Palf's Little Blue Jimmy
 

Well I am back with a squarebody again. This one came home with me today.

1981 GMC High Sierra C1500 SWB Stepside
69,912 original miles
Factory Air
Power Steering
Power Brakes
Automatic (T350 I assume so far)
Aftermarket seats
Only a 250 6 banger, but I like it

I am the 3rd owner
It was bought from a local dealer (step bumper...dealer changed owners few years ago).
2nd owner was the mechanic for it when the dealer didn't handle it. (He also handles my work when I am too lazy or stupid). He did a restore of it in 2014.

Re: Palf's Little Blue Jimmy
 

I like it Bill!

Re: Palf's Little Blue Jimmy
 

Do the square bodies have more legroom than the 60-66's?

Re: Palf's Little Blue Jimmy
 

Looks like a nice one Bill!

Re: Palf's Little Blue Jimmy
 

That's one clean truck you picked up.

Re: Palf's Little Blue Jimmy
 

Very nice Bill!

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Yes...Not as much as the 88 & newer, but quite a bit more than the 60-66

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Here's my 81 I sold around 2003 to a friend of mine.
I'm only about 5'-11" so leg room in my 65 hasn't been issue for me.
http://i55.tinypic.com/2cpe04j.jpg

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Bill!!!! she's mint. I would love that

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

She is officially my truck. Today was the honorary transfer of the barefoot gas pedal into the :gmc2:.

Hey, Little things for little minds. :mm: I have had this pedal in most every toy I have had for the last 30 some years.

Got the tool box in, so I got all my stuff for road trips ready.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

I was wondering when the gas pedal was going in. I saw the front license plate in the first pictures and thought you were slipping with the pedal.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

No Steven, just slow with all this cold lately. Sorry we missed you at the breakfast.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

When you gonna come see me? Now that you have all that spare time.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Not off the clock yet Krue, almost....well, maybe I am with this furlough.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

So is the white 60-66 gone?

Man, you picked up a heck of a nice truck.

Is a 6" drop in the works?

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Jesse,
Yeah the 64 is gone. It funded this one.

It is a nice clean truck.
As of this time, no drop planned in the near future and if I went at it I would not go as low as the 64. It limited my driving. Krue knows, too many folks live in places that are not friendly to low trucks.

If I did, probably only 2.5/3" front spindles and 4" in rear.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

My driveway always needs grading. :lol:

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

:lol:

A 3/4 would look good still too.

At least I got to see the 64 in person once.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Tweaking, cleaning up things on the ole girl. I have been tracing out wiring trying to figure out why my heat/AC fan controller has an always hot instead of a switch hot power feed. Everything works fine, I just have to remember to turn on heat/AC blower before I get out of the truck.

While working on that I stripped inside down and insulated the inside before I install some tunes into the girl. She is shiny inside now.

Now that this is done, I will get back to setting up the sound and hopefully fire what wire connectin is wrong on the heat/AC.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Nice score Bill. Is that peel-n-seal?

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Followin along! Diggin this!

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Yes...I have had really good luck with it in other trucks.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

I have been lazy, so it is time to catch up on some of the stuff I been playing with.

Finished the stereo install. I did not want to take away the radio delete (for now), so I used a marine mount to put in the head unit. I have a dual speaker setup in the factory center location, as well as bigblock73's speaker mounts with 6x9's in the corners behind the seat. I used a flat antenna and hid-it, sorta, on the passenger side A-pillar. Unless you are looking for it it goes unnoticed and reception seems great.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

The 80's wheels had to go, mostly because I found a crack in one and didn't feel like trying to find one to match the rest. Probably not what alot of folks would want, but I got a set of US Wheels like I have on Whitey. They are 15x8, in black. I had some nice Chevy center caps from a 96 C1500 truck and the adapter lug-nuts. So I found some GMC center decals (they are for the 80's ralleys, not the ones for the 90's caps). I like the look. I ditched the 31x10.50's on the front for some 255/70. I still have the 31's on the rear.

Still chasing a few electrical gremlins which might be in the ignition switch and/or tumbler setup.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

looks good Bill !

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

I like it! That front seat setup looks about like what I've been looking for for my Burb.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

That thing’s ready for a cross-country trip now.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Just been tinkering and driving it around between all our storms. Yesterday I decided to clean up the center seat console. The 30+ years was making the wood a bit tattered.. So out she came and disassembled it. I am still surprised how good the material is since the seat was put in (around 1987...according to the stickers on the seats). I did make one change and turn the 3 slots into one large opening. It seemed more useful than the slots.

I took some 80 grit paper and cut off all the old sealant and crappy looking stuff. I then did everything with 180. I am not a very good person with wood, so I have no idea if that is the correct grit for this stuff, but it is what I had. I then rubbed on some stain sealer that I had lying around. It even matched real. Today I reassembled everything.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

It looks way better than it did. I guess I am still in the 80s with the look, but at least it is not a tattered look.:mm:

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

That would be..."Period Correct."

Still jealous of that seat.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Arm rest looks great!

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Looks good Bill.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Beautiful day to be out, so went to a local gathering. This one group meets at a local spot called the Rebel Dip every Friday. Since there is a rat rod event at the local drag strip there was a lot of them there. Met some nice folks and had a good couple hours.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Some More

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Last couple

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Great cruise in pics!

The arm rest looks much better....thinking the slots was for cassette tapes?

Tagging along for the rest.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Does the insulation make a huge difference? Seems like it would...

Trucks looks great!

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Yep, noise way down and keeps the heat out also.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

Couple days ago, not a nice thing to find.

Original water pump gave out.

I thought, hey there aint much to a 250 6, shouldn't take me long to swap it out.

Oh that is until you add AC to the mix. Dang compressor.

Anyways got her done and I knew I should have, but I didn't, but came out hours later and she is peeing everywhere. The lower radiator hose split.:m6:

This time I decided to also change the heater hose. Good thing, found a tear in it also.

Anyways all back together. Found the tranny dipstick tube was leaking too, so redid that. Hopefully it's fluids will stay where they are supposed to.

Now back to enjoying it. Tomorrow is bath day for both.

Re: Palf's 1981 GMC
 

What Bill is using is good for reducing resonance. It dampens the sound waves that are amplified by the bare sheet metal. It does offer a small amount of thermal protection, but its minimal. You need a composite barrier to reduce both resonance and thermal transfer.