Projects 1954 GMC Series 1

Dare I say, put a 350 in it? Let the stones fly.

 

Did it on the customers truck I got the 270 from. Not a fun job. We had to use a FJ60 steering box and still had to use block hugger headers and shove the motor to the passenger side 3-4" to get everything to fit right. One work around is 265 manifolds, but then kiss any performance goodbye as restricted as they are. Williams makes a manifold for the Car side to clear the stock steering box, but sadly they won't clear the truck box. Thankfully it was a 2 Tonner so it had a carrier bearing so I built a plate to move the carrier bearing over and I had a dead straight driveline due to the offset pinion of the truck rear axle.

But that idea is not off the table. If I could sell all the motor parts and the rebuilt T5 I could get a GM crate motor.

 

It sounds like you have a lot going on, a lot of distractions. How bad do you really want this truck with a six in it? Personally I wouldn't want mine any other way.
A friend here has a turboed 250 for sale. He mentioned it at a show on Saturday. I think it is a runner but not sure. I have another friend with some Jimmys too. The GMC Parts are out there. It may take a while to round them up. I have some bearings. I'll check sizes when I get back home next week. I don't think you can hurt the rods with a stock engine. They are all the same except for the tab slot in the big end and some have larger pin bores. There are good used pistons around. You could have your block bored to their size. Rings can be fitted. Bearings can be shimmed. This all sounds hokey but it was done in the day and done carefully it could run well for years. We are not taking about an 8 or 10 thousand rpm engine.

 

Good old Buffalo. He's digging for parts, but may have enough to put together a 302. Going back this weekend to climb the rack and get some numbers. They might be military "Sealed" motors. But he thinks he has a set of 40 overs for a 302. My cam in the 248 is cast as a 302 and is in good shape. He's got some 20 unders stashed away as well for bearings. So between Buffalo and my local machinist and another local and my pile of junk parts we might be able to put together a 302 for a reasonable amount.


I did make them scratch their heads. My 270 head has these nozzles in the head the 2 other heads don't. Buffalo and my old time local machinist have never seen them. Never heard of them. I understand their use to spray coolant on the exhaust passages but are they 100 percent street use necessary?

 

I think I said earlier that I have never seen or heard of those when you first mentioned them.
It sounds like you are rounding up parts you can use. There is a lot of interchange (mix & match) with these engines.

 

A lot of the brass nozzles have been removed for some reason. All my 270H heads have them even the ones that are milled .100”. The coolant coming thru the block holes and into the head closest to the exhaust valve have the nozzles which are pressed in aiming at the valve….they are there for a reason and so far I’ve never cracked a cylinder head with them in.

 

Whats the consensus of the S10 frame swap. Lets just hypothetically say an 89 2wd long bed just happened to show up at my local tow yard i can snag cheap (pay the tow bill and paperwork fee and its mine). Not ideally the route i was planning but its got a rebuildable 4.3l with an auto I can toss and out my newly built T5 behind it. Hate giving up the 6 banger but want to see this thing on the road by next spring in one way or another. Not finished Mind you but i want to drive this thing to the first car show in April, one ive helped at for years and either drove a friends extra rig or rode the bike.

 

IMHO.... bad move! Not only will it get you kicked off of this forum (Not that THAT should be your determining factor, but just sayin') but too many of those frame swaps wind up going sideways and being abandoned or sold for way less than the builder has in them because.... who wants to try to salvage a boogered up hash job? Contrary to what a lot of folks think, that's not a simple, clean change-over. Think about all the brackets, body mounts, component locations, etc, that have to be right to get a satisfactory final outcome.
If it's cheap, but it for the 4.3, salvage what you can, and shitcan the rest. YMMV

 

Oof. Yeah. I kinda expected that. Lol! They do have kits available now bolt on and weld on kits for everything for the swap including various motor mount setups. Just trying to keep my project alive as im super disheartened right now. Should of done far more research before now having 3 boat anchors worth of gmc motors.

 

There are plenty of work-arounds besides the GMC six you had planned, but just imagine your frustration level as you attempt to marry a newer chassis to your existing cab and fenders, bed, etc. Cut your losses, find a SBC with whatever trans and rearend you want, and tango on. Don't "borrow trouble" by taking on an even more daunting task! Good luck!

