Newbie thinking about diving into a '65 GMC 1000

[Praxiss454]

Originally Posted by jaybirdpete

Sweet truck! In a little worse shape than when I got mine two years ago. I'm in Santa Rosa, so I'm pretty close to you! If you have any questions, just let me know!

Cool, always good to know a couple of local-ish people familiar w/ this era of truck, since I know next to nothing about em and am learning as I go. Got a pic of your truck or a build thread going?

[Praxiss454]

Been a while since I have update this thread. Didn't do a ton to the truck over the winter. Now that the days are a bit longer and the weather is nicer, I've made a bit more progress.

Found a guy w/ a spare steering box, so I swapped that out to try to clean up the slop in my steering. Also installed a new rag joint at that time. It feels tighter but the true test will be when I get it out on the road.

Right now the valve cover is off and I'm cleaning it up to re-paint. The rest of the engine is kind of a mess w/ grease and I don't see myself pulling it to clean it properly, so it is going to look funny w/ a couple of clean pieces and a couple of dirty pieces. Will post an update when it's done. Using this opportunity to also replace the grommets on the PCV and breather tube, which, in combination w/ replacing the valve cover gasket, should greatly reduce the messiness in the engine.

Speaking of, does anyone know what color the sealed oil filler cap is supposed to be? I gather that because I have a breather tube running to the air filter, I should not use a vented oil cap.

Once this is done, I should have things buttoned up from a running "good enough" perspective, in that it should start, run, steer, and stop well. In the near future I need to decide on what I'm going to do for the bed. Leaning toward getting a kit, but I almost don't want to do that until I either replace the left fender, or at least figure out how to pull out the big dent that looks like it was caused by backing into something hard and having the bumper push forward.

The other big thing I need to do from a driving stand point is probably replace the passenger side door entirely, and while it's off do some sheet metal repair on the frame around the door. Looks like the truck was moderately t-boned on that side at one point, it's not too bad but enough that there's a slight buckle in the kick plate.

[Praxiss454]

Over the past couple of weeks I've painted and repainted this damn valve cover. It's not perfect but I'm finally going to call it "good enough", as it will be far and away the nicest part of my engine.

Used Duplicolor Chrysler Red Engine Enamel, I believe it's DE1632.

Now I gotta let it cure for a while, then try to fit in the grommets. Hopefully they're the right size, and I can get everything buttoned up.

[nail pounder]

Looking good!

[Praxiss454]

Okay guys. I have a bit of a dilemma. My bed wood was rotted out so I removed it, and I now have a truck w/ no bed in it. I am tempted to order a pre-cut kit from mar-k or somewhere, but I'm not sure it makes sense yet.

I have a lot of problems w/ one of my side panels of my bed. Should I repair/replace the side panel before spending any time on replacing the bed wood?

Here is the extent of the side panel damage.

[Praxiss454]

Got the green light to order bed wood, still wondering if I should wait til after I can fix the sheet metal. Not totally sure how everything hooks together.

[nail pounder]

Originally Posted by Praxiss454

Got the green light to order bed wood, still wondering if I should wait til after I can fix the sheet metal. Not totally sure how everything hooks together.

You should be able to pull that dent before or after the wood is installed. What's your goal for the truck? I'm no body man but I'd say whack it from the back side and see what happens. Ive had decent luck with a cheap hammer and dollie set, a rachet strap, 2 x 4 & a floor jack, depending on the application .

[Praxiss454]

Originally Posted by nail pounder

You should be able to pull that dent before or after the wood is installed. What's your goal for the truck? I'm no body man but I'd say whack it from the back side and see what happens. Ive had decent luck with a cheap hammer and dollie set, a rachet strap, 2 x 4 & a floor jack, depending on the application .

Some day I might do a frame off resto but for now my goal is to get it functional and decent looking, keeping it as true to original as possible. I just don't have a welder nor the skill to patch in my own panel or replace the whole fender. I also don't have a ton of money to spend right now, so if I have a few hundred to spend I'd prefer to spend it on making the bed functional vs fixing the side panel.

Regarding the big dent, it almost looks like I need to pull backward on the tail light piece to help unkink things. Not quite sure how to accomplish that. I do have a winch that I could hook up to something.

[nail pounder]

Lack of money is the source of ingenuity, or something like that. Pull your lights(tail & reverse?) And see what you see. Maybe a slide hammer? Or from the back. Not my area of expertise but I always figure that the worst thing I will do is make it a little better.

[Praxiss454]

Yeah I'll give that a try. My winch isn't supposed to be used to apply constant force like pulling against a fixed object or suspending an object, so I probably need to borrow a come-along from someone. I'd like to do that, apply pulling force on the back corner, and then try to hammer out the big dent.

But also good to know I don't necessarily have to fix the bed side before putting in bed wood.

[Praxiss454]

Got my original AM radio hooked up and working today, along w/ the OEM antenna I picked up from a buddy. Also cut out all the bed cross members and wheel tubs in anticipation for my Mar-K bed wood kit, scheduled to arrive next week.

Screwed up my paint job on the valve cover, so stripping it and starting over. I had about 9 coats on it, each time screwing something up. Figure best to just start over and do it right the first time (crosses fingers).

[shp4man]

Originally Posted by Praxiss454

Got my original AM radio hooked up and working today, along w/ the OEM antenna I picked up from a buddy. Also cut out all the bed cross members and wheel tubs in anticipation for my Mar-K bed wood kit, scheduled to arrive next week.

Screwed up my paint job on the valve cover, so stripping it and starting over. I had about 9 coats on it, each time screwing something up. Figure best to just start over and do it right the first time (crosses fingers).

Can you get KFI? If yes, then be proud!

