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| | | Forums66 Topics128,096 Posts1,056,482 Members48,444 | | Most Online14,466 Apr 26th, 2026 | | AD Chevy Trucks Over 6,000 pictures Brad Allen has an awesome collection of Chevrolet factory pictures that he has set up from film strips. Check them out!
Lots of work on Brad's part ... pure enjoyment (and references) for you!
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on the Internet for over 30 years! and not clogged down with Ads! Again, thanks! | | | | Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 1,682 Extreme Gabster | | Extreme Gabster Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 1,682 | I dont know, man.. think what you will, but *I* think this is cool. From the outside.. it looks like a typical 1 ton GMC truck.. Hello.. i\'m a typical GMC truck! But when you open the hood.. you find something a little different than a inline 6 engine.. It\'s a 453 Detroit Diesel, baby! I'd be torn between putting a stake/flat bed on the back.. or putting the original factory bed with rear fenders back on.. but either way ya go.. it's just plain cool. Just thought i'd share
an idea is only stupid if you think about it rationally.
| | | | | Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 424 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 424 | | | | | | Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 1,682 Extreme Gabster | | Extreme Gabster Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 1,682 | I should mention the guy didn't modify anything on the truck to get that to fit in there.. no cut inner fender wells or frame chopping.. he maintains you could pull that engine out, replace the motor mounts, and drop the original engine and trans right back in there.
an idea is only stupid if you think about it rationally.
| | | | | Joined: Oct 2003 Posts: 363 Member | | Member Joined: Oct 2003 Posts: 363 | Looks like a little cutting around the radiator to me.
Grigg is putting at Detroit four in his truck and if you have seen any of his work, I'm sure it will look factory. He probably won't be able to post until the weekend, but I am sure he will comment. | | | | | Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 738 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 738 | pretty neat, that would be a great boat / trailer tower.
"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." - George S. Patton My Machine | | | | | Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 267 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 267 | definitly cool 
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!
| | | | | Joined: Jan 2006 Posts: 17 Wrench Fetcher | | Wrench Fetcher Joined: Jan 2006 Posts: 17 | out of curiosity, how much does a 453 cost? also, can it bolt up to a muncie 4 speed? and if it cant what tranny can it bolt on to? that would be a great engine for my 66 if I have enough money for the engine 
There is a great demand nowdays for people that make failure look like success. "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." [ Benjamin Franklin ]
"Above all nations is Humanity" [Inscribed on a bench I saw] | | | | | Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 1,682 Extreme Gabster | | Extreme Gabster Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 1,682 | That's a good question.. he told me it was a Ford tranny behind the engine, and the stock rear.
As far as engine cost, I really don't know.. I saw a few rebuilt engines on eBay that were in the $2,000 range plus a core charge of $1500.. there's one on eBay now that's got a buy it now of $3500 plus a $1000 core.
I think when they say engine, they mean block and heads and thats it.. manifolds, starter, all that jazz is extra.
So in short.. my guess is a complete running engine like that is some bucks.. the guy who owns that GMC said he had quite a bit tied up in the new air starter and stuff.. and figured the engine stuff alone was worth in the $6,000 range.
an idea is only stupid if you think about it rationally.
| | | | | Joined: Oct 2003 Posts: 363 Member | | Member Joined: Oct 2003 Posts: 363 | Originally posted by Moll: out of curiosity, how much does a 453 cost?
also, can it bolt up to a muncie 4 speed? and if it cant what tranny can it bolt on to?
that would be a great engine for my 66 if I have enough money for the engine Check out Adelmans Truck Parts for pricing. Ask for Brian if you call, I have had good luck with him entertaining my bizarre retrofit ideas in the past. You can hook it up to an SM420 or SM465. For your 66, I suggest you look at a Cummins 4bt out of a Chevy P30 Frito Lay Truck. It will bolt in place of a V8 in pre 87 IFS trucks if you get the p30 mounts. A measely 120-150 hp with 300+ ft lbs of torque available at 800 rpm  weighs about the same as a stovebolt 6. | | | | | Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 266 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 266 | Thats pretty neat looking. It seems that it would have a good bit of pulling power compared to an inline 6.
