A rather Iowa find: 1961 GMC 1/2 ton Dually

[RobThomas]

Scrolling Facebook one evening I stumbled across an incredible find; a '61 GMC that looked clean, ran and rode under 100k miles, and was listed for the unbelievable price of $1000.


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The seller, a soon to be graduate, had this truck with no clue of what it was really worth. He and a few friends had bought it in Kansas a few years ago from a towing company. Lucky for me, he just needed it gone before moving back across the country. he wasn't too worried about the money, but wanted to keep it in the area which is commendable! Evidently, the few times she'd be driven were for tailgates at the "big games" and she'd become something of a celebrity among the campus houses and societies. I jumped on the deal, and despite a few big jobs ahead of real road worthiness, drove her home.

In the weeks since, this old girl has received some much needed TLC:
New hood hinges, necessitated by the previous owner and his friend pulling them off "because they were bent" and not replacing them.


New lines to the rear brakes- which had been disconnected for some ridiculous reason. And then a long process of flushing and bleeding.

Rewires and replacements on most of the lights and other electronics. Troubleshooting several electrical problems also leading to finding the original, and in terrible shape, sending unit. (replacement in the mail)

Some wiper blades, new mirrors, seat belts installed (for the first time in this pre-mounting required gal), and a good cleaning of the carb in my handy ultrasonic cleaner -which is usually meant for motorcycle parts.

(More images and detail to come)
Details I've figured out thus far:
1961 GMC 1/2 ton built in the Pontiac factory.
Engine: 305A
Carb: Probably a 2 barrel Strom' but there are not markings that I've found so far.

Bed: Flatbed built by towing company
Duals: No idea. research has shown that there are cases of dually 1/2 ton's, but were produced for commercial applications. (I'm thinking there was a frame swap at some point)

[Funky61]

Welcome RT!

Nice truck and Nice price too; Great Score.

[tbucketnut]

Great find. The cab is from a 1/2 ton truck though, is the rear 1 ton stuff?

[RobThomas]

Originally Posted by tbucketnut

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Great find. The cab is from a 1/2 ton truck though, is the rear 1 ton stuff?

Thanks!

It is, I'm still working on figuring out what happened to get the cab and the rear the way they are. From my understanding, the towing company built the flatbed on the rear, but I'm not sure what the deal is with the duals underneath. From what I can tell, the 1/2 ton didn't have duals.

[RobThomas]

Originally Posted by Funky61

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Welcome RT!

Nice truck and Nice price too; Great Score.

Thank you, glad to be here. Ya'll have helped me out a lot already

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[WE7X]

I have a 1956 GMC that is a 1/2 ton chassis (1000 series) with the deluxe big-window cab. It has a No-Mar wrecker unit (sling type) on the rear, powered by a PTO Ramsey winch.
The dually rear end is a 3/4 or 1 tom unit with drop out axles, and 17.5" rims that are still split-rims.
The motor is a 300+ cu. in. ( 332 or 336 I've been told, but could never confirm) of a Pontiac design.
I have owned this for well over 30 years, and I am the second owner, and it is still under 100K miles.

[POWERSTROKE]

Wow, the interior of your truck looks REALLY good. I can't quite make out the gross vehicle weight rating on the serial number tag, think it's 5200#? For sure born a half ton, but with a 4-speed? A much better choice for any use. Never been a fan of 3-on-the-tree. If it's got a heavier dual rear wheel axle & springs under the back it should be quite a truck. If the transmission has a pro cover, you could possibly put a PTO powered hyd pump and hoist under the flatbed. Neighbor sells and hauls bulk bark mulch for landscaping in a fleet of 20-30 year old Chevy's, but a 60 year old V-6 GMC is neater!

[RobThomas]

It's been a while.

Now the truck has a knock in the middle cylinder on the right side (of the truck).

Any ideas gentlemen?

[FetchMeAPepsi]

Originally Posted by RobThomas

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It's been a while.

Now the truck has a knock in the middle cylinder on the right side (of the truck).

Any ideas gentlemen?

Did you change plugs recently? They're recessed and stuff (acorns and whatnot) can fall inside when you pull the plugs. Bad gas can cause a knock too.

If you haven't, check the oil. I'm sure you have, but doulbecheck. If it's low you can hear knocking (thats bad). That's about all i can think of that will cause knocking that's easy to fix. You might have to pull the head and take a look at the piston.

[RobThomas]

I hadn't changed the plugs yet, although I suspect they may be the issue.
Oil was OK last I drove it, and that was my first thing to check.

Sadly, when the knock came up (in August) I was just starting my last semester of college so I had to leave it back burner to focus on graduating. Now I've finally got time and am trying to get her fixed.

Thanks for the tips!