6066 GMC Truck Club 20th Anniversary

[Ed Snyder]

It was 20 years ago this month that Michael "Jolly" Goodfellow started our information website and owner's forum. Jolly managed the site and forum until 2013 when he turned it over to our beloved Jeannie. Thanks, Jeannie, for keeping it alive for us!

Jolly hosted 5 year and 10 year Jamborees in 2005 and 2010 for forum members at his house in Honeyville, Utah. I was privileged to be able to attend both of them. I believe I was one of the first, if not the first, to join Jolly's forum in January 2000. I can't even remember any more how I found out about it, but I'm glad I did. It's been a big help to me over the years.

I've also been fortunate to be able to organize and/or attend a few regional "mini meets" with fellow forum members. Some of them were in Wichita, KS (my hometown), Medford (where I've lived for 40 years), Brooks, OR (at the Antique Powerland), Redding, CA, and Elk Grove, CA (home of former member Rick Rusconi).

I'd be curious to know if we still have any others here who have been members for 20 years. Jolly -- you still on here? Haven't heard from you in awhile! It would be awesome if we could get enough attendees together for a 20 year Jamboree in Honeyville! If that's too much to organize, hopefully we can get other members to organize or host more regional mini meets.

Happy New Year everyone!

[GMCDAC]

I joined 13 or 14 years ago when I actually owned one of these V-6 GMC's. It was a Yahoo group if I remember right. Unfortunately I still don't own a 60-66 V-6 GMC but have 3 older GMC's.

I have been fortunate enough to have met 3 members from this forum, while they were visiting or passing through the Black Hills area and Ed Snyder was one of them.

DAC

[Ed Snyder]

Originally Posted by Ed Snyder

I believe I was one of the first, if not the first, to join Jolly's forum in January 2000. I can't even remember any more how I found out about it, but I'm glad I did.

After a little searching, I found this:

https://6066gmcclub.com/showthread.php?t=2

It helped to refresh my memory. I now recall that the information site http://6066gmcguy.com/ came first, earlier in 1999 I think. I probably found it while searching the internet for V6 info. Thanks to all the old factory literature I had for GMCs from the '60s, I was able to help Jolly with a lot of the info on that site. So it wasn't until after Jolly created the info site that he started the forum in January 2000. If you're a newer member who hasn't been to the info site yet, be sure and check it out -- lots of good stuff there.

The first photo in the slide show on the opening page is of my '62 Suburban and the '66 pickup I restored, now owned by Clyde in South Carolina. The second photo shows Jolly's rescue truck. There are 14 more photos after those first two. One of them shows the trucks that showed up for Jolly's 10 year Jamboree. Here's another view of those trucks. The one on the left was Rick Rusconi's awesome short-wide '62 with the 401 V6, now owned by Dave "RustyNut" Schlager in St. Charles, MO. Rusty drove it home from Rick's place in Elk Grove, CA, with no problems other than losing one hubcap.

[Sonic65]

Well, I joined the Yahoo Group back in the Fall of 2000 but I do not remember what my username was. I posted a bit, mostly that I was excited to finally find a group with folks that had GMC's. I was active duty military at the time and moved around alot but I did log in from time to time to look at the conversations that were going on. I lost touch with the Yahoo Group and then joined this forum a few years ago.

[FetchMeAPepsi]

Dadgum what a walk down memory lane! I've only been around for the past 7 years or so (maybe?) Dac, that looks like a FUN project! Can you post some more pictures of her?

I got started here because I was on the chevy forum trying to figure out how to get Cecilia running smoothly for daily driving and NOBODY knew anything useful except "yanhk that out and grab u a 350, bro". I hated the idea of destroying history and really couldn't see a reason to toss a perfectly good engine.

Thankfully someone eventually pointed me to the yahoo email boards and I tell you what, I couldn't have gotten my truck to the point that it's reliable again without you guys. (Yes, I know, i blew a tranny but we'll get to that elsewhere ) I had NO IDEA what I was doing, and you can see it from my build thread mistakes. I make sure to include all my hairbrained ideas so everyone else could see what not to do.

If it weren't for you guys on this forum and the work Jolly and Jeannie put into it I'd probably have sold Cecilia to some punk kid that would have ripped her guts out by now and made her into another franken-truck.

I also got one of my favorite ideas from another member on here to start including Cecilia in my kids' birthdays. So for the past several years I've been taking their picture on her, in her various states of disarray, Now they're tied to her, she's tied to them, and we all can see the progression from youngster to young adult.

I may never get to paint, but I'll always have the memories of wrench turning with the kiddos and learning what not to do - together.

I'm forever grateful. And so are my helpers. For the old guys on here that remember, here's the Powder Puff from when Cecilia was first dropped off as a non-functioning pile of metal in the front yard.











And here's her just almost 2 weeks ago:








I can't wait to see what happens over the next few years. Now I'm tied up with building a home office in the yard (about 1 ft from where this picture was taken) and I'm getting started buying up rental houses this year as the home economy cools so I hopefully have some money in my retirement age. Projects a plenty I guess. One of them will have to be the tranny though. I have a garage full of office furniture until that's built, but then I'll wheel her in and get her running again.

