55 GMC vs 55 Chevy differences

[inboil]

HI all, Firstly, thanks for such a great resource.
I am restoring a 55 GMC truck, and a new cab is available through Classic Industries, only it's a Chevy, not a GMC. I know the dash will need to be changed, but is there anything else I should consider--fender mounting, hood hinge locations, mounting points, window regulators, door handles and glass?? This cab comes complete with doors. I expect small things, but I am trying to avoid major structural changes. Footstomper was kind enough to tell me that the cabs were the same, and to inquire about these other concerns. I already have new GMC second series fenders, and am going to use the original inner fenders, hood, grill etc. Any input is GREATLY appreciated!!

Sincerely,
William
Seattle, WA

[Foot Stomper]

William,
Tell us what you have (exactly) and we will try our best to help.
Be specific as possible.
what frame do you have?
Which fenders do you have?
Which inners do you have?
engine?

This information will get you the answers you need.

[farmall]

All I can think of is hood, grill, dash, emblems, bumper, V8, tailgate, horn button, hub caps,... I don't know about the core support.

[rapid49]

The radiator support is different.

[inboil]

Thanks for the replies. Since I am using the stock, long bed frame, bed sides, tailgate, front fenders, bumpers, radiator support, my only real issue is the cab, as this will be the only Chevrolet part of the build. I know I will have to change the dash, but as long as the frame mounts are the same, and the GMC fenders align w the Chevrolet doors, and the hood hinges are the same--I should be OK. Logically, in 1955, I cannot see why Chevrolet and GMC cabs would not be stamped from the same presses w the same overall specs.? Agreed??

William

[Jesse Z]

Cabs are the same, no difference, identical, go for it.

[idbeast]

I went this route with my '56, It wasn't the high quality I expected. Major reworking of everything to meet my perfectionist thinking. If I was you, I'd call Ecklers and make arrangements to have them weld your GMC dash in it instead of a Chevy one!

[inboil]

Originally Posted by idbeast

I went this route with my '56, It wasn't the high quality I expected. Major reworking of everything to meet my perfectionist thinking. If I was you, I'd call Ecklers and make arrangements to have them weld your GMC dash in it instead of a Chevy one!

What front end are you running?

[dsraven]

dash is different, rest of cab same.
call and ask questions for gaps expected and also to leave out the chevy dash and/ or weld in the (supplied by you) GMC dash. done.

[inboil]

Originally Posted by idbeast

I went this route with my '56, It wasn't the high quality I expected. Major reworking of everything to meet my perfectionist thinking. If I was you, I'd call Ecklers and make arrangements to have them weld your GMC dash in it instead of a Chevy one!

Actually I think Im gonna pass on the 73. Having the steering behind the cross member and messing around w the spindles and calipers sounds like a can of worms. I will keep looking for a later one. Do you know the cut off year??

Thanks again,
W

[idbeast]

If you need Pics of a 55 GMC 2nd I've also got one of those in need of restoring! It's an original Large rear window V-8 Auto ( GMC Truck Hydromantic!)

[inboil]

Wow. What kind of issues did you have? I see three or four different companies offering the same cab. All the way from 9 to 12k. Did you use Eklers? Are these made here or overseas? Thanks for the info--very informative. I am spending the customer's money, so I want to make sure I don't wind up shooting myself.

William

[dsraven]

check this site out. nice way of doing things and the doors etc are fit to the cab on arrival. not sure of the price though. if you pay a bit more for a good fitting cab/door combo it may be worth the extra as long as it is within the budget. a lot of time can be spent grinding and fitting etc, so if you count your labor as anything or want the truck on the road for summer it is a choice for you. that time could be spent ding something else productive.

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/premi...hevrolet-cabs/


you say you have a 55 and we assume it is a task force truck. is that correct?
like footstomper says, tell us EXACTLY what you have. we will help but we need to know what you are working on. big difference between 55 1st and 2nd editions.n they changed mid year so it can be a totally different truck. advanced design(AD trucks) or task force (TF trucks) are 2 differnt things and 54 -55 AD trucks are a different thing even in their own group of truck designs.

the new cab is a great way to go if you can afford it. if doing it over I would really look seriously at it. it is a bunch of money to layout initially but if you have redone a truck and kept all the bills you would be shocked to see the final tally. it would be close or more than a new cab. here is the list for my cab
-cab corners, inner and outer both sides
-door pillars each side, front and rear. several parts related to this area. plus rear lower front fender mount brackets, both sides
-hinges, upper and lower each side
-front cab mounts, each side
-floor repair panels, both sides
-rear cab mount repairs to the floor area, both sides
-step and rocker panels, both sides
-step rear brace, both sides
-inner cowl panel, both sides, plus repairs to water drip rails and rotted cab attachment areas for the cowl panels, both sides
-door lower outer skin, both sides. repair to lower hinge area inside the door- custom fab, both sides. lower inner door panel, both sides
-repairs to the eyebrow area above the windshield.
-repairs to the drip roof rail area, all around the cab drip rail-rotted. or-replace the roof and the eyebrow inner cab rood panel
-repairs to the windshield rubber retainer lip-rotted out area. try to find a donor part or replace the outer cowl/vent panel
-add spot weld cutters, drill bits, zip discs, flap discs, welding consumables, weld through primer, epoxy primer, gun wash etc, body filler, sanding supplies, respirators supplies tools to do the aforementioned jobs and TIME.

would be very close or actually more to repair the original cab, in my case. factor in time lost to another job that could help pay for the new cab instead of that same time spent repairing the old cab, or time that could be spent doing something else or actually cruising in your finished truck (because it got done sooner due to NEW cab instead of repaired cab)
factor in the hassle and cost of getting a vin transferrred to the "new" cab

do the math and decide for yourself on which is the best way to go for you. do a thorough check on how rough your cab is to start with. also factor in the cost recover of selling your old cab to cover some cost of the new cab.
if the gmc dash is a must for you then you could cut it out of the old cab, rebuild anything that is "rough" and have it welded into the new cab. then sell the chevy dash part that comes with the new cab.

