My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Hey guys - seems I've been too busy with work and some late 1950's GMC projects to post many replies to your posts or write anything interesting about 6066 GMC's lately after selling my prized 64 Wideside last year, and then selling off my 60 Suburban in favor of a 1960 short wideside I am still piddling with to get back on the road by Summer. But I have a new barn find one owner 1966 GMC Suburban to tell you about that really excites me to get to post about today.
So about a year ago, this Suburban came up on Ebay and I saw it and wanted it, but was incidentally broke that week and simply could not afford to buy it. Made me sick when I saw the auction end for a measly 2300 dollars too. But as fate would have it, the very next morning after the auction ended a guy I know in Cullman AL near me called sounding very excited saying he was shocked when his low-ball 2300 dollar bid had won this cool 1 owner GMC suburban off Ebay the night before. (can you imagine how sick I was when he said that?) so we laughed about how I wanted it and was too broke to bid on it, and I jokingly said I hated his guts for getting it instead of me. So he went the next day to Missouri and brought it home and I went to see it - that's when I seriously got sick at my stomach. I could not believe my eyes at how untouched the drivetrain was and how many rare accessory options in was loaded with. He worked on the ignition enough to crank and make it run, and I was shocked to see it run perfectly with no smoke. He drove it some in the first few days of having it, but it needed a new gas tank, brake work etc like most suburbans tend to, so he parked it and eventually bought a new tank and sender unit but never installed them. Being a young guy in his 20's he naturally wanted to pull the original V6 drive train and hot rod it with a Chevy smallblock, but I educated him on how rare and historically significant this particular suburban was and I pleaded with him to not ruin it, and instead sell or trade it to me. He was bent on keeping it for this whole agonizing 12-14 months or so he's had it, but I continued to work on him until he finally agreed this past weekend that it truly belongs in the hands of someone who obsesses over rarely equipped or highly optioned GMC's and their historic preservation, who could appreciate it and not modify it from original (thank the Lord! another GMC saved from the clutches of our "hot-rod TV" watching youth). So as soon as he said "when do you want to come get it" I jumped in my truck and sped 90 miles an hour to go get it from him before he changed his mind. It is a one owner truck never registered in anyone's name but the man who bought it new in January of 1967. The surviving family pulled it from the dry barn he always kept it in and stuck it on Ebay. It was ordered with every factory option you could get on a Suburban in 1966 except for a factory tach and clock, so it has (get this) its #'s matching 351 Magnum V6 engine, Powerflow Automatic Transmission, Factory Power Brakes & Power Steering, assembly-line installed (not dealer add-on) Factory Air Conditioning (100% complete and working), Deluxe heat, Tailgate & Liftgate option, all 4 sliding rear windows, Custom cab appearance package, bumper guards, front sway bar, all 3 rows of deluxe cloth covered seats, hazard switch, optional Ammeter and oil guages, and two speed wiper motor w/ window washers. It came two-tone Light Tan w/ White accents but at some point he had it scuffed down and repainted a copperish-brown metallic color. The surviving family drove the suburban into something when removing it from the barn it was stored in, and warped up the drivers front fender, so they bought a reproduction front fender and put it on before selling it. Floorboards and inner rockers, door bottoms, above windshield inside and out and drip rail are all super solid and nice. Tailgate is also amazingly rust free. Whole cargo floor is covered in its factory ribbed vinyl and unlike 99% of these suburbans, this floor covering is amazingly well preserved and not cracked or damaged anywhere (only one I've personally ever seen that wasn't) so this floor being in this super condition is the highlight of the whole truck to me. Still has all 4 original wheels and all 4 hubcaps although the caps are in dented semi-rough shape. Keep your eyes peeled for any 64-66 chrome NOS or real nice GMC hubcaps if you guys see any anywhere - I want to find a nicer set to put on it for driving it around to the shows and cruise-ins this Summer.

I can't believe I finally own this thing - see what you think. Will get pictures of the inside of it and post later - this is all the pics I have at the moment

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Now I'M sick to my stomach. LOL! More from jealousy. Boy you sure scored on that one! Super nice find. Also glad you found it before a stinkin small block was put in it. I'm one of those youth who happen to like these V6's better than a common sbc. :thumbsup:

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

A little jealousy over here to Steve ! LOL . Rare truck indeed .Like to see more detail shots of all the AC stuff on the truck. Very nice find !!

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Thanks guys - I am very excited.

Jon I am going back over there shortly to get some interior pictures and detail on the A/C stuff because I have personally never been able to find a 64-66 GMC with true assembly-line type AC on it that was ever truly complete with all the special brackets and clamps etc still in place - 99% of the time when you do see a truck equipped with AC these small seemingly insignificant items have been removed at some point. I will be cataloging all this small unique AC specific stuff and adding it to this thread since this is a rare opportunity to study a complete system.

