It seems the harder I work, the luckier I get.

[Hard Luck]

Let me get this started. I have had this 67 GMC 3/4 for a little more than 6 months at this point. I have already begun work on it, but there is much left to do, so I thought I would submit it to this site and let you tear it down, tell tales, and give advice.

The basics; 250 I6, NP435 4-speed, Dana 60 Full Floating rear end. Rust, dents, and broken pieces.

I bought it from a local guy who had it for about 4 years and told me he had wanted to fix it up but never had the time, "I wanted to clean it up, give it a tune up, change the oil, but I just never got around to it." That's right; he didn't even change the oil in 4 years! He used it mainly for dump runs and parked it under a tree.

When I went to look at it, the truck was full of garbage and had lost it's tailgate. It barely ran, smelled like gas, the gauges didn't work, the hazard switch was stuck so there were no turn signals, almost no brakes, and there were knitting holding on broken shards of glass to the outside mirrors.

I made the deal and came back a few days later to pick up the pickup with a bag of parts. I told him I was going to do some work to the truck so I could drive it home while he unloaded the garbage. New fuel line, cleaning out the sediment filter, and new mirror got things started. The local parts store got me the wrong plugs so that had to be for later. I was able to get it running a little more reliable before it ran out of gas. After we dug through the trash for a vessel followed by a quick trip to the gas station we were back in business.

Thank God it’s a stick! On the steep hill leaving the former owner’s house, she died at every shift and had to ‘popped’ back to life until we could get back to the gas station fill’er up. The rest of the trip home was flat and fairly uneventful, just leaving plenty of room for, what felt like, the one brake to work.

[Hard Luck]

Once home I did the usual tune-up, (already converted to HEI) replace the hoses, figure out the brakes and the carb. I found that the manual master cyl was rusted and leaking; all over the firewall, the carb was also leaking, along with all of the gaskets including the body rubber.

I was able to get a cheap rebuilt master at Schuck’s for cheap, so I also bought a new complete distributor at the same time. I did have to go to a REAL parts store to get a rebuilt carb. Someone actually knew how cross my OE # and find a bolt-on unit. Some more new gaskets, bolts, cleaner and paint, and she is starting to come together.

Next it was on to the electrical. After removing some of the corrosion in the fuse box, finding a few disconnected leads, and a missing ground, all is well. I spent awhile just rocking the hazard button out, that including a few light bulbs and I now have turn signals. But I was so proud of myself that I pushed the button again and it was stuck until a spent some more time with it.

Now I wanted to try and get rid of that shifting slop. The local trans shop told me of a newer one-piece design that would fix my problem. A trip a junk yard in Olympia netted me a shifter out of a Ford van with a New Process transmission. Turned out that the shaft depth is different so that did not work. Back to the trans shop for a $60 shifter, it just needed to be bent to fit. About another $20 and I am on my way.

A little more work and see my newest passenger.

With manual steering and brakes including a ¾ suspension with rear coil over shocks it was not a pleasure to drive. The bias-ply tires had to go but no one wanted to touch the split rims, so I had to go to the used tire shop to try to find a good solution that might fit my budget. Now I have Dodge wheels on my truck, it steers sooooo much easier with the big radials. I gave the old wheels and tires to a guy who just bought an 81 GMC with bald tires. He going to be using his truck for construction and needed something that could hold the weight.

[Hard Luck]

Skip ahead, skip ahead. I set the timing with a gun and it seems pretty good, 4 BTDC, but it still diesels on shut down every once and a while. Not sure why.

I have had a motorcycle a friend gave me in the bed of the truck for about a month now. Finally some one wants to buy it. He comes up from Yelm but shows up in a wagon, turns out, his parents did not think the mini-truck was safe enough to drive an hours and a half up here to meet me in the dark and rain. So we strike a deal and I agree to take the bike down there the next day for $50.

I get off work early so I can start my trip down to Yelm by about 4, before it get too dark and cold. Everything is going fine, no heat, no radio, but the earplugs are in and the bike is still strapped down tight. Enter the outskirts of Yelm. Oncoming traffic all have there lights on so I decide it must be time. Pull the switch, I hear a pop, the vehicle lugs forward, and the generator light comes on. Out come the earplugs; listening for any important sounds, I flutter the gas pedal, push in the clutch and limp to the side of the road as the truck dies.

