Need info on GMC 1ton dually!

[Rokcrln]

Hey all it has been awhile sine I have had much to share with work and non Chevy projects taking up allot of my time as does my 13 month old.
Anyways right up the road from one of my job sites sits a 72 GMC flatbed dually 1 Ton. I am looking for something like this for my crew cab build so I left my card on the gate as this place is just a yard with horses and other animals but no house. The truck looks real rusted out but I am more interested in the running gear. So tonight I get a call from a lady who says she has my card and does want to get rid of the truck but not for free. It has been sitting for 2-3yrs but has a current non op on it and it does run she says. I told her I really only want the frame but ask what she would want for the truck. She tells me $500 for the truck so I say I will come look at it next week.

My question for all of you is what is different about a 1ton dually from 1/2tons? I know the cab has the roof lights with the slight bumps but is their anything different in any other areas I need to look for? Thanks for any info you all can add. I will get some pics early next week.

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[thirdstreettito]

Heavy duty leafs. 4:10 Rear gears. Heavy duty control arms(thicker). Stronger chassis(pretty sure anyway).

Is it a dual rear wheel?

Anything else guys?

[67_C-30]

The frame is totally different on a 1 ton. It is thicker and has bigger 7" rails. and the shortest WB available is 133" (same as a Longhorn) which is 6" longer than a LWB truck. This is why I had to shorten the frame to put a bed on my '67. They all have rear leafs and either have eaton or Dana rearends. The front suspension (besides springs) is the same as 3/4 tons, but have an adapter bolted to the drum/rotor to use the offset front wheels. All the sheet metal is the same besides the bosses for the cab lights.

[kwmech]

1972 will not have the front adaptors as they are disc brake. Rear axle will more than likely be a Rockwell. As mentioned the frame is very noticeably larger than your standard 1/2 or 3/4 ton and does not 'taper in' at the rear.

[Longhorn Man]

no rockwells in one tons... no danas in one tons
eaton HO72 with 4.57 gears standard, 4.10 if automatic, and 5.13-ish optional.

keven... what exactly are your plans?
If the frame is what you are looking for, then it may be worth it. the frame is flat, so it doesn't matter if the cab goes where the bed used to go.
If you want it for the suspention, I'd say pass. The leaf packs are way too strong for any crew cab pick up, the eaton os outdated and a 4.10 is as good as you'll ever find. The front end is the exact same as on 73 - 80-ish before they updated the front suspention.

[Rokcrln]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

no rockwells in one tons... no danas in one tons
eaton HO72 with 4.57 gears standard, 4.10 if automatic, and 5.13-ish optional.

keven... what exactly are your plans?
If the frame is what you are looking for, then it may be worth it. the frame is flat, so it doesn't matter if the cab goes where the bed used to go.
If you want it for the suspention, I'd say pass. The leaf packs are way too strong for any crew cab pick up, the eaton os outdated and a 4.10 is as good as you'll ever find. The front end is the exact same as on 73 - 80-ish before they updated the front suspention.

Well I am looking for the running gear (frame and misc parts). All I have for this crew cab project is everything needed for the full 4dr cab (shell only) and a new set of Alcoa dually rims still in the box from a past customer. This truck does have the big frame and it does kick up bahind the cab so some notching will be needed for the 33" streached cab. I wil be doing a over kill 4 link out back with bags and the same up front (bags that is). I was looking for the bigger frame because I want to run a cummins turbo and thought it would be a good idea to have a beefed frame.
This will be a replacement truck for Low Buck and shop towing, pulling to the car shows so the whole family is not crammed in a standard cab. Oh ya and to be different Thanks for the info I will be looking at it Monday and if it runs and drives I should be able to sell off enought un=needed parts to recoupe the $500 she want for the truck. Also I would up date the rear end depending just what it is.

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[Longhorn Man]

sounds like you may have found what you need... and in reality, at a good price.

