Project Curly - 1953 GMC Panel Truck

[panelrodder81]

Ok so I have had this truck since the summer of '99 when I was still in high school. Been working on it since... even though these pics don't show a whole lot, quite a bit has been done. The truck started out as a "Mr. Potato Head" project... meaning he came home as a body, chassis and 'a bucket of parts'. I have a bunch of pics from over the years but these are the most current and only ones I have on hand. I'm going the sealed primer route on this truck, no comments on this please as I'm aware of the pros and cons. This incarnation will be running my 350 HO Deluxe crate motor with 1997 5.7 Serpentine pulley setup and turning a 700r4 which connects to a '75 Nova 3.73 ration rear end. I have an Ididit column hooked to a MII front end w power rack. Seats are courtesy of a 2000 PT Cruiser that donated its front buckets and rear bench and floor mount. Budgets are still tight on this just like when I originally started the truck so the carpet is equestrian trailer tack room carpet, for now, with some juke insulation. Shifter was a Lokar when I had the Th350 but is now a B&M Mega Shifter. I like the Lokar better but the tranny swap forced a new shifter and this is what I could afford! The body of the truck is mostly stock. I love the lines of the truck so I'm keeping it mostly the way it was intended... just lower! I am shaving most of the emblems, keeping the GMC above the grill, and I'd like to shave the handles but we'll see. I am converting to bear claw latches though. I've also shave the original filler neck and switched to a flush mount motorcycle gas filler cap in the body. My To Do list is lengthy but I hope to be on the road in the next few weeks and to a specific show on September 11th in Brigham City, Utah. I will only make the show if it can drive there by its self so I have some good work to get done!

Oh, and it is actually quite low but right now its on big jack stands for the trans swap!


More pics to come!

[panelrodder81]

More pics I forgot about on my Photobucket account: (the flames are just decals and will be going away very soon)


This is a static ride height BTW.

[panelrodder81]

And lastly, I have considered this as my first primer job... we'll see. A little in your face but I really like it!

[elwoods76]

That is a good looking project! The primer job would be an awesome attention getter.

[panelrodder81]

Update: Today I was able to fab up a gas tank cover to seal up the giant opening in the rear floor of the truck and while that cooled get the filler neck finished up. Then sealed it all and called it a day on a count of the heat!

On Monday I will have my torque converter bolts, as part of a big order with Jegs, which will mostly finish the transmission. I can install the dust shield , exhaust. and trans cooler, also in the Jegs order, and then set it down on the ground! After all that I can fill the fluids, prime the engine, and fire the thing!

Pics of today's work coming tomorrow... forgot to take some today!

[1lo67]

Good looking project...i like your firewall, i wish i had went with that type.

[panelrodder81]

Originally Posted by 1lo67

Good looking project...i like your firewall, i wish i had went with that type.

Thanks! Funny enough I really had no choice on the firewall since when I got the shell... it was literally a shell with no floors, toe board, or firewall! *****in' had the best product for the price and my only regret is that I didn't spend more time finishing the install. Oh and that I didn't have to drill so many damn holes in it!

[panelrodder81]

Its back on all four wheels!!! Last night I managed to get the dust shield bolted on, the exhausted bolted back on, and the transmission cooler lines hooked up (to the trans but the cooler isn't installed yet). Here are some pics. (I don't remember 5megapixles looking this bad, maybe I'm use to my 8.5 camera!)

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink
Had to wait until this morning to take some pics but this one is the truck at ride height. (5.75" off the ground at the running boards.. static!)

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink
This is the engine bay of the truck... in all of its dirty glory! You can see the 1997 Vortec serpentine pulley system.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink
A good shot of the serp. setup. This was bold on piece and I only paid 50 bucks for everything including the accessories themselves!

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink
The interior looks pretty much the same as the last pic but I thought I'd throw it up anyway

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink
Interior #2


Tonight after work I'm going to stop and buy a few more inches of 1" square tubing so I can fab a mount for my trans cooler. I am going to be doing the cookie sheet radiator fan shroud so I will also be working with the guy that will be welding the sheets together for me as well. After that is all hooked up/wired up I can fill all fluids, prime the engine, and get the thing fired. Hopefully this will all go down on Friday before I spend yet another weekend somewhere besides my garage!

