Wamego: 1949 GMC 150

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thanks! it was a big hit. I should do it every year

holidays over, time for a spot of work.


bumpers! I have a very nice 1947 GMC bumper in the back yard but I am holding out hope I find the one guy who needs it instead of using it on a truck. they are scooped, like a car bumper for that 1.5 year period only. This truck came with a bumper, but he had removed it in the field for some reason, and torched off the splash pan. even still, it worked alright to build some brackets and pop it on.

I thought about tucking it in, but it looks a little flat.
IMG_2790 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

so I pulled it out and made it part of the truck.

IMG_2789 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_2796 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I think I will make a splash shield, its installed in the right spot but looks low to the grille because the piece is missing.

the rear bumper was a little more work. I havent done one since the 47 GMC years ago but I had a spare 46 front bumper and its more flat than the 47-53, so I thought it might look good on the back. I wanted it just low enough to put the plate under the tailgate.

IMG_2797 by Joe Doh, on Flickr


bumper brackets are spring steel, which I dont have, but I figured some 11ga would be springy enough to take a tiny hit without crumpling. I made some cardboard templates and cut some steel, then bent them up to match the template.

IMG_2798 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_2799 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

to facilitate the work I just tacked them to the frame, in case they needed to move in or out or up or down, instead of bolting them on more permanently.

IMG_2801 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_2802 (1) by Joe Doh, on Flickr

looking good so far, now for the outside bolts.

IMG_2803 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_2805 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I cut 1/2" holes in the outside brackets and plug welded them

IMG_2807 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

worked out nice! evenly matched to the taillights. the bumper has a little bend in it from probably being towed by a chain but it looks fine to me.

IMG_2804 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_2808 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I will pick up some carriage bolts for the blade and the big bolts for the frame tomorrow.
 
I did the carriage bolts on the rear bumper, look nicer. I didnt like the empty hole so I popped out a license bracket

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I picked up my backordered hubcaps and a gmc bumper pan at bowtie bits. having that place local is great. of course it fought me tooth and nail, I had to make new brackets because it was an inch too far in.

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if you look closely you will see I have the bracket on the wrong side. the farmer pulled the bumper when I bought the truck and mistakenly torched the rivets that hold them together. so I got to have fun lining everything up TWICE
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jacks are ancillary, superfluous! its on there finally. I only need two small gussets
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tomorrow is probably the last work day for a little while. I am a contract engineer and I always get the same contract the first week of jan, its the company that tried to hire me out northwest last year. it starts the 14th but I always spend a bunch of hours the week before doing setup and conf calls. Usually I dont have to fly out on site but sometimes I do, twice in 4 years now. we will see.
 

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thanks all!

not a lot of progress, unfortunately. too many irons or candles or pokers or goats whatever the overtasked metaphor is.

the rear window gasket I got didnt fit the pinch, we had it in once and the window just fell out, not enough contact. I stopped and got some gasket material from the local shop and they didnt have the lock strip, saying the one I have should fit, but it doesnt.

56928959521__F157D243-CD70-4313-ABEC-9F9C3EC452AD by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I also worked on the gauges, the con2r set is very deep. originally neither would fit, the speedo didnt clear the defroster and the tach didnt even come close to clearing the dash brace or the wiper motor.

IMG_2855 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_2856 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

after some.. modifications.. that I will go into privately if someone wants to know, they both finally fit.

IMG_2870 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_2873 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

they are wired and everything checks out except the speedo so far. really pretty but like most really pretty things, a bit of extra effort is required to keep them happy.

speaking of happy, I forgot to turn off the shop heater one night and woke the boys up taking a nap in the truck

IMG_2852 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

you can see how ridiculously deep the tach is in that picture too, its upside down closest to the camera.

got the blower trimmed and installed. havent tested yet because the battery is out.

IMG_2857 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_2858 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

funny thing about that, I needed to trim the blower motor from the extra ac box I had. I replaced the rad a while back and when I finished the blower mod I noticed a weird rad leak. turns out I had just tilted the ac box a little when walking past the truck and dumped ac oil on the truck. I was loosing my marbles there for a second.

IMG_2875 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I am shooting to have the headliner done tomorrow, then the column back in (had to take it all apart for the gauges. no rest for the wicked)

no word on travel. have some other things working right now so gotta split time.
 
thanks burg, they love that truck for some reason.

picking away at it, got the e clips on the wipers, the headliner in and the blower installed, did some other stuff including buttoning up under the hood.

a tip on the windshield, the rubber is too proud to let the bolts fit, so I cut the heads off of some longer bolts and thread them into the divider bar FIRST then use cap nuts inside. once its all snugged down you can change them out one by one for the countersunk bolts but I actually like the cap nut look so I leave them.

tested the blower, remember that I cut it off the underhood portion and made the airflow port through the firewall. it blows out the top of the hvac box like a stiff wind, I am relieved.
 

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thanks torchie!


had some more time today. buttoned up the interior, added a dome light from a repurposed marker light, waste not want not. sanded the rough spots out and touched up the rattle can red.
 

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