55.2-59 Treasure or trash?

[NWA58]

I acquired this truck 5 years ago this month and had big plans. Thought I would have a little fun with you guys and see if you can tell me what parts are good and what is trash. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, right?

So what would you use or think is worth keeping?

[mr48chev]

I'm thinking that there are a few guys on here sitting in front of the computer looking at figuring out what kind of offer you would take for it as it sits.

If it is as solid as it looks and the other side is in as good of shape as this side, I'd say it is a builder for someone. Stick it on a short bed frame or shorten the frame and with few pieces you have a short stepside. The stigma of fixing a long bed up is going by the wayside a bit at a time.

[Father&son56project]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

I'm thinking that there are a few guys on here sitting in front of the computer looking at figuring out what kind of offer you would take for it as it sits.

Here in Ontario we would commit murder to get our hands on something that solid!!!

[nvrdone]

I think I'd get it to run and drive it. If you decided to sell, a runner always brings more $$$

[dsraven]

it looks pretty solid but without going through a few checks you never know.
it looks like possibly 5 stud wheels on the front and 6 stud on the rear. if so, it would be good to know if that was a hub change on the front or something else done under there for suspension.
best to crawl under there and see what you have.
since the biggest problem with the body on these trucks comes from water sitting in the cowls and running out onto the floor you should check those problem spots first-body wise. floors, hinge pillars, front cab mounts, front fender lower rear mounts, rockers and steps, all the stuff in that front lower section of the cab that gets rotted out. there is an easily removed panel in the kickpanel area that will expose the inner part of the hinge pillars so you can look down in there from the top but also check the area from the underside.
then the eyebrow area above the windshield that seems to be a haven for mouse nests and that usually means a rusty and soft area.
check around/above the drip rails for soft spots meaning hidden rust
of course the rear cab corners
the rear cab mount can also be a mud catcher and cause some rust out
the areas above and around the headlights is a really common rust area but yours look to be in good shape. a check from the back side would be a good indicator. the lower rear section of the front fender is also a common rust spot
rear febders seems to rust out along the step mount area as well as the fender mounting strip
it is a good idea to check online to see what aftermarket replacement repair patches are available as that is a good indicator as to what are the common rusted out spots. check those spots to see how solid your truck is before you start taking anything apart.
when you get settled and have some time we would be interested to see more pics of the unit and what you have to wotk with, body, engine, suspension etc. a truck this old could have had a bunch of repairs over the years or possibly was just used periodically or seasonally and never seen much for use. maybe stored under a roof or not. you never really know what you have till you start looking hard at it.

[dsraven]

GMC can be a little different than Chev as far as how they are assembled, different rad supports, dashes etc. a quick look inside at the dash would say a lot. the Chev would have the V shaped speedo and the GMC would have a split cluster with round style gauges. possibly a deluxe heater that is quite a bit bigger than the Chev standard units. I have seen quite a few GMC's that are actually Chevy trucks with a GMC front end applied, and vice versa. if you owned a GMC and needed front end parts it was cheaper to swap it over to a Chev front end because they were more prevalent in the used parts category. interested to see what you actually have.

[dsraven]

if you decide to keep it, what would your plan be? get it running and roadworthy and just drive it in the stock formation or change stuff out for more power and creature comforts? a full on frame off? resto mod?

[NWA58]

dsraven nailed it! The truck looked solid enough to take a gamble but the fenders were pushed back into the doors and would not open enough for me to get in and look it over. Couldn’t get under it either. The novelty of the original GMC V8 (not running) was enough to make me take it home. Almost nothing was usable as it sat because the doors would not open. So the tear down began and five days later, I had separated into piles of swap meet, trash and save.

Expected trouble areas confirmed in door hinge pockets, steps/rockers and cab corners, but it got worse. Roof had been overlayed at some point, cab was twisted (explaining the ill-fitting windshield that was leaking), and the motor was junk.

[NWA58]

I was able to save a few pieces:
Cab (with regrets)
Inner fenders
Core support
Front gravel panel
Right fender
Hood
Grille center bar
Emblems
Bed cross sills

Sold:
Rolling long wheelbase chassis w/ motor and trans
1957 date code radiator
Glass
Deluxe heater setup
GMC Tailgate $$$
Bedsides w/ fenders still attached
Left fender
Gas tank

Got enough $ in parts sold to cover my original investment and had some good stuff to apply to a new build

[NWA58]

Dsraven- True GMC dash, motor, VIN tag and front end. The left fender came off a red Chevy and had filler worms sticking through holes where the Chevy spears once lived. It got kinked badly and was better off in someone else’s shop for them to revive.

[mr48chev]

Shows that the right camera angle and lighting can make any old barfly look a lot better than she does out in the daylight.

When you get down to the detail shots it is a lot like that 57 GMC 3/4 ton big window that I had here at the house that had belonged to my mom's long time companion. Best part of the truck was the glass and the finned aluminum valve covers on the 283 that someone had put in it with a powerglide trans. The truck had something like 5.88 gears and a top speed of about 45. Every panel was rusted out about like the bad spots in this green truck.

Still parts is parts and there are some pieces on it that other's can use.

[dsraven]

The dash isnt cut up like a lot are.
Cab looks like a doner to cut the floor and firewall out and slip it down over a floor and firewall from a newer truck. My old 57 GMC project is sitting on an 04 envoy frame, floor and firewall. Not optimal for track width but I will overcome that later when it comes to fender repair day, lol.
You got plans for building something?

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by Father&son56project

Here in Ontario we would commit murder to get our hands on something that solid!!!

same here in michigan. my truk was probably that far gone and i reused all sheet metal and frame

[NWA58]

The cab and front end lives on with way too many hours with a good metal man. Had to reskin the roof, inner and outer cab corners, steps, rockers, hinge pockets, and the put the porta power on it to get it back to square and pull the firewall back out (not necessarily in that order). It had been hit harder than any of the exterior panels could show. It’s now on a short bed frame and has a new lease on life. I’ll have to start a Project thread sometime.