The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk does anyone have a truck like mine?

went to a big car show here in southern california yesterday and i'm frustrated that i can't find a truck like mine or even close!
i wanted to see if anyone on this board had one like it.
i have a 53 gmc 5 window series 100-22 model 101-22, 1/2 ton, 228, 1bbl, original 6v generator system, no radio or a/c, 4 on the floor, torque tube, 4:10 rearend, pickup truck that's not restored or rodded, just repaired and running correctly with a generous amount of undercoating.
if you have a truck like mine, i'd like to hear from you. thanks in advance.
tony

Try http://www.oldgmctrucks.com/
It's got a lot more GMC guys.

thanks shipwright, i'm on that one too, with the same query. had it up for over a day now and no replies. kinda hard to believe mine is that rare. maybe i'll try to get some stats on the ratio of chevy to gmc trucks made in that year and get an idea of why there aren't many left.
thanks for the link though.
tony

Hey Tony,
I have a 53 GMC 3/4 ton. I believe he's a Model 152-22.
Unfortunately, previous owners had a 1955 235 replace the 228 and it has also lost the Hydramatic which was switched to a SM420 4-speed. So, I decided to keep an original look with the truck but go ahead and make some modern safety mods.
Previous owners also converted to 12v w/alternator. I've rewired the truck from bumper to bumper. Added LED's to the bedroll for better stop and directionals. The parking lights also converted to turnsignals.
Two piece driveshaft, front half is torque tube, last half is open. I've recently replaced the rear-end gears with those from a '72 c/20 to get 4.10's. Radial tires with safety rims ride much better than original split rims.
Replaced single master cylinder with dual master cylinder. Replaced all brake lines.
Rides like you would imagine. Does not like any gas when starting out in first. If I give it any gas it bucks and jumps.
My wife calls him Jumpin' Jack Flash. He jumps, he's a Missouri mule, but I don't know where she get's the flash part.
Would have replied sooner but yesterday went to the Packer game and that was an all day affair. So... had to work a little late tonight.
Rick

old blue,how about a pix...thanks....Fred

I have a 54 GMC one ton, original motor, six volt system.I changed it to a dually and tinkered till I got it running.Home made wooden bed but I have a steel flatbed I will put on it when I get it fixed up. Not restored. I would rather drive it than work on it.

hey joker, i submitted a few pics just now. they should be posted in a few days hopefully. thanks for asking
tony

Tony -

I am in a similar situation with my 1950 GMC 1 ton pickup. I have never heard of another at oldGMCtrucks.com or anywhere else. I've seen lots of 1949 and 1951 GMC 1-ton and lots of other 1950 model GMCs. Also lots of 1950 Chevy 1-ton pickups, but no 1950 GMC 9-foot pickup.

Mike

I was just thinking about this one of a kind, I know for sure i have one of a kind, not another one on this world like it,,,, sort of neat..Fred

GMCs were produced in far fewer numbers than Chebbies. In those days, GMC was mainly in the bigger truck business, and the pickups were there so fleet buyers could have all GMC trucks.

Old Blue;
Well, mine's close. 1949 GMC half ton longbed with a 261 under the hood. Like yours, I painted it to look pretty but no restoration in the future. just wanted a neat old truck to drive around without having to worry about throwing something in the back or getting it nicked up. Here's my site:
http://home.mindspring.com/~starkmr/index.html

Looks pretty in the pics but has lots of dings, dents and holes.

geezer, yep, i think yours is the closest so far. like mine, you have a 30 foot paint job; looks good at 30 feet but up close got lots of dings, dents and nics and scratches. yours does look nice. pretty color. we can use ours too without worrying about it getting scratched. i guess the AD gmcs are scarce now adays.
thanks
tony

Old blue, I've got a '54 150 that I bought from a guy in Yucca Valley. It was an old tow truck that hadn't been registered since 1987-it kinda ran though. I'm getting it drivable-alternator,carb,radiator, 4.10 rear & various reliability mods. I'm in the San Fernando Valley. I definitely see a lot more chevies than GM's around here but I have seen 4-5 in the past 6 months.