Nothing. Try again. Nothing.

No lights, ignition, horn, nothing. After looking for the obvious I call the kid to tell him I almost made it, now I need a lift into town, I might need a new battery. 20 minutes later we are on our way to the parts store only to have the battery tested to be fine, strong even. My problem it much deeper and more difficult. With a newly purchased bag of wiring supplies we head back to se it we can perform some roadside magic. With it get dark, cold, starting to rain, and having already spent an hour with no luck, I can a tow truck and tell the kid to bring his crappy pickup to finish the exchange. We off load the bike, they leave, and I wait.

For two and a half hours until the tow arrives. Hooked up by 11pm, home by 1am and a few hundred dollars lighter, so much with coming out ahead on that deal! Looks like the next project is a new wiring harness. But I ain’t scared.

[Thealien]

<---------I like the shift knob!!!

[70rs/ss]

Headlight switch!! and maybe an ignition switch along with whatever fuses that may have popped!!

[Hard Luck]

Sorry, the fuses all check out. Batt is fine. Still have not found any cut, spliced, or burned wires. Spooky.

[LOW DOUGH]

Have your voltage regulator tested. Just guessing

[70rs/ss]

The headlight switch and or the ignition switch, you said you heard a pop when you turned on the lights. Lightswitches go bad and have a heavy battery feed into them. The ignition switch is the other one that goes bad and has battery feeds into and out of. Both would cost $20-30 each and both should be swapped as they are the source of many a headache. Voltage regulator can be tested at Autozone, Checkers or the like.

[Hard Luck]

Anybody know exactly where the fusable like is and what it looks like? It shows one off of the battery in the wiring diagram. I know that they don't label these with a tab or anything like the new type you get at the parts store.

[70rs/ss]

There may be one on the starter, and it is recognizable by the big plastic cylinder attached to the wire. On the factory harness it'll be like a 1/2 inch high or so, but now I am wondering if these old trucks even had a fusible link?? It's just a piece of wire and it is right at the end of the wire.

[samwise68]

no idea baout your electrical gremlins...

but.

if it's any consolation, i dig your truck. and your hot rod shifter is awesome! haha.

oh, and the valve cover on your 6 really cleaned the udner hood up alot, i like that. what can i say, ima sucker for a 6. lol

keep it goin'!

-Sam.

[67_C-30]

The fusible link on my '67 is on the pass fender. There should be a small wire linked to the positive battery cable. Check and make sure that is wire is broken or pulled out of the terminal. My truck did the same thing as I pulled into a local car show in front of EVERYONE! The wire was broken my case.

[Hard Luck]

O.K. I have a new wiring kit on order. Does anyone know where I can get a new set of Firewall Bulkhead Connectors?

I want to run the new harness through the OE style connector. Having a disconnect at the firewall souds like a good idea to me and since I am planning some upgrades later it just might come in handy.

After doing some testing, I followed the main power wire all the way from the battery to the fuse box. No fusable-link, low resistance, and 12 volts of power. The search for the elctrical problem continues.

[toomanytoyz]

Just Wanted to See if You Resolved your Problem Yet????

Rick

[Hard Luck]

This seems to be it. The picture shows what is left if the main power wire clip at the fuse block. I found a great deal on a wire harness from a guy who gave up on his project. After a few weeks it was easy to see why he gave up on this kit. Most of the wires it the kit were too short and no plugs or clips, save for the headlights, but seeing as I have a GMC an extra set needed to be added. What can you do with 12” headlight to headlight and about 5’ for the taillights? Next time skip the no name Gearhead kit and fork over the extra $200 for a name brand complete kit, my time is worth more.

She is running again but a lot of final connections need to be made and still waiting on parts. After opting to replace the turn sig switch, it looked like it was time to fix up the wheel. At the same time, might as well paint the column and couplers. That is all taking more time to get it good.

There were some other electrical upgrade performed at the same time. Relays to work the headlights, backup lights, trailer brakes, and a 12 volt power hookup at the rear bumper for whatever. Sound like overkill? Probably. Found a full sealed, heavy gauge 7 wire cable to run to the rear. Also planning to put a few high powered backup lights under the bed to help out in the darkest of areas or hooking up a trailer.