My 1961 crew cab- XRMYCRU

[jonzcustomshop]

Originally Posted by pope

Glad to see that you made it home safely with it!

It was a little bit sketchy coming down the pass, it was loaded a tiny bit heavy to the rear, but I went slow and everything was fine..... as a bonus I had factored 7 miles to a gallon, but the 2005 chev got about 14, so it was only about $100 in gas!
I put a ratchet strap on the left rear door on the turn to 12 off 85, because I was nervous about the door coming open. Within a mile it was gone, so I pulled off and put the big strap around the whole cab like you did.

hopefully it will be in condition to drive over and visit one day, or if you are ever in msla stop by!

[jonzcustomshop]

got some pics of the left rear door panel and how it was cut down... also check out how short the window mechanism is...looks like they took about 5 inches out of it... it will be interesting to see how it was modified...

[jonzcustomshop]

tried to get some pics of the inside of the door... only 1 came out.
started comparing the rear mounts and bed mounts to my short step..
notice they didn't take the bed mount all the way off (one side is still riveted on), but it is too far forward, so they just torched a hole a little bit back to make it work.

the frame gets a little bit wider towards the back... how the heck do I get this bolt out?!, at least on the pass. side the bolt is just gone!,,, but look on that side how the square rubber doesn't hit in the right spot....
my guess is that they bolted the rear mounts (or never unbolted them) to the cab , and just slid the whole thing back, and welded it back up.

not sure the best way to tackle this yet, the best bet might be to drill the holes, cut these mounts off, bolt them to the cab, and then bolt them to the frame....

[1971 GMC SHORTY]

Wow inLove With Thesev4 Doors I'm Looking for one Now

[Lokin4AReason]

not an every day truck, thats for sure ....

i can not wait to see the progress on this one =0)

[aerotruk63]

So while everyone else has a build thread, this is more of a de-build thread. Very informative and visually stimulating. Always interesting to see in detail how others thought it could be done.

[dieseldude4bt]

Originally Posted by jonzcustomshop

started comparing the rear mounts and bed mounts to my short step..
notice they didn't take the bed mount all the way off (one side is still riveted on), but it is too far forward, so they just torched a hole a little bit back to make it work.

That looks like they made a miscalculation when splicing the frames together and just moved the bed back to compensate for it.

[jonzcustomshop]

Originally Posted by aerotruk63

So while everyone else has a build thread, this is more of a de-build thread. Very informative and visually stimulating. Always interesting to see in detail how others thought it could be done.

haha. hope to reverse direction soon!, spent the last couple of days getting the donor cabs ready for the repair....

Originally Posted by dieseldude4bt

That looks like they made a miscalculation when splicing the frames together and just moved the bed back to compensate for it.

yeah kinda interesting how it went together, I was looking at the roof, and where the headliner was cut out, and on the cab mount brackets, and it was all done with a torch, we use different methods today , but that as 61...
I would say that the whole thing was welded together with an oxy/acetylene torch. the floor and door pillars all have little spot welds about every inch or so.

I pulled the gas tank out, and was able to get to the cab mount bolt. the caged nut cage was gone, and the bolt was cut off short , so I was able to unscrew the nut from the top.

another thing of interest, almost all the parts were painted olive drab (army green) looks like the bumpers, grille, the grille support behind the grille, and even the rear door sill plates -the front ones are MIA-, must have been quite plain looking!

[66Gilbert]

Have you figured out which coach company built this truck? My Crew Cab is a Stageway and the frame is lengthened very different from the way that yours was lengthened. It is not as crude (no foul or insult intended) looking as yours but by no means the way that I would have done it. I might set mine up on an original 1966 Chevy 4x4 127'' frame and lengthen it the proper way that the coach companies should have done from the beginning. It sure would be nice to know what the extra cost was to have this modification done in any of those years.

[jonzcustomshop]

I haven't .I have a 62 silver book, and I was hoping I would see a 61 in there- a lot of the ad's show the previous years model.
it is not a stageway, because I have literature from 1960 showing a straight post rear door like yours.
I have pictures of an orrville metal specialty truck, and they have the rear door like mine, but the roof is done different, the split starts after the hump, and the whole second 1/2 is taller... Crown, also located in orrville, Oh. shows the same basic cab as the orrville metal specialty co., even though both companies show a different address.
the same goes with automotive industries, and proctor keefe, they both have a bit longer of a rear door, about 4 inches of the "dog leg" is still there.
I have not seen any literature yet for the kind that has the short rear door, and the flat roof like mine.
I do have pics of 7 different trucks -mine included- and 5 of them show army green under the paint, I think all 7 are 3/4 ton 2wd 61's , and they all have the same roof, and are 4 door...

btw -no insult taken, I kinda like the crudeness of it, it makes the conversion seem a bit more attainable to the average joe....**
a while back I was thinking of just building my own crew cab, and I was going to call it "project crude cab" that's probably what I should call this!

