Projects 1946 GMC Bonneville build

Things are crazy right now..my bike held the 650 mp pushrod gas record for a few years..Then my friend took it with a strong tail wind, lol. The wind is always a factor at Maine. So you know Tom, the Canadian who also does tech..

 

Frank John? Not sure I know Tom from Canada. But there's a lot of bike guys I don't know.

 

I only know Tom from internet forums but he is an older guy from Nova Scotia..He races bikes and did the tech inspection on my double engine Triumph bike...That was around 2018 with my rider, I was not able to make it there...
Ok, this place is not about two wheels so keep postin about your truck..I have experience with GMC's and old Chevy 6's so you engine build will be interesting...

 

Thanks I will check them out!

 

I did not know that there was a factory splice there.
Thanks.

 

Well, I've told you wrong. Frank DID cut the skin above the splice because of rust issues. It does unbolt and slide apart but the factory cut is lower as you can see.

 

Regardless, it is a really smart addition for a race truck. Maybe get you in a roadster cl*** in the future.

 

I don't know, those roadster cl***es are out of sight!

 

Finally got back to painting! It's been weeks. Mixed up too much paint so I did the inside of the stake pockets. I can see salt being a problem so I wanted a nice thick coat.

 

Took the block out of the tank and cleaned it off. We found a crack in number 6. We have another engine to take apart and check. Oh well!

 

I had a cracked cylinder in my 270, just had it sleeved. That block can probably be saved.

 

Bummer !!

 

Best for a race motor to be sound but lots of records have been set with sleeved builds. It depends on the crack & the rebuilder. They only have to stay together for a few miles. It's not like a real motor.

 

Sleeving is an option but I'll look for a sound motor first. I'll put the word out and should be able to find one between here and Bonneville.

 

Do you have pistons? I ordered some for my 270 from Ross back in March, still waiting. I'm sure they'll deliver, just thought I'd give you a heads up on waiting times.

 

My last set, I got from Arias. We won't need them for another year but thanks for the heads up. We had to wait for valves for the Lakester motor but it's all together and we ran it last week.

 

Arias is now owned by CP/Carillo and probably has all the old patterns or what ever they are called now. On their website I believe the show the Arias catalog for Sport Pistons.
I have used Arias, CP, and Ross for custom high compression GMC pistons. None have ever failed.

 

Work has been slow. Having too much fun racing this summer. Frank's taking the last 302 motor apart and it looks usable. We have another block and an engine we're picking up on our way back from Bonneville. We're on our way!

 

Safe travels.

 

Thanks!

 

How are you going to weld the stake pockets in with all that paint?

 

I was at a small local swap meet today. A friend waned me to go to Bonneville but I can't do it this year. Be safe & have fun!

 

We're going to use cold rivets like we did in the back of the cab. I wanted a thick coat of paint where salt can hide. The outside will be green.

 

If you get a day to come over, come see us. Team 608.

 

Putting the front end pieces together to see if we have all the right pieces and how they fit.

 

So we spent the last month or so getting all the front end parts to fit perfectly.

 

Beautiful truck . 302 powered is icing on the cake well under the hood .

 

I was beginning to worry! You are doing a great job!!

 

Racing takes up a lot of our time in the summer. I'll never give up on the truck. It'll be ready for Loring in July.
Thanks for the support!