 

I guess I don’t understand the need to chassis swap.
Especially if you buy one of those kits to do it.
Just modify the original chassis.
When I did frame repair, the s10 was probably the weakest chassis I ever straightened. Seems like a major step backwards.
The kits aren’t cost effective and look goofy.
I see a lot of unfinished ones on marketplace.
I have a 49 GMC on the back burner. It will get a stretched straight axle. I have all the stuff to do a M2 set up. Bought the stuff years ago. But I liked how the old truck drove when I bought it. I don’t need PS and I just need the truck to sit lower. That’s EZ with the stock stuff.
This place don’t allow em to be posted but that’s not a deciding factor on my decision. It just seems like a solution to a nonexistent problem.

 

Why the thought of an S10 frame?
Pay the tow bill, get the S10. Use the engine and transmission. Maybe even the rear end is the correct width? Albeit 5 lug I’d guess.
Don’t bastardize the truck with a frame swap. Keep its character. (And the hood closed)

 

Unrelated story, kinda similar though. I sold something to a guy who came buy to get it. He spied my ‘36 Ford PU in the barn.
He said “those fit right on an S10 frame, that’s what I’d do”

I said “I’ve drove an S10, wasn’t impressed “.

Now this was after my street rodding days. 7/8 years ago I tore a different’36 PU apart that I’d done a Heidts SR2, tri 4 bar. I have a ‘35 Ford car chassis I set up with a ‘55 Chevy car rear end.

Some day I’ll find the time to get it back to close to what it was.

 

Thanks guys. I figured it was a can of worms things. Saw a few builds and looked straight forward but thats the problem with blogs. They dont show the bad stuff.
I had my hear set on a nice Jimmy Six but thr more i dig even if i were to scrape together enough parts to build one the availability of parts years from now would ground it. Just want something different and reliable.

But right now i just need my shop space back as well and find home for all the motors and parts. Maybe get enough money form all of it to afford a SBC and start that headache of fitting that in. Did one on a 52 GMc 2 Tonner and it honestly $u•••• moving motor to the side cutting and reinforcing the frame. FJ60 power steering redoing all the steering flipping arms building a custom pitman arm etc. all thr normal hot rod stuff.

pretty much all my hot rod buddies are pushing for the SBC route but I honestly dont want to and don’t particularly want a chevy 6 in it as unless i go later model even the 235 stuff is drying up fast. 290 does sound appealing but they lack the character the old 270 series has.

i am just stuck running out of ideas and burning out fast and honestly sat there last night thinking if someone came along with $6k they could haul off the entire lot. Motors, truck, every part i have to pretty much build it other than glass.
Sadly not to mention i am losing a sizable hunk of my income due to my LTD (long term disability) playing hardball changing the rules and requirements of my contract (because they can) so my only income will be SSD and my odd job cash income. Sadly not really enough to fund the project going forward. On top of a fee other things. Its just a disheartening situation.
The first 270 was a runner and had high hopes a few gaskets to seal it back up and off i go turned into the mess im in now.

 

In truth here. I'd love to find someone knowledgeable in my area to stop by and get me in the right direction. See what I have maybe even help. Seems like I have all these hot rod friends that I lend hands to but none seem to have time to help me when I'm in a fix. Plis borrowing shop space I am.super limited. And my tiny shops packed to the gills trying to put one motor together.

 

If it was easy everyone would do it. I'm talking about the Jimmy not the S10. These trucks probably have one of the most accepting frames for however you want build them. Your issue isn't the chassis it is with committing to build a GMC six. Assess what you have and what you need and reach out for the specific parts you need. Try to contact Inliners International. There are some old guys there sitting on parts. They don't want to be ripped off by someone trying to turn a profit but would like to see someone put a driver on the road or a racer on the strip.
https://www.inliners.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php

 

If you haven't already, drop by Stovebolt.com and look around. Mostly Chevy, but some GMC guys/gals and parts.

At least a like-minded group. BTW, a 261 chevy would fit your era, good power and should be supportable for years.

 

Hate to do this but after a long discussion with the old man, and the uncertainty of my extra income and possibly losing the barn it's stored in we are considering cutting our losses and selling the lot. Pass it along to someone with the time as pocketbook to do it right.

I'll stick to building cool cars for others with their money. Maybe a running and driving project will come along when I'm in a better position to afford a project.

Open to the offers. I have a metric ton of goodies and parts and pieces for it. Would take a truck and trailer to haul it all off.