old_blue, I have a 52 GMC 3/4t. All is original , has been parked since 1971. Have repaired the brakes and cleaned out the fuel system. She runs now but is a bit scarry- the front end needs some work. 6v pos ground with generator, 1 bbl carb. Haven't had a chance to do a 100 foot let alone a 30 foot paint job. She sure looks ugly going down the road now, hopefully that will change some by spring.

eng12

eng12, fix it up man, when you can. we need to get some more gmcs on the road. post pics before and after when you get a chance.

tlorber, got pics? i'll tell you the same thing as i told eng12, get it on the road soon and tell me where you are spotting gmcs in the valley; car shows or on the freeways on sundays?

I had a '53 about 20 years back;bought it from a retired trucker who was restoring it. Everything was done but the engine and shocks.(and paint.) It was a 3 window,and was light tan with black fenders,an orange tailgate and aqua doors. I'd stop at the gas station and put in 2 bucks worth of gas and 3 quarts of oil. It'd go about a mile on a new plug before it fouled. but I only paid 50 dollars for it,and it got me around for about 3 years,then I sold it to a high school kid for 100 bucks,found out a couple of years later he took it out to his family's ranch and parted it out. I'm still bummed. It's # 2 on my list of "If I could do it again..."
Speed

49 geezer,

cool truck.

Not sure if you know this or not, but you can also go to your website like this:

http://starkmr.home.mindspring.com

I have a mindspring account, also...

-W

ob, I'm usually seeing them on the road-mostly as functioning trucks. I've seen 2 in the Van Nuys area and a couple in Reseda. In fact one day I was on my way back from a furniture store and took a wrong turn. I passed a house with a clean '54 150 exactly like mine (except his had no rust, looked great and was drivable). I later stopped back and got his number. He is restoring it and may want to sell at some point.

I also saw 2 pre '50 chevies rotting on a lot in Sun Valley. I still need to get hold of that owner. These trucks are out there.

If you get me an email address I'll send you the few pictures I took when I bought the truck in March. I haven't taken any recently though.

TONY - I HAVE A 1951 1/2 TON "CHEVY" 5 WINDOW THAT IS BASICALLY STOCK WITH THE SAME ENCLOSED DRIVELINE - - CYPRESS, CALIF.

JOHN HOORNAERT

Thanks Woogeroo. I remember that address shortcut.

I've got a 53 GMC 9300. Canadian model, so the running gear is the same as the Chevies of the era.

I have recently acquired a 1955 GMC 1/2 ton shortbed with Hydramatic and open driveline, but 6 volt electrics. 74,000 original miles, 248 engine. I will get it running soon after 28 years in a barn, also no brakes so I'll get new wheel cylinders and master cyl. All original throughout including upholstery. Can't wait to get it on the road.

chevman32, is this a 1st or 2nd edition for 55?

Iheartmytruck, what does a 9300 look like. Is it a 1/2 ton short bed like mine?

johnh1951, sounds like yours is very close to mine. don't think there were a lot of changes from 51 to 53 besides door locks and possibly window vents.

speed, the 53 you had, was it a gmc or chevy. either way, sorry you lost it because i'm sure you'd love driving it if you had it today. maybe you can find another gmc, maybe even 53.

bullet, i'm in the same boat as you; rather drive it than restore it. actually, i don't have the bucks to restore it, so i just keep it running and drive it. unfortunatley, it only gets about 8 mph after a carb rebuild of the rottenchester, so either i didn't rebuild it correctly (which is highly possible as this was my first and probably last rebuild) or i just need another carb. either way, it gets expensive in this time of $3/gallon gas :-)

BTW, Peggy has graciously posted pics of our old_blue '53 in the Gallery for October editions. (Yes, I am in the market for the correct fuel and air filters :-)).
Thanks Peggy and thanks to all who've replied on this thread. Really enjoy seeing all the GMC guys out there.
tony

What's the paint on your GMC? My daughter would like to have it on her 53 Chevy we're working on...

That's a sharp lookin' truck, Old_blue!