My new project truck!

[HIGHWAY BY THE SEA]

A few weeks ago I was driving across state with my kids, and noticed an old GMC dually flatbed truck sitting in a field on a farm. We continued on our journey, but I could NOT get that truck out of my mind the entire weekend. I have been wanting a 1967 Chevy C30 for some time, however this was an unknown year GMC, and on the return trip we drove past it again.

We came to a crossroads with a stop sign, and I turned to my kids and said, "We are going back to look at that truck!" I did a U turn and drove back to the farm. I was able to locate the owner/farmer and asked him about it. Unbelievably, It turned out to be EXACTLY the year I wanted! A 1967 GMC 3500 1-Ton! It did not run (it ran until it sat for 10 years), and he was asking $800 for it. I told him I would think about it and got his card.

Several days later I called him with a counter-offer of $400, and he countered with $600. I told him I would think about it, and was going to hang up, but he then said, "$500". We settled on it, and I drove there, paid him, and secured the title.

Days later I had it towed to my house. It took several hours to clean that cab out. It was FULL of squirrels (or possibly rats) nests, mud wasp nests, paper, farm tools, and junk. It filled up my large shop vac twice.

My son and I removed the old dilapidated seat, then resumed shop-vacuuming the cab floor. The cab floor is very rusty (as can be expected) but that will have to be somehow dealt with later. Then we unhooked the gas line, removed the gas tank, and dumped its trash-gas into a bucket. That stuff was no longer gas, and there was no rust in the tank (a big surprise).

The rodents had chewed some spark plug cables, so I replaced those. Some moron previous potential buyer had broken out the factory key switch trying to start the truck.

The next day I took out the nasty rusted idiot light gauge pod, and removed the dash pad (and found that the original factory color was light gray). Those rodents had also chewed some wires behind the gauge pod, but they were 98% intact.

I changed the oil (with a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil), and put on new battery cables (have not bought a battery yet). I also turned the crank with a socket wrench on the crank bolt, and was able to get it to move (engine is not seized).

Today I replaced the spark plugs, and repinned the gauge socket to work with my factory gauge pod that I bought and saved years ago.

Next up is to buy a battery, and get the carb rebuilt. I may replace the distributor since it is points system (I hate those). Once all of these things are done, THEN I will attempt to start it. But for now it is the "purifying" process of draining old fluids, and fixing the wiring system.

This has been FUN!!!