58 GMC vs 56 Ford

[gcm]

Hi every one

I have a small issue the jest of is im not rich enogh to get both teucks and need tk make a tough call.

I know this is a Chevy site but the choices aren't just GM products.


So the first choice is a 1958 GMC fleet side big window with a in line 6 it's all there and I was thinking of hot ridding it because I'm not all fan of in line 6 I prefer V8 trucks it's a really good example and it's $5700 Canadian and the truck doesn't run at all. Yup the GMC is short bed.

The second is a 1956 Ford F250 V8 Custom Cab truck it's $3500 this truck I would restore however and it needs a few things and would run and I personally haven't seen any F250s. Not sure if the Ford is a short bed or not.

Here is some pictures of the two trucks:











Now I want to know which is more rare and would be a harder truck to find later on.....I would want to buy the more rare one and work on it. I can't effort to get both so need help to make the choice. I am a chevy guy and love the 56 to 59 GM trucks BUT the 56 ford with the rap around front window is just a thing of beauty and in my opinion the best looking ford truck ever made. However to me 56 to 59 trucks and the 56 ford are equal in beauty and so I'm left with ok go with the rarer one. Please help.

[Kim57]

Ford looks like a long bed from the pics.
Chevy may be easier to find parts for as it seems there are lots of them around.
Fleet side is real nice and sought after.
Kim

[gcm]

Ya the atraction is the rarety mate not sure wich i love the look of both trucks. And im not sure if the f250 came in a short bed anyone know?

In an ideal world id get both but living on a students income ha ha ha

Im not sure i would think fully restored the ford wouldnt be cheaper by much would it?

[58CameoAZ]

Join the Fraternal Order of 4 Eyes, my Brother,Lol..... The Ford Is Nice, BUT,Ya this is a Chevy Site and that 58 GMC is going to turn my head and cast my vote,
Tuff decision, Both will take money from your wallet.

Good luck in your decision,
Allen
Subliminal Message 58GMC 58GMC 58GMC

[gcm]

In line 6 GMC wouldnt be worth restoring would it? Only the V8 get big money right?

[gcm]

What I mean is no real point restoring a 6 cylinder truck right? It's not going to be worth as much as a V8 for example so it's OK to hot rod it?

[58CameoAZ]

To Me that's hard to say, their are some die hard 6 cylinder guys with motors so hoped
up they will give you a run for your money! and some beautiful sixes at that.in some beautiful trucks that would i think, go neck and neck with a V8 Truck price any day.

i think more do lean towards a V8 truck than the V6 though.
FWIW,
Allen

[solidaxel]

I have built them both, but I am leading towards the Chevy
The Ford IF it was a short bed and a 1/2 ton but a F250 is a 3/4 t
A new V8 Chassis and bed would be a good return on your investment for the Ford
56 cab was a one year only

[Dan in Pasadena]

Jimmy short bed Fleetside, no question to me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a Chevy guy but I really like 56 F100's. Not as much a fan of 53-55's but I DO like the single headlight 57's. Love the 48-50 F1's too.

[gcm]

Every one of you on this forum make an awesome point i just cant make up my mind i have been dream of a day when ill find a project chevy from 56 to 59 which is a short bed fleet side big back window but most that i see are done in poor tast or if they are done right are far out of my price range. I have been wanting a resto-rod gm truck from 56 to 59 but i have loved the 56 ford trucks since i saw Chip Fooses ford f100....i love that this ford f250 is a v8 and a 3/4 ton and dont care that the ford is a long box. Im not sure they made 3/4 ton short beds at all ut like i sad i have never seen either fir sale. So what does a guy do when i want both. I just figure get the one thats more rare? But which one is it? Ha ha ha ha

[lv2tri2]

If restored value is your goal the fleetside short box is the best choice.

[gcm]

Even if its a six cylinder?

[mr48chev]

Yep simply because a 3/4 ton isn't gong to give the return on the dollar that a 1/2 ton short box will and the big window adds another stack of chips to the bid.

If the Effie was a half ton short box in the same condition it would be an either way personal choice kind of deal. Telling on myself, there was a time when I really wanted a 56 F100 short box and ended up with a six cylinder automatic long bed and didn't have the thought to shorten the frame and find a sort box for it. I could have had a real nice truck for very low bucks but didn't see it that way and sold it. I also had a thing for TF short beds and even sold my 48 to buy one but ended up with a 57 Chev panel with a very hot 327 in it that while being a wicked street racer didn't get much for gas mileage. I ended up trading it back straight across for the 48 one day and my name was still on the title of the 48.

Rust usually bleeds though old white paint pretty noticeable and while I see surface rust I don't see much cancer except the normal little spots in the bottom of the front fenders. Dents are easier to fix for me than rust so that isn't a huge issue from my viewpoint.

As for swapping the 6 for a V8 there is more than one guy on this board who could drive that truck in the shop at 8 in the morning with the six and drive it out at 5 at night with a small block V8 in it if he had all the pieces there. I've been involved in a couple of those swaps and they aren't hard and probably the throttle linkage is the most tedious part if you don't have the V8 linkage there.

