Newbie's first post: Advice and ideas please?

[GloryDaze]

I've got a 1967 GMC C20 4x4 I'm looking to restore. Body is really solid, only needs rockers, floor pans and minor dent repair.

It has the 305e big block V6, Muncie sm420 4 speed, and 4.56 gears. The motor runs surprisingly smooth, but not sure it's what I want. I plan to put a small lift on the truck, 3-4 inches, followed with 33s or 35s - and I think that should actually help this truck move along with those big gears and 4 speed. Right now it runs out of gear immediately and tops out at 60 miles per hour. I'm not trying to break any speed records, but I would like to be able to take the truck to neighboring cities for car shows, etc.


My friend says I should just find a donor truck and switch everything over to a sbc so I can enjoy it. My classic car mentor says that if the drive train has worked for 45 years I'd be a damn fool to mess with it now.

Also, I can't seem to find a power steering set up anywhere. I spent hours going through the junkyards the other day because I needed a tilt column and wanted power steering. Found the column, but of about 60 67-72 trucks, did not find a single one that looked anything like mine. My front end actually more closely resembles one that I found in an old Dodge. So I'm guessing the previous owner, who used the truck in truckpulls, has swapped the front end to something different.


Anyhow, I'm just curious what some of you guys with more experience have done or would do.