The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre 1954 GMC 100 (Idaho)

Howdy,

I'm finally introducing myself after lurking on and off over the years. I have a 1954 GMC 100 that my step father had. I acquired it from my Mom a year after he passed away. I've had it since 2018 and it's finally time to put some effort towards it. It's a long bed with a 248 and 4 on the floor. It's been converted to 12v. Not quite yet sure how I want it to end up but of course I'd like to get it road worthy first. It does start, though it can take a few attempts. Headlights work but tail lights and turn signals do not. It also does not have working brakes. I did look at the master cylinder years ago and it looks pretty ragged. Anyway I wanted to just say hello and post a few photos.

Thanks,

Michael

Welcome! Always good to see another northerner around. Looks like you have a really good place to start from.

Welcome to the ‘bolt. If it’s safe to drive. Drive it before you decide to start tearing it apart. Otherwise, make it safe then drive it.

Hi Fibonachu. Thanks for the welcome. I used to live down near you 7 years ago. I was in Emmett from 2004 until 2018. I escaped to Sandpoint with the plan of retiring which I did this past year.

Howdy Rusty Rod. I have no plans of tearing it down in the near future. I'd rather have a shop on my property first instead of using a garage slot. Besides taking a good look at everything particularly from underneath and giving it a good cleaning the first priority is to make it safe. I don't know yet if there are requirements for seat belts in Idaho for a truck of this age. It doesn't have any of course. I'd like to have some lap belts at least. Don't plan on driving on the 70+ mph highway. Just tooling around in town and on the local area 60 mph highways.

No states retroactively enforce modern safety standards against antique cars.

You can purchase lap belts for your truck. There is a thread on this forum that shows a good installation method.

Rebuilding your brake system should be pretty easy. All the parts are available new. Everything else to get it operating is also pretty easy to source.

Welcome to the Bolt Michael! Glad to see you decided to post and become active. Your truck looks nice and I look forward to seeing more on it and from you in the forums. The brake repairs are definitely doable with lots of resources for parts to help you get it back to safe stopping. Looks like your located not far from Spokane, which is where my '51 Chevy 3100 resided from much of its life when owned by my Grandfather.

Glad to see another Stovebolt being kept in the family and being brought back to life! See you in the forums.

Thank you all for the warm welcome

hoodshy, you post one more time and you will be past moderation and you don't have to wait for your post to be approved. PLUS, you can use Private Messaging (PMing).
Welcome to Stovebolt.

Thanks Peggy. I hope it is okay to post a URL of a photo album with nearly all the photos I've taken of the truck?

My 1954 GMC 100

First welcome to the ‘Bolt. Your link didn’t give me permission to look at your photos.

You’re in a great forum to start working on your Dad’s truck and you will get the help you need.

Your brake issue is the first thing you should tackle and you should start a thread in the Driveline forum to get the best help. Judging by the pedals preset position on the floor, the spring holding it up may be disconnected, broke or missing.

Let me give you this helpful guide to help you navigate thru the different forums on Stovebolt.

Phil - I fixed his link to display his really great collection of pictures.

Looking good Michael!

Thanks guys.

Phak1 yes it's been long enough since when I got the truck 7 years ago I don't recall if the brakes were working then. I do see in photos from 7 years ago that the brake pedal was in the proper position. Back then when I picked the truck up from a storage lot, my Mom didn't know where the key for the truck was. So instead of driving up onto the trailer, I used a come along to pull it up. Since then I figured out how to short the wired connections on the back of the key start But also since then I don't recall the brakes working but it could just be that the pedal linkage is broke. In any case I do need to go through the truck and make sure it is actually safe to drive.

Speaking of not having a key, I have this vauge memory that there might be a number on the interior part of a door handle assembly that has a code/number that might help a locksmith make a new key??? My old brain might be just imagining that but I do have this memory that I came across info about that years ago

The door handles and ignition had different keys from the factory. I pulled the ignition switch out and took it to a locksmith and he was able to make me a key for it. Then I had another member here (I can look up his name if you like) rekey my door handles to match it.

Fibonachu thanks for that info on the locks. I wonder if the lock on the glove box is keyed the same as the doors?

My 1950 truck, which hasn't been monkeyed with, has the same key for the glove box and ignition.

Don’t know if it applies to GMCs or not, but the Chevy trucks used the same key for ignition, door, and glovebox locks. At least that’s what the owner’s manual states.
The key code can be found by removing the door lock and looking where the lock shaft attaches to the cylinder. There’s also a code number stamped on the ignition cylinder, but you need a key to get the cylinder out.

Guitplayer is the guy to contact about key cutting.

Thank you Otto and klhansen.

My 52 GMC came to me with a single key that worked in the ignition switch, door and glove box. Original? I don't know.

I need to pull the interior panels on the doors anyway. The passenger door window will not roll down and the glass needs replacement on that side. I'll look soon to see if there is a number. As far as the number, that is what I recall reading 7 years ago on the forums when I originally got the truck. Would be surprising if only the chevy versions of the trucks have the numbers and the GMCs do not.

Thanks guys. I need to start some threads in other forum topics regarding some things I am discovering about the engine, exhaust, brakes, suspension, original color schemes etc!!!!

I added more photos and in particular some video to the album I shared of it running from yesterday.

Welcome aboard

Welcome aboard Michael. You have a nice truck to start with. Good luck with all your efforts.

Wow, very cool to see a 1/2 long bed - not many of those around We live in Western Wa but love to go over to the panhandle on vacation in the summers...

Welcome aboard

MikeOwen - How about you introduce yourself and your truck???