1951 GMC Pickup P-252 review from North America

No brakes.

Tons of rust.

Heater hose.

None of the electrical system works.

Speedometer don't work.

I bought this old pickup for 450 bucks. It was quite rusty but had a good running six cylinder engine. After getting the clutch unstuck and hooking the throttle back up, I started driving it around on the back roads in the county forest near my house. Not sure how many miles I have put on it, but I have gone up to 30 miles in a trip, which is quite a feat considering I never fixed the brakes. The truck is quite slow, I think it tops out around 45 mph, but no way of knowing.

Truck doesn't have a whole lot of power, even with the low rear end ratio. I think a three on the tree in a 3/4 ton pickup is kind of lame, but apparently the GM engineers didn't think so. Gas mileage isn't great, right around 13 mpg.

Bed is rather shallow and it isn't even a full 8 feet long. You're not going to be hauling much with this puppy unless you plan on towing a trailer.

The old beast is a hoot to drive, but I must say as a pickup it really sucks. Not fast enough to be practical in today's traffic. Good for a Sunday drive down to the Home Depot to get some 2x4s.

It may sound like I am trashing this thing, but really I think it is awesome. I like the body style and it is entertaining as only a half century plus old pickup can be. Just leave the heavy hauling and real work for a newer truck.