1946 GMC ute

Winner winner chicken dinner

Good news Lang

Paul

Lang,
Looks like you had a real win with that 420/465 box!
They are highly sought after still to this day, can pump insane amounts of HP into them without breaking them!
Got a cupla books here somewhere where the seppos were fitting them to jeeps and blazers etc behind 600 odd horses!
Still scratching my head over those so called professionals modified the driveline and set the axle back, though!
Like something I'd do!
No doubt you'll nut it out!
Cheers, Dave64

Deleted my comment, not sure how to delete a post

Great to see another resto project up and running on our forum, and a nice looking ute too.

Lang,

You don't stand still do you.

Of course if you do you will be overtaken and left on the roadside as rubbish.

Keep at it.

Cock of the Walk one day Feather Duster the next.

 

Dave

The people who did the rear axle are supposedly "One of Australia's Oldest Restorers".

I am totally flabbergasted. Not only did they slide the axle back and completely upset the spring geometry and no doubt handling but they had to drill holes in the chassis, make up new shock mounts. bottom tags on the axle to reach forward to the centre bolt, extend brake lines and extend hand brake line. I just test fitted the rear mudguard and it will not go on because it hits the wheel.

I have the bills and they charged the poor b....d about $5,000 for this illegal abomination. His total bill over a couple of years is well over $40,000. He of course bought new engine and gearbox on top of that.  I paid him less than a third of that for the whole outfit which was still too much for what remains to be done.

They are everywhere. I got similarly done by aircraft restorers both in Australia and overseas in past years.

 

I know you cannot name and shame them because of libel laws, although the truth is said to be a perfect defence against a libel suit but other than their slogan, which you have given us, and I suppose they are in Adelaide or nearby, a few clues would help to alert us.

''One off Australia oldest restores'' probably sounds better than ''One off Australia's dodgiest'' the stuff you see sing written on Utes in my game leaves you shaking your head when you see the finished product. If you have to have something written on your Ute as you have to do, to entry some sites, legally you have to have your license number as well, I prefer to have none and let my work do the talking, I find the bigger the sign writing the bigger the mess at the end. I am sure you will get it fixed.

Lots of satisfying little jobs started.

Replaced the brand new but 20 year old white wall 185SR16 (6.00 or 6.50-16 equivalent) tyres with a new set of take-off 205R16 which are the same height but a little wider than the old GM recommended alternative 7.00-16. I had a good look at the rims and the bead shape is the same as a modern wheel but lacks the "safety ridge" now required in case of a blowout. I figure I can do without that so went tubeless on the new tyres.

If anyone wants the whitewalls they are free for pick-up. Supposedly never out of cover since new they probably would be fine for local running but you would have to decide about extended highway journeys..

One of those little fun jobs was altering the water pump pulley to take a modern narrow fan belt. The engine is a 1955 235 so has a narrow crank pulley, I am putting on an alternator with a narrow pulley but the water pump fitted has the old school wide size.

Made out of pressed tin from two pieces. A good look at the V revealed the front wall was a "ring" pushed onto the body and spot welded opposite  the fixed wall of the pulley to create a large belt groove. Drilled out the welds, slid the "ring" off and ground the base down so it slipped further in towards the fixed side. Silver soldered it in place to create the correct size V.