1966 GMC Shortbox Stepside

[Earlthe3rd]

Just picked up a mint condition, shiny, show quality, 66 shortstep GMC...
Cost me $2500.. which may sound expensive to some, but these trucks are few and far between up here in Canada; especially near any large city.

Its fairly complete, came with registration. Last time it was on the road was 1980.
Looked up the engine casting number and it appears that somebody swapped in a 235.

I'm 24 and don't have any significant experience working on older vehicles. For the most part I'll be figuring it out as I go; so if you follow along bear with me.

Also, to add some laughs to my project.. I live in an apartment building right outside of downtown Vancouver, BC. So most of the work I'll be doing on the truck will take place on the street outside my building, in my dark underground parking garage, or in any vacant lot I don't get kicked out of. It should be interesting!

Here are some photos of where the truck was sitting when I bought it. On a farm in an area called Agassiz.









Cheers.
Earl

[aerotruk63]

Is it a Canadian built GMC?
First thing to buy is a shop manual!

[Earlthe3rd]

Originally Posted by aerotruk63

Is it a Canadian built GMC?
First thing to buy is a shop manual!

Just ran the VIN and it appears it came from the plant in Scarborough, Ontario.

[1963c-10]

Great looking project. And your not the only one working outside, but you'll get through it!!

[Earlthe3rd]

Where she sits now..

[62 Barnfind]

Looks like you found a good truck! I agree that they are getting harder to find and when you do people want a lot of money or they don't want to sell. These trucks aren't that hard to work on and if you have any questions this site is good and there are many smart people to help you out. Just pick a starting point and go for it. Good luck and I can't wait to see your build!

[Justin@EntropyRad]

cool rig

[TJ's Chevy]

Cool truck! I'd find a 305E v6 to put in that...keep it all GMC. Oh yeah...different tail gate to.

[aerotruk63]

Canadian built GMC's ran Chevrolet drivetrains.

[aerotruk63]

Some good parts sources around Vancouver, and on the Island, there's supposed to be a good scrapyard.
Looks like your in the West Van region? Your picture out front reminds me of the siding jobs I did all over Vancouver 1997-2000.

[markeb01]

The neighbors may not appreciate the appearance, but it looks like a beauty to me! Looks like a solid find at a great price. Take lots of pictures now, so you have plenty of "before" pictures. It will mean a lot to you in the future to see where it came from.

[Earlthe3rd]

Thanks for all the support everyone.

Originally Posted by aerotruk63

Looks like your in the West Van region? Your picture out front reminds me of the siding jobs I did all over Vancouver 1997-2000.

I live in the west side of Vancouver in an area called Kitsilano. It can be confusing however, as there is a west side, west end, and the municipality of West Vancouver (which is on the north shore).

Originally Posted by markeb01

The neighbors may not appreciate the appearance, but it looks like a beauty to me!

When the flatbed transport truck arrived on my street with the truck, I could see all the prying eyes and shocked expressions from apartment windows as I rolled it to where it sits now. Although aside from that I have had quite a positive response from people passing by. A few people (actually women surprisingly) even mentioned that they loved the look and hope I don't change it!

I myself am a sucker for patina so I may leave it rough for awhile; at least until I address things of greater importance.

[Earlthe3rd]

Update!
Changed the fluids.
New plugs and wires.



Installed two in-line fuel filters one after another (Roadkill style) and tried to start the truck with some a couple of gallons of fresh gas..I knew it was a long shot..
No luck. Found out my stock gas tank has a leak...

Pulled the tank, drained the gas.

Tried firing it with a little fuel poured in the carb (As seen on youtube) still no luck..

Drove down to Monroe, Washington for my first ever swap meet.
Picked up a windshield in great condition for $80 and a marine gas tank with a (primer hand pump?).

Hooked up my new/old marine tank directly to the fuel pump.
Still nothing.
New points and condenser.


BAM! She fired and purrs like a kitten!!!!!!




If you click below you can watch/listen to her run.


OH! and in other news, the city bylaw officers are onto me!
Today when I went out to work on my truck I noticed that my tires were marked with chalk.
Even though I have a parking permit, city rules do not allow a vehicle to stay in the same spot longer than 2 weeks.
Lucky for me some friendly neighbours helped me push it into a new spot and I wiped away the chalk..
I'll be doing my brakes this weekend (leaking wheel cylinder) so after that I'll be able to cruise around the block and park where I please.
As ridiculous as the city rules are, I'm just glad they haven't towed my truck yet..

[TJ's Chevy]

Sounds good! Idle is a wee bit high. lol It'll be real fun when it moves under its own power.

[Jurassic-1]

Nice find. It looks as though you got a pretty solid deal. Did you have to rebuild the carb? It sounds very good. Out here in AZ. the fuel turns to varnish very quickly. I had to completely clean my fuel system and replace the tank. Great to see another one returning to the road.

[Old-Soul]

Welcome from just east of you.

Good looking truck, I was holding out for a short stepper forever as I have a good fleetside box but never managed to find a truck worth buying (or cheap enough)

A few weeks back I landed a clean original '61 apache long fleet and have been pikcing away at it. Love these trucks!

Back almost 10 years ago I was in a similar situation, working on my '53 Chev car on the gravel pad outside the house we were renting. Neighbor lady called the bylaw 3 times on me but since it was a registered, insured and daily driven vehicle they were more mad at her for wasting their time. I got real good at swapping starters that summer.