1990 GMC Sub vs 1991 Chevy Sub

[MagicDot]

I suppose introductions are first..

..this is what I'm starting with.

It's a pretty clean starting platform with a new 383 Stroker, 456 gears, 4" lift, and 33" tires. But I want to clean up some rust and make her less mud truck and more expedition for exploring Alaska where I live. I have a 1990 GMC with a blown engine sitting here, too. My question is, can I harvest body panels from the GMC? They look the same to me, but I haven't torn into it that deep. The GMC was a SLE edition that came with a lot of creature comfort and custom work like consoles, RV captain's chairs and rear heating I'd like to transfer to the bare bones Scottsdale. I'd also like to add A/C from the GMC to the Chevy.

I guess my real question is do I have a spare 1-for-1 donor vehicle on hand?

 

[Tom A]

Wouldn't it be easier to put the good engine in the GMC?

 

[ryoken]

what that guy said.. easier swapping the drivetrain/axles to the better body...

GMC's are cooler anyway...

 

[6.2Blazer]

Completely different vehicles as the one has a steering wheel that says "GMC" on it and the other has a bowtie on it. Seriously though, they are basically identical vehicles and the steering wheels may be the biggest difference in them along with some trim, badging, and maybe the front grille.

 

[Tom A]

what that guy said.. easier swapping the drivetrain/axles to the better body...

GMC's are cooler anyway...

Yeah, I said engine, but I really meant drivetrain.

Personally, I can do pretty much any mechanical work, but I suck at bodywork. So, it's a no-brainer to me.

 

[ryoken]

Personally, I can do pretty much any mechanical work, but I suck at bodywork. .

that's 92% of the population... either or for me, but turning wrenches is often the quicker solution..

plus GMC grills just always look better than the cheb counterpart...

 

[Metrodps]

I suppose introductions are first..

..this is what I'm starting with.

Let me start off by saying I like what you have there! Could make a nice twin!

Every thing will swap only differences could be in the radiator support if the head lights are different. But hey you go for it and welcome to the addiction.

 

[MagicDot]

Wouldn't it be easier to put the good engine in the GMC?

The GMC has it's own issues. The Chevy, being a base Scottsdale, is like a blank palate that I can paint on to with the "luxury" items from the GMC and keep my daily driver. I'm not good enough with a wrench to make a whole drive train/engine transfer happen in a weekend. Basically I have two vehicles that are at 50% either way.. Both need work, but one runs and drives. My thought was something like "I can pull the steering column from the GMC and rebuild it in the evenings during the week and on the weekend install it in the Chevy so I can drive to work on Monday." or "Pull the fender from the GMC, weld/patch/prime in the week, put repaired on DD over the weekend and still make it to work on Monday.."

The 383 is also carb and strictly mechanical engine components. The GMC is factory TBI and an electrical nightmare from PO. I eventually want to go injection route in the 383 and hoped I could harvest items, build on the bench and bolt in on days I have a down day. It just seems easier to build up than down.

Thoughts? Opinions? Ideas? Is my logic just wrong?

Can someone also chime in on when the history of GMC and Chevy? When did they become separate companies?

 

[ryoken]

if your DD'ing the cheb, nothing wrong with the plan... IF... the tub is ok, and your rot is on door's, fender's, swappables.... if the floor's, windshield area, etc are hammered, the plan is definitely a bit more suspect..

you could do a modded TBI for your 383 down the road too.. just make sure to take EVERYTHING from the GMC, harness, ECM, induction AND fuel tank to start with..

 

[MagicDot]

Let me start off by saying I like what you have there! Could make a nice twin!

Every thing will swap only differences could be in the radiator support if the head lights are different. But hey you go for it and welcome to the addiction.

I actually have been meaning to message you. Funny. Yeah. When I saw my truck for sale immediately thought "OMG! That's the truck from 'Dante's Peak', I must have it!" I have your build bookmarked. Good looking truck, boss. Almost exactly what I want, but with more "expedition" interior.

I've been a long time lurker of the forums and dreamed of the day where I could build, but always had vehicles with payments so I couldn't afford to build and mod because I had to make said payments, but now I own two outright and have that wiggle room.

