Need Input on possible purchase 49 GMC

[stesch_c10]

A guy not terribly far from me is selling a 49 gmc. what i get from his listing and comments is that it does not run, but comes with a small block 350 that does run. original trans, did not answer if brakes worked. comes with title and has other parts...

Here is where I need some input. I would like to buy this for my wife. she is in love with the color, patina and style of truck. What does she want to do with it? just drive it. we live in a small, 2k pop. town. Laws are pretty lax about such things. She lives 1 block away from work and usually walks, but on days she has to drive to other businesses she wants an old truck. Drive it on the weekends.

He sent some pictures of the interior and it doesn't have much, no gauges. But how much trouble would it be, to get this running, driving and safe for her to bee bop around in. I'd be fine with putting the 350 in it, unless i could get the original motor to work again. It would be nice to have a speedometer for her.

He's asking $1500 and it looks like a pretty solid truck. BUT I have not looked at it in person. yet.





Sorry for the small pictures but this is what he sent me.

[Janky59]

I think $1500 is very reasonable for what is shown, nice solid project starter. Others can offer how much trouble to get it going - a lot will depend on what upgrades you feel you need - disk brake upgrade? Heat? Radio?The list can go on and on.

[Highsider]

Shoot, I'll buy it if you don't.
Have him stand in the bed and take a photo of the roof.
Heck, I need a little road trip!

[stesch_c10]

i was afraid to post it because hes had a lot of people comment about taking it... but its been a month and its still for sale. then i thought someone on here might go get it before i get a chance to. oh well i guess haha

[joedoh]

that is a 3/4 ton. it will ride very rough with the extra springs in the rear, and it will have a top speed around 50mph with the eaton rear end it has installed. other ratios (it will be a 5.56 in there now or thereabouts likely!) are not readily available and its pretty expensive to switch.

the 350 wont bolt up to the stock trans without a different bellhousing. also, the stock setup is a stomp starter so any change will include a starter button.

GMC engines of that era were full pressure oilers (chevrolets were slap oilers) and nothing will interchange GMC to chevrolet. GMCs were also positive ground, so likely if he has never had it running and doesnt know this, he has maybe hooked the battery up backwards.

a 350 swap will be challenging and expensive, but not impossible. you will need more parts than he is giving you. it will not fix the top speed issue until you change the axle or add an overdrive.

before you start a project, think about what you want and how you will do it. then follow your plan. good luck!

[stesch_c10]

also.. is gmc 150 and chevy 3100?

[stesch_c10]

Thank you joedoh, thats why I came here first for input. I know very little about these trucks and think it might be more of a pain then enjoyment. Especially if it only gets driven a few times.

I could techinally get the motor running or replace with same style of motor and not have to mess with 6-12V and such would I?

[joedoh]

well figure out what you want. it may be glorious to get it running and drive to work, I cant say it wont, just giving you the straight talk on what you may not know.

GMC motors are very reliable, and still make good torque even by todays standard. that truck should be a 248, its bulletproof. I would maybe try coaxing it to life before you commit to a swap. a late model 2500HD axle will be a 3.42 and do wonders for highway speed, and is 8 lug. pull a couple leafs, get some tires that arent 10 ply, its not impossible that you would end up with exactly what you want.

[stesch_c10]

I would much rather have the original motor in it vs trying to mess with putting a 350 in it. Could I find another inline 6 to put in it without much trouble? I guess I'd have to see whats wrong with 248 first.

you said GMC and Chevy parts will not interchange... what all does that include. engine parts have to be gmc? drivetrain and brakes are only gmc? (i guess you said pressure and slap oilers.) I've got a 64 c10 with a 250 inline 6 from a malibu. I'm guess thats a slap oiler? What the hells the difference? ahaha

[joedoh]

the gmc motor is about 5 inches longer, this is a different crossmember installed on the GMC frame, so mounting a chevy in there you will need a plate of some type.

gmc engines are different, so thats what I meant when I said nothing would interchange, other wise the rest of the drivetrain (trans, driveshaft, rearend, springs) is the same. you will need a chevy bellhousing to use the same trans. the oil pressure will read low, the gmcs with full pressure engines would do up to 60psi, the chevy gauge read to 30. chevrolets were slap oilers (babbit bearings) till 53, mid 53 they went to full pressure too so your 250 will be full pressure.

there is likely nothing wrong with the 248 though, just needs some coaxing I would bet. the sheetmetal is almost worth the asking price. but if you dont like driving it and dont need the sheetmetal...

[stesch_c10]

You also mentioned backwards battery hook up.. is it really that simple. the - should be on + post and vice versa?

Can we make just a small list of things to take with me, to see if that motor will turn over.

Some fresh gas, carb spray, newer battery, new plugs? basic hand tools, some spare wire to make jumpers?

[joedoh]

yes positive ground, meaning the positive battery terminal will go to the frame of the truck, so the wire that is bolted to the frame should go to the + terminal, and the wire that goes to the starter solenoid the - terminal. if its hooked up backwards it will still turn the correct direction, which is what is misleading for most, but with the battery wired backwards the COIL will be wired backwards (the - coil terminal will be wired to the + battery terminal and vice versa) and spark energy will be down significantly.


yep, take a fresh 6v battery, some fresh gas. if he has used a 12v battery to jump it, it may have burned points.

