Owned by Jim Finlayson "JimFinlayson" Bolter # 29128 Conrad, Montana

1941 GMC 1/2-Ton Short Box Stepside

"Wilburforce"

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From Jim:

I grew up driving my Grandfather's 1940 Chevy pickup truck. Grandad was a farmer and this was the last truck he had. He drove until he died in 1968. He had some bigger equipment for the farm, but this was his daily driver - the only pickup truck he had.

I always loved that style of truck - 1939 thru 1946. I was just thumbing through Hemmings Motor News one day, and this 1941 GMC jumped out at me. You don't see a lot of older GMC 1/2-ton trucks these days. The ad has about ten photos with it, but they were not very clear. Fortunately, there were more to see on-line.

The old GMC was located in Fairfax County, Virginia. I talked with the owner before hand to get more details about the truck. He had stored the truck in a barn for several years and had lost interest in it. Now he was planning on moving from VA and he needed to get rid of the truck.

I got permission from my wife to go fly out and check out the truck. June 2011, I flew out to Dulles International Airport.

The pictures I had seen really didn't do the truck justice. It was in very nice condition but a long ways from being perfect. In was in need of mechanical work. The body and fenders were straight. My intention was to bring it home if the truck met my expectations.

Well, I rented a trailer and drove the truck back to Montana!

There is little history on the truck. It was purchased new in Florida. A fellow from Ohio bought it. Then this fellow from Virginia got it..

This vintage GMC truck is in basic stock and original condition. It needs a little bit of "restofication." Like my 1960 GMC, it has the original 228 cylinder engine in it.

This GMC has has a synchronized 3-speed transmission. The truck is painted Narva green with black fenders. The only painting we did on this truck was the interior. It is in the correct color (silver gray). The interior itself was in good shape but we will probably re-do the seats. We will need to re-wire the whole thing at some point as it seems like it wasn't done right.

My son, who is 18, and I recently re-did the front end with king pins, tie rods, the whole works. My son enjoys working with me on the truck.

The previous owner had done a little mechanical work on the truck. The engine wasn't working very well. I found a new Zenith carburetor and now it purrs like a kitten.

The Internet has made our hobby so much easier. I restored GTO's back in the 1960's and it is so much easier to find parts. Plus being able to see on-line what things are suppose to look like. The Stovebolt community is an exceptional resource. This site brings so much information together. It's been a huge help.

My wife thinks it's a neat way to spend time and money. She thinks the old trucks are cool. She drives the '60. My Daughter loves driving this truck!

Jim

Jim Finlayson has two trucks he has retored parked in the Stovebolt Gallery: a 1960 GMC 1/2-Ton Fleetside with Long Box and a 1941 GMC 1/2-Ton Short Box Stepside.

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