The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre Do It Yourself (DITY) Gallery 1949 GMC 1/2 Ton - Restomod "Into the Nitty Gritty"

Hey Team,

I have been on and off the forums and now I'm into the nitty gritty on my frame off restoration.

Just over three years ago, I bought my 1949 GMC 1/2-ton from a farmer in Alberta. The truck was only an hour from me and one image shows it arriving.

I hope to be on the road this summer. I may also start a build thread to layout what I've done so far and get some pointers coming up as I am keen to get some modern conveniences like remote power locks installed.

The truck has great patina but patina is not my thing. I want to paint and build everything I can.

So far the major list completed is as follows:
- strip truck bare and sandblast panels and cab being kept
- beeline and prime to keep off rust all panels
- strip and clean frame, box front and rear and paint with cat black bulldozer paint after rust treatment
- weld in and mount engine and trans mission mounts for LS
- mount 4 link rear with pan hard bar and Mustang ii IFS
- clean up cab interior, fab and weld up 2012 Lincoln MKT bench seat brackets for mount

I'm sure there is more but that's the major list. I look forward to all of your help and input!

I am going to try and share my truck build bit by bit.

So not long after I got the truck home I began disassembly and gathering the parts I would need right away. New engine and transmission as well Mustang II IFS and a 4 link rear with a Ford 9" rear end.

As with most old things, a lot of the bolts fought me to come loose but I found out just how well built these trucks were.

It seems like researching parts and trying to find things that won't break the bank takes the longest but its been totally worth it to this point.

While on quarantine and running out of parts, I'm trying to document everything I have done. I have tons of pics so please feel free to ask anything !

Awesome truck! Is that Ferrara Blue i see on the firewall? Looks just like my 49. Glad to see another smart swapper on board. You will love that 4.8! I originally planned on one but a 5.3 kinda fell in my lap cheap so I scooped it up and made use of it.

Hey Barnfind49, I actually don't have a good reason for my 4.8L except that I wanted to keep the truck "economical" fuel wise haha. But later down the line I think I will either beef up the 4.8L or move to a 6.0.
Sidebar to this, did you do any wiper motor replacement? I am really stumped on this at the moment and I want to do it while the underside of the dash is bare.

Yea i took it out, cleaned it up and got the switching valve unstuck. Fed it some lube and hooked up the vac line and it runs like a champ now. I rarely drive in the rain but they work as good as they did in ‘49.

I did pretty much the same to my wiper motor cleaned up nice works good enough!

Nice 49. Were those duel horns on the firewall stock on the GMC? I thought all horns were mounted on the intake.

I honestly can't say. I bought my truck from a farmer in Alberta who's grandpa bought it new and it did not appear to be modified in any way. I have since given the horns to my buddy whose building a ratrod Model A.

Well, once I got the truck stripped and torn down it was time to get the frame boxed, new suspension mounted and the modern engine and transmission dropped into the frame with new mounts.

My frame was in great shape so I wire wheeled the entire frame and then coated it with a rust converter followed by Caterpillar black bull dozer paint.

Turned out great and it's easy to touch up.

I have a friend who's a welder who helped big time with the boxing and since the project was going to need more welding, I bought a TIG welder and he gave me lessons. I have since done a bunch of work by myself including making and fabbing my own transmission tunnel.

Hey
I just recently saw another truck round here with the same horn stop. So I'm thinking it may be a slight variation or option that some Canadian built trucks had. Sadly I never heard mine toot haha

David,

Haven't seen any post lately. hows the build going? Got any new pics? We all like pics.

I follow him on instagram. He’s actually moving along pretty quickly. Last i saw was the interior getting finished with a nice painted dash.

Hey ! Sorry. Life has been a whirlwind on this end but the truck is progressing. I have the main body back from paint and I have my interior panels back from upholstery. Unfortunately I started logging my build late so you get to see the result of 3 years of off and on work now. Ask anything you'd like I will be on here more now. I'm not even going to try and backlog my progress as I think I have about 5000 pictures now of this build. Feel free to follow me on instagram @davidpcormier, I post on there lots.

As of recently I have completed my brake lines, fuel tank install, welded my underbed storage framing, welded up my exhaust. I still have yet to start my motor recently but that is coming, I have new coils, new wires, March serpentine kit, basically new everything you can bolt on. I'm hoping to start it in January and then get final assembly together. I have also chosen my bedwood and cut it to length. Get ready for picture upload craziness here shortly. Also if there is something you want to see that I don't post please just ask and I will put it up.

The colour on my truck is now BMW San Marino Metallic Blue, it flows from bright blue to purple to nearly black as the light fades across it. Wheels are 18" Ridler wheels all around wrapped in MOMO tires. The box is all new sheet metal from Pros pick and I love it. Easy assembly and amazing price. I know everyone is Mar-K fans but the with the terrible Canadian exchange rate I wanted to find something in Canada and I managed too!

Again sorry for the verbal overload but here is the cole's notes of 3 years of build through 3 moves and multiple tow truck rides haha

More photos of progress along the way.

Hey Team,

Long overdue for an update here. I have adjusted my ride height to roughly where I like it and I think it will stay. The truck has been run on the lift but I had some break bleed issues to sort out so the first drive will be in the spring here in Calgary, AB. My winter project is to get my bedwood finished and mounted in the bed. I cut 2 storage compartment tops in the bed and welded storage bins that sit under the bed to keep straps or whatever out of the way.

The final items I have to check off my list are to install my driver side window and window track and then get the carpet in and get off to my OOP. Next summer should be filled with cruising.

I am where you were 3 years ago except mine is a 3600 (3/4 ton) and trying to make some project decisions.

You probably already answered these questions but if you would not mind I would appreciate any information that you can provide.
What engine and transmission did you use? Appears to be a Vortec but unclear beyond that.
Who's steering column and gauges did you use?
What brake pedal, and brake booster did you use?
Is the fuel tank a custom made fuel cell, it appears to fit neatly in the rear frame section? Where did you put the fuel filler?

Thanks for any insight that you can provide.

All good ! I have spent more time than I care to admit researching and making sure things fit, and when they didn't I made them fit !

My engine is nothing special, it is a Gen 3 4.8L Vortec, I think the years are like 97 -03 or something like that that, I put a march serpentine Kit on the front of it and painted it up the way I wanted using VHT High Heat Paint. The serpentine kit is overkill for my application but I love the look and hopefully my belt doesn't slip.
For my steering column I bought an ebay column similar to this one. I bought a 33" but 1 or 2" shorter would be ideal.

For my brake pedal I bought one of the behind the dash mounting brackets and power brake booster combo's. I originally mounted my booster under the floor but that posed issues for exhaust routing. If you search "1947-53 CHEVY TRUCK 8" FIREWALL POWER BRAKE BOOSTER CONVERSION KIT" you will find lots of people offer it. Just make sure you get the proper setup whether you are disc drum, drum drum, or disc disc.

My fuel tank is from Performance online. it is a 19 Gallon tank aluminum tank. Readily available on their site. If you need help let me know. I did have to trim the front part of my rear crossmember to make it fit as nicely as you see haha. But overall not bad at all.

My fuel filler was dictated by the tank and I have an in bed fuel filler not yet mounted but if you want more details feel free to ask away !

Very pretty. You can tell a lot of time and thought has gone into your build.

Thanks for all the detailed information. Hopefully (and it may be wishful thinking) I will progress a little faster by taking advantage of what all that have gone before me have learned.

Thank you sir !