The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Newbie with a 72 GMC C50 Save it or Scrap it?

I bought a 72 GMC 50 series last Saturday. It's a one owner truck but will need a lot of work to get going again. Supposed the small block v8 isn't the original engine and is suppose to be bad. Trans has been robbed out of it. Is there any way to pick apart the VIN on these to find out of it originally had a 4 or 5 speed and what size engine it came with? I'm pretty sure it would have had a 350 but I've seen some around this model with the 307. Mechanical parts don't scare me too much as I have parts on hand, however this truck will need other stuff like the grill which is unique to GMC and I don't know how tough that is going to be to find. It's a truck that has local history and I hate to send it to the shredder. Any help is appreciated!

Hy 1310monster, I don't like to scrap anything, hence I have a few around. On the inside of your glove box door there may be a list of the trucks equipment, some information can also be gleaned from the serial (or V.I.N ) number, if you post it here we will decipher it for you, hope that helps

The 305 hadn't been born in 72 so you can eleiminate that as original if it has one. The original transmission would have been a CH465 4 speed same as was used in the pickups od the same era and up thru the 90's at least. Standard C50's used a 5K front axle and 15K rear axle of either single speed or two speed vacuum operated design. 13K and 15K rears were GM parts.

There should be a machined pad on the top of the engine block just ahead of the passenger's side cylinder head with a stamped number-letter combination that identifies the year of production and the cubic inch displacement of the engine. The letter suffix behind the numbers is usually the identifier, and there are several websites that list which letter-number combinations apply. The 307 was used mostly in the pickups and other small trucks, not very often in the big ones. A 307 is basically a 283 bore with a 327 stroke engine, designed to give a little more torque than the 3" stroke 283's. They didn't stay in production very long, getting replaced by the smaller-bore, longer stroke 305's.
Jerry

Have any pictures? We hate to see any trucks get scrapped.

Bill

Look around for junk buses,in your area. I know a guy,(here in Iowa),who has two,('67-'72) G.M.C. front-clips,in pretty decent shape. he has another '72 Chevy C-6500,that got parked with a "Goodwrench" 350,4-bolt main,after less than 5,000 miles on the "crate"! We're going to take a video, this Spring, on the start-up attempt.it should run! we turned the engine over,by-hand,and it turns easy,until you hit that compression-point. Junk buses are a great source for later wheel and tire swaps as well.Same goes for hydro-vac,and M.C. units. hope this helps.

I had one, that had a 465, however, a 542 would be much more useful, especially w/ a small block.

Is it a Chevy or GMC? Chevy made a C50 in 1972. GMC medium duty trucks were 4500 to 6500 in 1972. If it is indeed a Chev C50, it would have been born with a 350. A GMC of that size could have had a V6 or a 350 V8.

Engines and Transmissions are never a good reason to scrape a truck. If the cab and frame are solid then you have yourself a great project! If they are a little rotten, there still is a project in there, but you'll have to evaluate if you want to tackle it or if you might be better selling it to someone else and find yourself a different project.

Engines and transmissions are the easy stuff.

If the cab and fenders are really rough, it would most likely be cheaper in the long run to find a better cab and swap. The parts to repair the cab are available but it may well cost more to rebuild it than replace it.Road trips for clean parts are part of the "project" and make the end story more interesting...

Tried to send you a P.M.,but you're over your limit. will post in "For Sale"