"The Northbay G Machine" 1969 GMC shorty build

[tranz am]

Ive been working on this truck for a few years now and its come a long way since I Bought it in 2007.
It originally had a 307, 3 on the tree, manual steering, no sway bars, drum brakes, and a lonely leg.

This is what it looked like when i bought it...

[tranz am]

out with the old!




In with the new.
010 350 with an M20
got rid of the but ugly under hood while i was at it too!

[tranz am]

Picked up a front suspension, brake set up and a posi at pick-n-pull for a couple hundred.
The front end is off a 75. The rear had new guts including a Eaton posi carrier, score!
couldn't pass up the p31 sway bar






Ordered up some 6 lug slotted and drilled rotors, some 2" drop spindles, 3" dropped springs, a 3/4 sway bar and a flip kit!

[tranz am]

[tranz am]

Got the flip kit, sway bars, power steering pump and posi unit in!
picked up a trick 12 bolt cover while i was at it.

[tranz am]

Grabbed up a pair of seat belts out of an s10 just for safety reasons.

[tranz am]

Installed a mid 80's square body seat. It dropped me down a good 6 inches!
I had to remove the gas tank so i would have room for the seat to be back far enough to clear the shifter. It was time for the relocation!

[tranz am]

Had an old summit racing fuel cell laying around and did a little research and found it to be close to the right size for putting it in behind the rear axle.
I also have been thinking about doing a TPI swap later on so I decided to modify the cell at this point and just toss it in the bed.












a cap until Im ready.

[tranz am]

Got the spindles, coils, new ball joints, new bushings, and the brake system now in, its ready to rock!
I like that it sits flush with the firewall.

[tranz am]

Another shot of the engine bay at this point.
got the trick flex-a-lite fan and be cool radiator!
Take a look at my booster set up, Its of that 75 square body. I modified the booster and push rod to do this. For the bracket to fit I drilled two new holes in the booster bracket. For the rod i basically just used the rods i had laying around and put a stud inside each end and welded it up.

[tranz am]

Broke first gear in my M20 on a back road being stupid
Time for the T5 swap!
I had to make a custom shifter. As you can see its a tight fit.
The shifter is a Hurst short through for a ford T5. Its been modified slightly and half the price.
I had to make a bracket for this conversion being that im using the stock 4 speed cross member and the T5 transmission has a wicked angle on its mounting point because of it.

[tranz am]

Here she sits at this point.
springs have settled in and its even lower than before.
Got some new rubber, 295/50/15's & 265/50/15's.
had 275/60/15's & 245/60/15's on it before.
Now my lower control arms scrape over everything and they are taking a beating.

[Beat68CST]

Nice lil truck man!

Definitely slick.

[tranz am]

Thanks bro

Originally Posted by Beat68CST

Nice lil truck man!

Definitely slick.

[tranz am]

Decided to make a hood lock to keep things a little more secure.

Before









Some flat stock

[Deenice21]

nice grill. like the lock too

[tranz am]

thanks! the lock works very well. it definitely adds peace of mind.

Originally Posted by Deenice21

nice grill. like the lock too

[RaceAGMC]

Nice ride. I'm used to live in Santa Rosa as well...where do you live?

[LEEVON]

Cool build, you CA guys and your rediculous pick-n-pull finds like posi rears. That stuff is long gone around here. I'm glad you got rid of the puke colored brushed on? house paint under the hood! What was that guy thinking?

Shifter is perfect too!

[Pyromedic]

(Greetings from the East Bay! First post, great board with great info so I figured I'd sign-up)

Looks like it's coming along nicely, Tranz. Quick couple of question for you and the other members:

1. How experienced were you with truck work when you started this project? I noticed you are swapping parts and making improvements as you go versus a complete frame-off and build-up, which is what I think I'm looking to do. Just wanted to see if you have been happy with doing it this way.

2. I'm a rookie builder and about all I know about working on cars is how to change my own oil. For a first-timer, would you or other members recommend doing what you are doing or going with a frame-off build-up (both with the assistance of experienced friends, of course)?

Thanks again and truck is looking great!

[tranz am]

Hey brother. welcome to the site! This is one of the best web sites to find out information. More people are on here than any site Ive been on.
Ive been into cars and trucks since a kid. Ive been well seasoned by the car people in my life before i even touched a wrench. Ive had a lot of experience working on cars and trucks before i got my 69.
I like modifying the crap out of my rides to make them perform way better than they did stock. I also like driving them!
Doing the custom stuff first before getting involved with painting and such will also save you.
Its also fun to make improvements and see the results for each thing as you go.
A full restoration can be a big waist of time and money if you dont have the skills, time, patience and perseverance to finish the job. A lot of people start projects, get overwhelmed and sell them off in pieces for hardly anything.
If your new to this crazy automotive world educate yourself first before tearing into a huge project. trust me

Originally Posted by Pyromedic

(Greetings from the East Bay! First post, great board with great info so I figured I'd sign-up)

Looks like it's coming along nicely, Tranz. Quick couple of question for you and the other members:

1. How experienced were you with truck work when you started this project? I noticed you are swapping parts and making improvements as you go versus a complete frame-off and build-up, which is what I think I'm looking to do. Just wanted to see if you have been happy with doing it this way.

2. I'm a rookie builder and about all I know about working on cars is how to change my own oil. For a first-timer, would you or other members recommend doing what you are doing or going with a frame-off build-up (both with the assistance of experienced friends, of course)?

Thanks again and truck is looking great!

[tranz am]

Here is my Custom hidden hitch, fuel cell install, and cross sill modification to accommodate the tank behind the axle.













piece of old shelving

[tranz am]

I have no idea what the previous owner was thinking but the same guy also thought hacking off the drip rails would also be cool. Now i have to cut off some rails and weld them back on (lame).
oh, almost forgot the chicken wire grill inserts

Originally Posted by LEEVON

Cool build, you CA guys and your rediculous pick-n-pull finds like posi rears. That stuff is long gone around here. I'm glad you got rid of the puke colored brushed on? house paint under the hood! What was that guy thinking?

Shifter is perfect too!

[tranz am]

Santa Rosa Ca?
there are a few Santa rosa's

Originally Posted by RaceAGMC

Nice ride. I'm used to live in Santa Rosa as well...where do you live?

[RaceAGMC]

Originally Posted by tranz am

Santa Rosa Ca?
there are a few Santa rosa's

Yes, Santa Rosa, Ca. Lived in Bennett Valley and went to Montgomery High School.