My 1960 GMC 1000 Build Journal - Feb 2022

[GMCNUT]

Well, I guess * * * * must've finally frozen over because I just dropped my 60 GMC 1000 series pickup at a reputable qualified body shop for its restoration.
This set you see here are the first pictures I've really taken of it since getting it back in 2014 when it came to me "mocked up" for transport vs really together.

To give you the 30,000 ft view of what it is and what I'm doing, I'll start with its history. The truck was special ordered from the Florence AL Pontiac and GMC dealer and delivered in Fall of 59. The owner wanted a flashy short bed truck to use pulling a cattle trailer out of state to various sale barns and such, so he needed as much torque as he could get and chose the new V6 because of its hefty design and low likelihood of common failures like overheating. Because he was traveling at highway speeds he opted for the 3 speed overdrive transmission. He ordered it as a solid Black full "Custom" model with big back window and a short wheelbase wideside bed, and added every comfort RPO he could get so it had two armrests, two visors, cloth seat, deluxe heat, radio and tinted glass. Outside he got the "Custom appearance" package including the rare optional hood jet and seldom-seen stainless side mouldings, chrome grille and chrome bumpers. He had the dealer install power brakes and window washers, hazard flasher switch, day / night mirror, tachometer and oil guage. He had the oil changed and regular maintenance done at the dealership and at some point about 1966 he had the truck repainted Black but this time with an upgrade - adding white on the roof and back of the cab, and because he like the jet stream flying down the side of the 62-66 Chevrolet trucks, he went to the Chevy dealer and bought Chevy's "skinny" lower aluminum bed and door trim and installed it under his stainless 60 trim then painted in-between white to match the roof. I am guessing despite how that sounds, it was probably a head turner in fresh shiny black with all that shiny side trim. Over the near 50 years he used it, he drove the truck enough mileage to require 2 rebuilds of the 305A, and at some point he managed to burn up the solenoids and maybe the trans itself, but in any case, he swapped the original 3 speed OD trans for a non-OD trans. He said the truck had easily 300K+ on it and the 305A was still running like a champ with no smoke when we found it in 2006. At the time, he had no interest in selling so we earmarked it for later. In 2010 a buddy went by his house and was shocked to see it out by the highway with a for sale sign in the windshield. He stopped and after hearing all the above history, and seeing the man had truly loved it so, the two agreed on a fair price of $4000 for it. Josh, my friend, called saying he'd finally lasso'd it so I drove the 2 hrs NW of here to see it. We took it for a drive and I was never so impressed with an old trucks' handling of curves and good power, handling and braking. I wanted it so bad I could taste it. Josh planned to have it painted so he proceeded to do what I tell everyone to never do - take it apart. Never take something apart unless you are budgeted to have it painted immediately. A thousand trucks per year are dismantled by dreamers with no money, and then they post ads that say "selling because I have too many projects and no time" when all they really mean is the new wore off and they never had a plan or any money and had no business buying it in the first place. Anyway, after a few years of sitting in pieces, he managed to take the front fenders and have them repaired at a body shop (why they are in grey primer) but that's as far as he got so he finally let me have it in maybe 2014 or so. I had no budget so I didn't do anything but store it mostly, but managed to powdercoat and restore the entire frame beforehand and swap the non-original 3 speed trans to a correct Hydramatic since I couldn't find a 60-62 GMC with a correct OD in it I could rob. The truck spent enough time outdoors that there were cracks in the drip rail and typical rust in the floors and rockers so I had planned to tackle that when a good friend lucked into a super sweet 60 GMC longbed in California that had been brought to a salvage yard, so I was able to sweet talk him out of the 100% rust free cab - identical to mine in that is also was a custom 60, so it had the trim holes and big floor hump, and incidentally was a hydramatic to boot.
So these beginning pics are of me swapping the cabs, showing how perfect the replacement cab is, and "mocking up" for transport to the body shop. Hood was transported separately along with the front bed panel, wheel tubs and tailgate. Every part of the original truck is being saved despite the cost in hourly labor, minus the cab itself. The original bedsides are the nicest, straightest set I have ever seen on any 60-66 truck. Could have replaced the front fenders vs paying gobs of hours undoing what Josh's shop cobbled and saved a lot of money, but I really do want the truck to have as much of its original body as possible since the cab is being swapped. I am saving the original cab and repairing it for use on some project one day or maybe selling to one of you later on. I will add to this thread when I have new pics to share. Thank you for reading all this and for caring about old GMC trucks

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[GMCNUT]

More pics

[GMCNUT]

Last pic is of someone else's 60 painted in Cape Blue and White. That is what I am changing the color on mine to. Black is fantastic for some people and would have given me the rarely seen (or even known about) Crystal Green wheels but as much as I think I would enjoy educating everyone at shows that 1947-1961 Black GMCs had Green wheels, I just don't think its what I want to try and maintain given where I store the truck and how I use one. Plus Black ruins the look of the screen in the hood on a 60-61 and mutes it out too much for me. A White hood proudly exclaims and broadcasts the uniqueness of the 60-61 hood screen with its contrasting dark background so I like the design being pronounced better with White or other lighter colors.

