The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Need some advice 53? GMC diesel. D470-37?

My dad purchased a 195X GMC advanced design big bolt truck with a 371 Detroit diesel engine. I have never heard of such a truck and I am having trouble finding any online. It is a 371 and it is not labeled Detroit Diesel, it is labeled General Motors Diesel. Does anyone else have one of these? I know where there is one more but I can't find much information on these trucks. Once I get some pics of the truck I will send them on. My dad is going over to take a few more pics of the truck (he only took a picture of the engine when he bought it ). Once I have them I will post them. Should be later today.

It ought to be a 1952 or 1953 400 series truck, the only two years the 3-71 was offered in a GMC truck.

We call them "Detroit Diesels" because that's what they turned into but they started out at "General Motors Diesel"

Grigg

I have one I am trying to put back together. They are pretty rare, not much info out there about them. I have looked plenty. Show us some pics

Well, In 1.5 hours of research I have found that this is D450-37 series (could be a couple others but that is a generic enough label till I get the pics from my dad this evening). Seems they were only made for 2 years 1952 and 1953. Most were actually sold to the US military. The truck's interior is gone which probably means the floorboards are rotted out. No big deal on those, that is a simple cut and weld in. From what he says there are no dents in the truck and it is a dump truck style single axle at the moment. It has not ran for 8 years but it ran fine when the farmer parked it. He paid $1000 for it. I have no Idea if that is a good price, average, or too high for that truck. Does anyone have any Idea what these trucks are actually worth? I know if this would have been a standard 450 the price would have been about right but I have no Idea on this diesel. Until the other day I did not know GM put a diesel in the Advanced design trucks at all.
Here is where I found my data.
http://www.hemmings.com/hmn/stories/2008/05/01/hmn_feature28.html
http://www.docrebuild.com/dr-r-web/currentevents-84.html
http://forums.justoldtrucks.com/PrintTopic550.aspx
http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/doc...ochures/GMC/100_YR_GMC_HISTORY_MAR09.pdf

And of course 3 or 4 topics in our own fine forums .

WOW !, Always wanted one of these trucks. There was one here locally, but I let it get away. Always thought they only came in '52, & '53 models, but did actually see one in a '54 model 450 series once. Can't wait to see pictures.

That is really cool.

Just noticed the Hemmings Article above, features the truck that was from my area. Allen purchased the truck from the widow of the owner, from here in N.C.

There were a couple of them around here almost 60 years ago. A bull hauler bought them thinking Diesel meant power. He sold them for next to nothing when he found his 270 gassers would out pull the Jimmy 3 bangers. If I would have had a crystal ball back then, I would have tried to talk my father into buying one of them and putting it in a barn so I could play with it 50 years later.

I have placed pictures of this monster on my Photobucket account. here is the link. Does not look bad at all actually. The truck is actually a 470, 3.5 Ton.

http://s1284.photobucket.com/user/ComputerGeekFarmBoy/library/GMC%20D473-37

Diesel engines can sit around a lot longer than gas engines and still run. If it ran 8 years ago, it will probably still run. However, be careful when you try to start it to have something to shut off the air supply in case you have a run away. The rack can stick or oil seals in the blower can leak enough to cause a run away. The only way to stop it will be to shut off the air supply. What you paid is probably a fair price. Even though its a rarity, there is not much much market for trucks like it and it is probably quite a ways from where it would fetch more money.

WOW !, That's my "Dream Truck". 470 series GMC with Diesel engine, full air brakes, & Dayton wheels. Doesn't get any better than that. I'd love to own that truck. I'd take that dumper off, add a fifth wheel, & make a roadtractor out of it.

I agree with Spanky. Get that truck! I would take it in a heart beat.

I should be getting pictures of another one today that is for Sale up in North West ND. Supposedly it is in in pretty rough shape, though that is only what my dad has been told. I will post some pictures of that as well if anyone is interested.

It appears the one up north was actually a 650 with 4-71 in it. Sorry. I will still post some pictures.

Chris.

I would be surprised if there are 500 of these left. Who knows how many were originally produced. You got a good deal on that one.

Yes, if I didn't already have my fill of Detroit project trucks I sure would be looking for a 3-71 powered 450 to play with.
By the pictures looks like you found a good one.

Grigg

Here are 3 pics of the GMC 650 that was up by my dad's place. If you look in the background to the right of the truck you will see the windshield of another 52-53 GMC 450 Diesel truck with a Brownie. The guy does not want to sell the 450 at this time though.

http://s1284.photobucket.com/user/ComputerGeekFarmBoy/library/GMC%20650

Nice truck you have there.

