quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
My 1976 Suburban was full time 4X4. When I owned it, two things would go on:
You could watch the gas gauge drop.
Bits and pieces of the body would fall off due to the worst case of vehicle rust I have ever experienced.
Great truck! Still miss it.

I had a 78 equipped and rusted just as you mention with a 350 engine. Never drove past a gas station it didn't need to stop at.
Detroit sure built a lot of vehicles that rusted badly in the mid 70's through the 80's.
Heart breaking because it ultimately claims the vehicle.
I bought a 79 Ford E350 4x4 Quadravan with a 460 engine, talk about a gas hog! I sure miss it though, but the rust does not give up till its all gone.
They didn't hold back in the early 60's on using heavy gauge steel, your 61 should hold up great.

The 305 (also came in larger displacements for larger trucks) V6 was an unusual engine. My brother had a 1965 GMC pickup with one. In its gas version, the spark plugs go into the heads almost horizontally between the intake manifold and the valve covers. Also unusual, the clutch and brake master cylinder is a single unit with separate pushrods and reservoirs. Be sure all the brake hydraulic components (steel lines, hoses and wheel cylinders) are in good shape, as any leak on a pre-1967 will make you lose all your brakes, not just one end.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

The plugs go in vertically. Just replaced the master cylinder, clutch slave cylinder and clutch hydraulic lines. Had to have one of the clutch hoses specially made.

The parking brake cable for the 4WD models isn't available. I had to do some repairs to the parking cable outer housing by wrapping steel wire tightly around it for a 6" section. Then further supported by a bunch of stainless geared hose clamps. Working well.

We farmed when I was a kid. One of our farm trucks was a SWB ‘68 GMC w/ a 401 V6 and the “granny low” 4spd and posi rear end.
That thing was more tractor than truck.

quote:

Originally posted by pbslinger:
By the serial number, my Suburban was the 37th 1962 GMC to roll off the line in Pontic, Michigan. Safe to say that would be the first day of production for 1962?

It has always been titled and called a 1961 even though it is really a 1962 according to GMC.

A friend ran into that with a Alabama registered car from the B.T. (before titles) era. A 1956 that was sold in 1955. Back then all registrations were done through the county of residence in the tax office. Some clerks used the year the vehicle was sold as the model year.