[dsraven]

get a list going and be honest to yourself. do thorough check over and write everything down and then do the math and decide. a new cab seems like a lot of money but repairing the old cab can also be a lot of money, just spread out over time. ask what is included with the new cab. cab and doors only? cab and doors with the doors actually fitted to the cab for gap? cab and doors and vent doors/ hardware? proper dash for GMC? cab, doors and your "supplied by you" GMC dash welded in but the original chevy dash also comes with or a rebate for the "non supplied" chevy dash panel?
get the "down and dirty" final costs figured out, then compare against repairing your old cab. factor in the "shop supplies" and TIME, then decide or do an educated guess on the best way for you.

[inboil]

dsraven,
Thanks. Yes it is a task force truck. This cab cannot be salvaged. The rust is behind the factory pinch seams, and no amount of blasting could get at it. Customer really wanted to salvage it but I assured him the rust could not be fully contained. Plus the floors, corners, glass channels etc are all rotted. So, i will cut out the dash, save the vin tag and scrap the rest. Sounds like my initial hunch about the cabs being identical--except for the dash--was correct. I am waiting to hear where these are manufactured. I'm suspecting China, but who knows. I inquired about having them leave the dash out but they said no--it is paid for and drop shipped, which makes me think its Chinese.
Customer also wants me to shorten the frame and make this into a short bed. I'm fine with that, since I'm already going with the Ford 9"--I just don't think he realizes how labor intensive it is to do correctly.

[idbeast]

Originally Posted by inboil

Wow. What kind of issues did you have? I see three or four different companies offering the same cab. All the way from 9 to 12k. Did you use Eklers? Are these made here or overseas? Thanks for the info--very informative. I am spending the customer's money, so I want to make sure I don't wind up shooting myself.

William

These cabs are built by Premier Street Rods You can follow the link and look at the videos showing them assembling a TF cab. They are built to the Original factory spec which are not the now 1/8"-3/16" gap standards. They have anywhere from 1/8" to 3/8" gaps. Also needed to rework my upper fender mounting to cab tower mounts. Again I'm a perfectionist so my way of thinking is a little bit stronger then most and my truck would never even be considered for a "Concours event".
I see you are in Seattle, I'm Just a little bit south of Tumwater in Littlerock, I-5 exit 95. If you would like to see the rework areas to make an accurate decision as to rework areas and time, make a short road trip and look, you as a shop owner should appreciate being able to assess up close. I know when I bought mine, and I bought the complete truck including the bed for $12,999 I expected 2017 Lexus body lines and gaps!

[dsraven]

the link in post 11 is from the hotrod network. it shows pics of the guys assembling the cab from all the parts. they use jigs to keep things square and straight. kinda interesting.

[dsraven]

not sure how it works where you are but in Canada I would lose my mech license and be in court if I were to remove a vin tag and put in on another cab, new or not. up here it is done through the insurance bureau of Canada and an inspector comes out, checks over your bill(s) of sale, takes the old vin tag and issues you another, which he rivets onto the vehicle. if the vin tag on the vehicle looks suspect (like the wrong type of rivets are holding the tag on presently) or doesn't check out (stolen vehicle or not registered in years) there are problems. the guy I talked to said about $1500 for that service and the vehicle is then described as vehicle assembled from parts. it can be called a 57 GMC in the model area possibly.
you may want to check into the local laws to ensure you do things right and in the proper order the DOT wants. don't want to be eating any costs on the final bill or be stuck with a fine or worse.

[idbeast]

Originally Posted by dsraven

the link in post 11 is from the hotrod network. it shows pics of the guys assembling the cab from all the parts. they use jigs to keep things square and straight. kinda interesting.

dsraven Thanks for posting this link, I didn't look at it before! My bad!!!
You have always been a great source of information and have been a tremendous help!!!
Jim

[idbeast]

Washington state is different in costs, it is done by Washington State Patrol same thing as far as inspector comes out, checks over your bill(s) of sale, takes the old vin tag, which he rivets onto the vehicle. if the vin tag on the vehicle looks suspect, he checks frame numbers. I work with a body shop that does restorations, the WSP comes to the body shop, Kevin supplies everything needed to him and it is taken care of! The WSP officer knows Kevin is legit and everything goes smoothly! Kevin just did a 66 Mustang hard top, which has original VIN Plate but is now a 66 Cobra Convertible!

[idbeast]

77 Nova, same as Camaro and Firebird.

[inboil]

Originally Posted by idbeast

77 Nova, same as Camaro and Firebird.

did you clip from a donor car?

[idbeast]

Originally Posted by inboil

did you clip from a donor car?

Found a clip for sale, and bought it! $150
Saw a 72 clip for sale in WA $250 however I prefer later model ones with the steering linkage in front of the motor cross member.

[inboil]

[QUOTE=idbeast;8155202]77 Nova, same as Camaro and Firebird.[/QUO

How close are the frame rails as far as left to right spacing? I have a manual rack and pinion steering that the customer provided but I think I'm gonna sell it and go with the tried and true GM set up. 11" brakes?

W

[inboil]

Originally Posted by idbeast

77 Nova, same as Camaro and Firebird.

Just found a 73 Nova Hatchback that's being parted out here in WA. I'm waiting to hear back on the clip