[G&R's57GMC]

I love the '56 F100 Custom Cab short bed but not enough to get one. On the other hand I would go for a '57 F100 Custom Cab Styleside short bed.

But I have a '56 GMC Suburban Pick up (Chevy Cameo) so problem solved and rearer then the Fords.

The neat thing about the GMC is the Dash as it lends itself to custom gauges with a/c vents in the gauge area without cutting the I.P.

So perhaps I favor the GMC.

[joedoh]

big window fleetside shortbed GMC all the way and twice on sunday. and I love the fords too, but a 3/4 ton bed is different from a 1/2 ton, so even if it is a short bed (it looks like a long bed) you will still be changing to the more attractive 1/2 ton bed. by the time you change that and the 3/4 ton suspension, you will have spent more than the GMC, especially if it IS a longbed and needs to be shortened.

I have seen two shortbed fleetside apache beds (just the beds) for sale in the last 3 years and both had asking prices close to the complete ford price.

[curmudgeon]

I have both a '54 Chevy truck and a '56 Ford F100. My '56 Ford is a longbed which is the same bed on your potential F250. (no F250 short bed, but you can put the cab on a shortbed frame or cut it down.) It probably has a 272 Y-block V8, which can be a fairly expensive engine to rebuild (note the number of sbc's in Ford trucks). '56 is a 1-year only body style, although one of the most sought after. Ford parts will cost you 10%-25% more than the equivalent Chevy parts. I too vote for the GMC, you probably have a 270 straight six. I restored a 6cyl Chevy 261, "twice as much money for half the horsepower" compared to a V8 but how many old chevy trucks have a hot-rodded straight 6?? If you are talking about rarity a short fleetside GMC will in the long run be more desirable than a 3/4 ton F250.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Here's how to decide:

Imagine you're sitting at a stoplight in EITHER of these trucks restored or modified in EXACTLY the way you would do it in your mind. You're loving it

Then, imagine the other truck rolls to a stop next to you in exactly the condition you'd like to have it. You certainly appreciate the truck rolling up. But do you wish you had it INSTEAD of what you're sitting in?

PS: The truck you imagined you're sitting in? It's likely the one you want more.

[YukonXL04]

Im not a ford guy, but between those I would pick the ford. I like the body style better. The GMC has a certain coolness, but I think that body style you would love or hate. Im not fond of that style.

However anyone know what rear bumper is on that GMC? I have one just like that on my 50 and Im not sure the story behind it.

[Cape Codder]

Both restored as original the GM will be a nicer driving truck. Even with a six it will do highway speeds as good or better than a 3/4 ton V8. They had crazy low gears in old work trucks and they ride like chit

[bob Scott]

Chevy AD fan here but cut that 56 chassis down to a short bed and you have one of the best 50s era trucks out there because of the 56 cab.

For a more road worthy truck I would have to agree with Cape Codder above.

My biggest downer with the 58 is the dual headlights. Just my own hangup.

[58CameoAZ]

as an owner of a 58 Cameo and 59 Stepside i think that front end on the GMC would look sweet all Chromed out and sitting at a low stance just ready to chew and eat up what ever
comes its way, heck i used to hate the emblems on the 59's vs the 58 trucks but now i love it and love all the (maybe Gaudy chrome).
Quad headlights are not a favorite for everyone but maybe just their owners love them Lol.. Just saying and wish you the best either way you go.
Allen

[yossarian19]

I would go GMC, not just because I was raised "GM" but because:
1. The ford is a 3/4 ton. The suspensions and frames are going to be just different enough from the more common 1/2 ton stuff that it's going to be a PITA to find parts.
2. Short bed = better handling & easier driving truck if you want to build something for fun.
3. GMC, as far as frame & suspension goes, = chevy. Can you name an automaker with better aftermarket support than Chevy? You can not.
4. Yes - it's OK to hot rod the truck. Make it what you want. If you want to make money at flipping old cars, that's one thing. It's hard but it can be done. If you want to have and enjoy an old truck, though, make yourself happy with how you build it and you won't regret it.

[_Ogre]

maybe it's me... i'm a 4 eyed fan, more is better

though that is one rusty beat up gmc

[58CameoAZ]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

maybe it's me... i'm a 4 eyed fan, more is better

though that is one rusty beat up gmc

I think the one's that are left out there trying to be bought and restored are all
Rusty and beat up

[Permafrost]

Okay, I'm gonna rock the boat here. I'd walk from both trucks. They are rust-buckets. I'm not talking about surface rust here.
Yes, you can probably fix both, but at what cost?
Look at the upper fender rust-out (headlight eye brows) on both. In over 25 years of restoring and tinkering on both I can tell you that without a doubt, that rust-through there means more than cab-corners, floors and inner steps. I'm referring to the hidden cancer in the cowl, dash corners, A-pillars, windshield frame, roof. ect. Pandora's box of rust-repair!
I know that may be a considered a "clean truck" in the rust-belt but there are many better examples to be had if your willing to look a little further away...
Also, those can't be recent pics, that green in Alberta in October....?

Beat me up guys. sorry , just my .02...