piratexpress1369a 1963 GMC Panel SLOW Build

[piratexpress1369a]

ok so lets give a little back ground ,when i was driving truck and delivering for Tim Horton's Coffee i was stopped in Brandon Manitoba and i saw this old blue gmc panel truck..i was hooked ,this was in 1986,so lets step 12 years foward to 1998 when i stopped this red 63 gmc for sale in Almont Ontario..One month later a deal was made for it ,i borrowed my friends flatbed trailer to pick it up and haul it home..at the time all i needed was a battery and a flatbed wrecker to get it off my deck .....

[piratexpress1369a]

so my cousin and i replace the brake shoes and that was all it needed for a safety it has an inline 6 with a three on the tree ..now it has 2 sunroofs front and back and a bed in the back with storage underneath the bed. i replace the square headlights with the right 4 bulb system and the truck driver in me add some west coast mirrors and some air horns ,with a tank that can be refilled at any gas station air pump ..that was when it use to be free to air up tires !!! so i drive it around for a year and in late 1999 just before christmas i just parked my big truck and hopped in the old girl and was driving home on the dirt road (lite dusting on snow)third gear ,tune cranked ..i come pass this sign marked S bend (30) but the 3 is covered with snow ..this goes though my head "this is going to hurt " i try to kick the back end around but no way ..well straighten the wheel out and we are going to ride it out ..

[piratexpress1369a]

..off into the air we go and here come the opposite side of the bank ..(insert sound effects here lol) i hit on the bumper truck rolls up onto the hood ,stops then the back end drops down onto it wheels ,i am sitting back in my seat hands on the wheel which i have bent around ,think cool i am in one piece ,the next thing i know is i am on the floor on the passenger side on my ass,,and what was that i am thinking ?? then as i am about to sit up one of my 6x9 box speaker comes flying pass my head and hits the windshield and i catch it in my hands ,,so i put it back between the seats and try to open the drivers door ,no go opened only a little bit.ah ok well lets climb out the back of the truck ,as i am doing this i find out that i have dislocated my right hip (PAIN MOFO) i get to the door and i can not get them open from the inside ,Plan C ..turn around and go out the passenger side as i side down to the front my hip pops back into place (more pain)..i slide in the pass seat and open the door ,ah right on so i set out with my right foot and there is no bottom water and ice ,well that will not work ,ok up over the hood we go .. i get on to the bank and walk slowly to the nearest house for help ...to be continued

[piratexpress1369a]

so 6 weeks off work to recover no broken bone just a bruised stomach and a broke gold ring ,big ice storm hit the area ..go think for wood stove as we have not power for 3 weeks ..took me till the summer to find out what cause the dislocated hip ..it turns out to be the small 2 ton wheel jack that was at the back door,it came flying all the way froward and hit my seat dead center and ejected me out ..i only found that out when i pulled the seat out ..what a ride that was lets not do it again !!oh and i had no seat belts . it could have been worse ..the cop that came out told me that on the tursday night on the other side a guy and his girlfriend rolled there pickup truck there too ..i went back in the summer to see where i went in and i am glad that i went straight in ..if i was a foot to my left i would have dropped into a side drainage ditch and would have flipped upside down and probably not survived.
pic of my 63 and 94 ch mack
so step forward summer 2000 .i had to replace windshield and all body metal from firewall forward ,pick up most of it out of Springfield Missouri on a saturday morning at a wrecking yard for 200 dollars ..not bad deal ,but no hood ..i found that close to where i was living at the time for another 100 dollars.. put most of it back together and parked it .for 11 years ..i moved to belmont ontario where i started striping all the paint off ,and found all the rust that will have to be replaced with new steel ..fenders are done ,floor on both sides will have to be replaced ..roof has weak spots ,was thinking maybe lead work but have heard it may be not the way to go ,side panels bottom and wheel wells need to go also rear doors not to bad rear passenger door has a hole in the bottom section and had been bondo before ..inner wheel wells inside rusting around the bolts ,could be reworked maybe ..front roof inside just starting to rust small pin holes there ,not at all bad as most that i have seen never make it ...rear door pillar passenger side where the lower bolts go rusted out ..all door rubber and windows need replacing ..rear plywood floor still in not bad shape ,but could be given new life ..

