Projects 1954 GMC Series 1

@Six Ball if it wasn't the fact the 248 was already 30 over and needs boring and the 270 needing 20 unders on the crank and rods and boring itself (pistons already knurled) I'd be set. Egge just wants an insane amount for new and I've had ol Buffalo digging and another blong time local machinist both come up empty handed. Buffalo has a couple older 270s both were "sealed"motors I'd try again with a six. I've sent out so many emails and calls to long time parts guys even had a nice chat with old Langon all have sadly unless I can find that guy with a parts horde I'm about out of luck. And even then they would want $$$ for the parts.

If I wasn't on limited income I'd go for sale something crazy or go for Egge parts. I set aside $10k that I've saved for over 10 years and sadly I am about tapped. I'm already over $8k into it and still a mountain of parts. Probably looking at $20-30k to fix the rest of the stuff and get the thing on the road even if it's in primer.

 

Walk away. You are so far upside down it will only get worse and you have proven you can't buy your way outta this. I have a fraction of what you have spent which includes a rebuilt motor for my 51

 

Yeah why I'm considering passing it along. I'll never break

Adding things up I've got more than I realized

$3500 initial purchase with what was supposed to be a good solid running 248. It ran but very poorly.
$1000 into rebuilding the 9" including the core purchase
$1000 into getting the T5 proper
$6-800 in various machine work
$650 into the bunk 270
$100-200 in another parts block with junk internals
$100 for rear lowering springs
$500 into a set of Bufflos Nicson Headers
$150 for a Set of Best Gasket overhaul kit.
$40 for Clifford intake gasket

Adds up fast and I'm no where near having something. At least it rolls

But it needs someone that's good with body repairs as the kid didn't do a very good job installing patch panels and some are just laid over rust

Time to move on. Try and get what I can for everything.

 

You’ll end up taking a loss, but seems you’ll be “in a better place”.
I had a ‘42 Ford PU, I put some nicer bedsides on it, had it running and driving, but then the daunting task of cab corners, cab mounts, cowl patches, etc started to set in.
However I got lucky on the 500$ Flathead, not counting my time, I about broke even on it, but was happy to see it go then.
I do look back now and once in awhile I wished I’d kept it, but it’s not that often

 

In '57 I was 12 my brother 17. One of his friends family had money so the friend got a new Chevy and soon wrecked it. He got another one. Another of my brother's friends bought the 283 engine from the wrecked one and my dad helped them put it in the friends '40 Ford 2 door. Bone stock outside to the 16" wheels, trim rings, & deluxe caps. What a sleeper for '57. Oh yeah the rich kid got the power pack bundle when he bought it. Don't remember exactly what that included 4 bbl, high compression heads, maybe a cam upgrade? It sure looked cool sitting in that '40.

 

not sure that helps him but...

 

We’re supposed to break even on this stuff?

 

Well, if the stars align, you look to the left at just the right time, it could happen to you!!!!

 

Looks like a new direction. A fellow car guy is giving me a 4.3 v6. It's got headers, mild cam, my 390 cfm carb should run it fine. 5 speed will swap in may just have to change the input shaft back to an S10 one. He built it 8 years ago for his 50 Chev coupe ran it a few years and decided to go crazy and now has a 572 under the hood. He's been helping trying to find 6er stuff and knows how much I've done for the local community car wise with building and wiring so he's Iike come get this thing before I change my mind. I could get a TH200 metric with it but those are not a fun transmission when I have a fresh build T5. I just have to get a SBC bellhousing to mate things up if the one I have in the pile does not fit, as I think it's an early bell.

Now to find a place to store all the I6 stuff. I'm keeping the Nicsons just in case down the road parts show up and I can build a rowdy jimmy.


That and the old boy has been wanting me to be part of his local group to hang out and cruise together. Lol

 

I think if I was going that route I leave the TH 200 on it. That is a good , efficient, trans with OD. Easy conversion with the engine swap.
I just picked up some spare rod, main, and cam bearings for GMC sixes on eBay. .030 & .040 mains & .040 rods with cam bearings all for less than $200. With my .030 Venolia pistons & rings I'll have a spare 270 when the one I'm running gets tired unless I come across pistons for a 302.

 

I was watching those bearings. Lol!! I snoozed and lost. Good work grabbing those.

I've honestly had nothing but bad luck with the 200s and honestly kinda want a manual, I also have a way to keep the old floor push button start as well.

Well I have a bunch of 270 parts, and if I part the 248 out I have a 302 cast number cam that's appears in good shape. I am still tearing it down. Just haven't had time to get the 70 off the stand and the 48 on it. Pretty much everything up for grabs.

But my time for the next few months is tight. I got stat close and help the old man out. He's got triple bypass scheduled next week and I'll be the driver. Even got my Daily cleaned up last night. Triple to start they might do more once open. So cars for now is a second. Well third. I've got this pain in the butt 36 ford I'm doing. Owner started building it and his health failed so it's at the shop I'm at and I'm fixing everything he did wrong. . But will be a sweet rod when done, has a 348 Pontiac with the craziest and probably HAMB approved headers. Copy of a 60s salt flat racers headeds. But yeah paint the body and smooth the firewall before you even mount the steering wheel is always a good idea. Lol! And of course it's piano black.

Anyway thanks again I'll probably grab it to just have that 200.

 

Well glad to see the project moving forward instead of moving out!

 

I thought of you when I grabbed those bearings. If you want them let me know. It is the reason I asked you exactly what GMC parts you need.
Your dad will be a new man after the surgery. You won't be able to keep up with him!

