Hey bolters,
I picked up a 1953 6500 a while ago from Nevada City, and I've slowly been working on getting it running. Came to me with no bed, seized engine full of water, and a lot of problems. As far as I can tell, this was a work truck and treated just like it the entire time. I've been stripping back bondo, finding rust and broken supports, and removing most of the truck. Radiator was no good, engine was no good, cab needs a lot of structural support, and generally this truck needs a lot of work.
My build plan is a little different from what I've seen from most of the other builds here so far.
I've got a 454 BBC to swap in. Redoing all the electrical to full 12V, all new wiring, new fusebox, MECO, and new switch panel. I'm adding a rollcage and tying the cab to the cage for structural support, because the floor pan is so rusted out I would be replacing almost the entire thing, supports and all. For now I'm keeping the original axles, but getting some mil surplus MRAP wheels with removable centers so I can make my own adapters for the oddball lug pattern. Eventually I'll be swapping in Rockwell 2.5t axles with a 4 link suspension, and then I can just replace the wheel centers and use them again. I'm gonna box and bob the frame, and reinforce it because I've got an interesting setup - that I don't think is factory - double stacked C channel where the bed goes. Eventually this will be a very very large rock crawler/heavy hauler. The work has definitely been made easier because I don't need to find manuals for stuff like the old engine because I can't reuse it.
Eventually I have an inherited all serials matching 1958 GMC 100 farm truck to get to restoring, but that's a more difficult project because I don't want to just start chopping, and the parts are scattered across 3 different family homes. Bottom of my very long list of projects
Outside those, I own a 1969 Ford F350, 1969 Toyota FJ40, 1943 Willys CJ2A, and a 1991 4Runner.
