Pawpaw's 55 GMC.......my new project

[jwilson645]

Sold off my 77 Big Ten a while back and have been working on a 48 Willys CJ2A with my son since. This one came as a surprise last week as I wasn't looking for another project right now.

I remember him taking us for rides in this truck. At the time, it was black after been painted with a brush over the original 2 tone green. It had the old "ooga" horn that we loved to hear.

My uncle, their only son, got it when he left the Navy in 1987. With good intentions, he started the restoration but, like most projects, life and other hobbies kept it from being finished. Last week, he called and asked me if I wanted to finish it. I didn't hesitate..........HELL YES! I picked up the first load of parts Tuesday after work. He has a lot of new parts as well as extra original parts he's picked up over the years. Most of this will be more reassembly than repair because it's pretty damn solid but there will be some metal replacement needed.

I have a goal in mind (2nd pic). Still mostly original but with a touch of old school hot rod.

[jwilson645]

..

[lv2tri2]

Of all the 40s and 50s trucks, the 55 GMC is the best IMO.

[dsraven]

have you had a task force truck before, do you know the common rust spots?
cab corners
windshield eyebrow
lower door hinge pillars where the step, pillar, cab mount and lower front fender mount all come together
front section of floor
inner cowls
steps and rockers
rear cab mount support area
roof area around/above the rain gutter
rear window around/under the rubber for the glass
front fender eyebrows above the headlight
front fender lower rear area usually right where the vertical brace is behind the skin
front fender rear inner lower brace
front fenders on the top rear area where the rear of the hood would be roughly
rad support where the lower mounts are
rear fenders on front edge above the step
rear fenders on the inner mounting lip

if you get time post up some pics of how things look. if youve never had one of these just look online at what repair parts are available and then check your truck for those spots to ensure it is actrually solid. sandblasting or media blasting would also give you a good idea but then you gotta do something with it. sometimes a great looking truck from the field turns out to be swiss cheese after blasting. still gotta pay the guy though. yours looks pretty good from the one pics of the cab. any previous damage or repairs you know of?

[dsraven]

was it a complete truck when you got it? like you have the original doors etc? they are not a one size fits all, more like one door fits the truck it came off. i have 5 doors and they all fit differently or not at all. hinges can be factory bent to make the door fit so try to rebuild what you have there if possible.

[jwilson645]

Originally Posted by lv2tri2

Of all the 40s and 50s trucks, the 55 GMC is the best IMO.

I agree. I've always loved the grill on these.

[jwilson645]

Originally Posted by dsraven

was it a complete truck when you got it? like you have the original doors etc? they are not a one size fits all, more like one door fits the truck it came off. i have 5 doors and they all fit differently or not at all. hinges can be factory bent to make the door fit so try to rebuild what you have there if possible.

It is complete but disassembled. I have all of the original parts except the bed (have one in better shape) and the driver's door (also have a replacement). It's possible that the original door may be found as I haven't gotten all of the parts to my house yet.

[jwilson645]

Originally Posted by dsraven

have you had a task force truck before, do you know the common rust spots?
cab corners
windshield eyebrow
lower door hinge pillars where the step, pillar, cab mount and lower front fender mount all come together
front section of floor
inner cowls
steps and rockers
rear cab mount support area
roof area around/above the rain gutter
rear window around/under the rubber for the glass
front fender eyebrows above the headlight
front fender lower rear area usually right where the vertical brace is behind the skin
front fender rear inner lower brace
front fenders on the top rear area where the rear of the hood would be roughly
rad support where the lower mounts are
rear fenders on front edge above the step
rear fenders on the inner mounting lip

if you get time post up some pics of how things look. if youve never had one of these just look online at what repair parts are available and then check your truck for those spots to ensure it is actrually solid. sandblasting or media blasting would also give you a good idea but then you gotta do something with it. sometimes a great looking truck from the field turns out to be swiss cheese after blasting. still gotta pay the guy though. yours looks pretty good from the one pics of the cab. any previous damage or repairs you know of?

No, this is my first Task Force/Blue Chip truck. The cab was media blasted and primed looooooong ago so you can see the rusty areas but they are minimal. It is going to need cab corners, and a few small floor areas but it isn't bad at all. I have done a couple of early Mustangs where I've replaced all the floors, quarters and inner cowl so this truck is MINT compared to that.

When I get all the sheet metal home, I will get some more pictures posted.

[jwilson645]

More pictures.........


Original passenger side door still has the original green under the brushed on black house paint.

