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My new project truck!
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!!! https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/UAyPGa.jpg |
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Good luck with your new project!Looking forward to your progress.Can't wait to hear the details on what engine/trans and what your plans are. Don't forget we like lots of pictures!
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pic fa ya...
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awesome story, yer gonna have fun with this one. Did you say anything about needing a savings account for this project?! : >)
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More pictures are coming soon! |
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https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/5...923/Zjwhnj.jpg
The old 350 engine https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/5...923/Tov95O.jpg Arrived at new home! https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/5...923/MrfADk.jpg Nasty interior! https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/5...922/avmkGO.jpg You is outta here seat! https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/5...924/t9G7Y8.jpg Gas tank eviction! |
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https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/4...923/bah1mD.jpg
Trash gas https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/4...923/5sF9UZ.jpg Took out gauge pod. The kitten tried to help! https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/4...922/qqbeIa.jpg These are going to be replaced with a full gauge pod. |
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Nice to see someone giving this one some love! Kitten looking for mice?
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I think my kitten smelled the odor of tasty rodents inside the cab!
It cannot be seen in the pictures (thanks steering wheel!), but to the right of the brake pedal is some kind of protruding metal rod that looks like it was once another type pedal or something. Anyone know what it might be? I may post a picture later when I get home. |
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I would guess it's the throttle pedal rod
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https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/4...923/45UCnS.jpg
Removing front lights begins... https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/4...922/urw9nA.jpg Front parking and signal lights. Fixing wiring is a pain. https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/4...924/ZVWaa0.jpg Amazing how bent the front bumper brackets are. Compare to the straight set. |
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This truck has no junction blocks! Is this normal for 67s or someone's bad wiring idea?
I had the junction blocks removed from my 68 after I had that electrical fire that started at one of the blocks and they have been replaced with fuses and fusable links. Also, what kind of brake booster is that in the engine pic? |
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I think I still have some front marker lights and maybe some chrome bezels if you'e interested. They won't be perfect, but they will be cheep!
Rg |
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I'll take a pic and post it.
Rg |
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Bezels and grill
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'71 + '72 MY [unsure when change happened] had gas pedal hanging on pivot on firewall, action inside cab, and cable going to carb coming thru firewall. '67 GMC grille had black letters "GMC" stamped on center of grille -- usually painted white. Later models were chrome and had chromed hood letters. :gmc2: |
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Here are some pictures of what '68OrangeSunshine described. The first picture is the back of the accelerator pedal. The second picture shows the firewall linkage and mounted ball studs. The third picture shows the mounted accelerator pedal. The forth picture is a small block throttle rod that goes to the carb from the firewall linkage.
Here's a link to Classic Industries showing most of the parts. https://www.classicindustries.com/sh...?q=accelerator |
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All that being said, on my last engine rebuild, I converted to a GM '72 gas pedal and a Lokar throttle cable to overcome an L6 w/ side-mounted 4 barrel carb issue. The old way, with the throttle pushrod and _aftermarket bellcrank_, was too much of a Rube Goldberg affair, and frequently jammed, lost critical hairpin pieces, iced up and never got wide open throttle. Always at the most awkward times. Another gripe was that the OEM pedal [after about 250,000 - 300,000 daily driver miles] would pop off the outboard ballstud, fold under the throttle bail and jam the action. For a long time I ran with no gas pedal, and touched the wire bail with the ball of my foot. OK in town, but on a long drive -- Tucson to LA for instance -- I got fearsome foot, calf and knee cramps. Big wafflestomper hiking boots helped, sometimes.
But for stock applications, the '67-'68 gas pedal/throttle system works fine. |
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Thanks for the gas pedal assistance gentlemen! I must add that to my ever-growing repair list!
**UPDATE** I went through the chewed wiring and fixed what I could figure out, then installed an ignition switch that I bought from a forum member. I still do not have working lights yet, but that will be dealt with later. I even plugged in my repinned gauge pod plug into my factory gauge pod, but no illumination lights came on when I tested it. Electrical gremlins be damned! I bought a new battery, installed that, then turned the switch. The engine turned over very strongly, so out of curiosity, I poured some gas into the carb (gas tank is still disconnected) to see if it would fire (it did not). So I decided to stick to my original plan, pulled out the carb and sent to a friend to be rebuilt. Next up I am installing a HEI distributor (as soon as someone comes to my house to show me step-by-step instructions), and a new fuel pump just to be on the safe side). After all of this I sure hope it fires up! Can anyone think of anything else mechanical that I probably should do to this beast that has not started in 10 years? |
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Lookin good. You gonna keep the flatbed on it?
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Whats the radiator like?
Coolant (or water maybe) Water pump bearing... Clutch release ok? Exhaust pipes (especially the tailpipe) maybe full of stored materials... :chevy::chevy::chevy: |
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If you want to go first class on new wiring harnesses, I recommend M+H www.wiring.com
Not cheap but vintage correct. They use the same gauges of wire, color codes, and connector types, as OEM. Each harness is hand made and signed by the fabricator. They can add in features like HEI, internally regulated alternators, etc. USA-made. |
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Looks like a fun project. Good luck on it and have fun with it!
