All-American Project Truck: 1969 GMC C1500 Pickup

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The seller of this GMC truck calls it a “real slice of Americana,” and it’s hard to disagree. Before it can cruise the American road again, however, it’s going to need some rehabilitation. Are you up to the challenge?

It is a popular opinion that this generation of GMC (and Chevy) trucks is the most handsome of them all. Even with that large cap on the bed, it’s easy to admire its clean lines. Unfortunately, it’s also easy to see that it’s been sitting in the same place for some time. The seller says that the truck belonged to his late father-in-law and has been lying dormant for eight years.

It’s not all bad news; the father-in-law treated the truck as his baby and even installed a new engine at some point. It looks like a Goodwrench 350 crate motor, but the displacement is not specified in the ad. Nor is the engine’s rotational status: After eight years in a field, there’s a chance it’s stuck. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it’s not.

The interior doesn’t look bad, although there is always the chance of rodent damage when a car’s been sitting around for a while. A truck with an automatic transmission was certainly more popular in 1969 than it was in 1959, but it was still a bit of a luxury item.

It looks like there is a little rust popping out in the door jambs, but on the whole, this looks like a very solid truck. A closer inspection will be in order if you’re a discerning buyer.

Squarebody and OBS General Motors trucks have become wildly popular, but every truck generation seems to have its day, and the 1967-1972 models have been sought-after and expensive for decades. Because of its status as a project truck, this one is being offered for a reasonable $5000 on Craigslist in Washington. It’s a bit of a roll of the dice – are you willing to take a gamble? Thanks to Matt H. for the tip.

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Comments

  1. geomechs geomechsMember

    Very popular truck out west back in the day. Lots of “identical twins” all the way down to Great Falls. 1969 is the year GM raised the front of the hood, getting rid of the tapered front. Personally, I like the newer touch.

    Lots of Goodwrench engines installed back in the day. Very little wrong with them; they were a 4-bolt main 350 and you could also get a 427 High-Deck for a big truck.It seems to me that you could also get an Olds 350 Diesel as well.

    I remember bidding on a replacement engine for a police interceptor. Of course the interceptor was pretty much a 3/4 race engine that had to be ordered in special from GM. I lost out to a larger dealership in the city which kind of smarted because our dealership did a lot of work for law enforcement. However we were on the ropes with it and couldn’t go any lower. Shortly afterward, the captain showed up saying that the new engine was a total slug.

    Well, it didn’t take long to prove that the new special-ordered replacement engine was, in fact, a Goodwrench. We tuned it up the best we could but the end result was still a Goodwrench that may have run a little better. I don’t know what happened to the dealer that got the contract but I’m dead sure that there wouldn’t be any minor traffic violations overlooked. The last outfit I would ever want to trifle with would be the police…

    Like 6
  2. Rex Kahrs Rex Kahrs

    Given the location of the truck out there in the field, I wonder who the seller expects to notice the For Sale sign.

    Like 1
    • DGMinGA

      If you look at the pics, it appears the truck is facing a road. There is a nice blue GM truck of similar vintage parked on the road in the background of a couple of the pictures.

      Like 2
  3. Matthew Dyer

    Wow! 5k for an old truck. It must be the new math I’ve been hearing about. Good luck to the seller.

    Like 2
  4. Ronald Amon

    $5000 is hardly reasonable for a truck lying formant for 8 years and neither starts nor runs. Roll of the dice it is. Cashing out while he can.

    Like 1
  5. stillrunners stillrunnersMember

    Guess the arm chair buyers have spoken…..but with that Goodwrench motor you can bet this WAS taken care of…..families are not quick to dispose of things….look it over and good luck to the new owner !

    Like 2

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