Top of the cab (eyebrow) is solid.

[jwilson645]

2.

Passenger side. Only rust is the cab corner on and that small spot where the floor pan meets the toeboard.

[jwilson645]

3.

Sorry for the way the last 2 pictures are oriented. I tried multiple times to turn them correctly but it didn't work.

This is from the driver's side.

Small hole above the step.

Lower hinge pocket is buggered up. Looks like someone pried on it at some point.

2 small holes where the floorpan meets the toeboard on this side also.

Cab corner.

[daveshilling]

You might be able to pressure wash and/or paint strip that black and get down to the green... might be worth it!

[Troy Sr]

I wish I had one again, I had a '55 GMC back in the early 80's. When my step father kicked me out of the house, he sold it and I've never seen it since!!

[jwilson645]

So about 30 years or so ago, my uncle started on this truck. The cab and front fenders were media blasted. The cab was primed but the fenders were not. Filler was started right over the bare metal and they were stored in the rafters of the garage with no paint on them. Heavy surface rust..........I dropped them off today at lunch to be media blasted again. Next up will be replacing the rusty areas and then epoxy prime.

[jwilson645]

1 more

[NWA58]

My cab was nearly identical to yours with the same colors and rust spots. The rockers and steps are easily replaced together in one piece and cab corners tie in also. The hinge pockets and all of the metal is available to make it relatively easy if handy with a welder.

PRO TIP: Test fit a windshield before you start cutting and replacing metal. If the windshield doesn’t fit, fix that first and brace it.

Hopefully your fenders clean up nicely also.

[jwilson645]

Thanks NWA58. The cab is amazingly solid or maybe I'm just used to the rusty old Mustangs that I was previously in to?

The cab corners are the largest pieces that will be replaced. The steps are solid except for a small area in the upright pieces so I will just be making a small patch there. Same with the other spots......just small patches where needed.

[dsraven]

post up some pics when you get the parts back from the blaster. include a few shots of the normal problem areas, lower hinge pillars, cab mounts, etc. sounds like you got a gooder. awesome.

[jwilson645]

Front fenders are back from the blaster. I expected them to clean out all the filler but the owner explained that they didn't like doing that because they have to go at it so hard that it has caused issues with the metal in the past. If I'd have known that ahead of time, I would have ground it all out myself so they could have blasted thw metal underneath the filler.

I'll get some more detailed pictures when it stops raining here.

[jwilson645]

Brought the bed, hood, seat and radiator support home last weekend.

This isn't the original bed. Supposedly this one is/was better than the original. There is a 1/4" steel plate tack welded over the remnants of the wood. It appears all the floor braces are solid. The 1 step is shot (from sitting on the ground) but the other one is solid. I do have the original 55 GMC fenders from my truck that will be going on this box.

[daveshilling]

So your donor shortbox is getting both fenders, one step, AND a tailgate replaced?( to say GMC)... so much for a donor!

[jwilson645]

Originally Posted by daveshilling

So your donor shortbox is getting both fenders, one step, AND a tailgate replaced?( to say GMC)... so much for a donor!

Yes. The original box was scrapped and this one was bought to replace it looooooong ago. The original fenders an extra step and tailgate in good shape all came with the truck when I got it so why wouldn't I?

[jwilson645]

Been working instead of posting. Front drop axle is now in place and mocking up the front discs. Lots of parts have been rolling in.

I gotta source a small piece of 3/8" plate to cut the brackets from. I have plenty of 1/4" in the shop but never use 3/8" so I don't need a whole sheet.

I'm using 6 lug 12" rotors and the only brackets I can find online say they're for the smaller 11" rotor. I have the bracket mocked up in 1/8" steel now.

[dsraven]

Looks good. If anything I would say put a wheel on and see if you need to trim the bracket ear so it doesnt rin the tire.
Try a welding fab shop, they usually have smaller pieces laying around.
Good idea to mock up in what you have laying around. Also makes a great pattern to have should you or somebody you know wanna do it again.

[daveshilling]

Originally Posted by jwilson645

Been working instead of posting. Front drop axle is now in place and mocking up the front discs. Lots of parts have been rolling in.

I gotta source a small piece of 3/8" plate to cut the brackets from. I have plenty of 1/4" in the shop but never use 3/8" so I don't need a whole sheet.

I'm using 6 lug 12" rotors and the only brackets I can find online say they're for the smaller 11" rotor. I have the bracket mocked up in 1/8" steel now.

You could try modifying these: https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Weld-...cket,3348.html