[FormerMember]

Originally Posted by Rokcrln

Well I am looking for the running gear (frame and misc parts). All I have for this crew cab project is everything needed for the full 4dr cab (shell only) and a new set of Alcoa dually rims still in the box from a past customer. This truck does have the big frame and it does kick up bahind the cab so some notching will be needed for the 33" streached cab. I wil be doing a over kill 4 link out back with bags and the same up front (bags that is). I was looking for the bigger frame because I want to run a cummins turbo and thought it would be a good idea to have a beefed frame.
This will be a replacement truck for Low Buck and shop towing, pulling to the car shows so the whole family is not crammed in a standard cab. Oh ya and to be different Thanks for the info I will be looking at it Monday and if it runs and drives I should be able to sell off enought un=needed parts to recoupe the $500 she want for the truck. Also I would up date the rear end depending just what it is.

Kevin
LFD Inc.

I'd do it... actually, I already did some it it. Except I went bigger in the frame dept and 4wd and stuck to leaves.

I do want a crew cab. Cummins was an option. I have a Cummins 8.3L and an NV5600 but I didn't want to get into re-working everything for the intercooler, etc.

So I went Caddy 500 instead.

[Longhorn Man]

Originally Posted by grendel

So I went Caddy 500 instead.

[FormerMember]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

Heh, should I mention I have a few amped up ones these days?

I am doing a twin turbo'd Caddy 500 in a 73 Pontiac Firechicken

[ksjh1316]

Originally Posted by grendel

I am doing a twin turbo'd Caddy 500 in a 73 Pontiac Firechicken

Pics of this please. That sounds like it would throw you clear out the back window when you punched it

[Longhorn Man]

that does sound neat... someone on here was doin a twin turbo 500 on here, I was thinking it was for a truck... was that you?

[jeffspower]

Originally Posted by grendel

Cummins was an option. I have a Cummins 8.3L and an NV5600 but I didn't want to get into re-working everything for the intercooler, etc.

So I went Caddy 500 instead.

I think that 8.3 would laugh at a 500 any day

I suppose you have a 3500RDS for an "optional" tranny for it too???

[FormerMember]

Originally Posted by jeffspower

I think that 8.3 would laugh at a 500 any day

I suppose you have a 3500RDS for an "optional" tranny for it too???

The front springs would have cried at the 8.3L.... and I didn't feel like plumbing a bathroom in my engine bay.

I wish I had that trans. I did grab an NV5600, they're both in my storage now.

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

that does sound neat... someone on here was doin a twin turbo 500 on here, I was thinking it was for a truck... was that you?

Yawp. I decided to not out it in my truck.

Originally Posted by ksjh1316

Pics of this please. That sounds like it would throw you clear out the back window when you punched it

Pics of the turbo set up on a 500 are in my C to K conversion thread.

[67_C-30]

Keep in mind that if you are going to do a dually pickup like mine with the rear wheel flares, you are going to need a wider rearend from a '73 - up dually pickup, some box/cube vans and short buses. None of the cab and chassis rearends are wide enough to put a bed on the truck unless you tub the factory wheelwells inside the bed.

[Rokcrln]

Originally Posted by 67_C-30

Keep in mind that if you are going to do a dually pickup like mine with the rear wheel flares, you are going to need a wider rearend from a '73 - up dually pickup, some box/cube vans and short buses. None of the cab and chassis rearends are wide enough to put a bed on the truck unless you tub the factory wheelwells inside the bed.

Good I wanted a sleek dually not a real wide one. I was going to look for a narrow rear end so I could do that.

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[lytemup454]

hey kev not to hi jack this but whats up with the shop truck? r u on another site building it or is it a hush hush project?

[FormerMember]

Originally Posted by Rokcrln

Good I wanted a sleek dually not a real wide one. I was going to look for a narrow rear end so I could do that.

Kevin
LFD Inc.

C+C rear end, 63" WMS to WMS... I have one on my C to K conversion.

I may still dually it out, in which case I would do a very narrow portion of a stepside fender on my Longhorn bed.

With the Blackbird's disk brake conversion, it fits the inner portion of the bed just fine. It's the outer that would need a little love. I thought about a set of Bushwhacker fender flares too.

[67_C-30]

Originally Posted by Rokcrln

Good I wanted a sleek dually not a real wide one. I was going to look for a narrow rear end so I could do that.

Kevin
LFD Inc.