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Congrats and glad your perseverance paid off! Subscribed for all the info to come on that AC set up.

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Looks great Steve.

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Daylight was waning by the time I got to the shop to snap a few more pics of her, but I managed to get a few decent shots of the AC specific parts and some of the interior. Here goes

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

So in the above shots you see the special AC-only radiator overflow tank - this came as part of assembly-line installed AC on all 64-66 GMC's. Very often missing when you do find an AC truck.
Here's some more pics:

one shows the cool firewall markings so took a shot of that, and one shows a special AC-only radiator hose retaining clamp which is ALWAYS missing on AC trucks. This is the only GMC I have so far seen in real life that still has this clamp. Two pics show the suction hose routing across the heater box and firewall, and you can see the special clamps holding the hose to the heater box and firewall. Last pic is of the special L bracket used on top of the AC-only shroud to hold the return hose in place. These little L brackets are usually gone as well, and especially the loop holding the hose to the bracket.

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Great find. Are the belts off for piture clarify

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Boy there sure is a lot of bracketry in this factory set up. I can see how easy it would be to start discarding pieces here and there over the years.

So is the bottom or lowest pulley on the crank a three groove or does it have an add-on extra pulley?

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Wow, a 351E with a 'Glide in a Suburban!!!

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Good question - i just got the truck Monday night and took it straight to the shop to have the brake lines inspected and replaced after we discovered one rear brake line was broke off at the left rear wheel cyl. When I went to take these pics I noticed the belts being off, so not sure if Nathan did that or if it came straight from Missouri with them off. The mechanics will be changing the fluids and checking timing, etc so I will tell them to add the belts and see if there is any reason why they are off. AC and PS is supposed to work according to the family who sold it to Nathan the guy I got it from so we will find out shortly

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

I will have to go check and get us a picture of the crank pully, but from memory I think its a two groove mated to a single if I remember right. Will post pics soon

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

I know right? pretty unusual to see V6's w/ automatics but this is the first 351E I have seen that had assembly-line installed AC - all other AC trucks I have seen (about 3 or 4 ever) were all 305E setups. bracketry and special AC only items seem to be identical between 305E and 351E setups as far as I can tell.

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

I never got around to posting the interior pics so here we go

The fiberboard ceiling tiles are in near perfect shape front to back so I love that.
The tailgate is rust free
The cluster has an optional correct dealer installed accessory oil guage
optional correct dealer installed Ammeter in the dash sheetmetal as usually done.
Great looking low-use power brake pedal pad

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Here is a few shots of the seats and AC controls etc.

So 1961 was an odd year for Chevrolet cars in that the Cool Pack under-dash unit was not the only AC option - in 61 you could get something that while still technically under-dash in basic design, Chevrolet would call it "in-dash" AC, and this 1961 odd-ball AC design for the Chevy Impala utilized a single, bolt-on Drivers side AC vent outlet made of fiberglass and adorned with a beautiful chrome plated air diffuser to match the evap case mounted passenger side diffuser.

GMC was already separated from Pontiac and re-aligned with Chevrolet by the time 1964 rolled around, so GMC borrowed the 61 Impala drivers side AC vent as a simple low cost method of overcoming the dash design difference between GMC and Chevrolet trucks. GMC did not need to have room to send AC out the dash, so this 61 Impala vent worked perfect. A slight modification to the Chevrolet-designed truck AC Evap case was made to send the air to each of the left and right vents - a 2" hole was sawed into the forward or drivers side facing side of the evap case, and the drivers side AC hose to the vent connects there. The Chevrolet evap case design has a large 4" or greater sized square hole on top to accept the Chevrolet-only upper AC diffuser assembly; this large square hole was simply capped off (similar to capping off a chimney on a house) using simple sheetmetal that was then pop-riveted to the plastic evap case. another 2" hole was sawed in the sheetmetal cap and the passenger diffuser assembly gets AC from there.
I really like the borrowed 61 Impala vent design and think they really look great in a GMC - they are more functional than the Chevy diffuser design too, in that the driver, who is many times the only passenger, has easier access to cold air from the wider Impala diffuser to his left than the center vent on a Chevy which is harder to get AC pointed to where you can actually feel it when on.

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

So, over the years I have hoarded some of this GMC-specific AC stuff, so now that I have this complete setup on this burb, once I have inspected everything thoroughly and the AC is working and blowing cold etc, I will begin offering up my spare AC system and parts.

