new sister in the barn
 

picked up a younger sister for the 71 today just north of fresno. a few little warts, but thought it was a pretty good specimen and it was kinda what I've been looking for (I gotta stop looking!!).

it's a 72 Custom Deluxe 20 Custom Camper Highlander pkg c. Good set of options and I've been looking for a Highlander for a little while, and the Custom Camper was a real bonus I was hoping for.

The coolest part about it was that I bought it from the no-kidding original owner. This thing has hauled his family around on camping trips since summer of 72 and he gave me some pics of it with dates and locations, etc. CA truck, never been out of the state, except on a vacation or two. Has hauled a tow-behind trailer, a cabover camper, and now this soon-to-be-removed cap. He was a real car/truck guy and took great care of it. Needs a lotta tlc, but a good start. No plaid seat in it yet (was replaced in 2001, yes, he had the receipt to show me!), workin on the new plaid as we speak, but I've always kinda liked white highlanders. Ok, any highlanders. Especially custom camper highlanders. Not sure what this means for the 71 cheyenne super custom camper that's hoggin space in the garage... not sure can hang onto both, but am going to for the time being. Both are special to me, I think I have a sickness.

The wheel/tire combo on it is new, just had them pc'ed, mounted, and set aside for the green 71, but the wheels/tires on the white 72 were dry-rotted, so these got called in to make the 5 hour trip home. I did manage to hang onto the 5 slots that his kids bought him for his birthday in 73.... :)

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Nice find!!

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LUCKY !!!

Gah I wish I had the money y'all do

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well, like I said, I may not be able to keep the 71 with this little purchase. takes a lotta shoppin around. I almost bought this truck over a year ago, and it never sold. Patience is a virtue. And it saved me a good bit of $.

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I like it!

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They all have a story, but to be able to get the story right from the source is awesome. Congrats on your new find and your sickness!

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Just to confirm your suspicions.... YES, you do "have a sickness". Congrats anyway! Looks nice. I think it'll look even better if you take the extensions off the mirror arms. Those were available over the counter at GM dealers. I bought a couple sets for my 69 when it was new so I could see behind the cab-over camper.

Jim

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yep, they're comin off

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I like it! I like t :metal: :cong:

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That puppy was loaded!

When I saw the thread title that you bought one, I had to look because I knew it was special if you pulled the trigger on it.

And yes, you're sick, and this isn't the end of it. I bet you've already been back on CL, haven't you? :smoke:
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I'd sure like to find a custom camper!! Nice find.
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Betcha he has too.

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Way to go Jocko....a white truck! Like those lights on the rear bumper too.

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Finally... We talked a lot about this truck, everytime one of us found a new listing for it. But the story over the phone was never quite good enough to justify the trip to see it. Then I get the call "its so much better in person"! Been waiting a week for this post. Now I'm wishing I had bought that white Highlander Longhorn that was on eBay a while back.
Good Luck Jocko! Remember I'm first in line on the slots if and when...

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Definetly a cool truck.

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Nice!

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Sweet! Congrats!
How bout some interior pics?

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wow... loaded,clean! cant beat that with a stick!. very nice. MORE PICS plz

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now for those nos po3's

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Thief!!!! North of Fresno? You bought that in my neck of the woods! I was going to pick it up today! :lol: Just kidding, a very nice find. :chevy:

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Nice job jocko, Truck looks Great!

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Congrats on a great score. Trucks like that are hard to find.

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I knew I had to act fast if it was within a 100 mile radius of the King... :)

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very nice truck! love the highlander

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Nice find, great looking truck!

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thanks all, enjoying the little bit of time I've had to "get acquainted" with the ol girl since I bought it. You never know what you'll find... For example, the carpet I thought was protecting the bed (and I did peel up a corner just to make sure there WAS bedwood under it) was actually industrially glued to the wheel tubs and stapled/screwed into the bed wood in about a thousand places... Ha, the tubs are pretty trashed - but, the bed wood is in pretty decent shape. Still haven't scraped all the carpet out, so the jury is still out... Always fun digging into the past. This will be a fun one.

And get this - something I've NEVER experienced before. The day after I bought it, the po called me to make sure I made it home ok. Now how's that for a good ol guy!

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Nice find, now we need more pics.
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Yeah I agree more pics please !!!!

