Reclaiming my GMC

[fritz]

Hello to all,

First post as a new member. I would like to say hi and give an introduction.

I sold my 1964 GMC Short bed about 15 years ago and have missed it most every day. At the time it needed a bunch of work. My family was young and I had neither the money or time to bring it back. So consequently I had to let it go.

Well, I am now looking again at GMC Trucks and have a few questions on where production figures can be found. I am looking for information on short bed fleet side custom trucks. Is there a publication out there that would contain data related to production figures through out the years?

Finding one in untouched original condition that has not succumbed to time has been a challenge. There are plenty of Rat Rods, chopped and bagged,and 100% over done restorations out there. Have not found the right one yet.

Thanks to all,

Fritz

[Funky61]

Hi Friz and welcome!

Do you have any pics of your old truck? It sounds like a dandy. Production numbers for those early trucks were lost in a fire or ive read. But a SWB BBB V-6 would be quite the find!

[Ed Snyder]

Originally Posted by fritz

I am now looking again at GMC Trucks and have a few questions on where production figures can be found. I am looking for information on short bed fleet side custom trucks. Is there a publication out there that would contain data related to production figures through out the years? Finding one in untouched original condition that has not succumbed to time has been a challenge. Thanks to all, Fritz

Welcome to the forum, Fritz!

Regarding GMC production figures, one story is like Funky said -- that the records were lost to a fire. The other story I've heard (I think from Don Meyer, GMC historian) is that the records are in a box among thousands of boxes in GM archives, and nobody's taken the time to try and find them.

To get a rough idea of how many short bed widesides (GMC's term) were produced though, you can take the Chevrolet production figures and divide by 4 or 5. In other words, Chevy made about 4 or 5 times as many trucks per year as GMC did during the '60s. You can find Chevy figures in the Chevrolet Pickup Red Book by Peter C. Sessler, available from Motorbooks International. It only lists a breakdown by model starting in 1965 however -- only total production for prior years.

As an example, Chevy produced 55,300 short bed fleetsides (Chevy's term) in 1965. So GMC probably made about 11,060 to 13,825 short bed widesides that same year. Production figures for 1966 were a little higher.

On the other hand, Chevy made about 3 times as many 1/2 ton long bed fleetsides in 1965. So you can always do like what I did -- buy a long bed, shorten the frame, and put a short bed on it. You can start with a 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, fenderside, or wideside if you're going to go that route, greatly expanding your chances of finding a good truck to start with.

Finding a short bed can be a challenge though. I found a Chevy project truck with no engine or transmission that had a short bed for $400. So I took the bed off and sold the rest. Shortening a long bed can be done, but with the double wall in the lower section, it's a lot of work.

Searchtempest.com is one way to find vehicles. It used to be easier to use, but now they have something called Direct Results that's a little more tedious. Good luck in your search! With enough patience you'll find what you're looking for.

[fritz]

Thank you for the reply. Will keep up the search. I do not have any photos of the truck that I sold.

Fritz

[FetchMeAPepsi]

Welcome to the club!

Finding an "Untouched and alive" (^5 Daniel Koontz!) GMC is a tough bill to fill anymore. Too many kids with big dreams, no sense, and no budget start cutting then sell a bucket of parts a year later.

Keep up the search and you'll turn something up though. One thing you may not have thought of is Bing or Google earth. Just start from your street and work your way out. You never know what's sitting in someone's backyard or field somewhere. I found a 63 Chevy that way right down the street. We had a good talk about old iron

Also, keep an eye on the Marketplace forum here. Lots of guys like kcchampagne (sp) are great at posting up craigslist and ebay finds that you might miss otherwise.

You can ship just about anywhere in the country to your front door (or the nearest Wal-Mart parking lot) for about $1500 too so don't turn something down if it's just out of state. It may be a diamond you'll kick yourself for passing up!

Good luck!

