My Cool 52 GMC Toad

[38Chevy454]

Thought I would share a (kind of crappy) pic of my 52 GMC pickup being a toad. Took this at a rest area, sorry for the background messing up the picture. Never think about getting a better pic when the scenery might be better

Pickup is a 52 GMC set up with Jaguar front and rear suspension, 350 Chevy and a 700R4 OD trans. I put a driveshaft disconnect in, so I could flat tow it. I just use temp lights for now, have not gotten around to a real dedicated wiring plug yet. It has around 1800 miles of towed use this summer and tows great behind the MH. Once at the location we can drive it around and have fun with it. It certainly is not the usual toad and it gets a lot of attention. The funny thing is watching cars pull up along side in next lane, then slow down and check it out, before speeding back up and going by. Just goes to show that a toad does not have to be a Jeep Wrangler (not that there is anything wrong with them). Only bad thing is we can't take dogs with us when we have this 52 GMC for toad, since we need an enclosed vehicle to haul them. Still figuring out exactly what to set up for that toad vehicle.

[Boostable]

Love it... I will trade you anytime you want to tote the dogs around!

[Rockwood27]

Be careful with the wire for the auxiliary lights on the truck body. It may rub the paint! HeHe! Love the truck! How about an old Suburban to take the dogs along?

[38Chevy454]

Originally Posted by Rockwood27

Be careful with the wire for the auxiliary lights on the truck body. It may rub the paint! HeHe! Love the truck! How about an old Suburban to take the dogs along?

That is a great idea! I would like an old Suburban, such as a 47-54 (1st choice) or 55-59 (2nd choice). However those are not one of my current vehicles. My main choice for now is my wife's Ford Edge, my 88 F-250 4x4 diesel that has a shell on the back, or buy something newer like a Jeep. There is no shell for the GMC that would look good.

I do need to put a real plug into the truck's lights. The temp lights are kind of redneck and not very nice.

One thing I will say is the driveshaft disconnect is just OK. It works fine for what it is designed to do, and disconnecting is easy. But getting it back connected after towing is a PITA. I end up jacking up the truck since it is so low, and having to get under to see and get the splines lined up. My cable set-up is not the best, which contributes to the problem. I can't really complain too much, I got the Remco set-up used for $50, and then another $120 to modify my driveshaft and it was done, not including my labor.

[britcon]

Love the setup. We have a 1940 Chevy Pickup rodded with a Mustang 2 front end.
I have considered flat towing but have heard the lowered front ends cause the truck to track poorly, and wander all over the place. What has your experience been ? Also heard that the driveshaft disconnects can be tricky as you have experienced. What did you do as far as base plate / connection to front end of toad ?

[38Chevy454]

Originally Posted by britcon

Love the setup. We have a 1940 Chevy Pickup rodded with a Mustang 2 front end.
I have considered flat towing but have heard the lowered front ends cause the truck to track poorly, and wander all over the place. What has your experience been ? Also heard that the driveshaft disconnects can be tricky as you have experienced. What did you do as far as base plate / connection to front end of toad ?

Mine tracks just fine, and I can cruise 70-75 without any issues, normal freeway cruising at 70 is a nice sweet spot for my MH. I am certainly not a member of the 58.7 mph club!

I believe the wandering problems you reference may be due to insufficient caster. Caster is what returns wheels to center (technically the angle of the line between the ball joints when viewed from the side, or the lean back of the top ball joint vs the bottom ball joint), and some Must II IFS installations do not have enough. The Must II may be put in with right caster with frame level, but then when the chassis is loaded with drivetrain and the tire rake is put in, the front end is lower than rear and you end up with less caster. Less caster has less centering force, or could be considered as more ability to wander.

No base plate for mine, I just have the tow bar mounts right on the front bumper, each side utilizing one of the orig bumper mounting bolts, and then drilled another. Since I have a real metal bumper about 1/4 inch thick formed steel, and real brackets that go right to the frame it all works good. I could not put them below the bumper, too low. As it is now they are perfect lower shin height, don't ask how i know this Not exactly the most beautiful having the brackets right in front, but I tolerate the looks. My tow bar is just one of the cheap non-adjustable 5K models, plenty of safety for the 3400 lbs truck. My tow bar still has a rise approx 6-7 inches from GMC to MH, since the truck is so low. Has not created any problems.

[ChallengerRN]

Originally Posted by 38Chevy454

That is a great idea! I would like an old Suburban, such as a 47-54 (1st choice) or 55-59 (2nd choice). However those are not one of my current vehicles. My main choice for now is my wife's Ford Edge, my 88 F-250 4x4 diesel that has a shell on the back, or buy something newer like a Jeep. There is no shell for the GMC that would look good.

I do need to put a real plug into the truck's lights. The temp lights are kind of redneck and not very nice.

One thing I will say is the driveshaft disconnect is just OK. It works fine for what it is designed to do, and disconnecting is easy. But getting it back connected after towing is a PITA. I end up jacking up the truck since it is so low, and having to get under to see and get the splines lined up. My cable set-up is not the best, which contributes to the problem. I can't really complain too much, I got the Remco set-up used for $50, and then another $120 to modify my driveshaft and it was done, not including my labor.

As to jacking up the truck to replace driveline.

Wonder if you could use a set of cheap metal ramps. Place behind rear wheels and push it onto the ramps with the MH Maybe easier than jacking it up ??

Russell

[DDDonkey]

Love it!

[britcon]

Thanks for the info. 38 Chevy454.
"Keep on truckin ! "