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Hi all;
I know it's probably too recent to be of interest to most of you,but I just got a 1976 GMC one ton duallie as payment for a re-po I did.
As duallies of this era go,it's spec'ed out better than usual,but it's pretty rough appearance-wise.
Here's the particulars on it:
Good running 454,with new dual pipes
SM 465 trans.
4.10 axle
P/S with tilt
HydraBoost brakes
WAS A/C,no compressor.(That'll be replaced and made into on-board air system)
Factory Tach
Intact windshield!
6 nearly new 9.50-16.5's
"Oh-my-God" heavy 14 foot flatbed and well braced headache rack
Has 2receiver hitches-one for towing,one above that for a portable winch or ???
Dual 8 foot truck boxes,hopefully to be mounted to the headache rack soon.

Bad Stuff:
Gas gauge doesn't work
Horn doesn't work
16.5's
Windows don't roll up and down
Doors are basically trashed
Radio doesn't work
Hood has a bullet hole through it

Good Stuff:
I have a complete fuel tank valve/gauge/switch set up to make it all work right.
AIR horns once I get the air system done.
Just have to live with the 16.5's until I wear 'em out.
Truck comes with a pair of good doors.
Got another hood with the truck,but I think I'll stick with the bullet hole-it has character.
I'll try to get some pics of it posted.
Speed

Speed
Sounds like a pretty good project. Years ago we used to have about fifty Chevy dually pickups that we used to pull gooseneck beverage trailers. They were '76,'77,'78 and '79 models. They were strictly work trucks with no radio or a/c with the 454, TH400 and 4.56 Dana axle, except for some of the'79 models that had the SM465. They were terribly overloaded with those beverage trailers but still did a good job. You mentioned the 4.10 rear axle, is it a dually pickup with the Dana 70HD or a cab & chassis with the 14 bolt GM axle?

I like the SM 465 Part. I'm looking for a newer truck and all I see out there is automatic after automatic after automatic.

Why are there so many automatics??

Bill

Some of us prefer automatics...

Some of you?
Make that most all of you...
Go try and buy a new GM diesel pickup with a manual transmission, and then look for a Ford.
Good luck finding one :mad:
What's the world coming to....

At the risk of appearing political I'd suggest our government regulators are a big part part of the shift toward automatics in newer trucks.

It's much easier for automakers to achieve fleet economy standards when they can computer control the shift points. As those fleet numbers go higher every little bit of economy they can get will be needed.

And that will affect what is available in new trucks as well as cars.

If you really have to have a truck with a manual buy a truck that has one now and stockpile parts to keep it on the road long-term. Or build an old one like Grigg is doing.

Meanwhile, a properly functioning automatic will out shift most drivers using a stick, and if you're running a big V-8 like Speed here is, your torque band is wide enough you don't really need to be shifting very often anyway.

A stock '76 454 doesn't make huge torque and HP numbers, but its a hard working motor that will do a lot of work.

that makes it sound more like it's lazy mfgrs are the ones responsible, using "driver behavior control" instead of designing more efficient engines

my take from chatter with salesmen and mechanics is it's because most drivers demand automatics, a lady friend who does landscape wanted a pickup with stick awhile back and the dealer folks were taken aback, hadn't had anyone [especially female] wanting a standard for ages - had to bring one in from a place hundreds of miles away .... the older I get the more I wonder if I shouldn't get one

Bill

Well this all ain't good news!!

I've been shifting gears for 40 years straight now and have no plans on giving it up.

Not only that but (sorry automatic owners out there) they don't hold up. I'm still driving a '72 and I am checking on certain model Chevy and GMC trucks up to '94. It seems like way more than half the ads say "New Transmission" or "Trans only 20,000 miles old" or "Great truck, great condition, but Needs Trans". What is this telling us.

Yeah, I'm from the 10-Speed Road Ranger days. I need at least a 4-Speed in my truck, lol.

...I won't even have a Hot Rod without one!!

Bill

This past July I had the pleasure of introducing my daughter to manual transmissions in the exact same car I first learned 40 years earlier.

At 22 it was the first time she had operated a manual, and I'm willing to bet she has not driven one since. There may be a day when she needs that knowledge, but it does not any longer seem critical.

Given the year range you're looking at Bill I suspect many of those replaced transmissions are early 700r4s when they were still working out the design. The 5-speed used behind most Cummins has a fault that can loose you 5th gear. Manual transmissions might be more tolerant of wear but I'm not convinced there is an inherent service life advantage when comparing modern automatics against modern manuals as a whole.

My '72 has been taken out of service, not because it doesn't run, but because I don't need it and its too rusty to seriously consider restoring. It has 100,000 plus on its second motor but still has the original TH350 according to the son of the guy who bought the truck used in 1974.

I think its a personal preference thing and if you prefer manual transmissions I have no objection to you driving one. The older I get the more I want an automatic in mine.

Steve,

I'll have to say one thing, I don't think some of the newer Manuals hold up as good as the old ones. Being that newer trucks are a whole new thing for me (my knowledge is basically from '72 and back. I know a little about '73 to '87 Chevys and hardly anything about '88 and up Chevys), I contacted a friend who specializes in '88 to '98? Chevy and GMC trucks. He told me that some of the light duty 4-Speeds trans don't hold up too good.

I sure do like the old SM 420 and SM 465 trans as far as durability goes. It seems like you could wear out 2 or 3 trucks with the same trans. Only wish they had one with an Overdrive and maybe the gears spaced a little differently.

Bill

Well, at the risk of a pee-pee whack for hyjacking this thread, I guess I'll put my .02 in. Like OldSub said I think it's personal preference. Me, I like both. I learned how to drive on a standard truck 40 years ago, at age 9. My dad taught me how to drive so I could help him in the fields and around the place.

In 23 years as a fleet mechanic and another 8 years as a fleet manager, I've driven 3,4,5,6,9,10 & 13 speed transmissions in all sizes of trucks. Probably one of the best things we ever did was switching to Allison automatics in our route trucks back in the late 70's. They hold up very well and we no longer have busted clutches, rear ends and axles from letting young inexperienced steering wheel holders loose with a manual transmission. Some of these guys don't even know what a clutch is. We still use 9 & 10 speeds in our class 8 trucks as they are mostly over the road trucks with more seasoned drivers.

I taught my wife to drive a standard before we got married(23 years ago) and she can still drive one now. But her preference is an automatic. My daily driver is a '92 GMC with the 4.3 v6 and a 5 speed. It's got 427,000 miles on the original engine and transmission, but I maintain it well and I don't ruff it up. I drive almost 80 miles a day to work and back home. My '90 GMC crew cab 1 ton has the 454 and turbo 400. I know a standard would pull just as well, but the automatic sure makes it nice to spot my 5th wheel camper.

So like I said before, each to his/her own.

Yeah, We sure did (well I started it) Hi-jack the thread and no offense to Speed. We'll be glad to talk more or help him in any way with his new purchase.

But it was good conversation.

...Maybe we should start it's own topic.

Bill

My dad had a '76 GMC CrewCab dually pickup back in the day...
With a automatic & a 454, which he replaced with a 350 once the 454 got blown up.