'66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Finally, after a year and a half of chasing down names and numbers I got a new truck! It all started the first day of school last year, I was about a mile and a half away from my school, headed to lunch, and noticed a 60's GMC grille next to a shop out of the corner of my eye. I didnt get a good look at it so I decided to come back and look at it after school. When I got back after school a cover was over it and it was locked up behind a gate. Disappionted but still excited I drove by that shop atleast 3 times a week for the next 6 months... Then one Saturday, the cover was off. I stared in from the gate for a little while and figured out it was a 64-66 GMC Custom Cab long bed with the big back window. and that was all I needed to see. The next week i drove by all the local businesses and not a single person could tell me who owned the place. They all thought it was abandoned since no one was ever there and the gate was always shut. I spent the next two months chasing dead leads and never could find the guy so I tried to forget about it. Fast forward to last monday. I was home sick and bored so I went for a drive, I passed a 65 chevy and the GMC crossed my mind, so I cruised that way. Upon my arrival I discovered some trucks from a local business sitting in the lot with an open gate... I ran across the street and asked around, turns out they were leasing the lot. I got the owners name and number and called. Turns out the truck belonged to one of his employees, so I got his number and called. We talk for a bit and he tells me it was for sale. I was ecstatic. The next day I stop by, check it out and go home to talk to my father about it. He told me we could come back Saturday and take a look. So this afternoon we go over, and end up getting it. I may have paid to much but this is what I got and I couldnt be happier :lol:

1966 GMC Custom Cab with all the trim intact
Longbed
Big Back window
Bucket seats
Power Steering
Power Brakes
And a 351E V-6 Automatic
and tons of other little things

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

More pics

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

looks neat, would like to know more about the buckets... I know in 69 you could order the k5 buckets and console for a pu, but did not know 60-66's had them available.

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Big window, buckets, V6, she seems to be worth whatever price you paid for her. What are your plans? I'd get some new wheels and tires and drive her!

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

All the glass is in great condition, very few dents/dings, a little rust through on the front fenders, pass door and lower rear cab corner has been swiped, only 51K on the odo (has NOT turned over), bed looks really good with near perfect wheel wells and dent free tailgate. Front bumper and grill are also dent free. Seems like it had a easy life. :metal::metal::metal:

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

More seat pics...

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Great story and a nice score. A lot of nice straight sheet metal there, and the unique GMC trim. I've never seen the bucket seat setup before. Good for you.

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

I have only seen 66 gmc with the bucket seat option.

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

:metal:Score
Thats a sweet looking truck.

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Congrats on the new truck. That's definitely a nice score. Your persistence has paid off. Is the trans a Powerglide or ?

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Thanks for the comments everyone! For right now we are just going to try to get her running and see where it goes from there. I'm not quite sure on the tranny... It was too cold this evening to look over her. However, If it's any warmer tomorrow I'm going to get out and crawl all over it and see exactly what I have. And probably start draining all the fluids to see just what I'm working with.
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

The shift indicator may give you a hint of which transmission you have. I believe the Hydramatics have a pattern as indicated in the first post on the following thread:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ght=hydramatic

But according to the 2nd post they may have only been used until 1962 in the GMC.

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

The gear indicator is P-R-N-D-L. I want to believe that it is a th-400 but I also thought that was only a Chevy option...

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

the indicator is for a power glide

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

That is what I had concluded after a long night on google. Haha thanks!
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Yea no age limit on that , it never gets old.

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Those look like "buddy-buckets" to me.

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

How do you know the speedo has not turned over?Is there a way to tell if it has and how many times?

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

The buckets seat, consule, padded door panels and carpet was part of the new for '66 GMC "sports trim package". Congratulations on finding this "loaded" pickup, well worth the wait, all the options on your truck (except the incorrect side mirrors and wheels of course) are hard to find.That truck is definately worth restoring!

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

I have never seen a GMC emblem like that in the grille, are those correct. I would never have believed the buckets were correct either if I would not have read it here, learn something new everyday,cool score.

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

the square letters are 66 only

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Judgement call...lack of wear on pedals, armrests, steering wheel, and whatnot. I could be wrong, but overall not much wear...certainly doesn't seem like 150K.

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

dude nice find. Congrats.

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Really? My 64 has the square letters and the truck is mostly original. The chrome grill I bought is a square letter also. I was always wondering where the heck the rounded GMC letters came from lol

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Totally great find! I hope you plan on keeping that 351. Really sweet truck.

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

So, this is a keeper huh?

My son started working on cleaning it up and seeing what works and what doesn't...I'll let him fill in the details.

Few more pics...

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Well I got out and played with it today, drained the oil (no grit), checked the trans. fluid (looks new), drained the gas (3 gallons and no dirt or rust flakes). Replaced oil filter, rubber fuel lines, and fuel filter. (blew through the lines and they seemed clear) Set a battery in it, it turns over and wants to start but the carb is missing pieces and isnt working right so I believe we are going to try to find a 500 cfm 2-bbl Holley to put on and go from there.

The car wash cleaned the paint and chrome a lot, and with a little window cleaning, vacuuming, and air in the tires she is looking better and better!

Found an oil leak, but it just turned out to be an old pressure guage line broken. Just working through the basics, but we havent found any real problems yet.

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Thanks for your reply. Wasn't trying to be a smartass or anything was hopeing you had a way of telling the # of times it had turned.BTW nice find & I hope your luck holds up on everything.

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

What a find!! Congrats!!

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Nice Truck! I have never seen original bucket seats in one of those trucks before and come to think of it I dont think I have seen padded door panels either. It looks like someone has changed it over to 5 lug as well. I say clean it up real nice and put some different wheels on it and drive it.

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Cool- congrats

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Well, the rear end is 5-lug and the front 6-lug...

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Well I ran the truck by the car wash again today and blasted out the engine bay. Brought her home, pulled the plugs and started testing the compression. Every cylinder hit 120 psi except for the drivers side middle cylinder. First time it hit 80, second time it hit 90, poured a bit out oil in it and it hit 100. We stopped there for the evening due to sleet and some nice cold wind that was rolling in. But I got a chance to pick up some Marvel Mystery oil that we'll drop into all the cylinders, oil, and gas so hopefully the rings will loosen up a bit.
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Just fire it up and re check, compression #s don't mean **** after an engine has been sitting a long time...trust me I have run at leat 50 engine that had low to no compression and 9 out of 10 times they will come right back after they blow the crud and rust out of them

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Dude nice find! Thats a cool looking trim package! Is the white on the top half of the bed the way it came from factory? And this is random but in the top pic on this page that is one wicked looking chimney on that house haha.

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Yea, we are hopeful that this is the case. The next step for us is to chase down a carb and we will more than likely do the hei conversion. But after that we should be in business. .
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Thanks man! Yup, the paint is all original. That is how she came from the factory.

A tornado got the chimney...
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Man that is a great truck! You will like what the 500 holley and the HEI will do for it. Now if you get tired of working on it, I will come take it off you hands. It's a keeper.
Tim:gmc2:

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Looks like it would be a sweet build and has lots of potential!

Re: '66 GMC BBW w/351E and Factory Buckets
 

Very good original upholstry ( not common ) and plenty of fawn paint still on steering wheel ( not common ) help make the conlusion it may be original low mileage. The optional paint scheme is '62 thru '66 GMC factory work, and looks like most of the paint is original, however here is some evidence that the front end was touched up, notice the blue overspray on radiatior support panels.