’48 GMC Build – Cummins 4BT, 47RH, IFS, 4-Link, Air

[reg3]

Hey everyone, I’m finally ready to start a build thread on my 1948 GMC FC152 (3/4 Ton, Longbed). This is my first full build; I’ve been working on the truck slowly over the past few years, progress has been a bit slow but I’m finally rolling on it now and wanted to get a thread going. Ill catch up in the first few posts, then update it as I finish work on it. So without further ado….

Backstory: I came across the truck through a friend who pulled it out of a barn on a big farm in South Dakota from the original owner. The truck was a perfect example of a rust free-all original survivor that had some mechanical issues some years back and was pushed to the back of a barn and forgotten about. The truck had a great patina on it; all the body panels were original and (relatively) dent/damage free. Unfortunately at some point on the trip to the east coast, the transport guy smashed the truck into something while offloading it (he was shocked that the brake pedal went all the way to the floor when he tried to stop ). The damage was primarily to the front grille surround/fenders, nothing too catastrophic, just a bit of bad luck. Because of this incident, my friend soured on the truck and decided to part ways with it, and this is how it came to live in my barn.

Build Plans:

• Chassis: Modify original frame, C-Notch rear, IFS front
• Suspensions: Air on all 4 corners, Mustang II, triangulated 4-link rear, Ford 9-inch
• Drivetrain: Cummins 4BT, 47RH automatic, hoping to land somewhere in the 300HP range
• Power/Engine: ARP Head studs, 60# Valve Springs, 4K GSK, Fuel Plate Mod, DDP Stage 2 Injectors, Timing ~16.5*, Turbo: undecided here (either HY35W or super HX30)
• Exterior: CLR, scotch brite, clear coat
• Interior: new leathers on the seats, headliner, gauges. Keep the original interior paint and trim, CLR, scotch brite, clear coat

My goal for the build is to have a reliable, mild HP, patina queen with an updated drivetrain/brakes, that the wife and I can comfortably cruise in.

Now on to some pictures…

Crappy cell phone pics from the day I picked it up, notice the front end damage in the first pic.





I rolled it into my little barn and began the tear down...