1963 Gmc 1500- Do I have an odd duck

[350TacoZilla]

So currently I'm laid up after 3rd back surgery here on 6th and so that gives me lots of time to ponder small details of what I want to do with my truck once I'm able to work on it again. I also keep thinking of small things I noticed with my truck that doesnt seem to be the norm and was hoping to get some info. I bought the truck from 2nd owner who had just gotten it so truck was almost a 1 owner truck and as far as I know is not modded in any way.(purists please look away before I start my build) But if it makes you feel better the truck may be near original but needs alot of work (rust,previous repaint,smokes,brakes,no bed floor etc)

1st- 3/4 ton long bed stepside with a dana rear axle not eaton, is this normal? No pics but you know what a dana 60 looks like.

2nd- Giant box under dash that says motorola on it for radio that I havent seen in other's trucks.

[Warrens69GMC]

Full side shot?

[350TacoZilla]

Here is best I have at moment, this is from ad when I bought it.

[Clyde65]

I believe the Dana was stock in GMC’s
That box is probably a two way radio type deal, it certainly isn’t stock

[350TacoZilla]

ah ok it looked like it was wired into the trucks radio so I didnt know if it was some dealer option or something, maybe its just using the speaker from radio. I will have to try and investigate lol. The truck is kept at my parents place since thats where I can work on stuff so it will probably be week or two before I even get to see it again.

[Captainfab]

The '63-'66 GMC 1000's typically came with a Dana 44 and the 1500's typically came with a Dana 60. There is lots of aftermarket support for the Dana 60's.

[350TacoZilla]

Cool ty all for info, I'm just used to seeing the round eaton under the 3/4T stuff this age more than the 60. I'll actually be replacing whole frame setup and end up with a D60 & D70 combo under it but was curious if it was a common stock setup.

On the radio I will have to poke around under dash once I can bend again, I know the radio worked and I just assumed the blueish motorola box went along with radio since they were wired together. Worlds first prototype car phone? Kidding obviously lol

[Robert Haas]

Dana 44's are possibly the most common differential on the market. Lots of aftermarket support for them.

[LVPhotos]

Originally Posted by Robert Haas

Dana 44's are possibly the most common differential on the market. Lots of aftermarket support for them.

44s, are cute! He is talking big boy toys. The 60/70 combo is what's under my one ton.

[Robert Haas]

Originally Posted by LVPhotos

44s, are cute! He is talking big boy toys. The 60/70 combo is what's under my one ton.

Millions of 44's out there, just about every jeep made in the last 40 years is on them.

I have a built up 44 under my 65, handles over 500 HP without batting and eye.

[350TacoZilla]

Originally Posted by Robert Haas

Millions of 44's out there, just about every jeep made in the last 40 years is on them.

I have a built up 44 under my 65, handles over 500 HP without batting and eye.

Getting quite far off track already with the dana44 stuff that has nothing to do with truck in question but here goes. I really dislike blanket statements like that (especially incorrect info). Might want to rethink the "just about all of them part".....here is 40 years of most common jeeps and just a disclaimer I might be off about some info here so please do your own research.
CJ5 - 1978 dana 30/amc 20
CJ7 - dana 30/amc 20 till 86 then was a 30/44 combo (1 year only)
YJ - dana 30/dana 35 basically for entire run
TJ - dana 30/dana 35 standard with 44 as a rear only option till rubicon which is 44 front and rear 03-06 so 3 years only
XJ - dana 30/dana35 or dana 30/chrysler 8.25 except for special order tow package avail in 87-88-89 again 3 years
ZJ - dana 30/dana 35 except you guessed a tow package aluminum 44 avail for 3 years 93-94-95
JK - dana 30/dana 35 except for rubicon dana 44's
JL - now uses a metric dana axle but very similar to 30/35 combo in size with rubicon having 44 sized replacements.

Dana 44 isnt a bad axle but I think you meant 1 out of every 5000 jeeps has the tiny chance of maybe having a dana 44 and many have been broken with 31-33" tires and stock sub 300 horse motors or just from the weight of JKU's bending them.

now back to topic at hand I said in first post it was a dana 60,which I wasnt used to seeing and captainfab was just adding in that 1000's have dana 44 & 1500's had dana 60. I have no intention to run this axle like I said but yeah the aftermarket is HUGE for a dana 44 or 60, If I didnt already have the 60/70 setup though it would be getting a 14bolt rear.

[Captainfab]

I personally would like to see you post a build thread on your 4wd conversion once you get healed up and able to work on your truck.

