Oh great! Another "opinion" question to stir up many e-mails.
My daily driver for the last 15 years is a '57 GMC 1/2 ton with factory
installed 347" Pontiac V8 and Hydra-Matic. I do all my own maintenance
on it. As much as I like the different look of the GMC grille and
dashboard I have sometimes been frustrated by the subtle differences
between the Chevy and GMC. So I guess I'm saying "stay away from the
GMC" because
a. the differences may bite you
b. leaves more GMC specific parts for me
Suburban specific sheet metal parts and the hardware that attaches them
(hinges, etc.) can be hard to find.
If you plan on actually driving this beast (I put 400 miles on mine last
weekend, mostly highway, highway miles were split between 70 MPH
interstate and 55-70 MPH 2 lane) plan on updating the rear end gears to
a more user friendly ratio. Luckily, my GMC came with a 3.08 which
equates to 2400 RPM at 70 MPH, but most of these old trucks had
numerically higher ratios which tend to really wind up stock
engine/transmission combinations even at 55 MPH. Daily drivers also
benefit greatly from disk brake, electronic ignition and alternator
upgrades for reliability and safety reasons.
If you just want a beater to chug around town or the farm with and don't
care that you can see the road through the floorboard find one that runs
and don't worry about the body. If you want to hot rod it start with
the best body you can find and don't worry about the running gear that
you will be replacing anyway.
'47 to '59 models are a lot easier to find parts for than '46 or earlier
models.
Hope I didn't scare you off.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-oletrucks@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-oletrucks@autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Nathan Pralle
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2005 10:50 AM
To: oletrucks@autox.team.net
Subject: [oletrucks] Which Years Best?
Ok, another question for those more experienced:
For a new guy starting out dealing with vintage vehicles of the Chevy
make, which years would be the best to look at in terms of a starting
project? I like the look of anything pre-60 but other than that am not
picky. However, I don't want to go and get something and it be either
the hardest one I could choose or the most obscure. I mean, sure!
That'd be great to have a truck that was highly unique, but as many have
stated, that's a good way to get overly frustrated.
So, is there a year/range or particular model that you'd recommend?
Things to look for? Parts to look for that are intact and whole because
they're hard to get/restore?
Thanks for the help.
Nathan
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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