1966 GMC options

[big94gmc]

I need some help from the experts in the early GM models. Today, I got a nearly complete '66 GMC body....missing a few pieces, but not bad, and let's face it, when you paid what I got it for, NONE of you would have turned it down either. There is, of course, rust on the rockers and floor boards, but nothing that won't get cut up to increase ground clearance. So, by now you've already guessed it, I'm thinking about a 'Crawler '66 GMC - I can't say that I've ever seen one before, and the mental image I get when I think of a '66 exo'd on 42's is P.I.M.P.!! So now my question is this: what model years will a '66 cab simply bolt onto?? (Right now, the decision at hand is to 1.) Get a frame that I can bolt onto, 2.) Get a frame that I fab body mounts for to make it fit, 3.) build my own frame from scratch.....)

If you had a '66 body, what would you do? I need to make up a game plan in the next few days, and figure out what I wanna do, if anything. If I can't figure something out, it's going to scrap.

 

[tRustyK5]

Drivelineman (Jesse from High Angle Driveline) runs a 65 Chev on a Blazer frame. Shortened up the box IIRC...

The 60-66 GM trucks were my favorite style.

Rene

 

[big94gmc]

Ultimately, I want a longer wheelbase then a Blazer chassis will net me.... I want a long 'crawler, somewhere about 130"+.... So, a LWB GM frame would cut it, but I need some answers before I decide to go that route.

 

[TrcksR4ME]

Ultimately, I want a longer wheelbase then a Blazer chassis will net me.... I want a long 'crawler, somewhere about 130"+.... So, a LWB GM frame would cut it, but I need some answers before I decide to go that route.

Not much of a crawler if you are draggin the a$$ around on everything
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[big94gmc]

Draggin' what?? Won't be any overhang, just a long wheelbase....

 

[supersize75k5]

I can "maybe" get you picks of that year body style on a short bed frame, I will be goiung out there some time in the next week, I can get close ups of the mounts he made

 

[diesel4me]

some of the best looking years...60-66

I like the body style of those years also!--I have a GM parts book(from a GM dealers parts counter) for the 10-30 series and some 1-1/2 tons --it lists the frame from 62-72 the same,but I can only see listings for a 2wd frame,none for 4x4--(the book is goofy at times with parts listings)I tend to think the 60-66 frames are the only identical ones,but the newer ones all the way up to 87 arent all that much different--all that needs to be done in move the cab mounts to match the 60-66 cabs bolt pattern,and some other minor issues--

I know of a 1958 GMC Suburban near me a guy bought as a 2wd,and he had it on an 83 K20 chassis and was driving it only a few days later!--its a nice panel truck with a lift and 38.5 tires,but it IS still work to do it,nothing is ever easy--but sometimes its worth it in the end--that guy bought the Suburban for less than a grand,and it had a decent body,but the kingpins were so bad he nearly crashed it driving it home from the guys house he bought it from--he intended to convert it to a 4x4 anyway,but that only made his decision to do it sooner than later an easy one...I bet he could get at least 3 grand for it now that its a 4x4--more with some TLC and nice paint..

 

[big94gmc]

I can "maybe" get you pics of that year body style on a short bed frame....I can get close ups of the mounts he made

Sweet. Please do!! I know there probably isn't too much to it, but I'd like to see something to get my starting point from. Right now, I'm thinking 80's LWB frame....my 350/350/doubler will go in nicely with little hassle, so will the suspension, and the only real hassle will be fitting the body on so it looks good.


Hmmm.... So many ideas....

 

[atho]

That will look sweet! I can't offer any suggestions, but anything older than '73 seems to be forgotten these days. Can't wait to see it!

 

[big94gmc]

You're gonna have to give me a few months - that is, if I decide to use this body.... Hence this 'planning process' I need to do right now. It looks like using a newer (80's) frame and fabbing my own body mounts will work best.

supersize, see what you can do 'bout gettin' me some pics ASAP.

tRustyK5, can you get me some pics of how Jesse did his?? Hell, I'll just PM him and see what's up.

 

[big94gmc]

Anyone else have any thoughts or suggestions???

 

[ratzila]

Chris didn't you just got rid of a 1 ton crew cab frame Congrats on the score but I would build a s-10 or toyota for a rock crawler.It seems like body parts are gonna be hard to find and expensive on that 66. Good luck

 

[Jonny-K5]

do you only have the cab? no fenders,doors , etc? its gonna be a little tuff finding parts if thats the case. but nothing is impossible. i see the 60-66 trucks in traders mag alot, 1000 bucks for a fixer upper. that one looks like its got quite a bit of work to get it going. ive got a 65 gmc of my own. love the body style. almost had a heart attack when i priced all the replacement panels. one thing i want to do with mine is get a fiberglass tilt front end, ditch the inner fenders, run it two lane blacktop style. good luck

 

[big94gmc]

No. I have the doors, all the glass, the bed sides, the cowl, hood, radiator support, lots of misc. pieces.... I'd need fenders. I could probably eBay some of these parts, I dunno. I don't even know what I could get for this stuff.

 

[Jonny-K5]

if the parts are rust free, you can get quite alot for them. since u dont have the fenders now, even more reason to go with a fiberglass front clip. or u could just get a set of their fiberglass fenders.

these guys make everything imaginable out of fiberglass:

http://www.usbodysource.com/

im putting the tilt front end on the truck below.. i hope you decide to restore this thing instead of scrap it. gonna be alot of work but i think there's nothing cooler than a 60-66 , and since u got a GMC its even cooler.

 

[garp0602]

The only issue I can see with a 66 on 80's is the gas tank. If the frame you use is from a pickup instead of a blazer, the floor of the 66 will not clear the tank. If you add a little body lift while adjusting cab mounts it should not be a big issue. The 64-66 is THE cleanest looking cab interior ever made. Send pics!

 

[big94gmc]

Umm....no gas tank interference, I'd use a fuel cell. This would be a 'crawler, not a resto-rod. My vision is a '66 cab and front clip on an '80's LWB frame, full exo, and tube bed (radiator, batteries, fuel cell, storage, ice chest, etc, all in the rear). That's what I see in my mind....when I really think about it, though, I don't think I can undertake this kind of financial burden right now.... What I really need is something that I can just bolt my parts onto and go - I don't have the money to be building an interior as well.

If nothing else, I'll just put this in my backyard, sell the bedsides, and see what happens in the future. (But the vision of a '66 'Crawler GMC is PIMP, though )

 

[rcurrier44]

So you don't have the stock frame? Thats to bad. The origional 4wd frames are actualy very close to the late 70's frames. I have been acumulating some of these trucks recently for another project and ended up with a free lifted 61 3/4 ton (with a newer hood). I had posted on here a couple of weeks ago asking about them and noone could come up with anything good. Here is a pic.

I just slaped a 348BB (also free) in it using a 78 crossmember about a week ago. The plan is to use it as a daily driver/camping wheeler. Run 33's-35's with 52" springs on both ends. Bob the bed and do some tube bumpers.

To bad you are not closer...I'm picking up my 4th one next weekend and I know of 2 others sitting behind barns in the area.

 

[diesel4me]

Nice truck!!

That truck will be nice when its done!--and a 348!! NICE!!--I wish I could find one of those years in my area--there is only 1 I have seen a friends son owns,he has 4 in his yard,but the other 3 are 2wd parts only rigs,body's are JUNK!--they are very rare around here,the 60-66 GM trucks...