The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Considering a '51 GMC

Well thank you!

Your post has turned into a very interesting thread!! Good job. Glad I moved it out of the Welcome Centre last night.

Hope you do find a truck that works for you! We just got another one from a fellow Bolter (and friend, ODSS). We know the fellow's work. That's how we've gotten most of our trucks and what not (cats to houses). We also had a farm (Christmas tree farm - only 17 acres) and Charlie (the red '49 1-ton that you see all over the site) was a big hit. People wanted their Christmas photos with Charlie ... and the barn cat.

Fun fun.

Peggy

Staggerlee,

Glad to see you have attained full 'Bolter status!!!

I will mention an extra note of thanks to Kevin (klhansen) for his spotting what the rest of us missed on the drivers side cowl vent. That side vent confirms the cab is definitely NOT a 1951 year of manufacture.

Otto also makes a good point about the removal of an ID plate as being illegal. Check your state laws as they can in many cases impact you the buyer as much as the seller.

Ultimately your choice as has been mentioned above on purchasing or not. Would leave you with one last thought - Buyer Beware.

Dan

Gdads51, it was Bill Hanlon, who first commented on the driver side cowl vent on page 2.

Yeah, but he wasn't able to zoom in on the pic to see the vent (not that it matters.)

Yeah, Eagle Eye Bill did it…(a little humor).

Thanks for the "corrections" guys!

All credit for identifying the side cowl vent to Bill Hanlon.

Dan

My '53 235 with a short cap distributor on 12 volts works wonderfully. Maybe I am lust lucky. I'll take lucky.

What is the deal between tall and short caps? I assume they take different rotor buttons.

As long as the rotor is making contact with the terminals and sending the spark to the plugs, the electricity doesn't know the difference. Why would dizzy cap geometry make any difference to the spark?

Not saying it doesn't, I'd just like to understand the reasoning behind it.

Dan,

Kevin and Otto actually had a role in this. I would post a note thanking thrm too…even though though Ol’ Eagle Eye did it.

The cab is a 47. The hand brake went away after 47 on the 1/2 ton trucks and a foot pedal was used left of the driver. The three speed went to a column shift and that changed the dash to allow room for the shift linkage. There are ways to pinpoint the frame year and size as well but it is likely 47 also. Not sure any of it matters. As others have said, Frankentruck.

Hey all - just an update on this. I decided to pass on this specific truck. Though I don't care about a numbers matching survivor, I figured my first foray into the classic truck world could probably use a more secure foundation.

The seller (truck is not his, it it on his lot a as consignment) is super conscientious and wanted the whole rundown of my concerns to make sure it should even be on his lot. His check of the serial on the title vs the truck showed they match. In the end, my sunny disposition feels it is likely a cab swap as previously suggested, as so much can happen over 70+ years, especially with substantially similar designs between makes and among model years. Heck - just look at the squarebody market. That is a festival of Frankenstein trucks!

I'm sure I'll be back and lurking here often, but really wanted to express my thanks for all of the advice and guidance I received in such a short time! Y'all are the best!

I'm glad you didn't get it.



It couldn't be a simple cab swap however, since the driver side cowl vent wasn't used on 1953 cabs.

We know that the frame isn't a 1 ton frame so that part of the title description is incorrect as well. It doesn't appear that any part of the vehicle has anything to do with the title.

I'd be inclined to think that the entire truck might be a 1947 model with an illegally attached id plate, or that some previous owner sold more than one truck and got the titles mixed up.

If no one ever inspected the truck, no one , including the government , would know.

Honestly to me the vin wouldn’t scare me. Means nothing here in CT. They just look at it and say ok thats the vin. We dont even issue titles here for old stuff. The rest of the truck however is a crap shoot.

The cab is certainly from a truck that was manufactured earlier than 1953 - though I can't easily decipher the production orders on the Old GMC Trucks chart, it looks to be from a '47 or '48. I think that's been established. Same with the 1/2 ton frame. While I can't physically verify the ID plate has been illegally swapped, I also can't rule out that the early cab was simply swapped onto a 1/2 ton truck of unknown year (perhaps a '51). It is titled and currently registered here in CA, so the discrepancy apparently has not caused an issue. It's probably worth noting that we don't have inspections in CA, and the closest thing to that - "smog checks" are only required on 1976 and newer models.

All that said, I agree that there are significant unknowns, and this just exceeds my tolerance for risk at this time. I do have to say that although it is far from original, the combination of quirks (under floor fuel tank, handbrake, uncommon floor shift, cowl vent, and full door windows) make this a truck I'd almost rather have than the way they came.