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***updates***
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/4...924/0sjdXN.jpg
Bumper off, new one arrived today https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/4...921/XxfMoy.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/4...924/n3QVB4.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/4...924/Gwg8Wb.jpg SCORE!!! Found this 67 Chevy front clip upstate for $300! These fenders will replace the dented ones on the GMC. |
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***UPDATE***
I picked up the 67 Chevy front clip from upstate on Friday. The first thing that I did was remove the original 67 Chevy wiring harness and install it into the 67 GMC to attempt to fix the aforementioned electrical gremlins. The headlights now work, as well as the gauge cluster lights, and I now have a small plastic junction block near the battery. Electrical problems almost solved! The next day my son and I spent several hours dismantling the entire clip. Several of those evil fender clips BROKE when I attempted to remove them, so I had to crawl inside the clip and either use a crescent wrench, or vise grips to hold the broken clip nuts steady while my son used the ratchet on the other side. (I wonder how many gallons of P B Blaster we used?) One of the bolts that attaches the inner fender to the bottom of the outer fender (no clip) kept slipping and rounding off when I tried to remove it. Just as I was about to drill out the bolt head, I instead used a chisel to break free the rust that was causing the ratchet to slip and the rounding off of the bolt. This worked and I did not have to drill it after all. Yesterday we used P B Blaster on the windshield wiper motor and attachments, turned on the switch, then had a tug-of-war on either side of the truck to break it loose from a frozen state. This worked, and the wipers are now fully functional. Then I turned my attention to the passenger-side door. The window did not want to roll down (no surprise) and the door handle only spun around, so we removed the handles and the door panel. I had to drill one panel bolt head off, then screw it INTO the door with a vise grip (and my hand inside the door) to remove it. This done, I greased the window crank assembly and the window now rolls up and down (still a little stiff). After we completed this, I remembered a NOS door handle I found at a yard sale, and a NOS door handle “sender” that I found at a GM dealership . I installed those, and I have to say that I have NEVER felt a door handle work as well as this now does! As soon as I get the turn-signal crescent female wiring plug from a board member I am going to tackle the turn signal problem next. Mine is broken in half, someone spliced wires into it, and some of these wires are no longer attached. Since I still have not had any luck getting the truck actually started yet (turns over strongly) I am continuing to fine-tooth-comb the wiring (almost done) and get as much electrical things operational as possible. Absolutely NOTHING worked in this truck when I bought it. Not so much as a single light bulb. But that is no longer the case and this has been a learning experience for the both of us. My son is desperate to see the truck start (as I am) but I am not going to rush this and have an electrical wiring fire (again). |
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Look'n Good, Billy Ray!!!
Are you keeping the GMC grill??? Just wondering, the Chevy grill looked straight form picture.. Keep up the great work!!! Man that old gas from the tank looked BAD!!! |
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Cool project! I like the "as found" picture:cool:
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WOW!! What a surprise!!!!
Several days ago I called the PO of this 67 truck. I asked him if by any chance he had the spare tire for it (two tires on it are flat), and he replied that he could not remember it ever having one.
Unbelievably, the Previous Previous Owner was actually coming to his house to buy one of the PO's cows the very next day, so PO called PPO and asked him if there was a spare tire for the 67 that he had bought from him 20 years ago. Well, no one is going to believe this, but the next day the PPO showed up at the PO's house with the ORIGINAL spare tire that he had kept in his shed for the past 20 years!!!! I just got back from picking it up (and having the old tire dismounted) and here is the proof in the picture below!!! What are the odds of THIS happening?!?!?! https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/5...922/Tecchb.jpg |
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Ya gotta love honest people. They are so rare.
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Their honesty saved me a lot of trouble looking for the exact wheel for a spare tire for this project. I doubt I would have ever found one anywhere around my immediate area. |
It lives again!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The truck started today for the first time since I bought it!!!!! A neighbor of mine who works on race cars came over and helped me install the HEI that I bought from 54caddy. Poured a little gas in the carb to prime the new fuel pump and line that I installed, and VROOM!! My son and I are thrilled since we have spent several months of trying to get this thing running. Good bye forever to the old junky points distributor!
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Sometimes one ton pickups don't come with spare tire/wheels. I'd sure want one though, even if I did not have it mounted on the vehicle.
So what gave you the burning desire to own a 67 1 ton, and specifically a 67??? Do you have a purpose for it? Or is it like my 2 pickups, you just want one, and don't care what others think or any crap about having an old pickup around that is not practical??? LOL Those wheels look like 16.5's. If you need tires, go to Walmart.com. Just plug in your tire size in their search box, and it will show you all brands and prices of that particular size. They will ship an tire to the store you want at no charge. Sometimes the wait is a few days... |
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The 68 stepside was supposed to be my final project truck. But when I found this 67 GMC 3500, I was initially disappointed that it was not a C30, and was even considering "cloning" it into one. Then after careful consideration I realized just how rare GMC 3500s are, especially the 67 ones. So I decided to rescue this one from a rusty, isolated, lonely, death out in the farmer's field. It truly is one of the last of its kind, and we site members are saving these endangered trucks from rust-inction. It will serve as a carry-all for anything that we ever need to move, and be a neat-to-have-around truck! |
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Just about every part of this story is making me smile! So cool!
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