47-55.1 Picked up another old pickup!

[nikwho]

Hey all,

I picked up another old pickup on Friday. She's pretty much all stock, and I'm thinking that I'll keep it just the way that it is! So far, I don't really feel the need to change anything, and that's a rarity for me.

Nik

[_Ogre]

nice truck!
what kind of in bed spare mount is that?
3 trucks, what size stall do you have?

[Getter-Done]

Nice.

Those whitewalls acutally suit that truck well.

[mr48chev]

That is a seriously nice truck.

Having the beauty rings lets you swap hubcaps for a "custom" look if you want to play custom truck for a day or event. Or even a set of custom wheels for a look and attitude change without actually changing the truck.

Right now if a nice original truck like that showed up in my life that I could drive and go places and have fun with I wouldn't change it, I would just drive it, have fun with it and go places at a slower pace.

[daveshilling]

SWEET! Definitely a solid candidate for leaving it largely untouched.

I think the only things I would do are:
sneak in a T-5 trans so I could drive it more places and have a 1st gear I can use!
a dual reservoir MC (lets be honest, I'd do power disc up front)
radial white walls
hard line PCV
relays for the headlights so they're brighter
and maybe an electric fuel pump circuit for easier starts.

This is pretty much my "Stage 1" for any stock truck. Basically nothing really noticeable besides the Radials...only the other truck nerds will spot em, and those are guys I want to impress!

[nikwho]

Thanks for the kind words, guys! This is the nicest, most complete (old) vehicle that I have ever owned. I typically start incessantly researching parts that I want to buy when I get a new project! I spend countless hours online. I keep trying to think up changes I want to make. Looking at mustang II kits, drop beams, etc. Then I realize that I don't want to change it. I really love it the way that it is. I don't even really find myself wanting to lower it. So, ever time I realize that I don't need to be shopping for truck parts, for once in my life, I invite my wife and son to go on another ride. So, really just been putting around in it.

[nikwho]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

nice truck!
what kind of in bed spare mount is that?
3 trucks, what size stall do you have?

Hey Ogre,
Thanks! I'll take a photo of the back side of the mount tomorrow. It's pretty slick, actually, doesn't take up much space, adds to the look of the truck (in my opinion) and makes the spare very easily accessible. It seems like either a factory or after market offering. It didn't seem to be home made. There's a little foot the holds the tire at the bottom that is chrome plated. I'll post more info tomorrow.

I have a 3 stall garage. This truck got one of the designated interior parking spots. It'll reside indoors with my '61 Cadillac and my wife's car. The other trucks and the old Fairlane have to park outside, sadly.

Originally Posted by Getter-Done

Nice.

Those whitewalls acutally suit that truck well.

Thanks! I really like them. I think that I'll stick with the bias ply wide whites on this one. Having two vehicles to buy wide white walls for now is going to make me adjust some priorities. I need to start putting white walloney aside in savings, and buying one or two, periodically. I had just started looking for a set of white walls for the Cadillac, when I found this truck.

[nikwho]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

That is a seriously nice truck.

Having the beauty rings lets you swap hubcaps for a "custom" look if you want to play custom truck for a day or event. Or even a set of custom wheels for a look and attitude change without actually changing the truck.

Right now if a nice original truck like that showed up in my life that I could drive and go places and have fun with I wouldn't change it, I would just drive it, have fun with it and go places at a slower pace.

Thanks! I agree. I'll have to look around for options to change up the look a bit, periodically. It has been an absolute riot to drive. It seems to slow my world down a tad. A definite time capsule!

Originally Posted by daveshilling

SWEET! Definitely a solid candidate for leaving it largely untouched.

I think the only things I would do are:
sneak in a T-5 trans so I could drive it more places and have a 1st gear I can use!
a dual reservoir MC (lets be honest, I'd do power disc up front)
radial white walls
hard line PCV
relays for the headlights so they're brighter
and maybe an electric fuel pump circuit for easier starts.

This is pretty much my "Stage 1" for any stock truck. Basically nothing really noticeable besides the Radials...only the other truck nerds will spot em, and those are guys I want to impress!

I like it! I love the column shifted standard transmission so much, I don't thinknthat I could change it to a floor shifted transmission. If there was a four speed that could be column shifted and swapped easily, or perhaps an overdrive, that would be awesome! I could definitely go for front disc brakes! They leave a little to be desired, for sure.

The shocking thing is how great this thing runs! Even fires up immediately when cold. And it's so quiet. Rolling up to stop signs/lights, i jeep thinking that it stalled and I hit the vas to make sure that its still running, because I cannot hear it. My other trucks you cannot have a conversation it! I've been so focused on performance for so long. 1.75" primary tube headers, dual 3" mandrel bent exhaust, Dart Heads, bigger carbs, turbo's, etc, etc. I can't hear my thoughts in my '59 Apache. This ol girl is a breath of fresh air!

Nik

[G&R's57GMC]

Yep slows one down to the early 50’s pace on the back roads of yesterday .

I loved my ‘56 long bed 6 with granny box 4 speed .

But I had to put on my cowboy hat so as not to piss off the the modern day folks in a hurry .
They see the hat and figure just an old farmer driving and go around carefully , after all I had a sticker on the back that said “Use caution when passing , driver uses chew”

[dsraven]

very nice truck. not many in good shape like that anymore.
a few years ago I helped a buddy do a 54 GMC. all stock except for a duel circuit master cylinder, an alternator and 12volt upgrade. I seen him the other day and asked if he drove it this summer since it was a pretty nice summer here. he said about 3 or 4 times just on the back roads. kinda a shame really. I can't help but wonder if he would drive it more if it had a few modern upgrades, good brakes, power steering and maybe an automatic or overdrive trans so he could keep up with traffic. he's thinking about a seat belt upgrade to new lap belts.
personally I would keep the appearance of the old truck but get some good seat belts or seats with integral belts for shoulder stylebelts, move the gas tank out of the cab, upgrade to power disc brakes, install an overdrive or an automatic trans, do the 12volt and alternator, radial tires and electric wipers. I would also go through it and seal up as many air leaks as possible around doors etc. I'm also one of those researchers who is always looking at what I could improve. the purists would put me on the bad guy list, lol. my buddy with the 54 calls me a butcher, haha. I would try to keep it so it could be put back to stock if desired and, of course, keep all the old parts for the guy who would wanna do that when I'm finished with it.
you prolly have the right idea though, relax and just drive it.
wondering if you could sell the wife's car for enough to build another garage to park your vehicles in. hahahaha
just kiddin
post up a few more pics as you cruise around and have fun