Way cool GMC

Now we all know the Dodge fans have the Cummins, The Ford folk have their Internationals and GM crowd has the Duramax...Well most of the GM crowd anyway. The guy who built this gem wanted a pickup with a Caterpillar engine and damned if he didn't build one sweet Jimmy.

https://2img.net/h/i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa133/AlleyCat1972/0426010849a1.jpg

The truck is a GMC 3500 HD. A 3126B Cat backed with a World Class series Allison automatic provides the motive power. 4 years in the building the detail on this thing is fantastic.

https://2img.net/h/i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa133/AlleyCat1972/04260108491.jpg

Done from the ground up the owner/builder didn't over look anything. The mounts were custom built and the firewall was notched 5" to allow for the extra engine length. All of the tubing on this rig, no matter what it handles, is stainless steel. Exhaust, rad pipes, brake lines, air intakes, trans cooler lines, every piece of tubing is stainless. He used the gear driven Bendix air compresser to supply breeze for a for real Horton air operated fan clutch.

https://2img.net/h/i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa133/AlleyCat1972/0426010847a1.jpg

that's quite a project

that would look good in the travelall

there are a good number of old 6.9's showing up on CL in this area--various stages of condition--have seen some good runners that need a pump or trans, etc--anywhere from 5-600 to 1000 or so

i would like to slip one of the 6.9's into Julie's 62 impala

Thats pretty cool. My brother and I purchased trucks the same time back in Dec. 77. I got a new 77 F250 400 and he got a new 78 F350 351 Cleveland super camper special. They had a brand new 78 super camper special with a something 08 cat in it. Little v8 or v6 I forgot. Wish I had paid better attention. Brand new and looked factory to me

I have seen the small Cat V8s in a few Ford pickups over the years. One of the local Cat service trucks used to be a 70s F-350 with one. I don't remember if it was the crap pile 1160 or a 3208. Nowdays a 6BT would probably trounce either one of them but it seemed pretty cool at the time.
That is some nice work right there. Too bad he didn't start with a cooler pickup.

For sure some nice work there! I've seen a few Driptroits in pickups, and a 3208, as well as lots of Cummins conversions, but that is a new one on me. Very nice work! I love it when someone takes the time to make it look nice!

The owner, Dave, originally wanted to do this swap into an F450 but when he went shopping for a truck everything he found was trashed or horribly over priced. He got a nice deal on the GMC which was clean but the gas engine was scattered. He's been a machinest and mechanic since high school. For the past couple decades he's operated a machine shop out of a 2 stall residential garage next to his house. Dave is a fanatic about the work he does. It's his way or no way. Now crowding 70 he keeps a pace that guys half his age can't keep up with.

An F-450 would have been a cool victim but they are horrid riding things, about the roughest riding you will ever set in. I'd worry about the front end on that Cheby, they barely hold up to a gas engine and are usually the first thing to wear out. But they do ride nice.

That Chebby is a 3500 HD. It has an I beam axle instead of an independent front end. A lot of those are used for wreckers and dumps around here. They seem to hold up pretty well.

Oh, I didn't notice it was the HD. I have worked on a few of those, pretty much the same as the 450 Ford setup.