long gone 1961 GMC log truck

[79coyotefrg]

Hello,
I have recently been longing to hear that old trucks sweet song in my head.
I was 11 years old in the spring of 1982 and my dad had a heart attack. I had been driving tractors around the farm for about two years and when Dad got out of the hospital he started teaching me to drive on the road which I had road with him and dreamed at that time of being a truck driver so a week later when he had me go with him to look at a truck I was excited. While he had been in the hospital I had cut a few trees on our farm and hauled up to the house and loaded onto the trailer so we could haul them to town and have a payday.
Well we went to the guys house and he walked us back off into the woods and we saw this truck. the running boards had been dragged off by some dumb butt so getting in was a real trick. Especially for Dad but a coke can full of gas in the carb of the 478 V6 (my eyes bulged when the hood opened) and the beast rumbled the ground. I was standing on the front bumper (that probably weighed 400 pounds) and the vibration of that engine was one from that moment on with the beat of my heart.
As far as I know this was a 7000 ish truck because a friend of dads had a 1963 "4000" and this thing made it look like a pickup.
Someday I would love to find a truck like it OR even better find that actual truck again. It was all I could do to stand on my toes to reach the ignition but after sitting a week you could go out and bump the starter and it would fire and run at about 400 rpm. It had a two bunk pulpwood rack and the center boom was 13 feet high. the front and rear were 12 feet. The front end was something else. It had coils and a arms like the 65 chevy pickup we had but between the a arms UNDER the cross member was this enormous leaf spring that ran from side to side. it was probably 7 feet across and 4 or 5 leaves thick and the leaves were 6-8 inches across.
It had a 5 speed that was kinda weird 1st and reverse were on the right where 5th and reverse are on most modern 5 speeds, and we were told it previously had a two speed but his son in law blew it up and the one speed was kinda slow, it could go 55 which was the speed limit on any roads anywhere near where we were and the only time we even used the 1st gear was to just crawl along in the log woods. We hauled numerous 35,000-40,000 lb loads of timber on that truck and it never even grunted at a hill. and 5th gear was only like half the range of the rest. which when I later in life started driving cross country I realized what a jewel that old truck was.
So my question to you GMC guys, what was this old girl? a 6000, 7000 ? 7500??
Times are very tough right now but I would be in heaven if I could find another.

[C10 - C90 Bill]

I've got a few ideas of what you had there, but if you could find a picture of what it looked like somewhere online, we would be able to tell a little better.

In the meantime though, if it was original and had a 478, it had to be no older than '62.

Bill

[79coyotefrg]

this is the closest thing on a google image search that I could find that looked anywhere like it. regarding the shape of the hood and grill and fenders.

[C10 - C90 Bill]

That's a '60 to '61 model for sure. The largest Series in those years was a 5000. The 6500 wasn't out till '62. The 478 also wasn't out till '62 as mentioned above. I would have to due some further research, but I believe the biggest V-6 in '60 or '61 was a 351. Unless the truck was not original. Also I am a little puzzled about the Front End of the truck. Sounds like it was re-worked.

Interesting picture you have found. I don't remember ever seen that one before.

Bill

[Bob B.]

Could have had a 401, those came out in '60.

[C10 - C90 Bill]

Bob,

I just noticed that when I just did a little more research. I really never knew the 401 was out that early.

Also, I just saw a larger view of the above picture while I was researching a little more and to my surprise, that truck above is a 5500.

That's what I like about this board. I'm always learning.

Bill

[79coyotefrg]

I'm fairly certain that it was a 478 were the water pumps and starters the same on the 478 and 401??

I suppose it could have been a 62 "model" sold in late 61

[79coyotefrg]

I always heard a day you didnt learn something was a day wasted

[79coyotefrg]

hey look at that. I found a truck with the same type front axle
and its a 61

[C10 - C90 Bill]

The truck above should have the typical Torsion Bar front end like in the 2nd picture down on the right of the first picture that you posted. The Straight Axel with Leaf Springs was not out till '62, and on the 6500 only.

Bill

[79coyotefrg]

I dont know if it was torsion bar a arms or coil springs A arms but it had that huge leaf that went side to side. had the five lights across the top, west coast mirrors a big red button switch on the dash that never worked as far as I know anyway, and it had the big rig style turn signal switch not the pickup like switch this grain truck has.
I saw a picture you posted a couple years ago of a rusty 6500 with a tanker. looked just like it but it had the early style hood

[factorystock]

Originally Posted by 79coyotefrg

it had that huge leaf that went side to side.

This was an aftermarket item to increase front end capacity. Might have been a Cambria kit.

[79coyotefrg]

Originally Posted by factorystock

This was an aftermarket item to increase front end capacity. Might have been a Cambria kit.

YEP thats it. it was the 5 leaf version

[C10 - C90 Bill]

Pretty cool info factorystock. Never saw one before.

Bill