1949 GMC 1 Ton dually custom

[dubds10]

So I figured I'd start a budget build thread for my newest project. This will be my daily driver/shop truck etc. I use and abuse my trucks exactly how they were meant to be used

So I'm going to keep track of the hours I put in and the $ I put in and hopefully I'll actually be able to stick to a budget here and record all my progress.

First off, I just bought the truck for $1000. Was a runner/driver about 15yrs ago supposedly. I tried to get it to run, except all the wiring is a rats nest and some even caught fire before. So instead of just getting it going for now, I started the tear down. I pulled out the entire electrical wiring harness from the truck. Didn't take long, only 30min of cutting and pulling to make sure I got every piece of wiring out of there. Next I took off the frontend which only took an hour to do by myself. I forgot how heavy these things are to lift off, but I got it all off complete with no damage.







I got a '76 GM motorhome from a buddy for $60 (cost of the tow) otherwise it was free. I found about $5 in change in it and a $50 gift card to a local restaurant It's got a good running rebuilt 350 engine with TH350 tranny. I didn't drive it around but got it running after hot wiring it. I spent an hour or so cleaning out all the garbage as somebody was living it before it got impounded. Once it's all cleaned out, I stripped the interior out of it and then took down the walls and roof and separated all the materials in piles ready for the dump and recycling. The only thing left is the floor and cab, which'll come off this week. Then I'll bring the chassis to my house for the swap. I've got about 6hrs in to the tear down of the motorhome with just me using a large axe to take the entire thing apart. If I had just used my bobcat when it was here, it would've taken 15min lol Oh well...





I'm hoping to keep this build around $2-3000 for a complete running/driving daily hauler. The truck will be placed on the dually chassis, with a custom 4-link rear end airbagged, with the original bed being widened and possibly widen the fender out if I have to. I'll be getting some 19.5 semi rims and tires to bolt on sooner or later. Most of everything I need I already have or I will buy/sell/trade for to keep within budget. A few things will be new, like a wiring harness, otherwise most will be gently used hahaha This is a work truck, not a show truck.

Nate