Cape Blue and Olympic White cannot be beat; has to be the most awesome color combination next to Terrace Blue and Chevys' Tartan Turquoise and White I have ever seen. So since I am literally paying thousands out of pocket to get this done, I am doing it in the best color combination available in 1960.

[duallyjams]

Did the body shop provide an estimated time line ? have a friend trucks has been to two different shops in 5 yrs and still is in primer, not for lack money to pay for the work they just push it to the back and never work on it. I have seen a lot of trucks get loss this way also.

[ilvracn]

i know the feeling. i have a 70 olds 442 that has been in the body shop for 4 1/2 years still on rotisery. he says it doesnt cash flow well. i told him i would pay every month for what he did. still on back burner on pilot light only

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[GMCNUT]

Yes - I've been there before too. Know all about avoiding that, but still they said it would be worked in rotation and not completed before Fall. Works better for most clients paying in parcels vs all at once - pay as you go so to speak

[GMCNUT]

Originally Posted by ilvracn

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i know the feeling. i have a 70 olds 442 that has been in the body shop for 4 1/2 years still on rotisery. he says it doesnt cash flow well. i told him i would pay every month for what he did. still on back burner on pilot light only

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today you have to agree to pay by the hour vs by the job usually. renegotiate your terms and get him moving

[tbucketnut]

Great read. I finished my 53 Chev 5 window back in 2018. Bought that truck in 2013, it ended up being a cab off, and I quickly got fed up with body shop antics. It was going to sit there for the next coming of Jesus, I saw the hand writing on the wall and as luck would have it my long time neighbor and good friend has been restoring chevrolets for 40 years, he convinced me to do it myself. He would come down and give me pointers on body work and then painting too. Long story short I ended up doing all the body work, priming sealing and painting. It came out stunning. Painted it with cheap Summit racing omaha orange single stage in pieces. A fender at a time then the cab. All I can say in hindsight just jump in and self educate and do it. It isnt that hard but you have to be patient. My 64 now is in the beginning stage of a cab off and needs rust repair in the rockers. Im going to buy me a nice hobart mig with gas and enjoy the process. When you are finished, it will be all you baby. Steve

[GMCNUT]

Well, we have yet another crash and burn. I don't know how I can only find criminal body shop owners to do business with but I've done it once again. First, they said the 2000 price to dustless blast the parts resulted in him using too heavy a grade of blast media and that required them to hand sand every square inch after blasting to make it smooth enough to seal; resulting in 5K of hours. So 7K in, I have a blasted and sealed cab. In the meantime, they took the bed and all front end parts to a storage bldg and let them rust with no primer or sealer applied. When asked how that methodology could possibly be right, the shop owner declared all blasted metal must be sanded following and before sealer. I am no shop owner, so I had no leg to stand on experience-wise to counter such a statement. About that time he sent me 17K in invoices alleging such was the amount of material and labor expended to this point, and I told him he could keep the truck and sell it if he though he had raised its value to anywhere close to 17K. He replied and I quote "your cab is worth about 1000 dollars if anyone would pay that" and went on to say it was all labor running the bill up. Anyway, I am disgusted and here are a few shots of why I feel ripped off to no end (by the way, I absolutely did not pay one dime, but got my truck back as you see it)

[GMCNUT]

The front fenders, inner fenders and core support, along with all the rest of the bed cross sills are as you see the grill support - blasted and allowed PURPOSEFULLY to rust. Cab floor was allowed to rust where you see it in the door opening but the rest looks OK maybe. The bed, which was alleged by the shop owner as "ready to paint" appears to have been sprayed in maybe a high build primer and has indeed been worked to some degree because it does appear straight, but it was straight as an arrow to begin with so dunno if anything to be excited about was done or not. Does make me greatly concerned if he says its ready to paint and I see all the rust coming through his material along the bottom edges and inside where they didn't spray correctly