55-57 Questions...I'm New!

[PinkFloydEffect]

Ok so I have never done a ground up restoration before, I'm 22 and have only built one truck; my grandfathers 1988 Dakota I installed a 360ci Magnum and tons of retro fitted goodies. I think I have what it takes I have meticulously rebuilt some quads to show quality...etc



Quad Restoration: http://youtu.be/-uOX78c-Wcc?hd=1


-I like the GM single headlight 55-57 step side pickup trucks I assume the GMC version is also considered a Task Force?

-I only like the egg crate grill like the black truck but will that grill fit in the orange truck with the bezel grill? They look like the same opening just the non-egg crate version has a thick edge bezel





-I assume the GMC/Chevy hoods can be swapped back and forth?

-If I remove the grill & bumper on the green truck can the grill & bumper be installed from the black truck?? Would the ROUND embossed/raised area be on the front of the fenders for the turn signal off the black or orange trucks??




As far as I can find the 55-57 suspension was front and rear leaf stacks with two solid axles? Seems like people like to remove all the leaf stacks and use coil-over shocks in the rear with control arms in the front....the front end off a Mustang or something? I work at a machine shop with some of the most talented welders I have ever met so I can have anything welded big or small for the price of a case of beer!

~Thanks in advance for answering my questions

[NEWFISHER]

Hi and Welcome!
from what I understand, the black truck is a 55 and the orange truck a 57. Both grilles will interchange without much modification. The GMC green truck has different front fenders and the 55 /57 grilles will not interchange without a bunch of body modifications around the openings. Look at the upper grille bar on the GMC as it falls into the front fender area where the 55/57 does not. There are a ton of talented metal guys on this board and am sure the guys in your shop are also, almost anything can be modified to work/fit
Good luck and post some pics of your project!

[PinkFloydEffect]

Yeah I had the same impression 55/56 egg crate, 57 mouth style. I know how the GMC's upper grill bar falls into the lower fender but I figured to make things easier they would use the same fender since it's being covered anyway.

I most certainly will post pictures and open a thread...that is once I find a truck I live in the salted road rust hole of New England so anything in restorable condition at a good price will be like a needle in a hay stack. I will probably have to pick something up down south it will have to be a 55/56 or 57 Chevy Task Force. I would rather find something within New England with a blown or no engine with maybe a gutted interior because I plan on retrofitting the entire truck with stuff like heated power leather bucket seats, projection headlights, every bulb in the truck to be LED, probably not an original 350 but I'm not sure what will bolt up (I liked removing my LA 3.9L for a much newer Magnum 5.9L) maybe a late 90s early 2000s Chevy engine with OBDII? Long story short -I don't want to hack up an all original truck so I'm hoping to find one for $500-$1000

[Kim57]

Welcome.
Sounds like it will be a nice truck.
Good luck in finding a nice clean body.
Kim

[spinned]

Here is one in Oregon. We usually can find rust free cars around here. This 57 may be a little too much money but it looks like it has had a lot done to it.

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/3396270690.html

Here is a long bed fleetside 58 that looks pretty nice.

http://portland.craigslist.org/yam/cto/3380590524.html

[PinkFloydEffect]

Holy crap both those are wayy out of my budget but it's nice to see what they are worth when completed!

This is more the condition I am looking for haha:


I don't really like the fleetsides unless it's a 6ft bed I would consider it. Looks like they came in 6, 7 & 8 foot beds? How difficult is it to chop a 7 or 8 footer down to a 6 would the bed look the same as a 6 if done right? I assume chopping the frame is simple and just moving the suspension mounts.

[OrrieG]

The bed lengths are 6.5, 8 and 9 feet. One of the build threads shortened an 8 foot to 6.5, You need to cut sections from in front and behind the wheel wells. The frames are usually shortened just behind the rear cab mount in an offset overlap configuration, not a butt connection. More detailed information on the different truck configurations is available in the spec manuals in my signature link. Information on frame shortening, and just about any other topic. can be found using the advanced search function in the build threads.

[spinned]

Found one more... 57 GMC LB

http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/3448688662.html

[PinkFloydEffect]

Originally Posted by spinned

Found one more... 57 GMC LB

http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/3448688662.html

I swear a 55/56 Task Force bumper would fit on that 57' 100 and the upper chrome bar that looks like a handle bar mustache could be removed I'm really curious what the front of the fender looks like under the headlight! I gotta score something for under $1k even if it's just a frame to start with if it has a rotted out body I can always find a body later...

[spinned]

Originally Posted by PinkFloydEffect

I swear a 55/56 Task Force bumper would fit on that 57' 100 and the upper chrome bar that looks like a handle bar mustache could be removed I'm really curious what the front of the fender looks like under the headlight! I gotta score something for under $1k even if it's just a frame to start with if it has a rotted out body I can always find a body later...

Ok here is a frame... bet they'd take a $1,000.

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/pts/3450391940.html

Or maybe a whole truck here.
http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/3450736091.html

[Kim57]

What you need to do is check your local craigs list on a daily basis.
The good deals don't last very long.
Kim

[PinkFloydEffect]

The complete not running truck for $1,200 is more the find I'm looking for....$1,800 for a frame and an engine I'm going to throw away is a bit high but it's good to know a 58/59 frame will work as the same!

Maybe your right, as it stands there is nothing on my local craigslist might take a year to find something.