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

GMCNUT, you just got yourself a dealer's showroom demo Suburban. I'll be surprised if it has many more miles than the ebay sale price. You must be living right. Congratulations. I'll be one of many parked on the edge of my seat awaiting your next post on this baby. :thumbsup:

Culver Adams
Minneapolis, MN
1961 GMC K1500

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Nice find! I'm glad you were able to save it from being hacked up. I have a 66 1000 short fenderside that was fully optioned, 351E/TH-400 with most of the AC stuff missing. I've collected a few pieces to restore it but I didn't realize there was an overflow tank and those hose supports on the core support. Thanks for posting the pics!

Bob
Pelican Rapids, MN

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Question on the powerglide setup; does it use support rods like the Turbo 400 setup?

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

The PowerFlow Transmission as GMC called did use the support rods like the Turbo 400.

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Looks like the truck also has an accessory 4-way flasher box with knob hanging down under the steering column.

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

From what I have been able to tell, the support rods seem to be West-coast assembly plant related; so far of the 4 or 5 Powerflow automatic GMC's I've owned none have had the support rods and the two others with the T400 didn't either. So anyway, I am not sure but guessing this Suburban was built in Atlanta or somewhere nearby, and thus it does not have the supports. So far I have only seen those on Western trucks anyway

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

yeah, the 4 way hazard switch is complete but Nathan said it does not seem to work, so he provided me with a replacement switch to put in there so I'll get that dangling original one taken down and replaced with the new one

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Thank you Culver - I have wanted a GMC Suburban decked out to the gills with cool accessory stuff for years and never found one exactly like I wanted until now. As for the miles, it has 80 something thousand original miles on it, so not unbelievably low, but low for the trucks age for sure....80K is nothing to a V6!

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

you know, you might actually be onto something with that comment about the showroom demo - this truck was bought new in Jan 1967 so I wonder if it was used by the dealership like you suggest as a means of showing installed options for truck and suburban buyers alike. Interesting thought anyway

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

I just checked the Protect-o-plate and there is no customer name on it - only the VIN, 351E engine CID, and rear axle ratio 3:54. So does anyone know if this means it was ordered by the dealership as stock or is it indicative that it might well have been ordered to be used as a demo? I've never seen a protect-o-plate that didn't have the original buyers' name and address stamped in it, but I have not seen many GMC plates, so maybe only Chevy did that? Ed Snyder or Pete will know this probably....

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

WOW now that's a find GMCNUT! Thanks for the pics. I'm grinnin ear to ear for ya over here!
No one deserves it more, amigo. Excellent survivor! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

GMCNUT, soon as I dig up the Protect-o-Plate to my 68 I'll let you know what's on it.:ok:

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Wonderful GMC, Steve. Congratulations!

DAC

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Boy that thing is in super good shape to. And a 351E is Sweet. :thumbsup:

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

What is the. "Protect O Plate" and we're is it located? First time I heard that term

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

The Protect-o-Plate would come with the owner protection plan booklet when buying a new GMC truck. When I dig mine up I will post a pic.

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Looking forward to seeing it at next summer's car shows in Decatur. So I can feel sick! LOL

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Very interested in seeing your Protect-o-plate Pete - I have owned a dozen Chevy trucks with Protect-o-plates over the years, but never had a GMC with one. My 64 GMC had all its original ppwk, but I do not remember ever seeing a protect-o-plate with it if it was present. The glue would come undone and the plate will fall out of the book, or the section of the back cover its glued to will get bent back and forth enough over 40 years to break it off....most are lost forever. Since the stamping machine that created protect-o-plates was used by all GM divisions as a standard appliance, seems to me all plates on any car or truck should have the customers name and address on it....this is definitely the first one I ever heard of not having that information on it. Another mystery to ponder

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Me too Rich!

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Bob, I will have some AC stuff for sale soon and I think I may have an extra overflow tank and the "L" bracket off the fan shroud that supports the A/C return hose. Problem with the overflow tanks is they are always rotted and cannot really function as intended without being repaired first. I am not selling any AC stuff until I get this system charged and all components working but stand by and I will let you know when I am ready to sell off what I am not using

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

GMCNUT, Back in the 70's I came across my father's 62's Owners Protection Plan booklet which may have had the Protect-O-Plate also, when I finally got some interest to check it out it was gone. I should have grabbed it right away, I still have the 62 Owner's Manual.

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Heres a 1966 GMC Suburban Protecto Plate booklet Steve. Looks like the owners name and info are just hand written in the book in this case and not like Chevy where they used the Dymo Tape on the plate itself.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/j...C/IMG_3272.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/j...C/IMG_3266.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/j...C/IMG_3271.jpg

Re: My uber rare 1966 GMC Suburban Discovery
 

Very cool Jon - so this makes three GMC protecto-plates we've now seen that didn't have the owners name and address stamped into the plate - very interesting. I have never seen a Chevrolet protecto-plate without the owners name and address stamped into the plate itself - seems this is a difference between GMC and Chevy dealers.