1951 GMC 1-Ton Flatbed Dually

	Owned by David Smith "dsmith" Bolter # 18861 Fairview, Tennessee

From David :

       I have a 1951 GMC 1-ton flatbed dually that I am working on. I bought this truck about six years ago and my original plan was to build it back like it was when new.  Since then, I found that this is a very difficult process which requires a lot of research and the parts are hard to find.

       Here are early pictures of the truck with the stakebed ~ front / rear.

       The biggest reason I decided against a restoration was the fact that this truck will only run about 40 or 45 mph down hill. My Father had a 1978 Chevrolet C-30 that he used to pull a 36’ stock trailer for several years. He eventually bought a Kenworth to haul the cattle and the one ton truck was sold to my Uncle.

       My Uncle put only about 5,000 miles on the fresh 454 in the eight years he had it. I decided to buy the truck from my Uncle and use it for the donor frame, motor, trans, rear -- basically the entire running gear. Since then, I have removed the 1978 cab and installed the 1951.  The way I had to do it was to keep the finders in tact with the cab while I fitted the cab to the frame.  My main concern was for the wheels to be center under the fenders.

       I measured and measured to make sure everything lined up, then built the cab and radiator supports. The 454 is rather large and the way the motor and transmission are mounted in the newer model frame in relation to the wheels, made the motor further towards the front of the truck than the original frame would have.

       This is not a real big problem since there are electric fans and short shaft water pumps (which the engine already had). The face of the water pump pulley ended up being about 3/4" from the backside of the radiator.  I currently have the original radiator in the truck and I am looking for a new one. I want to make sure the 454 stays cool.  I have been calling several different vendors about the radiators and everyone says that their's will keep it cool. I don’t know how much I trust their salesmen.  I have asked for flow and cooling data but they don’t understand. I will continue the search.

       One of the good things about using the '78 running gear is the fact that you have power steering and power brakes. The pedal system also works great on the AD trucks because of the distance the dash is away from the fire wall -- the whole assembly will just basically bolt in. 

       I am using the hydra-boost braking system from the '78 truck and the power steering.  I have had a difficult time with the power steering which came not from the pieces fitting together but from a lack of knowledge and experience.  I was connecting the steering linkage and decided to drill a hole through the input shaft off the power steering gear box to the hold the u-joint.  This is a bad idea -- the input shaft is a two piece shaft that holds the guts to the rotary valve inside the gear box.  This hole I drilled allowed the fluid to be pumped out.

       I found another rotary valve but now I only have power steering to the left. I am going to have to buy a new gear box.

       The fuel tank that I am using is from an S-10 Blazer. I have it installed inside the frame behind the rear wheels.  I have run new fuel lines and the motor starts and runs great.

       I do not have glass so I cannot get the truck on the road yet so I just putt around in the yard.

       Right now I am sanding all the paint and rust off the body and just piddling with it here and there. Once I get the paint off and the new radiator, then I will determine the color and get started painting.  I am thinking of a dark midnight blue. 

       I am a little new to the forum world and have done most of my research through the trial and error method.  I think this is a great place to get a lot of experience and knowledge at your disposal in a relatively short amount of time.  I hope I will have a little to add to the site.  The information I have read in the forums thus far and the Gallery stories are great.  Keep up the good work.

       Here are some additional photos in Webshots of my truck and my Father’s 1946 Chevy. Slideshow of the '51 and '46.

David A. Smith

       Well, welcome to the site. You have contributed already by providing such a great description for the Gallery. Might help a lot of other folks who are doing similar research, or looking for ideas for their trucks! Keep us posted. ~ Editor

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