 

Ive been waiting on the machinist to check my cranks out seeing which one is the better. I know id need a minimum of a 20 or 30 under. But was hesitant because he needs to loan me his bore gauge to see what shape the holes are. Its just been a totally not meant to be situation lately.
But i also forgot i had my sales ad up on a local swap page. Lol was offered a 67 mustang FB with a 6 in it that actually runs and drives in trade. Lol! May go look to just see it. Just did a t5 swap in a 66 gt350. Kinda like the cars. But im sure shes Swiss cheese. Never know till you look.

 

Its amazing how one mans minimal rust is another mans “Holy Swiss Cheese Batman”. I honestly think the only thing holding that mustang together was what was left of the paint and the factory undercoating. Lol hard pass.
Time to get the 248 on the stand and pistons popped out and measure its bores. And crank journals.

The 270 would need a minimum of 30 overs to clean up. Hes said possibly 40s #4 and 5 with the rust was pretty deep. And 20 unders on the rods and mains.

The one head with the sbc valve job needs valve guides, and decked, valve seats would probably clean up. Said whoever dud it originally did an okay job but something about the valve guides depth was not done too well. Needed a machined base so they are all uniform. All is reparable if i choose to have him redo it proper.

 

Found yet another 1955 270 locally with yet another SM426. Lol. I am taking my borescope with me this time. Came out of a 1.5 ton truck. Not much is known other than it ran 10 years ago. Im pretty much tapped money wise at this point and would take the rest of my stash to buy it. So maybe 1 out of 4 motors could be good?

 

Take a battery & some gas and fire it up. You could check compression & oil pressure. Some trucks were not used a lot. I got a 235 Chevy from a Fire truck that had 225 miles on it. It came from an air base.

 

if you fog lights are still six volt bulbs you can use them on 12 volts if you wire the bulbs in series. in other words from the 12v power into one bulb and that bulb's other terminal to the power of the other bulb and then to ground.

 

Actually found the company and they are still making lights and sell 12v conversions for them. Sadly one was burnt in 6v so win?

 

Been a long day. Old Man is all patched up and on his path to recovery. I sat out in the shop tonight hoping the heat would of coaxed some spirits out of the old metal telling me what to do. Lol. Need to get some help this weekend and get the motors swappd. Yeah the 248 is on its deck. Lol happy accident when I yanked the head off with the block on the tire, I got to the bench to turn and in slow motion the motor roll to the floor. Grabbed the pan and rolled it on its deck.

So this is my mess. And one pretty grille.

 

Hope your dad makes a speedy recovery! Keep going, every thing you need is out there except time.

 

I just need to find a place to store it all by winter. Unless someone pays me out of my misery. Lol! Had a few offers to trade for another project but nothing that's in any better shape.

 

Find a place and keep it. Your dad will be helping before you know it.

 

The head is one of the last with a smaller chamber. Even tho it has small ports its compression will be higher when an if you add cubic inches. Years ago I help
A friend put a 270 together with one of these heads with a zero deck. He installed slightly bigger intakes and 1.60 exhaust. We used a large port intake and tapered the first 3/8” of the intake port to match. The engine had torque you would not believe. It was in a 52 Bel Air with a Saginaw 4 speed and 355 gears.

 

I've got 3 with small ports. The one off the 248 has SBC valves and has had some mild porting done. If l goes well I'll port match them to the Clifford intake and Nicson Manifolds.

But today my supplemental income just hit me with a cancellation of policy so now I get to lawyer up and try and appeal. Fighting that my Neuro disorder can randomly change at any time. Just because I've been stable a few years does not mean this falls check shows significant growth. Joys.

 

I agree with what jimmy six is saying about the ports. Really you don't need the big ports for anything but all out WOT racing. Then you need BIG valves to make full use of them. You lose velocity at most real driving rpm. Even Bill Fisher liked the smaller ports for street and occasional racing. There is probably an in-between port size that could work. Machining a taper in a small port manifold & head could maintain velocity at low end as well as provide enough volume for all you really need. If I ever build another 270 I will pursue this.

Good luck with your appeal. All government programs suck and rarely help the ones we were told would benefit.

 

Figures. I lose part of my income and today a set of 30 over 248 rings, 20 under bearings and cam bearings all show up on ebay. Lol! But I haven't got the block stripped down to see if the bores are good and a rering is all that's needed and if 20s would work on the crank.

On a good note is my lawyer helped me draft my appeal last night and got it sent off. He found some questionable wording and how they conveniently decided since I was in between neurologists that now it was a convenient time to dump me and for the fact my condition has been relatively stable for a few years mostly because I haven't been working 60 hours a week. Their docs decided my condition wasn't bad enough to prevent bme from working FT but omitted the fact I am unable to pass a drug screen. Due to the meds I have to take to just live somewhat normally. Lol so fingers crossed. 30-45 days process. Sadly there won't be any back pay awarded.

Oh well time to double down and get prepped for the charity walk for my condition here in a few weeks that I am second in command on. Keep my head from going too idle. Need to get one last sponsor if I can. Been trying to get the local machine shop or Dreamers in Everett to sign on.

 

All that it takes is for someone to actually buy something and all the similar arts come pouring out. Ot is how eBay works.

 

Can you post links to the auction? I’ve a curious mind, just wondering what those pieces might be going/asking for?

 

I just search for GMC 248 or GMC 270 and weed thru the erroneous oddly placed ads.