50 GMC Junk Yard Dawg

[drivea55]

Hey guys,

I am back!!!

onto another build... fresh out of Tennessee to Massachusetts.

1950 gmc, 350/350
1972 chevy full size chassis

just got all the bugs out to make him a daily driver, reliable that is... lol

added electric wipers just in time for the rain.

well not sure where I am going to go with this truck as of yet. Just figured I would say hi and welcome another build to the group.

"onebadfivefive" still loves my 55 of his so I ventured out onto this guy.

more pics to come.

looking forward to conversing with you all again!

Glad to be back...

Brian

[dug224]

Now...get to work on it. dug

[drivea55]

working on relocating the gas tank, and getting rid of the keg tank.

thanks for LMC for a 72 relocation kit for under the bed. Not sure I like how low it is, but I guess that's the way it is suppose to be.

B.

[drivea55]

Working on relocating the rear fenders, due to the stiff rear suspention I can get pretty close to the tires.

working all the safety stuff out before anything else.

the plan is to drop the fenders so I can have a true flat bed in the back without the hump of the fenders.

good stance if I do say so myself

here's a before and after, then to re sheet the bed.

[ghettoluxury]

It's cool to see someone on the board ended up with this. My buddy sent me pictures when it first came up for sale.

[drivea55]

that's cool to hear! the guy I bought it from was a cool guy to meet to boot... he has a rat rod page on fb with lotsa info.

it needed some finessing to get it reliable, but was fun getting it to the daily driver step. everything else I can do while driving it. that makes a build a lot more enjoyable in my book.

he has a 54 in his yard forsale now which is also a great deal.

[drivea55]

Well almost Semptember... *sigh*

This means... better have heat!

so thanks to classic parts for this aftermarket heater kit.

So now... electric wipers and a heater! WOW! what Luxury accessories... lol

And scored a nice set of buckets that fit like a glovey!

[drivea55]

time to redo the bed...

in progress but getting there

[drivea55]

one more of the bed, but... had to put that on hold for I popped the radiator, should of known since it was original.

went with an aluminum 3 core, that should do it.

the 3 core pushed it closer to the engine so my lower hose would no longer fit without kinking.
this is what fixed it for now. not sure they make anything that has that tight of a bend in it.

going to use a period correct fire extinguisher for the overflow tank. pics of that should be this weekend.

[chev3600]

Pretty cool little flatbed.

[P.K.]

Looks like those seats fit in there pretty nice. I might have to keep that in mind for mine...

[drivea55]

Originally Posted by chev3600

Pretty cool little flatbed.

Thanks! every day it is growing on me more and more

Originally Posted by P.K.

Looks like those seats fit in there pretty nice. I might have to keep that in mind for mine...

yes they fit really nice, just do not get a set with the center console cause that itself will not fit.

still thinking of what to do for cup holders though

[drivea55]

been awhile since I posted, we were in the middle of selling our house. now we are moved in to our new house and here is a pic of the 50's new house!

[drivea55]

another butchering job on this old guy was the trans cooler. once I blew a line because the hose rubbed on a body panel it was put on the list of to do's.

plumbed it up while I waited for the new lift to get here.

there was no room on the inside of the frame so outside it went. seems to be an alright spot, will have to drive it and see.

[drivea55]

Yesterday a friend came over and helped me install the lift.

The 50 is very happy...

[joedoh]

what a great mod, love it

[drivea55]

thanks guys! I am bound and determined to recreate this truck 1 step at a time so it loses its title.

maybe next winter will be prepping for an actual paint job. we'll see where it goes from here.

here's a shot stopping on the way home from a car show this past fall with a friend of mines falcon.

[drivea55]

since my gas tank is relocated to the back, here's what I ended up doing to the filler hole on the cab. ha ahaa!

people now ask me if it's functional no matter where I go.

[drivea55]

I have been mentally recreating the steering in my head for months off and on here.

reading a lot of other forums on electric power steering. I already have a manual steering box and do not want to go any traditional routes.

so, in keeping the truck unique, I am venturing on the eps road to hopefully glory.

Since I want to keep my tilt column, that leaves out the option for mounting it under the dash. 2nd option was to mount it to the outside of the firewall where there is room. that was almost a go then I read a warning as to not mount the motor using the front 3 mounting holes. The torque this has needs more, So the last resort was to mount it directly off the steering box.

The pics here are mock up only...

The unit has a long steel bushing that mounted the unit. I pressed it out and drilled, tapped it to 7/16-14 both ends. pic 1

Once I fab up a beefy bracket to come off the frame in a C form I'll then be able to bolt it up.

last 3 pics are the mock up. under the housing (pic 4) you can see the casting where the bushing presses in. there is where I will attach a bracket to the frame.

onward to further search local salvage yards for the missing steering knuckles that I haven't acquired as of yet.

enjoy

[drivea55]

Today it was make a bracket day.The inside bolt will come through the frame and the bracket itself will be seem welded to the frame.

should be well rigid enough for the eps.

[drivea55]

Well, got the bracket finished up.

going to fit it to the frame one more time just to make sure, then it's waiting time for the steering connecting bits to arrive.

I won't permanently attach that bracket to the frame until the whole steering assembly is together and aligned properly.

pick a peck a pick a peck a little as you go...and plenty of ===>

[Brixman00]

Post updates 🥵

[crakarjax]

Do you think that unit might fit under the dash?

EDIT: like this file:///Users/russbrennan/Downloads/657240%202in%20Column%20220-360%20Electra-Steer%20Kit.pdf

[drivea55]

Hi there. that link doesn't work.

If I was running a stock steering column I could merge it under the dash. since I am using a 80's type tilt column there is no room.

the best way would be to toss this column and go with one that will allow me to mount this under the dash. but mounting this off the frame rail makes it really easy to access if needed.

thanks, if you can repost a working link.

Brian

[crakarjax]

Opps sorry!

http://www.jegs.com/InstallationInst...68-8052400.pdf