Unusual/non-conventional/odd/COPO Trucks

[special-K]

I want to hear about some trucks that are either the exception to the rule,just seldom seen,special built or hard to explain. Let's see what you all can come up with.
I'll begin with a truck I just recently remembered that I wish I knew more about,now. I knew it was unusual at the time,yet did not yet know all the ins & outs I know now. For years I only knew these trucks from what I saw or talked with others about...and I saw a lot. There was no internet and once books came out I never read one where the author knew any more than me. In fact,I found them light on info with a dashes of inaccuracy.
About the truck...with a bit of background. My friend (Tommy) runs a body shop and does a lot of restoration and custom work. He had a truck in there that had come from another shop,so it was partially dismantled (cab on chassis) when I saw it. It was a '68 8-lug 4wd and former fire dept truck. The customer was a retired fireman and wanted it restored just as it was equipped during it's service. The first thing I noticed was the tall wheels and tires it was wearing. They were either 19.5s,I think,like what used to be on UPS trucks. I helped Tommy collect parts for it. He said he would prefer finding a nice bed (Stepside) rather than fix the original. That was great news to me because I had recently brought a sweet '70 CST/20 Stepside back from Texas to build a pro-street truck out of. The frame was getting a back-1/2 at the moment and a short bed was going back on. Well,when we went to set the bed on we discovered the truck had the 133" wheelbase and needed a 9' bed...on a 4wd!!! I looked under the front and discovered it was not a Dana44. I wish I had pictures and I don't remember what the SPID said. I do recall it had all these special equipment options like you see on military and government vehicles. It had to be a C/30 with Napco conversion. That thing was a big stock truck!

[jerry moss]

sorry i don't have anything to add to this but i would love to see that particular truck, it sounds awesome.
well, it's time to head to work in another "sunny california" monsoon. you all have a wonderful day.

[toms68cst]

Sounds like that truck you saw was a NAPCO Conversion.

[Keith Seymore]

Subscribing - just to see what comes up (and in case I can think of something).

Are you limiting the discussion to just '67-72, or any years?

K

[Longhorn Man]

one that can't be explained...
my old 69 SWB C/1500 GMC.
Was originally a 305 V-6/TH400. Had a bolt in high hump floor.

[too much stuff]

Someone has to get the pics rolling here! C'mon tim, you knew it was coming. sakohntrs napco.

[thirdstreettito]

Here is one posted at least a year ago. Factory 70(IIRC) Longhorn dually with a fleetside bed. I'm not sure if it's a Longhorn to dually, or C&C to Longhorn..period correct fenders.

[thirdstreettito]

I'll add to the 67 NAPCO pics. I've got pics of a green 67-72 K30 and a red one too, not sure if they are period conversions though.

[71swb4x4]

Originally Posted by thirdstreettito

I'll add to the 67 NAPCO pics. I've got pics of a green 67-72 K30 and a red one too, not sure if they are period conversions though.

This one is sakohntrs.

[thirdstreettito]

Originally Posted by 71swb4x4

This one is sakohntrs.

I know lol. Thats why I said I will "add" to the "67" "NAPCO" pics. lol

[special-K]

I remember when Bruce bought that. In fact,I remember it on Ebay before he caught wind of it. Once he knew about it,that was it. He had to have it. if I was a player at the time there would have been some competition.
When i saw this '68 truck I never looked under it. I didn't know all the facts on front axles,what year had what transfer case,which 4spd,when automatics went it,or that there were no K/30s. I only had one GM drum brake 4wd and that was a '69 K/10. So,I only knew about what I had or saw. I never knew how unusual the '69 I had was,being a Custom Camper/10. It had the factory pinstripe in silver on maroon paint with red interior. I didn't realize that color paint and interior were '69-only,as well as the door panels. It was a CST. I've never seen another truck like that one,either...350/3spd,tach,posi rear,buckets,wood floor,tow hooks,8.25 x 16.5 wheels.
I had a '71 single wheel C/30 Napco. That truck was pretty basic and had a service body on it...350/4spd,No-spin,and just typical stuff like am,gauges,below eyeline mirrors. It had Napco badges and paperwork in the glovebox.

[tcb-1]

Geez, I love them NAPCO's!!

[thirdstreettito]

Found a new pic of it, right after he put the original guard on it.

[BLAZERMAN]

Tim, I could see a fire dept ordering such a truck, maybe a brush truck with pump and tank..lots of heavy equipment would warrant the use of a 1 ton truck, sure would be cool to see it.
I've been lucky enough to see Bruces NAPCO on several occasions, deffinatly a beautiful peice of history. If I remember it spent its whole life on some kind of orchard.