If that all goes down on time then next week will mark the beginning of some body repair, some natural like rust and some man made like a botched suicide door install, and getting my bear claw latches installed. After that I'd be basically ready for my deadline so anything else is just icing on the cake!

[a5Ben]

What rims are those?

[panelrodder81]

Originally Posted by a5Ben

What rims are those?

Umm... from Wheel Vintiques. I bought them years ago so I don't recall the exact model. I do have the info at home though and can look it up. Other than they are a little smaller in diameter than what I really wanted, I quite like them. (I would like to add some WWW to them also.)

[panelrodder81]

So last night I wasn't quite as productive as I had wanted to be. I only got a frame for the trans cooler built. Its pretty heavy duty, I'm not messing around!

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink

I am still considering the idea in my post located in the main forum about cutting a whole in the inner fender behind the grill and mounting it there but, honestly, I probably won't do it. I like the idea but I think that after I dress these welds and paint it black this will be a cleaner installation.

I did get to talk to my wife's cousin's husband about welding my cookie sheets together for my new fan shroud and he's on-board, I just need to cut them and mark them for assembly. Unfortunately I am out of time this week and won't get back to the truck until Monday.

[panelrodder81]

Been awhile since I updated and that is because I haven't gotten to spend as much time as before in the garage. I do have some pics though!

Since getting it back on the ground I finished up my trans cooler install, started repairing my door jams from the botched suicide door install (long story), and I got and started installing my bear claw latches with the new install kit.

Trans Cooler:

Still need to get the hoses right but close enough for now.

Door Jam Repair:

Driver Side - I cut this side up a lot for testing and so I have a bigger mess to clean up. I'm doing the repair on the still open part in pieces rather than try to form a single patch. Easier to match the shape from the other side.

Passenger Side

Bear Claw Latch Instal:

I'm using the big latch kit from AutoLoc. I learned a lot on my first set of doors and so this time I'm going slower and doing what I can to retain as much of the original door as possible. (The idea of not using an entire patch panel just only what you need...) I'm pretty close here, I just need to make some slight modifications with a body hammer to the patch and then I should be able to weld it in. The cut marks on the door edge are mostly in the rubber though I did knick the metal a little bit... oops!

[panelrodder81]

New pics from last night:


I made a cap for the in and outlets on the A/C compressor for now. When I actually have the cash for a system I will open it back up and run it.


My driver's door bear claw latch is almost done and the door shuts soooo nicely with a full two stage solid latch.


Door jam side. This is still pretty messy since I had some big huge gaps to fill from the previously mentioned suicide door attempt.


And the door side.

I wish my welds looked better... and were actually better but I am finally getting some practice with this project so hopefully they will start getting better. Plus I still don't have gas for my mig, I'm just running flux core wire.

Next on the list is to finish putting in all the fluids, heat wrap my exhaust where it gets too close to my shift linkage and brake booster, then get my power steering lines installed so I can fire this thing without fluid shooting out all over!

*Knock on wood* If it fires and I can get it tuned up, and the door latches done, then I should be able to make the Peach Days Car Show in Brigham City, Utah on September 11th like I've been working towards!

[VA72C10]

looking good. Hope you make your deadline!

[panelrodder81]

Ok, so the work paid off and I made it to Peach Days car show in Brigham City, Utah this past weekend. Here is a pic on the show grounds:



Here is a pic right after unmasking the truck after spraying an olive green primer in my garage the day before the show and only a couple hours before jumping in it and driving three hours north to spend the night closer to the show at my parent's place.



What do you guys think? I was planning a more elaborate primer finish but just ran out of time so I know it looks like a lot of green on such a huge truck!

[VA72C10]

Looks good. nice classic primer color.

[panelrodder81]

Quick update:

So I obviously made the show and the truck did over 350 miles that weekend and handled 75+mph just fine and other than needing new rear shocks, it road great and was fun to drive!

I did learn a few things though:

1- I have a heat problem. It might be because the electric fan on the trans cooler wasn't running and was obstructing enough of the radiator to let it warm up or it might be because the radiator isn't up to the V8. I have a rad priced out but will try getting that second electric fan spinning before I order it.