Keep us posted on it.

Bill

Chris, Is he wanting to sell the 650? Is it a single axle or tandem? I can't tell from the pictures. I am looking for a 600 series, diesel, tandem axle to go along with my 900 series with 6-71 diesels. Thanks, Al.

It is a single axle. My dad's friend ended up picking the truck up. Traded some tires for it. If you are interested I can let him know what you would want to pay for it. It has a 4-71 but it has an overheating issue and probably needs a different head. Feel free to send me an PM or just reply here. I have zero Idea what he would want for it.

Any progress on the 470, Chris?

Actually going to pick it up this weekend with my Dad. I will post some more info when I have more .

Went out to pick up the truck this weekend. My son started cleaning the mouse crap out of the cab while my dad and I started changing fuel filters and draining the fuel out of the truck. The fuel fiters were completely plugged and useless, new ones went in without issue. We drained the fuel in the tanks, there was no water in it, however, I don't think it would have ran on that old Diesel. Due to the fact the box was down My son and I had to fill 15 gallons of fuel into the tank by filling a 1 gallon antifreeze jug, there was not enough room to use the 5 gallon cans to fill the tanks. That took a while.

We hooked up the battery to the cables (this truck is 12 volt positive ground) and tried to turn it over to see what happened, it just clicked. Thinking the worst that the motor was seized we started looking at the bottom of the motor. We found that the solenoid was there to click when we hit the starter, however, the starter itself was nowhere to be found .

At this point we took to pulling it. Hooked up the 3/4 ton Dodge Diesel to the truck and pulled it out of the farmers yard (all the tires were still full at this point, good sign we hoped). Once we got it on the gravel my dad put it in gear and tried to pull start it. It turned over!!. However, it smoked really good but would not fire. We stoped and looked and there was fuel dripping in a puddle under the engine (keep in mind we checked the oil pan and there was no water in the pan and the radiator was still full of antifreeze after 20 years). We looked for the leak and ended up discovering the gasket for the fuel filter bowl had folder over and it was not sealed. Fixed that and tried again.

After about 100 feet of pulling it at this point it fired up. Ran pretty bad but once we drove it about 2 miles it started coming out of it. It smoked really good the whole 20 mile drive home, and no there were no brakes. All country gravel roads, no highway.

On the drive home the only gears I could shift it into were 1st, 2nd and 4th. The detente spring was broken on the transmission and it would not shift in the other gears properly. That and the engine was not reeving up and slowing down fast enough. However, as I drove with the truck I was able to get the rear end to properly shift in high gear so I was able to get the truck up to about 40mph, though it would not stay there up any incline .

We got the truck home and drove it around the section line for a while and had some fun driving it. We pressure washed the Racoon feces off the engine and pressure washed out the cab. Amazingly enough missing both door windows, a bullet hole in the passenger side windsheild and no rear window there was no rot in the interior metal, only surface rust. The floor is strong and good.

Once we decided we had played enough (the truck had been running for almost 2 hours at this point) we pulled the valve cover off and noticed that one of the valve springs was broken. That explained the lack of power at the bottom end (This is a 3-71 so it did not matter in higher RPM ranges). We also could tell the injectors were plugged, hence more of the smoke and the slow revving. On a side note anyone know if 080 injectors are correct for this application?

Long story short the truck is in the shop at the moment, one fender has some slight crinkleing in it, but with a bit of sand blasting and some paint this truck will look good. My dad is not sure if he wants to keep it or sell it at this point. We really can't find any more of them to even guess what they are worth. He can rip the engine out and easily sell that for more than he paid for the entire truck, but everything works, including the box hoist. He does not want to separate it. If he keeps it we have talked about what he will do to it and make it into a nice farm dump truck.

In any case. Check out the Photobucket album, several videos of it running and more pictures. Have a look.

Chris.

http://s1284.photobucket.com/user/ComputerGeekFarmBoy/library/GMC%20D473-37

Photobucket is still uploading so wait till 1:30PM CST 10/14/2013 to look for all the pictures/videos.

Thanks for the pic's vid's!! NICE truck!! Looks like it's in better-than-average shape,for its age. NICE FIND!! Hope your dad decides to keep it!

Nice find. When you get a chance,can you post some good pics of the engine bay. Thinking of going this route with my 1950 GMC 450 firetruck. Thanks Jim

The engine compartment is pretty tight. After driving the truck I don't think I would choose to put in a 371. If you want to go Diesel I would go with a cummins 5.9L or something similar. The firewall is a bit different than a stock pickup firewall but not much. They also put a thermal barrier on the inside of the cab to deal with the heat of the engine. The engine sounds cool as can be under the hood but it just does not have enough power for the amount of work I can imagine it would be to migrate to that diesel from a 1950.

