1967 GMC - SWB, great patina

[WorldsCrappiestTruck]

I spent 90mins with a grinder & wire wheel on the frame, getting a first pass on the exterior. It’s not as clean as my ‘68 (which was beautifully coated in a TON of old oil, grease, grime etc which perfectly protected the frame), but this was a nice surprise. No pitting, no significant scale. Just dry surface rust that came off in a big red cloud.

Some frame stampings were exposed, and I realized the leaf spring frame has bulged ribs by each leaf spring shackle, where my coil spring ‘68 frame was just straight flat frame rail. I assume for strength.

Parts continue to slowly roll in….

[WorldsCrappiestTruck]

After a week and 6 unreturned asks to buy a used engine lift on Marketplace, I slunk to Harbor Freight and bought their $99 cheapie - will hold the 6.0. I searched Craigslist but that place has officially died. Searching “engine stand” get you used cars, mixers, hiking boots, anything but an engine stand.


The dipstick had broken / rusted off flush with the block, and I picked up a 302-1 oil pan kit. The truck pan hangs below the crossmember in my ‘68 so I wanted to change that this time around. From the underside the cylinder walls still have some crosshatch showing, and nothing looks awful. Used a brass punch to pound the dipstick back up/out. The Dorman 917-303 tube I bought would NOT fit. It measured 0.010” larger diameter than the original tube. I’d already dinged it up attempting to install, so used a flap wheel on a die grinder to turn the OD down a sniff. Covered it in never-sieze and sent it home.

Waiting on a timing cover alignment kit to arrive from the Bezos to continue work…