[piratexpress1369a]

pics taken before striping paint

[piratexpress1369a]

more before stripping

[piratexpress1369a]

more pics

[Kim57]

This is a neat project but maybe you meant to put it in the 60-66 section.
Kim

[piratexpress1369a]

me bad can it be moved over ??

[Kim57]

I'm sure one of the mods could do it for you.
Kim

[OrrieG]

No, I'm pretty sure you have to sell the truck and close the thread.

[Red Foreman]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

No, I'm pretty sure you have to sell the truck and close the thread.

Nice one OrrieG , no worries piratexpress1369a it should make it to 60-66 eventually.

[piratexpress1369a]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

No, I'm pretty sure you have to sell the truck and close the thread.

maybe for the right price from you lol and you have not seen the trailer yet it is in really bad shape

[piratexpress1369a]

tired to get this moved to the right section ...here are the instructions to move it but i can not find it on this tread...
please click report a post on the thread, and in the reason ask for it
to be moved. That way the staff has a direct link to what you need done.
Thank you
now i must be blind maybe someone can show me what i can't find lol

[Kim57]

Originally Posted by piratexpress1369a

tired to get this moved to the right section ...here are the instructions to move it but i can not find it on this tread...
please click report a post on the thread, and in the reason ask for it
to be moved. That way the staff has a direct link to what you need done.
Thank you
now i must be blind maybe someone can show me what i can't find lol

I can't find a report post link either. Maybe if you sent a private message to one of the moderators with a link to this thread they could move it for you.
Kim

[piratexpress1369a]

thanks kim57 i'l give it a shot

[Liz]

Originally Posted by piratexpress1369a

tired to get this moved to the right section ...here are the instructions to move it but i can not find it on this tread...
please click report a post on the thread, and in the reason ask for it
to be moved. That way the staff has a direct link to what you need done.
Thank you
now i must be blind maybe someone can show me what i can't find lol

I got it for you. To report a post you just click the ! icon

[piratexpress1369a]

Originally Posted by Liz

I got it for you. To report a post you just click the ! icon

thanks liz will give it a try...message sent just waiting now

[RockTonka]

Cool, you made it over here...this the section to be in
You've got a good start on stripping it down, still a lot of work ahead of you though. I can sympathize with you on the long, drawn out builds...story of our lives
Posted via Mobile Device

[piratexpress1369a]

Originally Posted by RockTonka

Cool, you made it over here...this the section to be in
You've got a good start on stripping it down, still a lot of work ahead of you though. I can sympathize with you on the long, drawn out builds...story of our lives
Posted via Mobile Device

glad that it is in the right place now lol

[McMurphy]

Wow .... you and Losthope both have amazing survivor stories, only difference is his rig did not survive.

to the boards, hope to see you post your progress. Makes for a damn fine read !!

[MikeS.]

I'm glad you came out of that wreck OK, I'll be looking for more.

[piratexpress1369a]

Originally Posted by McMurphy

Wow .... you and Losthope both have amazing survivor stories, only difference is his rig did not survive.

to the boards, hope to see you post your progress. Makes for a damn fine read !!

this is the most i have written in years lol ..so far i have seen some great things being done in the site and it gives me ideas like you would not believe lol i just wish the prices for stuff up here north of the border were alot better..

[piratexpress1369a]

Originally Posted by MikeS.

I'm glad you came out of that wreck OK, I'll be looking for more.

for sure but come the cold weather hip will start to hurt again lol..but hey life goes on and you have to suck it up and just go on lol

[piratexpress1369a]

so here are some pics of the trailer ,like i said before it is in bad shape...i would like to have both done ,but one at a time truck first then trailer