Once I move to my new place I can really dig into it as I will have a 3 car garage with room to move so, if you don't mind, I may have a menagerie of questions for you.

 

[Big Ray]

square bodies...Gmcs & Chevys rolled off the same assembly line

I actually saw a video of it wayyyy back on the old Truckin' USA show on TNN, can't find it anywhere on the wab now.


Oh, and Welcome!! If it were me...Take the "good" body and do a LS swap...very reliable, plenty of power on tap, no real down side.

having a spare truck for parts is a life saver.

 

[paratrooper307]

I see your point, I guess it has just been my experience that with the relative simplicity and room to work on these trucks, you always come out ahead swapping drivetrains onto trucks with a sound body than swapping out body parts piece by piece and dealing with a rusted truck. I'm sure Ryoken can vouch that bodywork is often a very time-consuming process when done right. The little things can nickel and dime you to death on time, like messing around aligning doors and panels, transferring interior items, etc. And that's assuming you can fix all the deficiencies with panel swaps and not have to do any grinding, painting, sanding, or Bondo. Rust on these trucks is seldom confined to swappable panels. Be prepared for trouble in the floor pans, rocker panels, and rear quarters once you did into it.

Do what works for you, but with mechanical stuff, you can also do it in stages. For instance, one weekend, swap the axles. With a buddy and some tools, you can easily do it in a day, and that's taking your time. Next weekend, knock out the engine. A lot of things, like the rear heat/ac, are likely to be a lot of hassle to transfer, especially if the system works already and you have to open it. Just give it some thought, you'll likely spend a lot more time and frustration trying to make the Chevy as nice as the GMC, when the matter of making the GMC run like the Chevy is much more straightforward.

And having a parts truck is great. I saved so much time and money on my Blazer by having an 88 burb that the owner threw in with the deal since his wife wanted it gone.

 

[MagicDot]

if your DD'ing the cheb, nothing wrong with the plan... IF... the tub is ok, and your rot is on door's, fender's, swappables....

Yeah. Basically everything with the structure is good minus corners of a few panels from PO using it a bit harder off road than I plan. We don't use salt on the roads here like down in the lower 48 so salt-rot doesn't happen. You guys should see all the oldies sitting in yards. I keep my eyes peeled for donor vehicles all day while on the road for work and pin notes to google maps.

if the floor's, windshield area, etc are hammered, the plan is definitely a bit more suspect..

LOL. We call it the "Alaskan windshield" here. EVERYONE has a chip or crack in the wind screen as they use gravel and cinders in the winter for traction on the roads. Just last night I was pondering some sort of Lexan windshield, but I doubt anyone does that. Maybe bullet-resistant glass is an option... The GMC has one little ding in it so I hope to get it patched and swapped in to the Chevy before next winter. We don't have vehicle inspection here, so it's more about cosmetics than anything else.

you could do a modded TBI for your 383 down the road too.. just make sure to take EVERYTHING from the GMC, harness, ECM, induction AND fuel tank to start with..

That was what I thought. Got any links to a project like so? I'm new to the area and haven't found any of the shade tree mechanics I used to know back east, so I value any input from you guys. I am slowly making my way through your own body work mega-thread and just bookmarking products and such for when I am ready. I want the truck to be an expedition type build to enable me, the old lady, and dog, to get out and explore this last frontier, but still have some modern functions ... And a good head-turning rig to tool around in.

 

[ryoken]

I meant surrounding sheetmetal to the windshield.. glass is $150.. sheetmetal repairs around it, or upper door jamb stuff, can be a nightmare/deathnail for these rigs...


any questions post up, and start a build thread in the driveway.. between everyone here, we know just about anything about these rigs..

 

[ryoken]

oh, TBI stuff... just start some searching, try the injection section...... other than proper fueling/injector/pressure/tables/chip work on the ECM for bigger cams and such, it's all very straight forward..

oh, and if some forums are unaccessible, i'll mention it before everyone else.. the best $25 you'll probably ever spend for the rig is a membership to this site.. access everywhere, want ad's, etc..

 

[Metrodps]

ryoken is our go to body guru and master of what am I doing now.....