Sierra Grande

Feature

InTheGarageMedia.com

Dan Williams’ South City Rod & Custom–Built 1969 GMC

BY Rob FortierPHOTOGRAPHY BY Tim Sutton

S

ay what you will about patina—be it true Mother Nature aged or faux—when it comes to the ever-popular 1967-1972 GM 1/2-tons, it’s hard to beat an aged gem that’s been done to the nines beneath all that crusty metal! Before you counter that, take a good look at Dan Williams’ 1969 GMC Sierra Grande and all the effort on behalf of South City Rod & Custom (SCR&C) that lies below …

Feature

InTheGarageMedia.com

Dan Williams’ South City Rod & Custom–Built 1969 GMC

BY Rob FortierPHOTOGRAPHY BY Tim Sutton

S

ay what you will about patina—be it true Mother Nature aged or faux—when it comes to the ever-popular 1967-1972 GM 1/2-tons, it’s hard to beat an aged gem that’s been done to the nines beneath all that crusty metal! Before you counter that, take a good look at Dan Williams’ 1969 GMC Sierra Grande and all the effort on behalf of South City Rod & Custom (SCR&C) that lies below …

Our buddy Bill Ganahl and his beyond-talented SCR&C crew whipped out this original-paint short-box Fleetside in no time for Dan, who initially bought the truck because of its particular originality and wanted a “patina’d shell with all-new everything else,” according to Ganahl. And, well, that’s exactly what he got!

For all intents and purposes, that original shell of a GMC is all that remains; the Sierra Grande now sits atop a custom-built Roadster Shop chassis complete with C6-derived IFS (with Wilwood spindles/Baer binders and Remaster M/C) and RS Watts link assisted/four-linked Strange 9-inch with matched Baer disc brakes. SCR&C additionally equipped the GMC with a full air-ride setup, which ultimately dictated special sheetmetal treatment in order to accommodate tucking the 20-inch US Mags five-spokes fitted with 35- and 45-series Michelin rubber.

For power, the GMC now relies on a stout 502 big-block crate engine via Chevrolet Performance mated to a Larry Marcom–prepped 700-R4 overdrive. Now surrounded by a sea of intricate sheetmetal shrouding (custom painted a brilliant copper with yellow engine accessory accents by Joe Compani/Compani Color), the 460-horse V-8 has been outfitted with a Billet Specialties TruTrac serpentine, Holley/Edelbrock induction, MSD Ready-to-Run ignition, Powermaster/Optima electrical supply, and a set of Speedway cast Tru-Ram manifolds feeding a custom-fabbed exhaust with MagnaFlow mufflers.

Similar to the engine bay, the interior of the big-window cab was completely freshened up with more custom paintwork by Compani Color along with a beautiful leather upholstery job by DJ Designs in nearby Hayward. The seat used is from Glide Engineering, steering is an ididit tilt-shift with a wood-rimmed Volante wheel, instrumentation is Classic Instruments (with an American Autowire harness), and climate control is courtesy of Vintage Air.

All in all, it’s exactly how Ganahl described it: Patina’d shell with all-new everything else.” Perfect!

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