[Praxiss454]

Originally Posted by shp4man

Can you get KFI? If yes, then be proud!

I'll take my Tecsun handheld out there tonight and verify what I get. That OEM antenna extends out damn near 5 feet tall it seems.

[Praxiss454]

Originally Posted by shp4man

Can you get KFI? If yes, then be proud!

Yep, tuned in and listened to a traffic report on KFI. 400 miles away, not bad. Now if only I could pick up WJR 760 from my hometown of Detroit I'd be set.

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by Praxiss454

Hi all,
Lurked here for a bit, and figured I should register. A bit about me: always done my own maintenance, and have done some tuneups on naturally aspirated motorcycle engines, but have never taken on any kind of project like a 50+ yr old truck.

I'm considering buying a 1965 GMC pickup from a colleague who acquired it as part of an estate and doesn't know much about the history. According to the VIN, it is a 1965 GMC 1000 with an inline engine (guessing a 230?) with the 115" wheelbase, built in Fremont, CA and a GVW <6000 lbs.

From the pics it looks like the interior is in rough shape, but the body appears to be in pretty good shape. The door jamb is a red/orange color, but the exterior of the truck is white so I'm guessing it was repainted at least once. I have not actually seen the truck in person yet, going out there this weekend. My purpose for this truck would be just a hobby truck to tinker with, fix up a bit, and turn into a daily driver around town or to the beach. Nothing too fancy, and not a full restoration.

Here's what I know:
1. all 4 tires are flat and won't hold air
2. appears to be missing ignition cylinder, which was possibly replaced with a push button start. Also no battery
3. colleague says seals around the glass are in decent shape
4. no major rust holes visible inside or out but hasn't been scrutinized
5. It was registered up until 2012, when it was then registered as non-operating
6. Registration has been updated by current owner and is up to date (non-op)

Here's what I don't know:
1. When was the last time it started up?
2. Is the engine seized up?
3. Is the transmission functional?

Questions I'm hoping folks on this board can answer:
1. Do you see any glaring red flags from the images I've posted?
2. Are there any obvious modifications or other non-standard things about this truck? (e.g. does the engine look right, the bed look right?)
3. Specifically, are the grill and the tail fender of the truck stock?
4. What do you think it's worth, given the knowns and unknowns? Would you call me crazy if I paid $500? $1000? $1500? etc

Thanks all for reading, and looking forward to hearing your responses and getting to know ya.

I would have easily paid $1500 for it.

[Praxiss454]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

I would have easily paid $1500 for it.

Yeah I ended up around there for initial purchase but the expenses keep piling up!

[Praxiss454]

Well after trying and failing to seal up my rear main seal from underneath the truck, I decided it's time to just pull the motor and rebuild. I snagged a harbor freight engine hoist from someone local, new in box for $50! Borrowing an engine stand from another buddy.

I've never done anything this extreme before, mechanically, so it will be a learning experience. You might think I'm crazy but I plan to keep the original L6 230 unless the machinist detects any cracks. Will likely bore out the cylinders a little bit, and consider getting a mild cam. This is going to be a driver (for now), not a hot rod.

This feels like a slippery slope I'm standing on...

[jdl71]

Originally Posted by Praxiss454

This feels like a slippery slope I'm standing on...

It is

[joe dirt]

any updates?

[Praxiss454]

Originally Posted by joe dirt

any updates?

Yes! It's been a while since I posted, but I pulled the engine, got it rebuilt over what was a long and arduous process, got it put back in, and just yesterday fired it up for the first time and ran it through a break-in process.

The engine started up and ran great! Unfortunately, I'm spraying oil and I don't know from where. I hammered the oil pan rim flat, torqued things to spec. It seems to not matter. I'm wondering if I'd have better luck if I reinforce the edge w/ a strip of metal and torque those ****ers down tighter. Sure wish I had done that when the engine was on a stand and easily accessible. I really don't want to have to pull the MFer again.

[Praxiss454]

Of course, my inner monologue is screaming to just sell the damn thing and quit while I can. AFAICT no one makes a repop oil pan for this motor and truck. What if I get it all buttoned up after a rebuild and it still leaks.

[jdl71]

Originally Posted by Praxiss454

Of course, my inner monologue is screaming to just sell the damn thing and quit while I can. AFAICT no one makes a repop oil pan for this motor and truck. What if I get it all buttoned up after a rebuild and it still leaks.

The oil pan and gasket should be more forgiving than that unless its just completely hosed up. Once you have it out and can get it upside down on an engine stand you should be able to "persuade" it flat, or at least flat enough with a block of wood and a hammer.

[Praxiss454]

Originally Posted by Praxiss454

Of course, my inner monologue is screaming to just sell the damn thing and quit while I can. AFAICT no one makes a repop oil pan for this motor and truck. What if I get it all buttoned up after a rebuild and it still leaks.

Funny enough, I fire it up and it sprays like a mofo. Very stressed and frustrated about that.

[Praxiss454]

I tracked down one major oil leak to the valve cover under the air cleaner. I snugged all the bolts down lightly and that leak seems to have resolved. I probably have a few more weepers to track down but feel much better that it was a simple fix so far.

I do have two questions I'm now facing.

1. What is the proper way to set the clutch pedal? As I currently have it set up, I have to push it all the way to the floor before it engages enough. Is that right?

2. My idle set screw on the rochester single barrel carb keeps backing itself out, and fast. What's the trick?

[Captainfab]

Pushing the clutch pedal to the floor should disengage the clutch. When properly adjusted you should have about 1" of free pedal at the top, before it starts to disengage.

If you are talking about the idle speed screw, there should be a spring under it that holds tension on it.