A 'virtual garage' of antique Chevy & GMC trucks from around the World

1966 GMC 1/2-ton Fleetside Longbed

Owned by

Charles Headrick

Valentine's Day
14 February 2008
# 2228

From Charles :

          This is my 1966 GMC 1/2-ton Fleetside longbed. My Dad picked the truck up in Swartz Creek, Michigan (which is a suburb of Flint, MI) in the spring of 2003.  It was a numbers matching truck with no rust, original black wood bed, big camper looking topper, V6 engine with the 3 on the tree and a Dana 44 rear end. It also had around 60,000 original miles.

          After being stored in a barn for 20+ years, the old V6 didn't take too kindly to the amount of miles that were being put on it. My Dad bought the truck as a driver, and that is just what he did. The motor couldn't handle the relentless expressway driving. So we swapped the tired V6 for a Chevy 350 cubic inch crate motor.

          We dropped in a bigger cam, added a 700R4 transmission with overdrive and a 2000 stall speed converter. My Dad decided it would make a great graduation present, seeing as he had completely modernized the drivetrain for a nicer cruiser/daily driver. I wasn’t going to argue with him! So, by keeping myself safely "around" the A-B honor roll, my Dad happily signed the truck over to me.

          When I first got the truck, I was all about modernizing it with big rims and silver paint. Thankfully, I grew out of that phase before I actually got the money to ruin the truck! Now, I would like to lower it another 2.5 inches all around, replace the steel rims with the original cream-colored rims with the chrome GMC dog dishes, and throw some nice Coker white walls on her. 

           The body is all-original and looks excellent thanks to the Barn. [ side view pix ]
 
          I hope you enjoy my story! Just because I am 18, doesn't mean I don’t have plenty of stories about my new found love of old trucks.  It’s a hobby that will inevitably result in an unhappy wife some day!

Charles

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