Hi all,
I've been lurking and learning for awhile now, and am finally ready to start building my dream truck, and I just love the tri-5 GMCs. Perhaps one of you can help me find it?
Unlike most of you, I am not a very good mechanic, but I am a darn good carpenter and a dreamer. Sure I tinker with things and fix easy stuff like brakes and starters and alternators and stuff like that, but I'm in no position to tear down an engine and rebuild it, or do any serious metal fab stuff. I like to think I will someday, but with a couple young kids and plenty of work to be done on the farm it might be a couple decades before I'm there.
So anyway, for awhile (before kids) I thought this project would be a great way to tinker and learn, but I realize now that if I try to undertake this on my own it will never get done, and I want to drive this thing while I still can. So I am interested in finding one that's almost ready to go, OR hiring someone to build it for me. Anybody looking for some side work out there???
I love the look of a completely original NAPCO, and I know most of you do to. However, this is going to be my work truck so I want a truck that looks vintage but performs well for daily driving and working, which includes lots of mountains, curves, bumpy dirt roads, occasional highway driving, and occasional towing.
This has led me to believe a body swap onto a modern chassis is my best bet. Ideally it would be a 3/4 ton 4x4 truck, with power steering and brakes, with a flatbed on the back. Other than that I don't need much in the way of ammenities, a comfortable seat, heat and A/C would definitely help though. I like the "sleeper patina look" that shows the age and tells the story on the outside, doesn't have too much flash or chrome, and has a bulletproof well tuned drivetrain.....If I was really lucky it would have a 12 valve Cummins under the hood, but I realize that's shooting for the moon, told y'all I was a deamer!
I live in southern oregon, so any west coasters out there, ideally somewhere between Portland and SF Bay that have something along these lines or might be interested in taking on a project like this, let me know!