[GMCNUT]

Welcome aboard Fritz - you sound like my kinda guy talking about not wanting a chopped up POS or over done Barrett Jackson ready gem - I'm like you and prefer a driver grade or "Patina" truck. I see trucks all the time and have to pass simply because I already have all the trucks I can afford and then some, but I will send you the link to any that pop up I think might be a fit. Barring finding a solid patina short bed, Like Ed said, its a good idea to consider a longbed and switch to short frame and bed - especially now with the cheap brand new bedsides being reproduced. Doesn't even make financial sense to search for a used short bed anymore when the body shop hours are almost eliminated getting new ones paint ready vs getting originals to that point. I just converted a nice original "barn find" 63 Chevy to a short fleetside by switching the frame and bed and it looks awesome and is now so much more desirable and valuable. Nice Longbeds are more plentiful for sure - I could have hooked you up with a solid Custom Cab 1964 GMC w/ great running 305 V6 & rare factory automatic w/ big window just a few days back if I'd known. It sold in a few hours after coming online though. It would have made a heck of a short bed with a frame and bed swap. I will watch and see what I can dig up for you

[fritz]

Thank you for the time to respond and the consideration to offer advice and direction.
In doing the swap to a short bed as you and Ed suggested what would you suppose the cost to do so would be? Would you then have to cut and weld the frame to accommodate the new short bed? Or find a short frame to swap? I am not a body man and would have to pay someone to do the work. I seams pretty involved to me. Can you send the link to the bed sides if you have a moment?

Sure would appreciate any leads and referrals you come across on trucks that you feel would fit the bill. Automatic, big back window would be amazing.

Well, thanks for your thoughts,

Fritz

[Ed Snyder]

Originally Posted by fritz

Thank you for the time to respond and the consideration to offer advice and direction.
In doing the swap to a short bed as you and Ed suggested what would you suppose the cost to do so would be? Would you then have to cut and weld the frame to accommodate the new short bed? Or find a short frame to swap? I am not a body man and would have to pay someone to do the work. I seams pretty involved to me. Can you send the link to the bed sides if you have a moment?

Sure would appreciate any leads and referrals you come across on trucks that you feel would fit the bill. Automatic, big back window would be amazing.

Well, thanks for your thoughts,

Fritz

Hey Fritz --

I think finding a short frame is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack. And if you can find one, it probably won't be cheap. As you probably know, short bed trucks of the 1960 to 1972 era are much in demand and command premium prices compared to long beds. The aftermarket suppliers are aware of this and are starting to take action.

See https://www.brotherstrucks.com/63-72...tinfo/LTSC372/. Be sure to watch the two videos. Using this kit would be much less work than moving a cab, front end, driveline, and other components from a long frame to a short frame. And you can do it in your own garage, then drive to a welder for finishing touches.

Note that the link above also has links to new short bedsides and short floors. None of this is cheap -- just depends on how bad you want it and what your alternatives are.

[GMCNUT]

Originally Posted by fritz

Thank you for the time to respond and the consideration to offer advice and direction.
In doing the swap to a short bed as you and Ed suggested what would you suppose the cost to do so would be? Would you then have to cut and weld the frame to accommodate the new short bed? Or find a short frame to swap? I am not a body man and would have to pay someone to do the work. I seams pretty involved to me. Can you send the link to the bed sides if you have a moment?

Sure would appreciate any leads and referrals you come across on trucks that you feel would fit the bill. Automatic, big back window would be amazing.

Well, thanks for your thoughts,

Fritz

Fritz, my opinion is that if anyone is patient, whatever you want to find can be had - I have found some of the rarest equipped trucks and hardest to find parts etc in the country, and I did it using patience. I am like you, and rely on a mechanic to do stuff like engine and frame swaps because I run a small company and simply do not have the time to do it anymore. I think we can find you a short stepside somewhere we can rob the frame from (short fleetside trucks are harder to get the frames from) and get the frame for 200 to 400 bucks, and you'd be in business. LMC Truck is who actually worked to get these bedsides reproduced and as such, they ship these bedsides for FREE if you buy from them. www.lmctruck.com should be the right URL. I recommend buying the reproduction front bed panel and wheel tubs as well. Your decision whether to spring for the repop GMC logo'd tailgate or not, based on budget but you can't go wrong body-shop hourly rate-wise buying new stuff over working old. Having all this stuff ahead of time will save you a lot in the end. I do not have an opinion one way or the other on doing a conversion from long frame by cutting etc but personally I always get patient and search and watch until what I really want comes into view - we can find you a short frame

[fritz]

Hey Guys,
Thank you for the additional direction. Just watched the 2 brothers truck videos. They make it look easy...... if you know what your are doing,HA. It is really good to know there are so many options available. My first choice is to find an original paint truck.

Are the remanufactured beds going to fit a 1960/1961 frame?

Thank you, Fritz