Warren Smith is the proud owner of a beautiful 1966 GMC ¾-ton pickup truck that used to be a farm truck in rural New York.
He bought the truck about 4 years ago after it ended up in Saskatchewan, Canada.
In other words, the ’66 GMC pickup was a long way from its original home on a New York farm.
Jim Sutherland

Warren joked he, “had money to give away” when he became the truck’s latest owner and gave it a new lease on life. He told MyStarCollectorCar the ’66 GMC was “used up on the farm” and had “become a combination of white and rust”, in Warren’s words. In other words, the pickup needed plenty of work to restore it back to its former glory.
The ’66 GMC still has its unique 351 cubic-inch V-6 engine couple to its factory 4-speed manual transmission. The combination gives the truck plenty of low-end power because it blends horsepower with a “farmer gear” transmission that is geared so low that most drivers will start in second gear to move the GMC pickup when it’s not under a heavy load.

As mentioned, this GMC truck was originally built for the US market and left the factory with the rare V-6 option, so it’s a conversation piece for Warren whenever he fields questions about it. The fact he drives his GMC to several shows a year means he is used to curious people asking him about the V-6.

Warren wanted to stay true to his GMC’s original status-with a few of his own touches in the mix. For example, the truck’s bench seat now includes a unique GMC logo that showcases the famous truck brand and was an idea created by Warren.

He also installed extra gauges to monitor the V-6 engine’s vital signs in a more accurate fashion because Warren wants to preserve its good health whenever he hits the road in his ’66 GMC pickup.
Warren also installed a custom truck bed insert, along with a matching jockey box behind the cab for an extra blend of cool and practical storage use. The GMC now sports a dual master brake cylinder for safety purposes, in Warren’s words, because he was not comfortable with its original single pot master cylinder.

Many car guys have made a similar master brake cylinder decision to avoid a complete system failure when a brake line or wheel cylinder gives out on a single pot master cylinder. Their decision is usually based upon a total brake system failure misadventure they may have experienced in the past.

Warren loves to drive his truck, so the decision was a no-brainer, given his choice to drive the vintage GMC pickup to shows.

Warren told MyStarCollectorCar he likes to keep his maximum highway pace at around 100 km/h (a little over 60 mph) because it has low rear gears that were originally designed for hard work and not high speeds.
Nevertheless, Warren loves to drive his 1966 GMC ¾ -ton pickup to shows in his area because he kept its originality for a good reason: the driving experience.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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