Doug Brechtelsbauer's 1951 GMC 1/2-Ton Longbox

07 July 2006
# 1583

From Doug:

           Hi! Here are some pix of my 1951 GMC 1/2-ton, longbox, 228 six cylinder. Well, I now have it on the road and am using it. Longest trip last week (60 miles roundtrip) and came home at night. I got the truck by "winning" the bid on eBay in April of 2004. I had to drive from Michigan to Texas to acquire it. Took my good buddy Roger with me and studied the nightlife in Memphis and New Orleans on way to Beaumont. Got tow dolly and dragged it straight home -- we had enough fun on way down.

           I've became good friends with "Mindy" at Chevy Duty for most parts. Found a good graveyard in Ubly for those hard to find parts, plus local yards for some miscellaneous parts (horns, speedo driven gear). Told by local auto parts buddy that I should go to a small yard in Fairgrove for my speedo-driven gear. Found place, drove in and got greeted by the two German Shepherds! The guy came out of house, showed him the part and we immediately walked into his shop over to some cobbled up garden tractor with a three speed tranny on it. After pulling it out, visual comparison, he wanted $2. I gave him $5 and the old one to plug the hole.

           The truck is mostly done, but are we ever truly done with a project like this?? What about stake rack, spare tire, smoother engine performance, different vibrations, etc. Still want to lift the rear end some 2-3 inches, truck sits pretty level. Mostly tried to keep close to stock but wanted a more drivable truck for golf, Friday nights out, Sunday ice cream runs, etc. Converted to 12-volt with alternator. Got set of radials and it runs pretty straight down the road.

           This was a first time project for me, so there were many times that I ended up doing something two-three times before getting it right. Many nights in the shop. I just had to quit, have a few pops, and call it a day.

           Can't say enough about the Stovebolt website. Many mornings spent on-line researching ideas on "issues" my truck was having with me. After lessons were learned, my truck would let me continue forward. Thank you Stovebolters for having the patience and vision to post so much learning.

Doug Brechtelsbauer
"fritzer999"
Bolter # 5564
Reese, Michigan