Sullii the 72 GMC 1500

[hewittca]

Greetings everyone. I've been away from the forum for a while, but I'm back now with another build! My last one was a '68 C10 that I converted to a shortbed, amongst other things. You can catch up on that build here. It took me a few different projects later to realize it, but I should have never sold that truck! After clearing out my other projects, I started hunting for another truck to build, and eventually came across a '68 shortbed at a C10 restoration shop called Piedmont Traction in Mooresville, NC.

I set up a time to go check out the C10, but after inspection it wasn't exactly what I was looking for. Parked next to it, however, was a super clean 72 GMC that they just acquired which they planned to improve before reselling it. I decided to check it out anyway and it became evident to me that this was much closer to what I was looking for. I was given the chance to buy it before they started working on it, which was perfect for me since I wanted something I could put some work into.

After debating it for a few days, I decided this truck was definitely the next truck for me. So, we set up a time to meet again, and in short order the truck was loaded up and headed back home with me.

[hewittca]

I was able to get the truck home and test drive it around our property. One thing that was immediately apparent was I got spoiled with the power steering and brakes on my other truck! Upgrading the manual steering and brakes are the first things on my list. To be quite honest, the truck isn't much fun to drive like this, trying to maneuver it around the property. Plus, the three on the tree is new for me as well since my other truck had a powerglide. Overall, I loved the combo in my other truck, but the good thing is I got this truck to work on and improve and I intend to do just that! It sure does look good though against that Carolina blue sky.

[hewittca]

One thing I enjoyed most with my other truck was sharing it with my family. They loved the other truck too and always questioned why I sold it. Needless to say, they were psyched to hop in the bed and go for a ride around the property in the new truck. My daughter is adamant that I get the seatbelts sorted out so we can all go for a ride on the road!

The above two posts happened over the last week, and this brings us to present with the truck. Over the next several posts I will go through some of the more detailed aspects of the truck to give an idea of what I'm really starting with and what I plan to do to the truck. I hope you enjoy following along!

[kehstr]

That is a nice truck! Glad to have you back on the board!

[Kronald_70GMC]

This is gonna be good! I loved your last C10 build. Subscribed.

[Low Elco]

Excited to see you back, and look forward to the journey!

[FRCvette]

I will be following along.

[72 tigger]

Looks like a dandy!

[OL SKOOL]

That is really a nice truck to start with. Just gotta love a four eye.

[hewittca]

This happens to be a very low optioned truck as is evidenced on the SPID. It did come with the amp/oil/temp gauge dash which is nice. Other than that, manual everything. After inspecting the brakes, they are in serious need of a refresh and will be receiving a power upgrade as well.

The engine is supposedly a 307, but I need to verify this. It does run, but it also smokes a good bit on fire up. I plan to go through the engine bay to rebuild and retune everything that has been neglected over the years. The plan is to keep the drivetrain stock and in proper running order for now.

The frame and underneath is relatively clean and rust free, and this GMC came equipped with the truck arm rear suspension. The plan here, as with the drivetrain, is to clean this up and maintain it in stock form until I am ready to do suspension upgrades.

[hewittca]

The main reason I chose this truck was for its originality. Having OG paint was the top priority for me, and this truck delivers in that category. It still carries its original 510 medium blue with little to no rust. It shows it's scars from use as a truck over the years, but to me that adds character and I do NOT plan on painting any part of this truck. I did start the clean up process by polishing the LR bedside and I noticed that there appears to be a darker blue underneath the medium blue. The medium blue on top is an exact color match and has the same fade and wear as the rest of the truck, so if it was repainted it was done very early on. I just found this interesting because I am used to the typical black or oxide primer under the OG paint as seen on every other panel on this truck.

[hewittca]

After giving the truck a once over, we decided to have a little fun with it before getting to work on it. A while ago, we found this old boat trailer back in the woods on our property, so my son pulled it out and has been refurbishing it. We threw it on the hitch and pulled it around the property to test it out. My son was thrilled to see his trailer in action. It is a bit of a challenge to finesse this truck around the property with manual steering/brakes/trans, but it is still fun to drive.

The interior is basic and lacking a few correct components like seat, steering wheel, and floor mats, but it is functional. Over time I will bring this back to stock as well. After playing with the truck a bit, it was time to get it in the garage and get to work. First up is replacing the dry rotted tires.

[hewittca]

As I mentioned before, the plan of attack is to bring this truck back to stock form and function, enjoy it and put it to work for a while, and then start making some suspension mods. My first change is getting rid of the tires that were on the truck. I do not like white letter tires, and these were also the wrong size, so they were throwing off the whole look of the truck for me. After getting the wheels off, I realized that they are not the original wheels either and they appear to be 15x7. Regardless, I had some 235/75s mounted up with the proper white line sidewalls which greatly improved the look of the truck.

[Greg58]

Looks Great.

[smbrouss70]

Nice truck! Is that the same pup from the old thread?

[hewittca]

Originally Posted by smbrouss70

Nice truck! Is that the same pup from the old thread?

Yessir it is, that’s Apollo!

[smbrouss70]

I bet he's happy to have an old truck to ride in again. No more sad faces for Apollo!

[lolife99]

Very nice.
Looking forward to see what you do with it.

[72 tigger]

Thanks for the updates

[hewittca]

This weekend I had some time to get more acquainted with the truck, and the more I look at it the more work I find for myself. I was looking for a project, though, so that is fine by me. It basically needs all systems gone through since it appears to have been mechanically neglected in its past. So for now, while I compile a list of what needs to be done, I've been buffing on the original paint to see how it will shine up. So far, I am pleased with the results. The kids enjoyed taking it out into the sun to get a look as well.

[hewittca]

My original hope and perception was that this truck would be road worthy after a few quick fixes, but it has become evident that is not the case. The truck needs too many things gone through before I will feel comfortable driving it on the road, so for now we are just using it around our property. We are in the process of building a house so there is plenty to do. For this purpose, it is proving quite useful as a farm truck!

[cornerstone]

Glad you're back at it man, I've taken inspiration from your previous work for sure!

I'm placing my bet that in 30 years from now, if this site is still up and running, you will be posting pics of your latest build with pics of your grandkids in them! How cool would that be!

[hewittca]

Originally Posted by cornerstone

Glad you're back at it man, I've taken inspiration from your previous work for sure!

I'm placing my bet that in 30 years from now, if this site is still up and running, you will be posting pics of your latest build with pics of your grandkids in them! How cool would that be!

Yes that would be very cool! i’ve already learned my lesson from selling the last one that I simply cannot be without an old truck anymore. So chances are, I’ll be around for a long time to come.

[gmc684x4]

Nice clean truck
Looking forward to start working on my trucks again this spring

[clay68c10]

It’s hard to be away from these trucks for too long. Great project, and it’s nice to see the kiddos into it too.