Anyway, this got to be a rambling mess, but what I meant to say was thanks for the place to learn while we grow old, Jolly and Jeannie, and thanks to all the old timers that keep the interest in our trucks alive.

[LEWISMATKIN]

I found Jolly's site in 2007 after I purchased my first computor, like Ed, searching for GMC V6 stuff. I have enjoyed the spirited discussions, ideals from other enthusiasts, and shared what information I possessed from the memories and literature I possess. I am happy to find a group of individuals that have dedicated the time and effort to create and maintain this database on the only true V-style gasoline truck engine General Motors has ever created. And as always, I am happy to share what skills and information with the whosoever will ask, time permitting. Many thanks to Jolly Goodfellow for the insight to create the original site, and to Ms. Jeannie, for her continued efforts to update & maintain it for posterity.

cordially,

Lewis Ellis Matkin, Jr.
Ridge Manor, Fla. 33523
1965 1002 GMC V-6 305E (soon to be 401M)

: happy:

[Ed Snyder]

Originally Posted by FetchMeAPepsi

For the old guys on here that remember, here's the Power Puff from when Cecilia was first dropped off as a non-functioning pile of metal in the front yard.

And here's her just almost 2 weeks ago:



Anyway, this got to be a rambling mess, but what I meant to say was thanks for the place to learn while we grow old, Jolly and Jeannie, and thanks to all the old timers that keep the interest in our trucks alive.

I'm one of those old guys, Fetch -- much older than you I'm sure, because my granddaughter, at age 14, is nearly the same age as Powder Puff (or is it actually Power Puff?). Here she is with her little doggie in the back of our one ton Suburban. The rearmost seat (fourth row back) is her favorite place to ride.

[GMCDAC]

Originally Posted by FetchMeAPepsi

Dadgum what a walk down memory lane! I've only been around for the past 7 years or so (maybe?) Dac, that looks like a FUN project! Can you post some more pictures of her?

I got started here because I was on the chevy forum trying to figure out how to get Cecilia running smoothly for daily driving and NOBODY knew anything useful except "yanhk that out and grab u a 350, bro". I hated the idea of destroying history and really couldn't see a reason to toss a perfectly good engine.

Thankfully someone eventually pointed me to the yahoo email boards and I tell you what, I couldn't have gotten my truck to the point that it's reliable again without you guys. (Yes, I know, i blew a tranny but we'll get to that elsewhere ) I had NO IDEA what I was doing, and you can see it from my build thread mistakes. I make sure to include all my hairbrained ideas so everyone else could see what not to do.

If it weren't for you guys on this forum and the work Jolly and Jeannie put into it I'd probably have sold Cecilia to some punk kid that would have ripped her guts out by now and made her into another franken-truck.

I also got one of my favorite ideas from another member on here to start including Cecilia in my kids' birthdays. So for the past several years I've been taking their picture on her, in her various states of disarray, Now they're tied to her, she's tied to them, and we all can see the progression from youngster to young adult.

I may never get to paint, but I'll always have the memories of wrench turning with the kiddos and learning what not to do - together.

I'm forever grateful. And so are my helpers. For the old guys on here that remember, here's the Powder Puff from when Cecilia was first dropped off as a non-functioning pile of metal in the front yard.











And here's her just almost 2 weeks ago:








I can't wait to see what happens over the next few years. Now I'm tied up with building a home office in the yard (about 1 ft from where this picture was taken) and I'm getting started buying up rental houses this year as the home economy cools so I hopefully have some money in my retirement age. Projects a plenty I guess. One of them will have to be the tranny though. I have a garage full of office furniture until that's built, but then I'll wheel her in and get her running again.

Anyway, this got to be a rambling mess, but what I meant to say was thanks for the place to learn while we grow old, Jolly and Jeannie, and thanks to all the old timers that keep the interest in our trucks alive.

Good for you Fetch, nice to talk to you again! Wow the Powder Puff has really grown up! The pics make a good perspective of your project with Cecilia! Good luck with the rental biz. I run into the same kind of comments on a 70 GMC Jimmy I have---dump the 350 and put an LS in it! No way. If I want to drive a truck with an LS in it, we'll take my wife's '06 GMC.

The '55 really isn't much of a project at this time, just driving and maintaining it like you see in the pic. I did put a cheapo chinese carburetor on it back in October, and that really made a positive difference in how the old six banger runs and starts! Well under a hundred bucks. Should have done it a couple of years ago when I first heard of them being available.

I can't remember if it was '06 or '07 when I joined the Yahoo group. I had bought a real rough '62 3/4 ton 4x4 that had mostly Chevy sheetmetal and was looking for V-6 info. It ran great, 4x4 worked great but the electrical was junk as well as most of the body. Wish I wouldn't have had to sell it mid 2007 but the guy that bought it already had one mid sixties Chevy 4x4 with an inline six that was beautifully restored and he said he wanted the V-6 version to build for his young son. Hopefully he did get it done.

Here's about the most recent pic of the '55 and a pic of the 62 I had to sell.

DAC

[TJ's GMC]

Only been 5 years on here for me.

Congrats to 20 years and thanks to all for making this a great forum.

Ed, I'm gonna have to head your way one of these days. Haven't been to Medford in awhile so I'll get ahold of ya next time I'm heading there.

Ol Crustine is still kickin just as strong as when I got her 5 years ago.