Drew -------------------- '66 C-10 stepside | | | | | Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 10 New Guy | | New Guy Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 10 | Very cool. Is the 453 a three cylinder? In high school (way back in the 70's) I was driving with my dad up a long steep grade in the mountains of Arizona when we were passed by a 67 Chevy 3/4 ton with an over the bumper camper and pulling a large boat. We were going about 60 MPH and so we sped up and found that the truck was going 75 MPH up the hill. We had trouble keeping up him in our unloaded Chevy truck - also a 67 that had a 283. We flagged the driver down to see what he had and he had a two stroke 3 cylinder diesel that he said came out of a crane. Ever since then I thought it would be cool to put a big diesel in a small truck.
bw
| | | | | Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 1,682 Extreme Gabster | | Extreme Gabster Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 1,682 | I'm not sure how many cylinders it is.. I thought it was 4.
The guy said he took it out of a tractor trailer rig, rebuilt it, then stuffed it in that GMC on a bet.
He's got a Chevy Astro van with a balls out corvette engine in it with a 5 speed behind it.. another one of those deals where somebody said, "I bet you cant..."
Not sure what sort of stock rear end that GMC would have had, but if it's anything like they put in the '50 Chevy 1/2 ton I had, it wouldn't be much good for speed, but you'd have enough torque to pull a house off the foundation, i'd bet!
an idea is only stupid if you think about it rationally.
| | | | | Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 990 Member | | Member Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 990 | 4 cylinders 53 CI per cylinder - which is why its called a 453. So if you have a 6v71...I bet you can guess the cylinder count, configuration, and CI per cylinder and total too. The diesels don't have a big rev range so you'd probably need an overdrive. And those 453s are pretty loud too. I'd like to do it as well!  | | | | | Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 688 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 688 | hey ... He could run it on Bio-Diesel and the cost would only be 70 cents a gallon (if ya make it yourself) Cliff59 | | | | | Joined: Jan 2006 Posts: 17 Wrench Fetcher | | Wrench Fetcher Joined: Jan 2006 Posts: 17 | well im pretty limited as far as changing transmission or rear ends because my truck is factory 4x4, and i dont think i can change anythhing without it gettin messed up. i guess ill stay with the 283 and 5.13 rearends 
There is a great demand nowdays for people that make failure look like success. "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." [ Benjamin Franklin ]
"Above all nations is Humanity" [Inscribed on a bench I saw] | | | | | Joined: Oct 2003 Posts: 363 Member | | Member Joined: Oct 2003 Posts: 363 | Oldcycler, if you like shiftin'... Adelmans with sell you a low mileage aluminum Detroit Diesel 353 with an SM465 already hooked up and all the electrics out of a DUKW for about $1800. Great deal for a tractor or yard truck.
I talked with them about it for my 53 1-ton diesel project, but I think I'd need torque splitter on the front end and a gear splitter on the back end like a Gear Vendors or a US Gear in order to keep the Detroit in is power band (way too narrow) at highway speeds. Or maybe a Spicer Auxiliary Trans.
Moll, I think you are right, stick with what you got, no reason to go fussin' with a factory 4x4. However, with the mounts out of a manual trans chip truck, you could drop a Cummins 4bta in place. | | | | | Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 1,682 Extreme Gabster | | Extreme Gabster Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 1,682 | Dude told me today he wanted $5500 for it.. that includes the original factory bed with rear fenders.. and he said the block and head were new and the rest of the parts were reman.
Seems reasonable, since if a guy was to buy the engine and put it together they'd likely have that much tied up in the engine alone.. provided a guy wanted that particular engine, anyway.
It's neat.. but i'm not sure how practicle it would be with the stock rear.. wouldn't be worth $5500 to me.. but then again, i'm a cheap bastard.
an idea is only stupid if you think about it rationally.
| | | | | Joined: Oct 2003 Posts: 363 Member | | Member Joined: Oct 2003 Posts: 363 | I was gonna "say seems like a lot to me, too," but that's probably fair if that's what you are looking for. Couldn't build it for that. Would need a 4.10 chunk out of a 67-72 truck to be streetable. Any chance it has a new process overdrive 5 speed in it? Unless you had a use for it like hauling stuff around a yard, I just don't think it is practical.
I'd like to have the bed and rear fenders.
you're not cheap, you are spoiled by rust free trucks laying all over the place out there.
One day I'm going to visit, catalog a dozen trucks, come back with pictures and sell them for a profit to purchase one of those Diamond Ts your hiding. | | | | | Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 146 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 146 | as for putting a normal truck bed....no way. its a GMC. there made to work hard, not look pretty. and with that motor. it screams wok truck. | | | | | Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 1,682 Extreme Gabster | | Extreme Gabster Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 1,682 | He said it had a Ford tranny in it.. i'm going over there tomorrow i'll get more details, since I think he wants me to list it on eBay for him.
an idea is only stupid if you think about it rationally.
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