On The Road: 1972 GMC Sierra Grande half-ton - Driving
When Calgary truck enthusiast Keith McEwen was a teenager, he read every issue of the hallowed journal. “Earlier in life, I’d always read in Hot Rod about the ‘clean chassis’ approach to a build,” McEwen says. McEwen’s truck is a 1972 GMC Sierra Grande half-ton. He’s owned more than a dozen of the second-generation 1967 to 1972 C/K pickups, but he’s invested thousands of hours into this one specifically. McEwen then spent approximately 300 hours just grinding the welds and polishing the tubes so they appear seamless. “I was loaned an industrial size polisher, and I went through hundreds of dollars worth of polishing compound because I polished everything that is stainless steel or aluminum on the truck. McEwen bought the Sierra Grande in 1996. He was returning to Calgary from a Thanksgiving dinner in Strathmore when he saw the truck at the side of the highway with a for sale sign in the window. He pulled over, contacted the seller, and bought it on the spot for $500. McEwen notes this generation of GMC and Chevrolet pickups is prone to rust, but his purchase was in original paint condition with surprisingly minimal rust on any of the... “My original thought was to restore the truck,” McEwen says. Source: driving.ca