** the one thing that is still stumping me is the rear door hinges....I am thinking that they have to be a GM part from at least 1960 or before, the reason I think this, is that they show up on all the conversions, no matter what company, and they are used all 7 years... I just can't place them, I spent a couple hours on google images the other night trying out 60's gm stuff to see if I could spot them on something.

[aerotruk63]

NO casting numbers in the hinges Jon?

[66Gilbert]

Jon,

One thing that I did noticed from the pictures you posted is the rear seat mount that bolts to the floor looks very similar to the one on my truck. Also can you take a picture of the outside door handle pockets front and rear doors to see if they are different or the same.

[jonzcustomshop]

Originally Posted by aerotruk63

NO casting numbers in the hinges Jon?

I don't know if I will take them apart, none where I can see.

[jonzcustomshop]

Originally Posted by 66Gilbert

Jon,

One thing that I did noticed from the pictures you posted is the rear seat mount that bolts to the floor looks very similar to the one on my truck. Also can you take a picture of the outside door handle pockets front and rear doors to see if they are different or the same.

I'll get some shots, as far as I can tell the rear doors are just cut down fronts, are yours different?

[66Gilbert]

Front door is first picture, Rear door is second picture. Not sure why they were made different. I also thought they would be a cut down skin from an original door. If I decide to re-skin the rear doors I will make them the same as the original doors.

[jonzcustomshop]

I didn't get a pic, but my door handle coves are the same front and back, I wonder if your entire rear door is a coach built , non gm stamping... yours is a stageway? , because my literature shows them using the straight post door in 1960, maybe they tooled up their own door to use for gm's truck run, and expected to be able to use that same door for a few years.....
I sure wish we could find an ex employee, and pick their brain....

[crewguy]

Maybe I could answer some questions. 12-14 years ago after I bought my Stageway built 65 GMC crewcab, I was able to get in contact with the fellow who owned Stageway in the 60's. He told me they had two guys who built back doors from scratch. The doors are a lot heavier than the fronts. Cost for a conversion was $800 for the cab and $200 for the frame lengthening. I believe he said they got up to 32 units(trucks) a month at their peak. I've attached a couple shots of the back doors...you can see how they were pieced, and the cab construction.

[66Gilbert]

Originally Posted by crewguy

Maybe I could answer some questions. 12-14 years ago after I bought my Stageway built 65 GMC crewcab, I was able to get in contact with the fellow who owned Stageway in the 60's. He told me they had two guys who built back doors from scratch. The doors are a lot heavier than the fronts. Cost for a conversion was $800 for the cab and $200 for the frame lengthening. I believe he said they got up to 32 units(trucks) a month at their peak. I've attached a couple shots of the back doors...you can see how they were pieced, and the cab construction.

crewguy,

Glad to have you onboard, You maybe are go to person for a lot of us that have questions about our crew cab trucks. Are these pictures a crew cab that you are working on or one that you have completed?

[jonzcustomshop]

Wow! great info! thanks.

[66Submarine]

Neat! JMO, but I think you pretty much have to repaint the mental hospital logo when you redo it.

Makes me think more about making a crew cab dually...

[crewguy]

Originally Posted by 66Gilbert

crewguy,

Glad to have you onboard, You maybe are go to person for a lot of us that have questions about our crew cab trucks. Are these pictures a crew cab that you are working on or one that you have completed?

My Crewcab has been a very slow moving project. Real life projects seem to always get in the way. Truck was complete, and with most options, now has a late model 3/4 ton disc brake crossmember and rear end, big window conversion, and will have either a 66 327, or later 350. Will be used to tow.

[66Submarine]

Love it!

[66Gilbert]

Originally Posted by crewguy

My Crewcab has been a very slow moving project. Real life projects seem to always get in the way. Truck was complete, and with most options, now has a late model 3/4 ton disc brake crossmember and rear end, big window conversion, and will have either a 66 327, or later 350. Will be used to tow.

Very cool,

Really like this truck and the direction you are going with it. Would like to see the inside of cab after the big window conversion. I am thinking of doing the same with mine. Check out mine here if you haven't already http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=637171

[jonzcustomshop]

Originally Posted by crewguy

My Crewcab has been a very slow moving project. Real life projects seem to always get in the way. Truck was complete, and with most options, now has a late model 3/4 ton disc brake crossmember and rear end, big window conversion, and will have either a 66 327, or later 350. Will be used to tow.

did you ever drive it with the topper off and with the small back window?
I like the look of the sbw better, but I was wondering how it is for blind spots backing up to the right?

also I see you have the rear door hinges off, any chance there is a part # on them, or did the stageway guy mention where they sourced them from?

[dieseldude4bt]

Originally Posted by jonzcustomshop

did you ever drive it with the topper off and with the small back window?
I like the look of the sbw better, but I was wondering how it is for blind spots backing up to the right?

also I see you have the rear door hinges off, any chance there is a part # on them, or did the stageway guy mention where they sourced them from?

I did an extended cab with a small back window because I liked it better, (even had a big back window at the time) I wouldn't do it again I would use the big window.