My 1962 GMC 1000 Series Utility with Extra Goodies

[MusicMan70]

Hello Everyone, Posting up a new project I acquired. It is a 1962 GMC 1000 series with the Utility cabinets in place of the GMC Fenderside fenders.
It has the 305D V6 and the SM420 with the Dana 44 (ratio TBD-3:92?) and suspension is Torsion up front and coils in the rear. It came with 16” 3-clip wheels and it even has Dual Horns. Its unladen weight is listed as 3400lbs.
Truck was built at the Pontiac Plant and title transfer documentation shows it came from Minneapolis and ended up in Arizona in 1968 and there it remained until it came to me.
I had not seen many SWB utility trucks. Most commonly found are of the C20 variety and have the beds removed and replaced with utility boxes. I don’t know if I’d call it rare, but definitely unique and different.







Raspberry Sherbet-
So this truck apparently has three colors; my guesses are Flame Red under Omaha Orange under a Crystal Green (I got those names from a GMC Paint page)
Maybe it started life as a Fire Utility and came to Arizona where it morphed into a Telephone company truck. The last owner worked for the Local telephone company called CONTEL and I was told that he bought the truck when he retired from there. Company sticker shadow on tailgate says Grand Junction and?






The truck was later used for camping and that’s where the camper top came in to play along with the Crystal Green Paint. It had a CB unit rack mount inside, but looks like the window was busted out to steal it. I really like the camper top on it, as I feel it gives an eclectic look.


Mounted on the back of the cab are one of those long transmitting antennae and some Heath Kit speaker/monitors inside the cab and one in the bed. Bedwood is in pretty good shape and it also came with non-commercial plates.

In the engine bay was an old school 60’s MilesMaster Fuel regulator and a Heath CDI Ignition and an old Warner Electric Brake under the steering column.





Mileage shown was 02201 which I took to be 102,201 as the truck was fairly clean but lots of Arizona dust everywhere. Interior was okay and needed a good cleaning. Floor mat was the original but old and had to be thrown out.


Some Goodies found!
So here are some photos of what was in the cab, bed and utility Boxes.
They include; some mirrors and tire lug wrenches, snow chains, antennae, Olivetti calculator, Test Lead rack, CB mount rack, spare inner tube and an art deco style Clamshell ashtray and one Blue Chip Stamp





What’s in the Box?
The truck also came with two huge cabinets in the bed. All I was told was that, it might be telephone equipment. Here is what I got:






I found a couple of …ahem, Men’s Magazines inside one of them that dated 1978.
One cabinet was full of electronics and the other looked like some kind of Nuclear James Bond type device with strange Gold Canisters that Goldfinger created LOL
My research came up empty so I reached out to the Telephonic Connections Museum in Seattle and they had an answer for me thankfully. Here is info on that Museum in Seattle.
The museum features working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central-office switches. The Connections Museum also has working Step-by-Step and Crossbar PBX equipment as well as antique telephones, switchboards, outside plant displays, including poles, cables, splicing equipment, tools, and other related communications equipment and machines. The Connections Museum also features a cataloged telecommunications reference library, useful for researchers.
Connections Museum Seattle | The Telecommunications History Group, Inc (telcomhistory.org)

Anybody have a guess?
Here is a clue photo:


My plans are to get the V6 back to running status and keep it pretty much the way it is.
I will have the 16’s powder coated white and add some tall skinny tires for the wheels. I am still on the hunt for those elusive hubcaps. I will tackle one thing at a time. I just want to get it on the road again.
Thanks for reading, Henry

[lunatic1968]

Very nice find, sold My 62 stepper awhile back and been wanting another one since. It was a total rust out, every panel. I put and 73-87 front cross member lowered it, and dropped in a 350 and a 9" rear end. Before I could find a set of wheels that i really liked a guy from Paris France had to have it. It was a total pos but it was cool. But cash is king. Here's two pics of mine. Last one was after I rubbed it down with linseed oil.

[MusicMan70]

lunatic1968;

That looks great and I like that stance you got. Yeah cash does have a lot to say and sway sometimes. Thanks

[Katrina/10]

The cabinet with the metal cans look like antenna couplers to me.

[MusicMan70]

Katrina/10-The cabinet with the metal cans look like antenna couplers to me.

Katrina/10 I believe you got it!

Here is what the Connections Museum told me...

One of our other volunteers just chimed in that these items were very probably from a repeater station. The duplexers were commonly used in those.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio_repeater

[Katrina/10]

That's some interesting old equipment you found in the truck. The radio stuff could be ham or old police, fire or military network.

[MusicMan70]

Well I got the GMC V6 back to life after changing all the basics plus a few extras and even used the CDI unit.

https://youtu.be/QFMZ_fArvW0

[TJ's Chevy]

Now that is one heck of a sweet truck!