[350TacoZilla]

Definitely will do one once I'm back together lol. I have thought of starting one numerous times as I was collecting some parts but figured I'd wait till I have most of the stuff and can actually build it while updating thread so it doesnt kinda stall out.

[350TacoZilla]

So long time without me remembering to update this.

Radio is a Motorola Model 600 radio first released in 1950, not sure how long they were available.

[Brad54]

Originally Posted by 350TacoZilla

Getting quite far off track already with the dana44 stuff that has nothing to do with truck in question but here goes. I really dislike blanket statements like that (especially incorrect info). Might want to rethink the "just about all of them part".....here is 40 years of most common jeeps and just a disclaimer I might be off about some info here so please do your own research.
CJ5 - 1978 dana 30/amc 20
CJ7 - dana 30/amc 20 till 86 then was a 30/44 combo (1 year only)
YJ - dana 30/dana 35 basically for entire run
TJ - dana 30/dana 35 standard with 44 as a rear only option till rubicon which is 44 front and rear 03-06 so 3 years only
XJ - dana 30/dana35 or dana 30/chrysler 8.25 except for special order tow package avail in 87-88-89 again 3 years
ZJ - dana 30/dana 35 except you guessed a tow package aluminum 44 avail for 3 years 93-94-95
JK - dana 30/dana 35 except for rubicon dana 44's
JL - now uses a metric dana axle but very similar to 30/35 combo in size with rubicon having 44 sized replacements.

Dana 44 isnt a bad axle but I think you meant 1 out of every 5000 jeeps has the tiny chance of maybe having a dana 44 and many have been broken with 31-33" tires and stock sub 300 horse motors or just from the weight of JKU's bending them.

now back to topic at hand I said in first post it was a dana 60,which I wasnt used to seeing and captainfab was just adding in that 1000's have dana 44 & 1500's had dana 60. I have no intention to run this axle like I said but yeah the aftermarket is HUGE for a dana 44 or 60, If I didnt already have the 60/70 setup though it would be getting a 14bolt rear.

Dana 44s were found in Jeeps (including postal jeeps), Packards, Studebakers, Checker cabs, bronco's, Rams and Ramchargers, Chevy 4x4s of all eras, Corvettes, Vipers and is actually the longest-running, most common rear end in the American auto industry and is till found under new vehicles today.
If the GMC in the original post is a floating axle-type, it's a 60. (I can't tell from the pic).
If it's not a floating rear, it's a 44.

-Brad

[straight6chevyguy]

Originally Posted by 350TacoZilla

So long time without me remembering to update this.

Radio is a Motorola Model 600 radio first released in 1950, not sure how long they were available.

So cool!
I love all things radio and that old stuff is the coolest.

Cool truck to by the way!

[350TacoZilla]

Originally Posted by Brad54

Dana 44s were found in Jeeps (including postal jeeps), Packards, Studebakers, Checker cabs, bronco's, Rams and Ramchargers, Chevy 4x4s of all eras, Corvettes, Vipers and is actually the longest-running, most common rear end in the American auto industry and is till found under new vehicles today.
If the GMC in the original post is a floating axle-type, it's a 60. (I can't tell from the pic).
If it's not a floating rear, it's a 44.

-Brad

I didnt say it wasnt popular or common axle in USA... that being said I wasn't looking for help to identify the rear axle, from the very beginning I said " 3/4 ton long bed stepside with a dana rear axle not eaton, is this normal? No pics but you know what a dana 60 looks like."

Now I'm really not looking to get into it about jeeps further but here you go.
From 1955-1968 the DJ came with dana 27 then from 1969-1984 it had a dana 44. Again I like dana 44's, I'm not saying there was never a dana 44 in gmc trucks, I'm not saying there was never a dana 44 in a jeep. I said it wasnt exactly in every jeep made in past 40 years, its actually rather unusual to find one in a jeep from the factory. I'm just used to seeing a eaton rear under this vintage of 3\4 ton truck so the dana 60 surprised me (thinking about it it might be because I have seen a bunch more 60-63or66 chevy trucks then GMC's)

[350TacoZilla]

Originally Posted by straight6chevyguy

So cool!
I love all things radio and that old stuff is the coolest.

Cool truck to by the way!

Thanks man! I looked for a long time for one but they always slipped past as I either didnt have the money or when I did I couldn't find one forsale. Now I got one and haven't been able to work on it due to my knee first then my back but hoping that all changes soon with lucky back surgery #4...