[stesch_c10]

if he did hook it up backwards and tried to start it do i need to "reset" the coil. I thought i read that on another forum. like you touch one wire to a battery terminal for just a split second and that will reset something?

You also wouldn't happen to have a part number for said points would you? napa or some other reference point i could use. Honestly thank you for helping me with this.

[stesch_c10]

Ohh shoot, i just asked the guy if the motor was stuck and he said yes its stuck, thats why he's throwing in the 350.... CRAP!

[GreasyLikeaBurger]

if my eyes dont fail me( i am squinting at the monitor), the engine looks to have a chevy valve cover not a gmc 228. Chevy 235s had four bolts on the outside edge of the valve cover, and gmc 228 had 2 center bolts similar to the chevy 216's, if I remember correctly.

Also, these trucks do not drive like modern vehicles, so let the wife know up front. I would suggest you search for a running AD truck in your area and look it over and maybe test drive and see what you are possibly getting into.

Dont get me wrong, these trucks are great, but they were built when trucks were meant for work only, not that much comfort. It might take a decent amount of coin to get it were you are happy. Also start looking over the sheetmetal, there is more rot than you will think. My '52 has had its whole live here in sunny socal, but it still has a decent amount of rust through. So be prepared for some work.

But as others have stated, $1500 is a good price. Out here, people are asking 5k just for a frame and body with no drivetrain in it. And the bodies have the normal rust. So just do your research, dont impulse buy it. You might wait for a better running one that will be a little more cash, but its farther along and driveable.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by GreasyLikeaBurger

if my eyes dont fail me( i am squinting at the monitor), the engine looks to have a chevy valve cover not a gmc 228. Chevy 235s had four bolts on the outside edge of the valve cover, and gmc 228 had 2 center bolts similar to the chevy 216's, if I remember correctly.

Also, these trucks do not drive like modern vehicles, so let the wife know up front. I would suggest you search for a running AD truck in your area and look it over and maybe test drive and see what you are possibly getting into.

Dont get me wrong, these trucks are great, but they were built when trucks were meant for work only, not that much comfort. It might take a decent amount of coin to get it were you are happy. Also start looking over the sheetmetal, there is more rot than you will think. My '52 has had its whole live here in sunny socal, but it still has a decent amount of rust through. So be prepared for some work.

But as others have stated, $1500 is a good price. Out here, people are asking 5k just for a frame and body with no drivetrain in it. And the bodies have the normal rust. So just do your research, dont impulse buy it. You might wait for a better running one that will be a little more cash, but its farther along and driveable.

grrrreat eye! looks to have a chevy tailgate too looking at it closer. and missing the radiator.

a locked up chevy is more common than you would think. might get it unstuck with some work

[MiraclePieCo]

That's a lot of work and your wife, while currently enamored with the fantasy of an old truck, isn't going to like it without a couple of years and several thousand dollars in repairs. It's going to be dirty, noisy, shaky, unreliable, exhaust will leak, doors won't shut, heater won't work, front end will wobble, too noisy to talk, etc. I advise getting a running driving truck with a few amenities that just needs some tinkering. It will actually be cheaper in the long run.

[Highsider]

Originally Posted by MiraclePieCo

That's a lot of work and your wife, while currently enamored with the fantasy of an old truck, isn't going to like it without a couple of years and several thousand dollars in repairs. It's going to be dirty, noisy, shaky, unreliable, exhaust will leak, doors won't shut, heater won't work, front end will wobble, too noisy to talk, etc. I advise getting a running driving truck with a few amenities that just needs some tinkering. It will actually be cheaper in the long run.

Great advice!
I did that and still had enough to tinker with.

[stesch_c10]

I have not looked at it yet but am still interested in it.

It looks to have the 4 on the floor... but what is the other handle sticking out of floor? I thought i saw one of those in a 1.5 ton truck not too long ago..

So are you guys saying that might have a chevy engine in it? or just chevy valve cover?

And when someone said getting the motor unstuck might not be a big deal... i didn't think you could really use an engine after it was stuck.. maybe im thinking if the pistons are welding to the block and crank... haha

[joedoh]

most stuck engines just have the rings stuck to the bores from sitting, breaking them free with oil soaking is pretty standard. only trucks that have sat with no hood will have seriously rusted bores.

the second lever is a parking brake, which makes me think the truck is on an earlier chassis, I think they stopped using the floor parking brake in 47, but dont quote me on that. does the shifter have a little flipper on it to get into reverse?

[_Ogre]

my 59 1 ton panel still has the brake lever next to the shifter, not sure if the 3/4 ton had them
if he's asking $1500 he'd probably take $1200; the body looks good, it's a good deal either way

plan on spending a couple grand to get it running, moving and stopping; assuming you do the work
if you can't work on them i'd pass, taking old trucks to the shop can get expensive
old trucks have strange features: floor starters, clunky 4 speed truck trans, huck brakes
plan on replacing all brake lines and rebuilding all the brakes

it may be a chevy in gmc skin