This truck wasn’t hard to spot at a local show-it looks like it’s 3 stories tall and feels like it when you look over the steering wheel.
A 1946 GMC cabover was a fairly rare sight when it was new-in 2010 it’s about as rare as truth in politics.
‘Greg and Travis Garson are a father and son team and they are truly dedicated to this truck.’
Travis was the big influence-he spotted a cabover in a movie and he convinced his dad Greg that these were really cool rides.
As Travis explains “it was something different”.
No argument there…any stock truck that you need a parachute to exit is definitely something different.
Greg went straight into search mode and he found this 1946 GMC after a relatively painless search. It was definitely a project but father and son piled right into the old truck and had it roadworthy in a relatively short – by old car hobby standards– time.
As Greg explained, he “ started two years ago…and didn’t really work that hard“. That’s a simplification because Greg is a talented guy and they did all the dirty work-the cleaning, the sandblasting. Every bit of that isn’t easy as car guys know but Greg and Travis regarded the work as a very positive experience.
The Garsons have the truck to a very drivable point-but it is a restoration so they are currently working on a box based on factory blueprints. It’s going to have a removable stake box so it can double as a flatbed-based on GMC specs. Greg believes that he and Travis are working on a very rare vehicle –“I don’t know of anybody else in Canada who’s restoring one”.
Greg jokes that it’s going to be a working truck but it’s going to be a very slow working truck because it tops out at 40 mph. With that as a top speed he should be willing to let Travis use the truck anytime he wants-it’s hard to get into trouble with a slow moving vehicle with the conspicuous profile of Mt. Rushmore.
There is still a lot of work ahead for Greg and Travis Garson but there’s no doubt that father and son are truly committed to the cause. Greg added this:”I just read the article you wrote on our GMC Cab Over. You really did a wonderful job. As I was reading the article I realized I did not mention my brother Brad who helped on the body work and was teaching us the trade.Without his help this truck would not have turned out as good”.
‘This unique and very rare old truck has a great future in the Garson family hands.’
Jerry Sutherland @mystarcollectorcar.com
