2022 People's Choice Award - Murray Duncalfe - 1965 GMC 910

2022 People’s Choice Winner 

It had been a few years since I had done a project. I had been reading a lot about LS swaps and thought I should attempt one. The prospect of an LS swap was a bit intimidating with all the engine management- computers, wiring, etc., but there is a lot of good support on line.

I purchased the GMC in the summer of 2019 from a guy north of Winnipeg. It was advertised on Kijiji. It was a basket case. A young guy had started to restore it. He got it from the original farm that it spent it’s life at. Curiously it was registered as a 1963 even though the serial number was for a 65. The truck was blown apart. The bare cab with doors was sitting on the frame. The frame had been repainted. The cab and doors had had work completed and it was in prime. The work was done by Paint It Black Customs and I knew they were a reputable shop. He had all the stripped parts packaged and boxed and he assured me everything was there. He had the original truck box and an extra one as well. He had purchased a lot of new parts including inner and outer fenders, rad support and a brake line kit. I was baulking at buying it, wondering how I would get it all home. Then he offered to deliver it if I helped load it onto his home made flatbed that he had constructed from a fifth wheel camper. We managed to load it all on his trailer and our two pickups. I didn’t bother to take the original motor and trans as my plans were for a restomod.

I got started fairly quickly. I pulled the cab off the frame and set it on a wooden cart with wheels. I picked up a 78 C10 front cross member, a-arms and disc brakes. I bought 2 ½” drop spindles and some lowering springs for the rear. I also got the power steering box from the 78. I bought a V8 transmission cross member and then modified it so the exhaust could run through it rather than under it.

I bought the LS motor from a guy in Saskatchewan who worked for SGI Salvage Division. He saw a 2008 5.3 Tahoe 4wd come across his desk with only 69,000km. He wanted it for his project car. He and his two sons were car guys. It turned out that after he bought it he had another opportunity come along for a Camaro 6.2L and 6sp trans so the 5.3 went up for sale. Because he intended to used it for a swap he got everything needed including the engine wiring harness and computers and gas pedal. The transmission (4L60e) I got from a salvage yard south of Winnipeg from a similar year Silverado. They were able to tell it was a recent rebuild.

My goal was to keep the LS installation as simple as possible to avoid complications. The engine is stock. I sent the engine wiring harness to a guy who thinned it (removed many unneeded wires) and terminated the end with needed relays and fuses, ready for me to connect as necessary. The computers (ECM and TCU) were sent away to have unneeded parts removed from the program. After installing the motor and trans in the bare frame it was removed so the truck could go for paint. Chris Saunders of Meadowview Autobody and Glass had done a fantastic job with my last project and I was fortunate to line him up to do this one. I found a parts truck with a short box to use and then had to shorten my frame. With the cab back on the frame and new sheet metal mounted in front, off it went to Chris. The box was mounted on a cart and it was taken to him on my Skidoo trailer.

My truck came with a good ready to paint GMC grill. I wanted chrome. The cost to chrome it was crazy high. Chevy C10 chrome grills however are available aftermarket at a fraction of the cost. So too is the Chev stainless trim which I always liked better than the plainer GMC trim. So my truck is Part GMC 910, Part Chev C10. I jokingly call it a “GMC10”.

Murray Duncalf