1949 GMC 1-Ton FC253 Flat bed
This is my 1949 GMC FC253 1 Ton truck with dual rear wheels.
I used to see it at the back of a Christmas tree farm I passed by on my way to work, then one day there it was up at the end of the driveway with a for sale sign.
I stopped and took some pictures. My wife was supportive in my new endeavor and in August 2011 the deal was made.
The owner of the tree farm said his father had a truck just like it when he was growing up that they used to haul Christmas trees.
He bought it for nostalga purposes and it seemed like the truck had seen some restoration, but it needed more than he wanted to deal with which is why it was for sale.
It ran and drove ok. He was honest in telling me the gas tank was rusty and kept clogging the fuel filter. He put in new fuel filter and drove it a few miles to my house.
This is my first old vehicle. I can turn a wrench and work on cars, but restoration was a new thing to me. This truck was a good fit. It was fully assembled and running, but rough enough that I could work on it and learn as I go.
I always wanted to restore an old vehicle, and started to really like the '47-53 body style, particularly the dually trucks. The plan was to fix it up to use as a weekend driver that did occasional truck work.
That was in 2011. We had been thinking about moving to a place with a decent chunk of land (10 or so acres ) so we could start a small farm. By 2013 we found a nice piece of property for sale near by that was ideal.
We moved in and realized having the 1 Ton flat bed was going to be ideal for farm life. We came to rely on it quite a bit, which made doing the restoration work a bit of a challenge at times, but it worked out well.
I was able to learn as I went along and attempted more and more challenging repairs.
The very first was replacing that old rusty fuel tank, as well as cleaning out the carb and fuel pump.
Fast forward 10 years there has been a lot of work done, including new leaf springs all around, new king pins, restored the fresh air heater, 12 volt conversion, rusted floor and body mount replacement, new modern wheels and tires.
I did a bunch of "Pandemic work" which included transmission rebuild, engine rebuild, steering box rebuild, more floor and body work, alternator conversion, new wiring harness and fresh POR15 paint on just about everything I could reach while it was all apart.
There were a bunch of tech articles and forum posts from this site that I used for inspiration and guidance since I have owned the truck.
Before the pandemic rebuild, I was using it for both cruise nights, and hauling farm supplies. 4H and other farm friends usually send us messages when they see me blasting down the highway with 70 bales of hay piled up in the back.
As of today, the freshly machined engine is going back together and waiting to get back into the truck along with all the other parts
Greg Fowler CT.
Last edited by xgregx; Thu Mar 11 2021 04:49 PM.
Thank you for sharing your story and photos. I especially appreciate the pictures showing your progress. Your truck is a great addition to our new Gallery and will be an inspiration to many.