The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network - View Single Post - 55.2-59 1956 GMC Suburban pickup now in my garage..so excited!

**G&R's57GMC** · 10-11-2020, 05:58 PM

In 1972 a friend (Joe) bought the GMC and drove it to work for a while . That was the only time I got to ride in it .
But it smoked so bad he had to take it off the road .

Then he took it apart scraped the engine picked up a '60 Bonneville 389 Had it punched out to 400 .

Meanwhile I loaned him my GM manual for the 4 speed Hydramatic a few years earlier and set him loose on a junkyard 4 speed Hydramatic . He took it apart made the tools necessary for the rebuild put it back together a bunch of times until it got easy .
This was the start of a career in automatic transmissions for him.

So he had no problem doing the GMC's trans later .
He rebuilt the front axel , installed a '69 Camero a/c system .
Did the body work and paint changed the rear quarters the originals were junk scrounged the wreaking yards for parts for years and finally got it done . This took him until '86 when he moved from Van Nuys ,CA to the Central Coast then to Portland,OR

Now for the back story I bought the GMC from a friend (Joe) in '96 after it sat outside in Portland Oregon for a year . I trailered it home to Pismo Beach .
I then cleaned the moss and grime off and mounted the tires from my '98 Tahoe on new white spoke wheels I drove it occasionally .
I replaced the rear quarters and rechromed a bunch of the chrome . Unfortunately the rear GMC emblem had a pin hole defect and sent it back for repair and chrome the hole wound up opening a can of worms and I never got the emblem back :-(
I installed a third brake light in the rear window along with new take take out split bench seats from a '90's Chevy pick up and new lap belts .

In 2002 we moved north and left the GMC for a few years down south . Then trailered it north . Where it sat on the lift from 2006 until Dave bought it .

It bought it to fast forward my '56 Chevy p.u. project then thought better of the idea .

Later I bought the '57 GMC NAPCO .

Meanwhile in 2010 I started to build a new chassis for the '56 Chevy p.u. That project stalled for years as other projects came through . Thoughts of putting the chassis under the '56 GMC or the '56 Chevy or the '57 GMC went back and forth for a few years and finally it was decided to put it under the '57 GMC .

So the '56's were free from the debate and redundant for me .

10-11-2020, 05:58 PM	#14
G&R's57GMC Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Shasta Lake, CA. Posts: 1,624	Re: 1956 GMC Suburban pickup now in my garage..so excited! In 1972 a friend (Joe) bought the GMC and drove it to work for a while . That was the only time I got to ride in it . But it smoked so bad he had to take it off the road . Then he took it apart scraped the engine picked up a '60 Bonneville 389 Had it punched out to 400 . Meanwhile I loaned him my GM manual for the 4 speed Hydramatic a few years earlier and set him loose on a junkyard 4 speed Hydramatic . He took it apart made the tools necessary for the rebuild put it back together a bunch of times until it got easy . This was the start of a career in automatic transmissions for him. So he had no problem doing the GMC's trans later . He rebuilt the front axel , installed a '69 Camero a/c system . Did the body work and paint changed the rear quarters the originals were junk scrounged the wreaking yards for parts for years and finally got it done . This took him until '86 when he moved from Van Nuys ,CA to the Central Coast then to Portland,OR Now for the back story I bought the GMC from a friend (Joe) in '96 after it sat outside in Portland Oregon for a year . I trailered it home to Pismo Beach . I then cleaned the moss and grime off and mounted the tires from my '98 Tahoe on new white spoke wheels I drove it occasionally . I replaced the rear quarters and rechromed a bunch of the chrome . Unfortunately the rear GMC emblem had a pin hole defect and sent it back for repair and chrome the hole wound up opening a can of worms and I never got the emblem back :-( I installed a third brake light in the rear window along with new take take out split bench seats from a '90's Chevy pick up and new lap belts . In 2002 we moved north and left the GMC for a few years down south . Then trailered it north . Where it sat on the lift from 2006 until Dave bought it . It bought it to fast forward my '56 Chevy p.u. project then thought better of the idea . Later I bought the '57 GMC NAPCO . Meanwhile in 2010 I started to build a new chassis for the '56 Chevy p.u. That project stalled for years as other projects came through . Thoughts of putting the chassis under the '56 GMC or the '56 Chevy or the '57 GMC went back and forth for a few years and finally it was decided to put it under the '57 GMC . So the '56's were free from the debate and redundant for me . Attached Images __________________ Glen & Jane's Rides ‘57 GMC NAPCO Long Bed V8 4 speed Bought 2008 7 other cars & trucks , 5 trailers '56 Chevy Long Bed I6, 4 speed Bought 1990 Sold 8.22.2020 ’56 GMC Suburban Pickup V8, 4 speed Hydramatic Bought 1996 Sold 10.11.2020 My Other Tinkerings http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...75#post8967275 Last edited by G&R's57GMC; 10-12-2020 at 03:26 PM.