The wheels will still stick out some with a factory width. Here are a few examples.

[67_C-30]

Originally Posted by grendel

C+C rear end, 63" WMS to WMS... I have one on my C to K conversion.

I may still dually it out, in which case I would do a very narrow portion of a stepside fender on my Longhorn bed.

You mean like this? I personally like all or nothing on the stepside fender. I prefer them either wide or not all, but that's just me. The bushwacker flares are OK too, but I like 'em with the big hips, just like my womens!

[MrBeast]

Kevin, welcome to the dually club.

My .02 is that a 1 ton dually with a good frame is worth the 500.00 hands down.

Now for the bad news, you will have a HO72 Eaton in that truck, which only had a couple of rear end ratios available. 3.90, 4.10 and 4.56, there is no one making a ring and pinion for them right now, or a locker, you can still get the bearings and what not, and you can use cut down 14B axles to use a 14B locker, but you cant get a ring and pinion for it. That will take some doing.

I have th 4.56'es in my 72 dually, with 31.5" tires I am running about 2700 rpm @ 70mph, and that is with my NV4500 overdrive. It sucks a lot of fuel at speed, even if I drive 65 mph everywhere I go right now it is sucking down 8.85 MPG

What I would sugjest you consider is installing a narrowed 14 bolt, I will be narrowing one here next semester in school, and also I will be building a new body on the truck for towing. I think it will give you some good food for thought.

I have done a lot of tech reading on the duallys, I would say the only people around here who know more about them that I have seen than I do would be 67_C30 and Longhorn Man. They both really know thier stuff.

I am really anxious to see your build on this, I know you have been talking about it for a long while and it seems to me as though you really have it togeather on the metal working end.

I was going to stuff a cummins in mine, but the seller I had backed out, I think for right now I am going to be sticking with my 454.

For the cummins though what I was going to wind up doing was boxing the frame completly with 3/16" plate. I was also going to build new cross members down the whole thing to make it stout, if you are doing the frame stretch I would look into getting a piece of 7"x3" box tubing, and splitting it to make a new piece of frame rail. then back it with the 3/16" plate and make the ends extend way past where your splice is, and it should make a really durable frame.

[MrBeast]

Oh, also I have a pretty good group of photos on how I stuffed the NV4500 in the truck, quite a few pictures of the frame and tranny tunnel on there. That might be of some help to you.

[FormerMember]

Originally Posted by MrBeast

I have done a lot of tech reading on the duallys, I would say the only people around here who know more about them that I have seen than I do would be 67_C30 and Longhorn Man. They both really know thier stuff.

heh, you may want to look around a bit more before making comments like that. You never know who's really doing what.

However, I do agree with running the C+C 14B, as I listed above. It's a 63" WMS to WMS that tucks in nicely. BTW, no need to narrow it... it's width is in the hubs. Swap the hubs onto a normal width (67" WMS to WMS) housing and you're back at 63".

[MrBeast]

Originally Posted by grendel

heh, you may want to look around a bit more before making comments like that. You never know who's really doing what.

However, I do agree with running the C+C 14B, as I listed above. It's a 63" WMS to WMS that tucks in nicely. BTW, no need to narrow it... it's width is in the hubs. Swap the hubs onto a normal width (67" WMS to WMS) housing and you're back at 63".

I do know that the Chasis Cab trucks from the mid 70's were narrower, I also know finding one of those can be diffacult but not impossible. I do know however that finding a wide 14 bolt out of a 88-98 or out of an 80's dually, those are a dime a dozen. I am actually working on a jig that will bolt up to a 14b and allow me to make it what ever width I so desire!

[FormerMember]

Originally Posted by MrBeast

I do know that the Chasis Cab trucks from the mid 70's were narrower, I also know finding one of those can be diffacult but not impossible. I do know however that finding a wide 14 bolt out of a 88-98 or out of an 80's dually, those are a dime a dozen. I am actually working on a jig that will bolt up to a 14b and allow me to make it what ever width I so desire!

I can put my hands on about 6 sets of C+C hubs right now.

I also prefer standard axleshafts.

You do know that the C+C hubs on a normal 14B width is 63" WMS?