History, Teardown, and Rebuild 63 1-ton panel

[63_Rouss_Fire_Co_GMC]

Creating a thread on the history of my 63 GMC 1-ton panel truck. Old photos of it when it belonged to the Rouss Fire Company in Winchester, Va. Also photos of it afterwards when I first fell in love with the truck while in Boy Scouts as it was my scout masters and I always had to ride in it. It was later used in the movie Forrest Gump and painted a blue/purple. I bought it when I was in highschool and drove it awhile before the rust started to appear. As a teen I tried to repair it and eventully removed the many layers and colors of paint. I has been primer and spray bomb green for many years. Finally decided it need to be taken off the road and reworked. Here is it progress in photos n text..

Jeremy Cooper
Winchester, VA.

[63_Rouss_Fire_Co_GMC]

First two photos are black and white shots while at Rouss Fire Company. The first was taken at the rear of the truck of Donald "Gundy" Seabright. I was told the truck carried men, lights, fans, and generators to fire calls. It had bench seating down both sides in the back. It was used during the winter as fundraising for the fire dept as they used it to drive around and shovel driveways. Second photo is of my next door neighbor who was the chief at the time. He is being presented with an iron lung that would be carried in the truck along with the stretcher seen here. This is the second and final paint scheme that the truck carried. The name was removed from the doors and the new fire company seal added to the side of the truck. Third photo is the truck in its original paint scheme during the Shenandoad Valley Apple Blossom Parade in Winchester, VA.

Forrest Gump photos next... Jeremy Cooper

[63_Rouss_Fire_Co_GMC]

After Rouss Fire Company owned the truck it was then sold to Frederick County Virginia where it was used as a band wagon for the James Wood High School. It was later painted red/tan, then green/light green. In scouts it was this faded two-tone green/light green. I'll have to find a photo I know I have of it this color. My scout masters son saw an add in the paper looking for cars and trucks from the 1960's to be used in a movie. Turns out it was taken and body work and paint done, roof rack added, and painted this blue/purple color. It was used in the motion picture Forrest Gump. We were told is was cut from the released film but was used as a movie prop. Used as a film/news crew covering the protest/gathering at Washington D.C. that was in the movie.

The first photo is the day I bought it from my scout master, still had the movie rack/platform on top. Next two shots are shortly after the bondo used to redo the truck started to bubble and rust began to reappear.

Jeremy Cooper

[63_Rouss_Fire_Co_GMC]

Next set of photos were taken while sanding, scrapeing, and body panels were cut out and replacement welded on. Replaced the rusted front fenders with a fiberglass set that I got at a local body panel shop. Found a door off a big moving truck in a local junk yard that had no rust on it at the time. Drove around with the turquoise door that read "Manassas Transfer" "Manassas, Va". Eventually painted the truck primer red then later spray bombed almost the entire truck a similar green to its original color.

Jeremy Cooper

[63_Rouss_Fire_Co_GMC]

Next set of photos were taken as I began to tear the truck down. I had drove the truck to work, when I got to work I closed the door and the window dropped off its requlator and down into the bottom of the door. When I got off work I discovered it was raining, so I had a wet seat. Turns out I had no taillights or lights on my guages inside the truck. All I had was the headlights, I assume a safety feature of the truck. Well just before I got home the only one winshield wiper I had on the truck, decided to fly off while in the rain storm, at night with the window down and only headlights. Had to stop the wiper arm to avoid scratching the windshield. So when I got home I decided to park the truck and restore it myself, or do what I could then send to a body shop. The first photo is the next day before I took it apart. Then I removed the doors, carpet, trans cover hump. Removed the front clip as a single unit with the radiator and motor left alone so I could still start and move the truck as I needed. Removed the windshield and it ended up cracking is several spots, the rubbers were so hard I would come out as the maintence manual suggested. Notice the hose running thru the cab, that's my gas line for the fuel tank simply sitting on the floor behind the seat. I then got out the grinder and cut off and removed what b ody bolts hadn't rusted away already. It turned my grinder to the bolts that held the bed strips down and discovered that the truck did not have a wood plank floor but a wood plywood floor made up of two extremely long pieces. Got the wood floor out and only 1 of 4 cross sills were still good. Washed the dirt off the frame and begun to scrape at rust with a wire brush and wire brush attachment on my drill.

More to come don't wana overload anyone inbox, Jeremy Cooper

[63_Rouss_Fire_Co_GMC]

With the bed out of the body, I could get to the rusted frame mounts and inner body panels. Took a lot of photos and attached just a few here so you can see how bad the frame had rusted. Also for a look at a 1-ton panels frame since it is so diffrent than a pickup. First shot is the rear frame where it joins into the main frame also at the rear. The truck was so long it looks as if they extended the frames and joined them by rivets on the 1-ton panels. The rust had got between the two frame pieces where they were join and sorta split them apart. You can see the damage to the left side in this photo. I eneded up chiseling and beating the frame with a sledge to break up and removed the rust. Drilled another hole and bolted this top of the frame toeghter for added strength.

