Atempting to restore a 56 GMC Truck... Finally got some pics!

So, as some of you guys know, My Father-in-law was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor... he's had surgery and is doing well so far... we haven't known each other long but we have a good relationship and he is really one of the nicest, most patient men I have ever met...

we recently spent the weekend in Monterey and he told me he has a 1956 GMC truck he wants to give me so I can restore it... I was pretty much blown away... I was really touched and want to to take him up on the offer...the problem is I have absolutely NO knowledge of cars or engines or anything... From what I understand, its in running order but needs some major work... i'm not sure about the condition of the body, bu i assume that needs work too...

are there any car guys out there? am I getting in completely over my head? where do I even begin? I really see this as a very long term project and my wife is really supportive of it and wants to do it...

it seems like it would be a lot of fun and a great excuse to be outside smoking a Diesel while I work on the car...

anyone try anything like this before?

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Comments

dennisking

Lmc truck has all the parts you need. There are probably 1000 different resources available to you in the bay area

beatnic

Awesome. That front bumper is the sh*ts.

kuzi16

im not a car guy, but i wish i was.

you are getting in over your head.

... but you will love it.
remember, hobbies are for spending your money. you will have a ton of fun fixing it up. and when you are done your neighbors will envy you.

robbyras

kuzi16:
im not a car guy, but i wish i was.

you are getting in over your head.

... but you will love it.
remember, hobbies are for spending your money. you will have a ton of fun fixing it up. and when you are done your neighbors will envy you.

HA! agreed... it's not gonna be cheap... and i'm sure it will take years...

I'm trying to look online for vehicle restoration guides but I can't seem to find anything...

jlmarta

robbyras:
I'm trying to look online for vehicle restoration guides but I can't seem to find anything...

Hemmings Motor News?

Marty

boydmcgowan

Good for you brother.

Old cars are awesome. I've had a 68 firebird for the past 11 years and love it. Its still a work in process, and will probably always be, but its such a good feeling working on it and driving it.

I've done a fair bit myself, although most of that was with the help of my college roomate and his little brother who taught me verything I know. It helps having someone who knows cars with you for a while. But if not you can still do it. the three things I'd recomend.

1. Don't be scared. Old cars are like big kid legos, man. Their really not all that hard to figure out, especially if your restoring. modifying . . . . thats a different story.
2. Start small, get a feel for it, before you go for the big stuff. For example, try rebuilding the carb before you try rebuilding the engine. Or maybe start with the electrical or something just to get your momentum building.
3. Find a good mechanic and/or machine shop that you trust, when you can't figure something out, or just plain don't want to. Not sure if this is the place for shameless bay area plugs here, but Danny at Automotion in San Bruno has been amazingly helpful for me. I had a guy in San Diego, and when I moved up north I was a little lost, and couldn't figure out why it ran like $h!t, so I called Roy Brizio's shop in SF and asked if they did work on 60s stuff and they didn't but they referred me straight away to Automotion, with no hesitation. Look them up on Yelp and give them a call if you like, you can always call in ask if they do 50's trucks. I know its a hike for you, but you could even call and ask if there's stuff closer. The old car community is alot like the cigar community. Pleasanton I think is a little hotrod center for some reason too so there's got to be someone there.

As far as literature for original specs goes. find a service manual for it, you should be able to easily pick something up on amazon or ebay.

And as far as parts go, also see if there is a "year one" catalog for that year of that truck. Also never underestimate the power of a swap meet or a brand specific used parts guy. There was a guy in San diego, who ran a shop called Franks Pontiac Parts, and it was all used parts in good condition that he scrounged from junk yards and swap meets. I have a used rear end and crank shaft in my car. Saved me a lot of cash.

and man, have fun with it.

james40

Oh man, that is so friggin sweet. Can't wait to see pics of this.

robbyras

james40:
Oh man, that is so friggin sweet. Can't wait to see pics of this.

yeah, i'm getting more and more excited about this... I got some more info on the truck yesterday... It's a 56 GMC longbed 3/4 ton... so It's a bit bigger... and, apparently tires are a *** to find because they are an abnormal size... I haven't even seen the truck yet, but I think I'm getting some pics this weekend so I'll post them up...

another problem is that the truck is in Sonora which is about 2 hours away from me and I'm really not sure how I'm gonna get the truck home... Obviously I'm gonna have to tow it, but I'll worry about that later.

