Since the time John Hanser received that ticket to freedom, a valid license, he has been into customizing trucks. However, he did have one minor setback at the time: his dad's name was on the pink slip. Not surprisingly, John and his dad's view of what could/should be done to the truck didn't exactly flow parallel. Now that John has grown up and purchased his own '51 GMC truck, he sings along with Sinatra's "I Did It My Way."
Being a land surveyor in the vast countryside of Northern California, John runs across his fair share of vintage tin in a state of advanced decomposition, including this '51 GMC. Only this '51 didn't stay out in the field to face another day, it was headed home to John's garage. For this build, Hanser didn't hold back. As he didn't have to answer to anyone, he built the GMC the way he had always wanted.
With the truck back at the ranch, John tore it down to the bare frame. Being a DIY type of guy, the entire truck was built by Hanser sans paint and interior, he just started hackin' away at the project. First, a Fat Man ultra-low crossmember with polished stainless steel arms was installed up front. In the rear is another state-of-the-art advancement: a polished stainless four-link with a narrowed Ford 9-inch. At each corner is a Firestone airbag and a Chris Alston adjustable aluminum Varishock for performance and stance. With everything set in place, the frame was boxed, smoothed, notched in the rear, and all the unnecessary holes were filled. For a clean look, John ran a polished stainless hard line for each airbag. The fuel lines are also polished stainless, along with the new frame-mounted gas tank. A Chris Alston tranny mount and driveshaft loop were also incorporated into the revised chassis. Powering the GMC is a brand-new ZZ4 crate motor ... detailed to the hilt of course. First, the block was smoothed and painted to match the exterior. Then a March polished serpentine system was added. In fact, every visible component vital to the engine and its habitat is polished! For a unique, performance-enhancing look, John ditched a run-of-the-mill four-barrel carb for a new Barry Grant Six Shooter setup. Backing the tranny is a smoothed, ceramic-coated Turbo 350-with chrome Lokar linkage, naturally.