 

I have to apologize everyone. Just hasn't been a good summer so far. Lot going on that has me physically mentally and medically exhausted. My relaxation project has kicked my butt pretty hard. And just reality hit hard this week seeing how much I honestly have to do to it including redoing all the patch panels and scab work done by the previous owner who was a fairly good friend. Right now I honestly just don't have a project in me till things settle down and cool off. Ofni had the space to shove it in a corner to forget about it for a while I would. But borrowing space with limited resources to keep the truck in and my dad's workshop small enough that we don't have any room due to all the motors blown apart in it. It's a small workshop not a build a car shop like we had in Idaho. I honestly just don't know what I need to do right now. I have currently exhausted my stash toward the truck and the potential bof losing half my monthly income only means I'll have to work even harder at my side hustle and sadly medically I don't have that in me. My condition has progressed a bit so I have to think of my medical well being. Originally this truck was going to be a build that all my buddies I've helped over the years build cars, wire and finish are nowhere in sight. Other than getting LS Swap it and be done, lower it etc. But that's my issues not one to rant on here about.

So if anyone in my area has any interest in a project let's talk.

Take Care.

 

Sorry things are piling up on you. Sometimes it is a good thing to know when to quit and move something along. If a v8 swap is a way out do it. If you can find a place to stash for a while do it. If selling it will free up your mind & time do it. I used to have space. Now my shop, shed, barn & yard are filled with unfinished and unstarted projects I'll never get to. Maybe I should bundle a few and move them along. The problem with that is they are all scattered in the mess.
Good luck to you! Yours & your dad's health are the most important thing. There are thousands of old GM pickups out there.

 

Friend hates to see me abandon my project so he's going to do some digging in his barn. He's got a complete 265 he's donate to me to keep it alive. It's a rebuild able core. He pulled it out of his wife's 4 door 55 Bel-Air in flavor of a 383 stroker.

265 paired with a 5 speed sounds interesting. Plenty of parts available for the 265s. And it keeps things period correct. Just can't get too rowdy due to the T5 limitations on Torque. Not after rowdy unless we as well went the stroker route. Don't need no 350hp plus tire smoking machime. A reliable running cruiser is all I am after.

Will just require a 400 mile each way trip to retrieve it as it's back on my old stomping grounds in Idaho. For a free usable motor I can handle that.

 

Just pay attention to the differences with early 265s and other SBCs.
Cool engine.

 

Quick schooling on that topic Anthony? All I know is it's a 55 265 so far and has the front dump manifold. I'll see when he finds it to get numbers off the block before doing a turn and burn with a borrowed truck.

 

No oil filter in the block…1955

 

Thanks Jimmy I've got 3 oil filter assemblies off the 6s should be able to get something to work or do a remote. Friend has a 265 in one of his cars with a cannister filter I could copy.

 

I’m doing a 283. In just the last couple weeks I’ve learned about the distributor oiling and block oiling differences.
So just use the search here to make sure ya get the right pieces matched up.
The exhaust manifolds will help ya clear the truck steering box.

 

55 265 would not have side motor mounts, only front mounts.

 

Whatever keeps you in the game at a good place for you. For me if I was building and engine I build one of the ones on the floor And not one 400 miles away. The parts are out there you just have to look and take some time. The good T5s will take anything a 265 will throw at it.
Just a thought I don't think I've ever heard mentioned as far as swapping a V8 into a Chevy pickup. In the mid 50s Studebaker V8 cars the engine was not centered. It was offset 1-2 inches to the side depending if the car was right or left hand drive. There were two sets of mounting holes in the crossmembers. The u-joints made it up on the way to the rear end. I found this out when my son & I were building his '54 Stude wagon. Naturally I centered the engine & trans because it seemed weird. My point is that it doesn't really matter and might get the exhaust to clear the steering. I have a 331 Caddy that my end out in one of these pickups if that idea would work.

 

Long as universal joint angles are not in a bind the motor could be totally crooked under the hood. And with the offset of the 9" third member of I do have to shove it to the side, no carrier bearing to deal.with it's nothing major. Just was a pain on the wrecker as the customer insisted it have headers.

 

I am putting together a 51 GMC with a 283. HEADERS are THE LAST THING I would consider adding to a truck like this that I planned on driving a ton. I also have several inake/carb options. Since I am dressing the 283 up (down?) to look like I pulled it out of a 57 and dropped it in I may even run the Rochester 2bbl that came off my dads 56 Chevy. It is rebuilt, I know it works, one less project
If I were in your shoes I would do as @anthony myrick mentioned and get a dropped axle, mock it up and have a roller within days.