Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

I've been a board member for quite a while but I got away from the hobby when I sold my 72 2WD LWB after getting rear ended at a stop light in it back in 06-07. I've been lurking the last year or so when I got the itch to buy another truck. I've been looking high and low for a nice truck in original paint that wasn't rusty. About a year ago I had one pinned down that I found in Wyoming but right before I pulled the trigger some family problems came up and had to drop the idea on the spot. I work for my dad at his Chevrolet Buick dealership and always have since high school, I started in the shop doing light duty work, brakes, exhaust and oil changes and cleaning. Eventually, I moved up to sales then management but I have always had an appreciation for what goes on in the back. One of our Techs can take credit for getting me into 67-72 trucks, Chad has built a 70 K10 from the ground up and owned many others. He shares that 67-72 maniac bug that many of us have caught long ago. He's been with us for 15 years and has become a good friend and a great ear over the years. We've been talking about building a shop truck for like 10 years, how to do this and that and the other with a hypothetical rust free truck that I would find some day, so we can have the coolest truck to plow snow and run after parts and such. So to make a long story longer, I was back chatting with him about the truck that got away about a year ago....the 69 GMC 2WD in original paint that appeared to be rust free from the 45 pictures that the owner sent to my iPhone. He says "text them, what the hell you got to lose"? Well, I texted them back and BOOM they are just getting ready to advertise it again to try to sell it. We were pretty floored by this, I couldn't believe they still had it! So off we go on a "ROADIE", Chads coming with me to drive 15 hours out to wyoming to pick up the truck with the dealership's flatbed car hauler we use for Dealer Trades. I am going to grab a used Duramax truck off the lot to pull it with. We leave on Friday afternoon but if the shop slows down we can sneak out a little earlier. Wooo HOO Road trip, I'm excited to see the truck in person and look it over. We have big plans for the truck and I've already started finding some of the parts we need, this will be an evening and weekend project that any of the guys that work for me can help with if they choose. I'm buying all the parts. Chad will be the gate keeper of the keys when it's done. If I'm not driving it of course!

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

ROAD TRIP:metal::metal:
I love a good road trip! Especially to get a prize and bring it back home.

I did that with two 87 IROC's for my oldest daughter. Nothing better for a dad than to drive 200 miles each way with a 16 year old girl so happy she cant stand it!

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

That looks pristine and a Close ratio HD 4speed too.

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

Nice, clean looking truck!

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

Good deal - looks like 16.5 x 9.75 wheels on the rear too...

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

Thanks guys, I'm hoping it is as clean as the pics show when I get there. I've ran into hidden rust before on trucks that looked right in the pics. If there is rust I'll try to work that out with the seller when I get there. DeadheadNM I just assumed that the rear wheels were swapped out at some point and not stock. Is there something special about those wide rear wheels?

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

From what I know the rear wheels were a dealer and/or aftermarket add-on not uncommon for use on trucks with slide-in campers. For fun, ask the owner or look for evidence that it hauled a camper once upon a time. The wheels themselves are desirable for some folks (http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=480631) as they're real deep but finding tires for the 16.5 diameter is tough anymore outside BFG ATs - not bad if you have a 4x4 though. I have a set of these tires new for my K20 build. If those are indeed 16.5 x 9.75's you're probably better off selling them and going with a 16" or so wheel. Good luck on the trip.

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

Another :gmc2: saved !!!!!!! ;)

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

We are rolling blacktop now! We left about 6 Central and headed west with the tow rig and trailer behind us. Really a nice evening tonight. We didn't get 90 miles from home before we saw a 67 LWB 2WD 3/4 ton with a 327 on the side of the road for sale, it's a sickness we had to stop and check it out. Not a bad truck, it did have what looked like factory overload springs in the back. They were the half leaf spring type. We are going to drive till around midnight and find a place to sleep for a few hours then back on the road.

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

Keep us updated and the best of luck. :metal:

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

Thanks man, I'll keep everybody posted. It should be fun to see what we find on the way and the way back too. Since there are two of us and the trailer we might find something cool to buy on the way home too. I have my laptop tethered with my iphone so I'm typing this from the passenger seat of the Duramax. We might make some stops just for fun too like look at this cool truck. http://sd.craigslist.org/cto/3958784422.html

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

Enjoy the drive and don't forget to stop and smell the roses along the way.

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

If you go I-40 in Texas stop at the Cadillac Ranch just West of Amarillo and take some Pics.

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

Well, we aren't going to be going that far south on this one. We are coming from northern Minnesota and going to Wyoming so we will see a lot of north and south Dakota. Our current plan is to go through the Badlands National Park and head South.

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

If they're going from Minnesota to Wyoming via Texas they need a little higher quality GPS! Have a great time guys!

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

oh, ok... I miss read. That's a nice ride been through there a few times. Hey, Sturgis is this week. I see what you did there!:smoke:

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

Is the truck in WY? Did I miss where youre roadtriping to?

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

Yea it's in Wyoming sorry if I didn't make that real clear. We are just west of Watertown SD right now.
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Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

Yeah real nice truck. Keep us posted on the progres
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Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

C'mon middle, you're just a veteran road tripper that knows a Minn. to Wy trip could EASILY morph into a Texas side-show!:lol:

This sound like hoot. Great backround to this trip. Hope you guys have a blast.

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

Have fun on the trip. I moved my truck 2500 miles a couple yrs ago and it was the funnest trip Ive had. Something about looking out the mirror and seeing that beauty coming home is an unbeatable rush.

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

Well, we are getting there despite a wrong turn that set us back about an hour. We spied a 67 next to an antique shop on the side of the road and stopped to check it out. It turned out to be someone's daily driver but it did have 2 16.5 rims on it without the lock rings, which we will need eventually. So after getting distracted by that we missed a turn. We got some cool photo's of an area in nebraska we drove through right after a pretty major hail storm. Then we stopped at Carhenge in Alliance Nebraska. That wasn't planned, we just saw a bunch of Junk cars sticking out of the ground on the side of the road and had to stop and check it out. Very cool, They are lined up just like Stonehenge in England.

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

I think after we pick up the truck we might have to head for Texas! LOL. Lot's of bikes on the road heading for Sturgis in the rain today, it's been gloomy and rainy all day today. I feel for those guys and gals getting soaked on their bikes.

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

hope the hail didnt hurt your truck!! and very kool pic on the cars!

Re: Road TRIP! Headed west after a 69 GMC
 

Thanks, actually the hail hit right before we came through the area. We rolled up on thick fog and haze rising from the piles of hail in the ditches. There was grass all over the road, it was surreal. We had to pull over just to look it over and watch the storm roll out of sight. I did end up buying the truck, I'll post some pics of it in the daylight in a few we have to stop for fuel.