86 GMC squarebody, my introduction to bodywork.

[Blmpkn]

My latest 1000$ purchase. 1986 gmc half ton, 4x4, long bed, 4.3 v6, muncie 4 speed, plow... obviously.

A tree fell ON it. The drivers floor and rocker fell OUT of it. The only panel that isn't beat and needing rehab like a complete crackwhore is the roof.. and honestly.. I didn't really look at the roof. That's probably dented too.

Luckily for my wallet, people like the squarebody chebby more than tig ol bitties.. so replacement panels and patch panels are abundant and CHEAP. All that mattered to me was that the truck needed a good frame, which this one does. There's even patches of factory paint still on the frame on the passengers side. It's as solid as a 35 year old truck frame gets in the salt belt, I was amazed.

Plan is to sell the plow, fix the cab, swap the front clip to the pre-facelift one with round headlights, and put a 454 in it.

I was initially going to try to make my 1000$ back by selling the plow AND the muncie.. but I feel like it'll be more fun with the manual, and much like those dirty internet movies.. that box will take a BBC beating no sweat.

Totally got the green-light from the fiance too.. as she's always wanted a square. She's just bummed it's a gmc and not a Chevy lol.

 

[Dirtman]

Yea yea yea great truck...

Is that a charger in the background?

 

[Blmpkn]

Yea yea yea great truck...

Is that a charger in the background?

Nah, guy was a die hard chevy man. Iirc it's a 70 impala. He had two more that were workable.

 

[Roert42]

Yea yea yea great truck...

Is that a charger in the background?

2001 Buick

 

[Blmpkn]

After a 6 hour round trip last Thursday, the truck has a hood needing nothing but sanding and painting.

40 bucks for the hood, and a half tank of gas. Not a bad deal.

 

[Dirtman]

You should keep the 4.3 for something. They were pretty cool engines. I had one in my 92 S-10 and that little truck towed my dad's 20' Grady white twice a year for 10 years about 60 miles and never complained. Think it weighed around 6,500 pounds. It also moved my 26' Grady white that weighs over 8,000 when I first bought it (had nothing else to tow with at the time). Those V6 engines had some balls. They would put the Ford 4.0 to shame, less HP but they had oodles of torque for what they were. The 700r4 wasn't a bad transmission either if you kept the TV cable adjusted perfectly. With a 4 speed pfffft it would pull a house down, first was 3.45:1 I think?

 

[Blmpkn]

You should keep the 4.3 for something. They were pretty cool engines. I had one in my 92 S-10 and that little truck towed my dad's 20' Grady white twice a year for 10 years about 60 miles and never complained. Think it weighed around 6,500 pounds. It also moved my 26' Grady white that weighs over 8,000 when I first bought it (had nothing else to tow with at the time). Those V6 engines had some balls. They would put the Ford 4.0 to shame, less HP but they had oodles of torque for what they were. The 700r4 wasn't a bad transmission either if you kept the TV cable adjusted perfectly. With a 4 speed pfffft it would pull a house down, first was 3.45:1 I think?

I've been thinking about keeping it, not sure what I'd ever put it in though.

The muncie 4 speeds in the trucks have a 6.55 first, 3.58 2nd, 1.7 3rd and then 1:1 for 4th. That first is enough to pull a mansion down.

 

[Dirtman]

I've been thinking about keeping it, not sure what I'd ever put it in though.

The muncie 4 speeds in the trucks have a 6.55 first, 3.58 2nd, 1.7 3rd and then 1:1 for 4th. That first is enough to pull a mansion down.

Not trying to question your knowledge but but I didn't think the 456 was ever put behind the 4.3? Unless it was swapped in at some point? I thought they had the m22 or something with a low but rational 3.45 gear?

I'm not a Chevy guy so I bow to your knowledge though...

 

[Roert42]

They put that 4.3 in forklifts too if I’m not mistaken. I hear it’s Chevy’s 300i6.

Met a guy who used one to two and enclosed race car trailer.

 

[Dirtman]

They put that 4.3 in forklifts too if I’m not mistaken. I hear it’s Chevy’s 300i6.

Met a guy who used one to two and enclosed race car trailer.

The GM iron duke was popular in forklifts but never seen one with a 4.3. Any V engine was rare in forklifts because of the saddle space needed. A V6/V8 would be a massive waste of space. Forklifts favored anything inline... most industrial equipment did... Engines for that kinda stuff dont need horsepower or even torque, they just need to exist while the massive gear ratios do the work. Find an engine that's reliable and it'll do the job... Aka ford 300's, iron dukes, and 2.3's.

 

[Blmpkn]

Not trying to question your knowledge but but I didn't think the 456 was ever put behind the 4.3? Unless it was swapped in at some point? I thought they had the m22 or something with a low but rational 3.45 gear?

I'm not a Chevy guy so I bow to your knowledge though...

Nah GM figured that even a 4.3 needs a one ton tranny behind it lol.

 

[dvdswan]

Nice score. I'm sorry to tell you this, but the blue hood is for a 73-80 c/k not a 81-87, 88-91 c/k, r/v.

Good news is its worth more than 40 if there is no rust.

Also, it looks like a 73-78 hood rather than the 79/80 hoods that have the ridge on the nose of the hood.

 

[Blmpkn]

Nice score. I'm sorry to tell you this, but the blue hood is for a 73-80 c/k not a 81-87, 88-91 c/k, r/v.

Good news is its worth more than 40 if there is no rust.

The entirety of the front clip on the truck is smashed or rotten, so I'm converting to the older round eye one. The grilles look better, lights look better, the body line on the old fenders look better.. everything is just better.

 

[dvdswan]

I know the round eyes are everyone's favorite, but I like the look of the 79/80 square headlight. BTW, the front frame horns are different between the two front ends. Don't remember about the front body/core support mounts but the bumper holes are different.

Also, the cowl areas are different on the trucks so it might be best to find a 73-80 cab. SAVE the hydraulic clutch system.

 

[Blmpkn]

HOW TO: front clip swap, 73-80 front clip on 80-87 cab/frame, square eye to round eye

There are no photo-documented tutorials for how to do this swap. None online that I could find. Therefore, I hope this information can be added to the collective knowledge of the squarebody community. Below is a detailed pictorial of how I made this swap. I'm not saying it's the right way or...

www.gmsquarebody.com

I found a good step by step conversion thread and read through it before I dove on in and bought the hood, its pretty straight forward