My father-in-law bought this with the idea of restoring it and he never got around to it... so I'm gonna ask him if he wants to work on it with me... I can go up there on weekends and we can work on it together... he doesn't have a lot of time left but i think he may enjoy that...

and thanks for all the great info boydmcgowan... you're right down the street, I may have to get you on the phone and bribe you to come help... I'm sure I've got something in my humi that we can smoke while we're working... we can have a mini Restoration Herf!

james40

AAA premiere access gets you 1 free 200 mile tow and 1-2 100 mile tows per car per year. Upgrade if you have it. It's not much more than the regular membership.

robbyras

james40:
AAA premiere access gets you 1 free 200 mile tow and 1-2 100 mile tows per car per year. Upgrade if you have it. It's not much more than the regular membership.

now THAT is an interesting fact... that's a HUGE tip... thanks! I think I might even be a premier member through my business!

james40

Best upgrade I ever made. AAA has so many services - I had them come replace the two batteries in my diesel truck while it was at my house. They diagnosed why it couldn't start, then had the battery truck come. Took the old ones away and I sat there with my neighbor smoking a cigar and drinking smithwicks. Sure, I paid a little more, but I didn't have to drive and get two ones, swap those out, and dispose of the old ones.

And I hope I'm correct with the amount of tows but I'm 95% sure it's darn close to that. Oh, and they will tow my 5th wheel too.

robbyras

I actually just called and they will cover it... dude, you have no idea how much this helps me out!!!!

I thought I was gonna have to rent a truck and tow it myself... this is freakin awesome! So now I basically pay $60 to get it towed 150 miles... that is a freakin STEAL! and I never would have thought to use AAA...

I can't thank you enough...

but, 9 months from now when this truck is driving me nuts, I'm going to blame you James... so be prepared

james40

No worries bro, I'm glad that worked for you. AAA is worth every penny - it pays for itself. So the easy part is over now, hehe :-)

boydmcgowan

robbyras:
and thanks for all the great info boydmcgowan... you're right down the street, I may have to get you on the phone and bribe you to come help... I'm sure I've got something in my humi that we can smoke while we're working... we can have a mini Restoration Herf!

haha, glad to help brother. Time is tight with a 1.5 yr old little boy, but I'd be glad to meet up one of these days, but don't get the wrong idea of me though. I'm not one of those car guys who knows everything about everything, and grew up in a shop. I've just partially restored partially modified one car, with alot of help from others, and picked up some knowledge along the way. Never dug into an engine, but we replaced and upgraded everything from and including the clutch all the way back to the rear end. Plus 100% new suspension. most importantly its been a ton of fun in the process.

Good luck to you man, and pm me if you need something and I'll try to help you out.

Boyd

robbyras

so... I thought I would give a bit of an update here... So Steve (my father in law) had a set back in August... he had a minor stroke, but there is really nothing minor about strokes... his speech is pretty poor and he has limited control of his left side... he's powering through though... he's taking some physical and speech therapy and hopefully he can regain some of his confidence...

Needless to say, the truck restoration project has taken a back seat... in fact I was up there this past weekend and say it for the firs time... turns out it is the 3/7 ton model so has bigger tires and what not... this may make the finding of some parts (ie tires) more difficult, but we'll get after it soon enough...I snapped a few pics... the front end on this baby is FREAKIN TOUGH!

this is Steve on the left and his dad, Mac, on the right... unfortunately they are both in poor health, but they are still gettin after it!

thanks again for all your support guys! I know you all have your own things going on and I appreciate that you take the time to see how things are going! Steve has another MRI next week, so hopefully I'll have some good news to share... The tumor has been shrinking so hopefully that is still the case... now if we can figure out how to get his platelets up!!!

90+ Irishman

Rob if you ever need any help or info, or even just where to start hit me up cuz I have been building are racing cars since I was 9... professional mechanic for years, and personal mechanic for one of the collectors in Colorado (400+ cars in his collection) so yeah buddy, I can help you in ANYTHING you need my friend

I built this from two totaled Camaro's that my father and I found in a field in our garage for 4 years before I even started HS :

Not trying to hijack just trying to show that I do know what I am talking about and would be more than happy to walk you through anything you need buddy!