Mike Gilman's 1948 GMC Pickup

02 December 2005

From Mike,

             Here is my 1948 GMC 1/2-ton pickup as it looks today. It's a daily driver.

             It's been lots of elbow grease and thank goodness for eBay. I have been searching eBay daily for parts.

             While trying to stay true to it being a '48, I have also been restoring the truck as it was when I got it. Sometime ago, may be 20 to 25 years ago, someone made an early hotrod of it. They replaced the 228 CID engine with a 270 CID engine and changed the bed to a 1957 or 1958 pickup short-bed. Instead of the side top rails being at a 45 degree angle, the top rail on the sides of the bed are flat, which is great for a cross bed tool box.

             It has a wrap-around heavy duty commercial rear bumper which is great for towing.

             Anyway, I rebuilt the engine, with some advice from Patrick from Patrick's in Casa Granda, AZ. Most of what you see is just a lot of weekend hours for the past several years, spray cans of primer and searching for missing parts on eBay. I straightened and repaired the drivers side fender (myself). I am doing all the body work and eventually will paint it, myself. I replaced all the window glass (myself) with gray smoked tinted glass, added the SS trim around the windshield. Bronze wool the grille and front bumper also. Notice the hood ornament -- 1946-47 Olds.

             I am still working on the interior, gauges, radio, carpet and trying to find another seat. I need to repair the windshield wipers which are the old vacuum wipers. I put in a GMC Fresh Air heater and the deluxe water temp control, added the windshield defrosters. I just got the correct parking lights and gauges/speedo that still need to be installed.

             Nobody has worked on this truck, only myself. Lots to do.

Mike Gilman
"GMCPic"
Bolter # 1117
Paradise, California

             Mike also has a 1948 Chevy COE and a 1948 GMC 1-Ton Dually in the Gallery and a web page. ~~ Editor

May 2000

From Mike,

Here are some pics of my '48 GMC Pickup truck.              Here is a picture of the engine for my pickup. Its a 270CID 140HP going into a 1948 GMC 1/2-Ton pickup. This is the engine that came with the truck when I got it a couple of years ago.              More pictures can be downloaded from my web page.

Mike Gilman
"GMCPic"
Bolter # 1117
Paradise, California

             Mike also has a 1948 Chevy COE and a 1948 GMC 1-Ton Dually in the Gallery. ~~ Editor