I missed my goal by one day, but my GMC runs (nicely) for the first time since I got it. :-)
When I towed it out of a barn, it didn't run. One hour and a new battery later, it ran... poorly. I pulled the heads, and discovered several bent pushrods.
Had the heads checked, rusty bits replaced, new pushrods, disassembled/clean/reassembled the rocker assemblies. Ordered one of those Holly carbs recommended by
www.6066gmctrucks.org/holley.htm. Wow is that thing huge.
(Small delay while an intake manifold crack was repaired.)
Spent two afternoons putting everything back together. Did my first valve adjustment. (I had no idea it would be so trivial.) Changed the oil (ohmygosh that oil was DISCUSTING), oil filter, new plugs, new (clear!) gas filter, new gas. The engine started immediately, and idled beautifully for 10 minutes, when I shut it off.
There are a couple things I need to sort out, but expect to take it on its first drive in many, many years. When I'm done grinning over my newly running motor, I'll likely have a few questions for the forum. Especially others with the V6 motors!
Thanks to everyone on the forum, I've enjoyed reading tidbits of valuable information. I would also like to put a plug in for the friendly folks at Whitman Engines, in Kirkland, WA (
www.whitmanengines.com). They did a fabulous job on the heads, intake manifold repair, and tanked many parts as I randomly brought them over.
John