1961 GMC Project. Only a 3/4ton of work

[duallyjams]

Looking good.

[Surfdaddy]

Still trying to work out the brakes but was able to put on new bumpers and tail light bezels.

[Surfdaddy]

Well, after two weeks I got the Hydra-matic rebuilt and back in the truck. I need to adjust the govenor so the shift points are better. It seems that it won't coast or go into 1st untill a complete stop and then it's a little slushy. So, things are moving forward and I'm happy with the progress so far. I did the brakes and wheels, got it running ok. rebuilt the trans and the next step is the fuel system. After that is done I can start working on the interior and body.. I got lucky with the gas tank since I thought for sure it would be full of rust but it looks totally clean and rust free. This weekend job it to work on tuning it better.

[Corts60]

Oh man she is looking beautiful! That scrub/wet sand job helped out enormously. Great work man!

[Surfdaddy]

Thanks, I washed out the interior with soap and water to get 50 years of dust out of the inside. Came out pretty clean. I wae really sweating the gas tank and sending unit. I thought it was going to come out looking like yours did. but I guess something was protecting it since it looks very clean inside, no rust at all, go figure. I'll get the sending unit tomorrow or the next and then tuune it up better. When you did your valve adjustments how di you keep the oil from running all over the block? Cardboard wall or rags? or is it not a problem.

[Corts60]

It wasn't an issue for me. If you warm the engine up to operating temp before adjusting the valves, the oil pressure will probably hang around 30 psi or so and won't shoot all over the place, vise the 60 psi when it is cold.

[Surfdaddy]

I ordered new seat fabric and will take it to the shop this week. The fabric seems ok but I'm afraid that it will tear once the seat is re padded. I'm also plugging the 3" holes in the floor from the vent hoses that ran to the camper. The foam is really bad and is crumbling al over the inside. Should be back on the road and ready for the next step by next weekend. This weekend---- Tuning once that is good then I'll work on the A/C.

[Corts60]

Hey Surfdaddy! Your truck is in the promo ads!

[duallyjams]

Is that you in the add also ?

[Surfdaddy]

My kids would think it was me. That's the look I'm trying go after. Verry cool ad Thanks.

[Surfdaddy]

I finally got the fabric for the seat and had it redone. It came out really nice though the fabric was more silver than what was on it. I ahd teh guy use soft material and the seat feels real nice. I also got the grill off to the plates and should be ready Friday. I had to replace all the plastic adjustment parts and may still have to replace teh headlight rings since the screws are rusted and gaul when removing them.I also got in all teh AC stuff and am now at a delema. Do I jst put it back and drive it for a while or do what I feel should be done and take off teh front sheet metal and core support and media blast it and paint it. I know once I start down that road It will take a while to put everything back together.

[Corts60]

That seat looks killer! And I vote you put it back together and drive it for at least a little while before you dig too deep. You deserve some behind the wheel time.

[duallyjams]

Originally Posted by Corts60

That seat looks killer! And I vote you put it back together and drive it for at least a little while before you dig too deep. You deserve some behind the wheel time.

x2 enjoy it some

[1985-GMC]

Nice truck! I love the old gmc V6's!

[KroAutomotiveInc]

looking good gotta love the GMC's!

[Surfdaddy]

After 6 months I finally got the GMC back to where it was in 1961 except for the A/C which I have the parts for but haven't installed. I decided to put the grill in and install all all the stuff I took off to either plate or clean and paint. I drove it about 50 miles yesterday and loved it. Though with the seat being redone I'm about 3 inches higher and 3 inches closer to the wheel (which I can't afford, being an old fat guy). In my other 60-66's I didn,t have teh knee freezer A/C and it makes the cab a little crowded. Going to the All GM car show at the Basin for a while. My kid REALLY liked riding around in the truck yesterday.

[Corts60]

Looking great man! Did you paint the badges yourself? They are a SOB to paint nicely. Yours turned out great!

[Surfdaddy]

I masked then and painted with VTH (or whatever it is) engine paint. I over sprayed so the paint would flow and then put them in the sun to bake. Turned out ok. The grill readly got me mad, the plating shop either put a crease on it or they had a run in the chrome. It's very subitle but once you notice it you can't sto lookin at it. I've been told by a few people who build hot rods that chrome is marginal at best now days.

[duallyjams]

A buddy of mine builds cars ( some have been street rodder ) and has the same problem with chrome shops a lot.
I really like the hub caps.Bet the 50 mile ride was a blast.

[Surfdaddy]

Went to the GM only show in the valley yesterday, 25 miles each way. Didn't enter the truck. Most all the cars were show quality, and no one wants to look at a rust bucket. But I did get some attention. The truck runs very smooth and not at all what I remember my 63 was like. Floats over bumps and dips. Must be the 850lbs of motor over the torsion bar suspension. I really need to get the AC working. 200 miles on it now and I think it's pretty dependable. Just need to figure out how to adjust the shift points on the trans

[Surfdaddy]

Haven't posted for a while about what I've done to the truck. I've taken the advice of those here and just driven it. working on little things along the way. This weekend I finally figured out how to mount the rear license plate bracket to allow the tailgate to come down without scratching the tailgate paint and I removed the under dash A/C unit. I did this for two reasons. 1 was to clean up, polish or rechrome the vents and switches and the 2nd was to get the 1978 radio shack special radio out of there and install the stock GMC AM radio. Low and behold what I thought was going to be an easy swap made my heart drop. The orig owner cut the dash to get that cheezy radio in there. So now I have to figure out how to repair the dash or put in a radio that will fit. This is way beyond my (lack of) tallent and will post a thread on how to get it done. I'll post pictures of what I've done so far soon.

Still have fuel mixture issues but the truck drives and runs pretty good. I'm considering seeking some help fine tuning, I think the timing is off though it's exactly what the book calls for. The distrubitor may have to be recurved or something. I'll seek some help to get perfect. It runs good but is just pretty slow in acceleration. Idle changes and now there is a slight hesatation when slowly applying the gas.

My wife is now starting to warmup to it but she has never been a car person. When she used to ride in it she would sit with her hands on her lap or straight on the seat. but now she is more relaxed and only teases me about the hard shifting trans and the A/C not working.

[duallyjams]

My wife gets a kick watching me drive a manual steering,brake and 4 speed it amazes her to see both legs and arms working in different direction at the same time.

[fryer1979]

Very cool build up so far, and I'm glad to hear your wife is warming up to it.

[Corts60]

What's new my friend?

[Old Ford guy]

This build is going to come back to life. I am blown away that my son found this post. I bought this truck last month and we started doing some research on it and BAM! Here it is. I have tried to contact Surfdaddy as well to discuss some things with him. He was doing some great things with the truck and the guy I got it from was doing more damage than good.