1963 GMC Pickup Truck

1963 GMC 1000 Additional Info:

I rescued this truck from a field and turned it into a fun and reliable weekend cruiser. While the patina says “I’ve had a hard life as a work truck,” underneath is brand new and modern. This truck is ready to work as your weekend shop truck, bring some farm truck charm to your driveway, and be a conversation starter at the next cars and coffee. My wife lovingly calls this truck the “Lawn Ornament” because you can’t beat that turquoise patina and it will yield some classic Kodak-moments at sunrise.

Body and Frame: I took the truck down to a bare frame and stripped and repainted everything underneath; including floor patches, new rockers, new cab mounts to fix all of the rust trouble spots. The bed also includes a custom frame to replace rusted-out crossmembers while keeping the original patina of the truck intact. The bed wood has been replaced and is in excellent shape. Bottom line for this hot rod project - if it wasn’t welded onto the frame, then it came off, got cleaned up, and given a fresh paint job. I included a few pictures of the restoration to give you a better idea of the work that was done.

Engine and Transmission: It now has a fresh Chevy 350 with Summit Racing iron heads, Lunati cam, Edelbrock intake/carb, and long tube headers/dual exhaust.

Comfort and Reliability: To make it a comfortable cruiser, I’ve added power steering, power brakes, and Vintage Air. Note, the Vintage Air evaporator took the place of the glove box, but it is a small price to pay for modern air conditioning. Other add-ons include an aluminum radiator with electric fan and all new Painless wiring throughout for reliability.

Suspension and Driveline: The suspension is brand new with front disc brake conversion and 2” drop spindles. This is the 5200 GVW GMC, so it has a coil spring suspension up front with leaf springs (vs. truck arms) in the back. The rear end is the original Dana 60 (w/posi) that came in the truck, which has been rebuilt with new Timken bearings. The wheels and tires retain the six lug bolt pattern underneath the smoothie hub caps and the tires are about 4 years old now.

Interior: The interior has been repainted and sound deadener plus carpet were added to make it more comfortable inside. I installed 3-pt seatbelts for added safety. I converted to a tilt steering column but retained the original steering wheel to make sure the truck didn’t lose too much of its classic character.

As with any project vehicle, there are always outstanding projects. There are a couple things that I have started but haven’t had a chance to complete yet which include replacing the intermittently working temp gauge (I think the gauge is bad), re-upholstering the bench seat (I have the top foam to include in the sale), and finishing the console (or you can take it out if you don’t like it). None of these stop you from firing up the truck and cruising it on the weekends as is.

Like any old work truck, this truck has history. When I bought it, inside the glove box and under the seat were many documents capturing its history; including the original sales invoice, the owners manual, and many other pieces of paperwork telling the history of the truck and the owner. I saved what was save-able and this documentation needs to stay with this truck.

What you are getting is a good five years of restoration and enjoyment I have had with creating this project. Writing all of this makes me want to keep the truck now, but it’s time for me to send it on to its new owner so I can start my next project…and keep the peace with my wife ;-)