Don't thank me, buy me a drink!

Staggerlee - wise decision and good choice. You now have a baseline to compare to - and learned a lot. There will always be another truck for sale and a better deal.

Come back and bounce more ideas and trucks off this group. You will get the answers you need and a whole lot more!

There are a number here that modify these and upgrade with engine, suspension, and transmission upgrades or more current components. The sky is the limit. Check out the HiPo forum and see the plethora of work being done.

Tom

To Staggerlee,

Thank you for post the follow-ups on your choice on purchasing the truck (or not in this case).

To All Fellow 'Bolters that replied to the thread,

Thanks to everyone for some valuable sharing of knowledge, experience and wisdom that has helped Staggerlee answer his question!

'Bolters helping 'Bolters!!!

Enjoy your day all!

Dan

To Staggerlee , i noticed you said,

"It's probably worth noting that we don't have inspections in CA, and the closest thing to that - "smog checks" are only required on 1976 and newer models."

Just fyi.... Ca now has "brake & lamp" inspections on salvaged vehicles (not saying this was a salvaged truck). If you look at any Salvaged vehicles, it will require you to take it to a shop so they can inspect all the lighting & braking system. Also Ca. DMV requires your truck to be weighed at a scale. Lastly the CHP will need to verify the parts on you vehicle are not stolen.

All this only applies to SALVAVED TITLES. Good luck in your hunt!

Question for the group.
If I were to buy a properly titled half ton truck with a good frame and drivetrain, but the cab is not salvageable, and I buy a 1 1/2 ton farm truck with a nearly perfect cab which also has a good title, can I legally put the great farm truck cab on the half ton frame and register the truck as a 1 1/2 ton truck so that the ID plate remains unmolested? If one were to do this, would they run amuck with the law or the opinion of those worried about the law since it is not a 1 1/2 ton anymore? I am not asking for a friend. I am not asking for myself. I am asking because I grow frustrated with the fact that good cabs are getting harder to find and there seems to be way too many folks and government entities worried about the virtually nonexistent underworld theft of glorified tractors which allows one to stay dry while driving in the rain on the farm.

Great question. Each state has it's own rules. If the frame you are putting it on has a Serial number, you get into a Fuzzy area. If it has NO frame serial number or what they call a Secondary V.I.N. you can put a titled cab on it with ease in CA. Only thing checked is Original V.I.N. plate to the actual title . Unless frame had a Secondary which I think started around 1955 universally. The same goes for putting your cab on an S-10 Frame. Now you have a Secondary V.I.N. on the frame so it's usually verified by a local Law Agency (in Ca. The C.H.P.) to first make sure it's not Stolen then the combined are processed for a new title.

My Guess is that most people, even in states that require inspections, wouldn't know the difference. As long as you have the title for whatever cab you're using (if the number on the cab plate is what they're using on the title), I think you're fine.

What happens when people buy those Dynacorn bodies? How are they registered?

In Ca. It would be what's called "Blue Tagged" by the C.H.P. it is a V.I.N. plate issued to that vehicle . Same applies if some jerk that steals your car and removes/destroys the V.I.N. attempting to hide the identity. You would be issued a new V.I.N. and titled to the new Blue Tag.
If that makes sense.
Same concept if you buy and build a "Harley" that is a unknown maker frame.
See picture of CA. Blue tag

1.5 ton fenders are sized for 20” wheels, so cutouts are larger. Half ton fenders will fit a 1.5 ton cab.

Ed

In CT all they do is LOOK at the vin. On a old truck like mine i told them its in 1 spot and 1 spot only. Normally i think they look for one on firewall and door or dash and door. Then they issue you a paper just stating that its the “actual vin” and then you go get it registered as normal. ANY vehicle purchased out of state needs to either go through emissions in CT and that “verifies” the vin or if its 25yrs or older then you skip emissions altogether and bring it somewhere that does emissions and pay them like $10 to “verify” it. They are pretty hot rod friendly around here……surprisingly. Vermont is also one of the best spots to register hotrods with vin issues. There are a few on line how-to’s to do the vermont trick. I know a few people that have done it no problems.

in Indiana, they stopped that nonsense years ago. when they did have the early 70s I had to put My 1960 MGA through it. The turn signals did not work and he did not know better so I did not mention they had them, yahoo:

Thanks one and all for the feedback and information/help everyone provided.

That being said, this thread has and is veering off the original topic to the point it no longer really apples to what was being discussed.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Catch up with everyone in some other threads!

Dan