Next photo is looking towards the front of the truck from about the rear wheel well, notice the frame mount is rusted out, the other side was untouched by rust. Next two photos are a major problem and I will have to cut out this rear cross sill/tail pan and custom fabricate a new one. Both sides are just destroyed by rust. Others photos were taken looking into the taillight opening down inside the rear body of the truck. The metal that the wood bed screws up into to hold it in place has completely rusted away allowing water to get up inside the body panels. The last shot is of the four cross sills. Only one was reusuable and you can see just how bad the others are. I'm hopeing a fleetside cross sill is the same length. Anyone know if they are?

[63_Rouss_Fire_Co_GMC]

Jacked the body up and off the frame with the help of the kids swing set and some wood stumps. Pulled the frame out from under the body with my duece and a half. Winch got stuck and it flexed the body out some, I will have to deal with that when get to the cab and body. Here is a shot of the 305E with the body removed. Wired it back up and she starts just fine. Another shot from the rear of the extremely long looking rusted frame. Here is a trailer hitch that was put on the truck some time after the fire company had it. Hate this thing it always drug the ground when off-road. Next shot is the rear of the frame with the trailer hitch removed. I did leave one brace that connects both sides of the exteneded frame toeghter for strength. I will have to try and track down a rear bumper or modify a front bumper with new bolt holes to fit. Final 3 photos are the 1-ton panels fuel tank. This tank mounts on the outside of the frame on the drivers side. Now there are bolt holes in the frame to mount a second tank on the passenger side of the truck. I only had one bent original gas tank bracket. I looked everywhere for a replacement of something that would work. Ended up haveing a pair made at a local metal working business for I believe around $118. They work just fine, here they are bolted back to the frame after cleaning that section of the frame.

Anyone have any questions or a simialr truck I like to know what you think. As of 1-24-13 the frame has been painted, and it back toeghter, next step is the crosssills and rear cross sill/tail pan fabricatrion.

[63_Rouss_Fire_Co_GMC]

Trying to include a lot here so I don't have too many emails goin' out. So, after the body was off, I had cleaned what I could off the frame. Its was time to pull the motor so get to the built up gunk under the trans and on the control arms. First photo is the V6 pulled from the frame. It was so much easier to clean this way and you wouldn't believe how much grease was built up on the SM420. Used a wire brush, cleaners and degreasers and finally paint remover on the engine and trans. The next set of photos are just a quick look at the engines progress throught the paint stages and reassembly. Ended up using a red/orange paint for the V6. Back to the frame after lots and lots of brushing surface rust and dirt off, it was finally clean for paint. Used Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator instead of the Por-15. Turned out good and went a long way, finished up with Eastwood's Original Chassis Black. Other colors on seperate parts of the frame and engine/trans. Had to take off and redo the large tow hooks at the front of the frame.

[63_Rouss_Fire_Co_GMC]

Got the fuel tank cleaned up, painted then undercoated, bolted it on to the new brackets. Next photo is an original GMC V6 engine mount next to what I have been using for years now, an Energy Suspension Automatic transmission mount€. Just had to drill another hole in the bracket the the mount is bolted to. Same height and much stronger then the stock mount.

Ready to install the engine back onto the frame. Used a strap off my M35A2 to lift the engine again. Looks good with it all bolted back up and CLEAN. Next took off the rear wheels, cleaned and painted the rear axle. Installed the exhaust pipes until a proper/original plumbing exhaust can be installed after the truck has been painted.

There two rims show the diffference between a 16in rim that was off a 78 Checy 1ton. The rim on the right is an original to the 63 GMC, 17in split rim. I have 4 of these rims! Some have 17x700 tires, others have 17x750 tires.

Last shot is me pulling the GMC's frame complete back up out of my tarp garafe to the side of the house so I can get the body out of the kids swing set until I can work on the body in the spring.

[63_Rouss_Fire_Co_GMC]

Last post until I get more work done, or anyone wants so further info or photos on something I did here to this truck so far. Ok, photo of the body off the frame. Had to raise it high up to get the frame out and back under the body. Next photo is from inside the back looking at the cab floor. The cab floor will need both rockers and inner rockers replaced. There are a few rust holes where the floor braces under the cab are joined toeghter. Overall not a bad as I thought but gonna be a nightmare to straighten the cab back to where it should be.

Here is a shot during cleaning and removing pealing paint from the drivers side of the wood bed plywood. Next photos are the only one cross sill that was reusable. It has since been rust proof painted and new mounts made from solid hard plastic. Could not find anything to resemble the stock mounts. 3 of the 20plus mounts were still good. Next photo is the parking brake band I relined myself. I purchased two bands to have an extra along with the rivets. Wasn't hard at all, just finding the harware to put make the handbrake operational again. Here is the frame complete out front the house, since the photo was taken the body was set back on the frame till spring.

The truck started right up with the choke out and after getting gas up the empty fuel lines. Runs so quiet and smooth compared to my 327 V8 in my 63 Impala.

Jeremy Cooper,
Winchester, Va