Hopefully Joe [joesjunk] will see this post, I believe he has a buddy that has a 133" wb C/30 NAPCO truck that he plans to restore.

[special-K]

i'm sure it was a brush fire truck. I wanted that truck bad! But,the owner was in love with that thing. I believe he operated it when "they" were in service. This was a no cost spared restoration. From what I saw Tommy do and what the owner was planning,this was a very expensive restoration. I wanted to get pictures. It spent a long time stuffed in the corner with crap stacked all over it and once he started on it I was busy working in a different area or I didn't have my camera. It left his shop painted and incomplete. I wanted to follow it's progress to completion to get pictures (and keep tabs until the day it might be sold).
I'd like to see Joe's friend's truck. The '71 I had was pretty rusty when I got it and I put a snow plow on it. It was a service truck for a logging company,originally. I patched it up and did all the mechanics while I used it. I even swapped a Dana44 while I searched up parts and rebuilt the Spicer. Everything from the frame down was redone. In '91 I bought the K/20 Cheyenne Super I had and took the Napco off the road to restore the cab. It was really rough by then,although I had redone the seat and it had a new dash pad. After it sat a year or so,I sold the utility bed. I put a new quadrajet on it to run it over to this used truck equipment guy to pull the bed. My plans were to have him find me a contractor dump and install it,then keep it up at my folk's place in the mountains. The truck was stolen from there with no bed on it. I think one guy that worked there did it but couldn't prove it.

[sean1969c10]

Not anywhere nearly as cool as a NAPCO, but my 69 LWB 2WD was a 307 3 spd on the tree and it has a bolt in high hump cab. The truck was built in Janesville, and I thought I remembered the guy I got it from telling me that Janesville usually built heavier duty trucks, I don't know if there is any truth to this or not

[674x4ton]

A 67 1-ton 9 foot stepside 4x4 truck would be pretty cool,to take to the truck shows.

[BLAZERMAN]

Originally Posted by 674x4ton

A 67 1-ton 9 foot stepside 4x4 truck would be pretty cool,to take to the truck shows.

A 67 to 72 9 foot stepside 4x4 would be Cool! I looked at a 70 C/30 in Omaha about 6 monthes ago with that very thought.

[special-K]

That is exceptional. Now we have two exceptional cabs with yours and Longhorn Man's.
i had a "special paint" '69 C/20 Stepside. It was a Light Gray,but what was really unusual to me was the Dark Red 16.5 wheels. This truck was very low miles and I believe the tires were either original or the first set of replacements. Even the spare was Red. I took a tire off and there were factory markings. We have an ag supply company in this part of the country called Southern States and these are their exact colors,but the truck never had any signage on it. i've seen where trucks were ordered with companies or municipalities in mind that were not purchased by them for one reason or another. I have an '85 Jimmy I think was ordered for a county parks department in a neighboring county,even has a plug for a second antenna. This '69 was a 250/Powerglide with stabilizer bar,AM,gauges,and that's it.

[1972K20]

Cool stuff.

I'm in!

[thirdstreettito]

Here's some pics of stock "odd" trucks.

[jerry moss]

i forgot about one i used to own. not a napco or anything close but a little different. it was a 71 custom deluxe, 4x4, 1/2 ton, longbed fleetside. had the basics- 350, automatic, p-s, p-b, but he ordered it as a "hunting truck", posi front and rear with 3:73 gears and 16 inch rims. i don't have any pics but the posi front is now under my 72 cheyenne super. i actually spoke with the gentleman that ordered it and he told me it took 6 months extra because he ordered the posi front and he nearly missed his annual idaho elk/deer hunt. it was a cool old truck but when i got it, it had been T-boned in the cab and then an engine fire. i was able to get it running again and swapped cabs and the bed. after i bought my 72 super i robbed the posi's and sold it.

[BLAZERMAN]

Originally Posted by thirdstreettito

Here's some pics of stock "odd" trucks.

That top truck is not stock, it was made by reversing a set of truck doors behind the original doors and grafting stepside fenders on the back. It was for sale on EBAY about 5 years ago down around Topeka

[thirdstreettito]

Originally Posted by BLAZERMAN

That top truck is not stock, it was made by reversing a set of truck doors behind the original doors and grafting stepside fenders on the back. It was for sale on EBAY about 5 years ago down around Topeka

I figured a coach company conversion counted...

[special-K]

The front posi option is rare. I the C/30 Stepsides. that's one truck I'd like to have stock to the bone.
Here's my contribution to the picture collection. Check out the hub caps. It seems odd those are on there when the correct ones are 10x more available. I wonder if those optional wheels were ordered and they are only made with clips,so GM popped them on. I have never seen them with nubs.