The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk questions on a 1945 GMC, I am looking at

looking at a 45 GMC debating on purchasing, fairly solid old truck, however I know some mods have been done, 1 is battery box on firewall, converted to swing style pedals with master cylinder on firewall, a small block chevy for power.

truck looks like a full brake job with new lines & tires it could be driven, 1 section of frame rust, which should be an easy fix, it has the 3 speed, & everything else looks to me like stock. I can get if for around $3,500, listed to it run last night.

last old truck I tried to buy, a 39, it was burned up when guys house burned down some years ago, before I was able to finalise the deal.
I dont know what I may be getting myself into, is this going to be geared too low to be a daily driver? would I have to swap rear or tranny? is the tranny a synchro? or non synchro? or should I walk away?

Thanks,
Randy

If it has been changed to a smallblock chevy as you say, then more than likely it has a more modern drive train also. It would require quite a bit of fabrication and/or adaptor plates and such the make the smallblock work with the original drive train, although it has been done. Crawl under and take a good look. Sounds like a some point someone tried to make a daily driver out of it. That can be a good thing or not depending on your intentions of driving or restoring. Good luck with your pending purchase.

Is it a 3-speed manual or automatic now? Chances are the transmission and drivetrain have been changed.

If you're looking for a stock restoration, it sounds like it would be too much work to go back. But as a nice daily driver or a rod project it sounds like a good deal. How's the body, especially the cab corners, rockers, and door bottoms?

manual trans, stock tranny, diff, enclosed driveshaft. supposedly mostly all original, other than engine swap many years ago, & also has a mid 50's radiator.

not looking for original, looking for a daily driver, & was browsing for a truck, & something I liked that I wouldnt have to have seatbelts in. I want to be able to use it for a truck, like carrying garbage off, occasionaly picking up something from Lowes, or yard sale, not heavy use, but for household projects.

I figure it may need a tranny swap & rear swap for better gears for better gas mileage.

body is very solid, hardly any rust, 2 or 3 finger sized spots all around, & even bed is solid. worse rust if frame infront of leaf spring on 1 side. I would have to weld plates before driving, & next is drivers side running board. it has been converted to 12 volt, & all lights work, but under dash radio doest, lol... but dash isnt cut up, very solid clean truck.

I am trading my 86 Toyota truck, for a Harley, & still need a truck for odds & ends, & was looking for something vintage that I liked, wife has a S/10 & I have a Cherokee, but I am going to pick a truck up, its just a matter of finding one. this is a little more than I was planning to spend.

I have done mechanic work all my life, presently only doing mechanic work on the side, I cut my teeth working on small block chevys, I also can do any body work, but prefer to leave it with the patina, & only repair what I have to as needed. I would buy new metal brake lines & form all new lines, new rubber hoses, wheel cylinders, Mastercylinder, brakes, & brake hardware, & drums if necessary, reinforce firewall where mastercylinder is, if I think necessary. it has a brand new single resevoir, & I would put a dual resevoir, & plumb it for X-style braking but also debated could put a mastercylinder back under floor, & use remote resevoir, & still mount resevoir to firewall. decesions, lol....

I know the small block if in good shape would be fine, but how about rest of truck? I would shake it down good, & mostly be for driving back & forth to work 18 miles each way, but I sometimes manage 2000 or miles a month.


the engine in this old truck is supposedly out of a 68 Chevelle, a 307, which I like them, a 283 bore, with a medium journal 327 crank, good torque, & gas mileage in everything I ever had, & it is still on points, & I still prefer points, & is still on a generator, & I always have prefered generators to alternators.

so keep looking? or is that a fair price? & will it be a decent truck for a half a dozen or so years, until I get tired of it?

Thanks,
Randy

(Editor's note: Please keep the discussion about the truck. thanks)

The trans is probably a non-synchro, 4 speed, which will probably hold up to the V8 OK, if not hot-rodded. A more modern rear axle w/ highway ratios would be helpful down the road, at which time one could use a modern 420 or 465 trans, need to modify or change bellhousing-see another thread here about that. Not sure about the price, though.

With the correct bellhousing someone could have put a V8 in it and keep the rest of the drivetrain. My first 50 Pickup had a 307 in it when I got it. Mine was a 3/4-ton but it could be done with a 1/2-on torque-tube drive as well. The original final drive ratio will not be very fuel friendly...
Good luck with it.

I think the price sounds fair. If you expect it to be a safe and reliable daily driver for that kind of mileage you'll probably need to update some things, but that can be done as you go.

Sounds like a real deal at that price if it runs decent. I have a 327 in my '41 with a turbo 350 auto and late '50's auto rear end (3.09 gears). Has plenty of power, turns at 2100 RPM at 60 mph but doesn't get very good mileage. If you did that it would be a nice truck but they look so great you need to also make sure it's body looks good. If you did, it would be worth a lot more than $3,500.