2- I need mirrors.... I need them badly!

3- The Flowmaster 40s that I have nearly killed me with the amount of drone they emitted at 70mph cruising. They have to go. (Already have a buyer for them actually)

4- As I said I need new rear shocks. The current ones are air shocks and they are so old and nasty that they won't hold air.

5- My ignition switch is on the fritz and needs replacing.

6- I found out about a month after the show that I didn't have working break lights... oops. The turn signals all work but not the break lights. So I will have to figure that out.

7- My driver's side headlight went MIA at some point during the drive home. The whole bulb, bezel, and torn the wiring up a bit.... so that is a problem.

8- My gas filler system sucks .... sucks badly. Gas wouldn't go down the neck, would backup and spill down the side of the truck. Real nasty mess. So I'm going to have to completely redesign that thing.


So, in summary, it was a good experience to finally get it on the freeway and put some miles on it! Over all I was VERY happy with how it all worked out and drove. A few minor things to address which is part of hotrodding! Spring will be fun!

The truck is in winter hibernation since my condo complex has dismal snow removal and I didn't want my wife and son having to fight for parking spot and then tromp through the snow all winter; so I gave up the garage.

I did do this mockup and look forward to changing the truck over to this scheme in the spring as well!

[panelrodder81]

Ok so Curly is getting ready to come out of storage, hopefully this weekend if weather permits. In the mean time I've ordered a bunch of parts including a new 4 core Champion Cooling aluminum radiator which arrived yesterday. The other parts should be at the house by friday before I would leave to retrieve the truck.

Today I was browsing the net while on lunch and happend to find a site I built while in high school when I first got the truck! I was amazed that the site was still technically live after being out of school for this long! The great thing about the site being live is I was able to retrieve some old photos that I had presumed lost!

Behold, photos of the day I first met my truck!

[panelrodder81]

- My two brothers.... wow that was a long time ago!
- In this pic you can also see the core support for my dad's numbers matching 1964 Tri-power GTO!


- My youngest brother who is now 18. My son looks a lot like this!

[panelrodder81]

These pics are after the truck was hauled home and was put in cold storage in and old barn till we could get the shop emptied.

[panelrodder81]

So I picked up Curly last weekend. I drove up to my parent's place on Thursday after work and spent friday putting a new radiator in and then driving it home. Here are some pics of the install.

This is after getting the old rad out:


This shows my serp setup that I got off a 1997 Chevy pickup for 50 bucks:


Close up of the mounting channel:


Another with the old rad gone:

[panelrodder81]

Here is the new rad sitting in place. The radiator is from Champion Cooling, I got it off ebay:


and another:


and another:


The only problem is that the rad is for a Chevy rather than a GMC so I had to make some modifications here and there. Like here is the piece the crosses over the top of the radiator:


I also had to make a couple little notches in the lower part of the core support but I don't have pics of that.

Here is the truck driving down the road:


And a shot of the speedo, the truck runs great at 70 but around 75+ I start to get what I think is a drive shaft vibration that I have to look into.


Here is a short video of the truck on the freeway with a shot of the speedo and the quad gauge:
http://s281.photobucket.com/albums/k...422_181027.mp4

All the noise you here in the video is my Flowmaster 40s without tail pipes and the nasty drone at cruising speeds. Those mufflers are going to go cuz I just can't have that kind of noise. I had to have ear plugs in just so I could stand to drive it. They sound great at idle but suck while driving.

From here I am going to make some changes here and there and then jump into getting it registered and on the road all the while work on the interior fabrication.

-Panelrodder

[VA72C10]

killer deal on the serpentine setup! That didn't include the alternator and A/c comp for that did it?

[panelrodder81]

Originally Posted by VA72C10

killer deal on the serpentine setup! That didn't include the alternator and A/c comp for that did it?

In fact it DID! The alt turned out bad though and I had to replace it and I think the A/C is bad too but at least I had/have a core for each! It also included the power steering pump and all hardware. I had to take it off the truck but I got it all!

-Panelrodder

[panelrodder81]

One other thing, you will notice that Curly hit 500 miles on the odometer! 500 miles in 11 years.... I'd say that is pretty low milage!

-Panelrodder