My dad is thinking of having it painted. If he does I will take some detailed pics as we will be tearing the body off the frame and taking that to the painters (that way we can fix the transmission easily and re-do all the wires/cables. From everything I have found online this truck needs some documenting so I will try to make sure we have a photo record of everything we do with the truck.

Jim, if you are referring to installing a 3-71 into your 1950 450 it would be quite an undertaking. Most don't realize the factory diesel trucks have a frame the does not taper in at the front. The blower on the side of the engine would not(easily) clear your(tapered) frame.

Chris, I checked the head off of my 3-71 and it has HV8 injectors. Master parts book lists gmc part #5227231 (80M.M.)

Thanks for that info. Your 371 sounds pretty good for having sat so long. Looking forward to your build thread. Jim

My dad spent 20 minutes on the truck last night, fixed two air leaks and the brakes just worked. Amazing how much this old truck is just working.

If you're looking for injectors, any other Detroit parts, or just good advice on them try Leid Diesel Service in PA. That's where I go for my Detroit parts and advice too, they really know their stuff. They ship quickly too, you don't have to go visit although it is worth the trip. Here's their card, ask for Timothy (the other guys are great too) can't hurt if you mention that Grigg suggested you call.
https://picasaweb.google.com/118082...onProgressPictures02#5806309969118721986

Grigg

I know it's not a "Stovebolt",but a guy in rural Mt.vernon,(Iowa),has a, (what appears to be),a 5-ton?? Studebaker US-6?? Tank Recovery unit,from the Korean War era. It's powered by a 3-71! Not sure about the Studebaker Korean War-era-trucks,but I know the 2-1/2-ton WW-2 "Studies",were US-6's,and this one has the same sheet-metal-(pre-'48-1/2). Just proof that the WAR Dept. did use these engines in several applications,during that time frame. I used to operate a Michigan end-loader with a 3-71. It had plenty of power,used in that application.

I am pretty sure at this point my Father has decided to keep his gmc truck and fix it up to what he would like it to be. He installed some injectors a friend had from a 3-92 last night. They are not exact fits but they worked much better than the plugged up originals. When I drove the truck a couple weeks ago I could not go up a hill in 3rd gear. He said now when the rpm's are in the correct range the truck put him back in his seat up the hill in 3rd gear .

He has a few plans for this truck at this point that I will lay out and see what you think.
1.) Rebuild the motor (it has over 80,000 miles and needs the rebuild.
2.) Install a 4 valve head on the engine. This will increase his horsepower and fuel economy.
3.) Possibly install a turbo on the truck with the 4 valve head. This will depend on if he can find a mount that will fit under the hood, knowing him he will be able to pull it off.
4.) Remove the original 5 speed and and 2 speed rear end and replace them with a 4:10 rear end and a 13 speed transmission.
5.) Re-position the battery to an actual battery box behind the fuel tanks.
6.) Improve the steering and suspension in the front end of the truck to make it more stable driving down the highway.
7.) take the body off the frame and take it to a body shop to be properly straightened and painted.

that is the current plan. I will keep you up to date as things change on this beast.

Anyone have a 4 valve head from a 3-71 or 6v-71 two stroke lying around?

Chris, if you get a 4 valve head from a 6V71 make sure it is machined to accept the water manifold of the inline engine. I have one that is unmachined in that area. I know where some 6Vs are but I am in Ohio. Sounds like you have a good plan so far.

This is a neat project. I have some experience with those 3-71s, they sure are obnoxious. lol

outstanding find...I have been looking for one of those for a long time.

Price seems great to me...what it lacks in power you can make-up with being a proud owner of a rare find.

Yeah a 302 or even a 270 will out pull the 3-71, but you can't beat the smell of a 3-71 burning diesel fuel. That old smudge pot odor...weeeeee.

Good luck with your find

A turbo off a 4-53T, would be a match, displacement wise if you want to drive it. Nice, unique truck.

I am not certain what his end goal would be. However, he has been talking for a few months about installing a 5th wheel onto a classic truck and putting a diesel in it to pull a camper. He may eventually do that. If he does he will most likely throw a flatbed on the truck. In either case I know it will look pretty. I will add some pics of the Harleys he has fixed up to my Photobucket account and you can see the amount of Detail he puts into his work. I guess now all he needs is a camper. He has one to fix up, a 46 Spartan Manor. That is a travel trailer though, would not hook up well for his 5th wheel ideas. Stay tuned, I will put up some more pics of it after Thanksgiving when I am next up to the farm.