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she's got a good bit of camper rash... overall pretty good condition. a little rust on the bedrail corners from the cap/campers over the years, but it's limited to a manageable amount on the the corners. gotta sell the cap now to get it off the patio, so I can put the 71 on the patio, so I can put the 72 in the garage, and the cat that ate the rat that swallowed a gnat....

removed the cap, plan is to sell it. got the mirror extensions off (never liked those things, but this is my favorite mirror style, when it has no extensions), which, as simple as it sounds, was more work than I thought it would be - the studs don't take normal nuts (was trying to get some temp replacements for my rusty acorn nuts, but they were the only kind that would work - studs are not coarse OR fine, some sort of interference fit to really clamp on the mirror). removed the flaky steering wheel cover. steering wheel is shot, but I have a few black ones to pic from to put on there in good condition. the interior is fair, dash unmolested. seat cover obviously incorrect, but like I said, workin on that. motor in nom 350 gm. trans is original th350. runs pretty well, but apparently only about 35K on the motor. Truck itself has about 200K and it shows. But can't complain, body is darn straight. Haven't gotten all the carpet out yet - will show you a pic when I do - the bed wood looks pretty solid, at least what I've seen so far.

For you SPID readers out there, yes, it originally had a t&s box, but that was removed and very well plated over during it's only repaint circa 1997. The only flaw in the body work is that the trim covering it is all wavy, but the body is straight underneath. I would, however, like to restore this at some point, and that would include the t&s box. No small feat, easier to remove than it is to install, once it's plated over. Anyhoo... So, you may see a WTB ad for a tool box section/door/assy, etc in the near future from someone parting a tool box truck. But no rush. Plenty of other stuff to work on in the meantime. PLENTY :lol:

The two major detractors for me on this ol truck are the missing toolbox and the non-orig motor (oh yeah, and there are tiny friggin speaker holes in the doors, go figure...) But, I think I can live with it for now - not worth doing a nut and bolt resto, but would like to "re-do" it to make it look somewhat new again, and take it back to what it once was. Might not be worth it w/o the original motor, but if I plan to keep it, who cares! Then again, I've said that before. Anyway, it will be fun.

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Well you could clamp the top onto the greenie as temp storage and work space. Is the wind blowing in the 50s up there too today?

On the mirror nuts/threads.
There was a whole thread on the threads.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=564182

But to the bottom line.

"Did some flipping through my catalogs and a lot more through the GM parts Wiki.
The original nut was P/N 331545
It was superseded by P/N 14016610 (3/8-20 LOW CROWN)
Unfortunately it is listed as discontinued.
But the thread is listed as 3/8-20 not the more typical 3/8-16 UNC or 3/8-24 UNF threads..."

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yep, recall that thread and that they were no longer available. not sure that size is correct, it's definitely doesn't seem to be a fine thread. the coarse stuff I had laying around didn't really work either (nor did the fine) - only the original acorns from some other mirrors I had would "kinda" go on there. Really odd that the extensions would have a different size stud (but they were integral to the extension also, and original - and I had boxes o nuts that fit the extensions). But the stud is integral to the mirror arm, so it is original also. The plot thickens, but they are on there solidly now. But, I may at least pick up one that I know is 3/8-20 and see how it seems to fit - my recollection was that it was a no go because of the very low thread count of the studs.

Not 50 mph yet (winds), but supposed to be coming this evening and in the 40-50 mph range til at least monday night. normal ops around here. the cap is already listed on the pennysaver! http://www.pennysaverusa.com/classif...-67166349.html and the parts board http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=575660. The 71 cheyenne super may not be far behind it..

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If you find something different on the threads add it to the mirror thread. Here it is down to 1/2 mile visibility in blowing sand.

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Great looking truck! I'd love to have that as a DD!

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Sweet truck! :metal:
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Nice find
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will do. wow, that's pretty bad - we're currently at a 30 sustained/gusts to 40. it's like walking outside into a blow dryer + sand blaster. Ha.

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Very nice truck Mark!
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thanks Scott. I've still got to get your old green door on the 71, been foolin around with a major brake rebuild forever, but, that is the next project.

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Hello Jocko,
Very Nice, very nice indeed. The truck looks really nice; can't wait to see you driving around in it enjoying it. I am going to dive back into the GMC here soon myself. You can never have too many of these great trucks and yes, it is a sickness especially when you decorate your garage with their hubcaps all the way around it. You should take a picture of the trucks pointing nose to nose about a foot or two apart and take a panoramic shot; blow up and put it on the garage wall as decoration. That would look killer!! Nice Buy!!
R/
Billy