gallery

More truck pictures of my old truck

From Shawn :

I am beginning a restoration on this 1956 GMC Task Force truck. It has a 270ci engine and a SM420 4 speed manual. I am finally starting to restore the truck, which we acquired in late 2006, and had parked in my garage since then.

This vintage truck has been in my wife’s family since it was bought by her Great Grandfather in 1956. It was used to haul ice and wood in Payson, Arizona. The truck had been parked for many years until I towed it to our home in Peoria, Arizona.

I am amazed that there is really very little rust damage other than the cab corners. There is some surface rust, but overall I think I am fortunate not to have to do too much rust repair.

I intend to keep the truck mostly stock because I want people to see a good representation of what the truck looked like when it was new. However, I will make some modifications to the brakes, move the gas tank and add seat belts for safety reasons.

I am sure I have no idea of the headaches to come with this project, but I am glad I have this excellent resource to refer to when the time comes.

Just over the weekend, The Prairie Home Companion did their show from Tucson, Arizona. They had a great song about how darn hot it was ... but they have no rust! When I read your story, it reminded me of that little ditty. It's always great to see those Task Force stepsides trucks with the I fender mounted spare tire carrier. We hope you'll not have many headaches on the resto. Consider it all a great adventure! ~ Editor

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