New Member; New K1502
 

Hi Folks,

I'm a new member who just bought this 63 K1502 to rebuild/restore with my son. I figure I'll be spending a lot of time here, so I wanted to post some pics, introduce myself, and solicit ideas and opinions from what appears to be a pretty good group of folks here. I've been eyeing this rig for nearly 10 years as it sat alone in a field near my property One day, I asked the owner what she was going to do with it, and she said, "I want to get rid of it." The next day, after I started looking around at websites, I called and said, "I can only possibly offer as much as $500, should I keep doing my homework, or should I give up." She said $500 would be fine. Now it's mine. Anyway, I think I have the foundation for a killer project. It has a SBC that I haven't identified yet (327 or 350), a TH350, factory D60 rear and D44 closed-knuckle front are both 4.56:1, the body is almost perfect--one shallow crease on the bed and a slightly dented tailgate. There is virtually no rust, save a little surface rust here and there. The entire truck is rat-crapped and cobwebbed, but underneath it all, everything's there except the radio...no great loss there. It's even got A/C. The only imperfection is that the PO cut holes in the doors for speakers...damn. I'm toying with the idea of converting it to original, with the 305 v6, or going with a nice little SBC/700R setup with the stock diffs...the 700r with overdrive would be nice with the 4.56's I think. Also, I could easily go with 35 inch tires, too. Anyone know if there's a disc brake kit for these closed-knuckle D44s? Anyway, that's enough bs for now. Here are some pics. Ideas? Comments? Suggestions? Thanks!

Re: New Member; New K1502
 

Welcome to the boards! Looks like a nice straight project, very clean & solid for an older truck, and a great bargain at $500. As to powertrain, how are you planning to use the truck? If it's going to be a driver, I'd probably go with the SBC/700R combo (maybe a 383 stroker?). Stock 305s are kinda neat but as I recall from back in the day, good low rpm torque but not much HP, and fairly thirsty. Have to do a little homework but with 4.56s you could probably run 35s easily, even with OD.

Be interesting to see what you decide to do with it -- looking forward to the build thread.

Re: New Member; New K1502
 

That looks like a great start to a build! Always loved the look of the early 60s GMCs the most!

Re: New Member; New K1502
 

Great find! I like the SBC/700 combo idea. Make a great driver and less of a killer on gas. I would eventually swap out the front end for an open knuckle design as I doubt you will find a disc conversion and I understand parts are getting harder to find. 4:56's will work great with 35's even with OD.

Re: New Member; New K1502
 

That thing is so cool. Welcome . Is it factory 4x4? Pretty rare if it is.
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Re: New Member; New K1502
 

Thanks all for your encouragement and comments.
Stocker...as much as I like the 700R too, If I go with a built SBC, I might have to stick with the TH350...we'll see how finances hold up.
Red...Thanks, me too!
Chevy71...I agree, but I'll probably have to rebuild the brakes to spec if I can't find any info on a disc conversion...a new/built open knuckle D44 is great, but not in the budget just yet.
71Veronica...thanks, yes it's factory.

Thanks again, everyone...looking forward to more input.

Re: New Member; New K1502
 

Chevy71,

Do you know what, if any, year Chevy or GMC trucks would be a good donor for a 3/4T D44 open knuckle swap? Are there any years that are a straight bolt-on swap?

Thanks