Son Locates His Dad’s 1969 GMC Truck, Which Originally Belonged to His Grandfather, Restores It to Its Former Glory
How many people would love to reacquire the car or truck that one of their parents or grandparents used to drive and fix it up? One man recently did just that when he searched for his dad’s 1969 GMC truck, found it, and had it not only restored to its former glory but also made it even better.
Making the restoration even sweeter is the fact that not only was it his dad’s 1969 GMC truck, but his grandfather was the original owner. It was also a vehicle that he and his brother both drove when they were young.
James Lucas Condon, TheStradman on YouTube, shared the backstory of the truck, including how he found it and had it restored. It was an emotional journey that culminated in the GMC truck becoming a unique showpiece anyone would be proud to drive.
Why the 1969 GMC truck is so special
“My dad died on May 6th, 2021,” Condon said in a video revealing the restored 1969 GMC truck. “It’s been almost five years. I miss him so much. I love him so much. He was such an amazing man, an amazing father, an amazing husband, an amazing brother, an amazing son, amazing grandpa, an amazing friend. He was a hard worker. He was charitable. He was humble. He was kind. And he sacrificed so much for my family. And that’s what this truck represents is that sacrifice.”
He recalls how his family sold the truck in the late 2000s for just $500. Condon described it as a “rust bucket” and “kind of a piece of junk” when it was sold. That being said, the truck was special to him.
“We spent so much time together in this truck,” he recalled. “I remember going to baseball practice in middle school, and the tire fell off. He taught me how to drive it when I was maybe 12-, 13-years-old out in the desert, manual transmission.”
His dad’s 1969 GMC truck, which they sold for $500, is now one-of-a-kind
With help from some of his viewers, he tracked the truck down in Baldwinville, Massachusetts. So he flew from Salt Lake City and, after exchanging messages with the current owner, finally saw the truck firsthand. Not only that, when he opened the glovebox, there were insurance documents with his mother’s and father’s names and his home address.
“When I was in high school, I was so embarrassed to drive this thing,” he said. “And now there’s nothing else I’d rather drive.”
He added, “This truck was in my family for maybe 40 years. Before my dad owned it, my mom’s dad, my grandpa, owned this truck. So, my grandpa owned this truck. My mom rode in this truck. My dad had the truck. I drove this truck to high school. My brothers drove this truck to high school. This truck means a lot. So many of my best memories with my dad were in this truck.”
Restoring his dad’s 1969 GMC truck took 18 months. Now it has some new paint, LED headlights, a 500-horsepower crate LS3 V8, and a Tremec six-speed manual transmission. It now also boasts steel wheels with chrome hubcaps that look like the originals, new leather and fabric covering the bench seat, and other modern conveniences like air conditioning and a Bluetooth stereo.
“Dad would be proud,” he said proudly after taking it out for its first drive since the restoration.
