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Almost everyone regrets selling at least one vehicle they had as a teenager.
Even if it wasn't particularly good, well-kept, or reliable, the memories made and the experiences had make the heart grow fond for an old hatchback or sedan. In the case of Stuart Lawrence, he has no such feelings, as he has managed to hold onto his 1981 GMC Sierra that he bought as a teenager and has kept in good, well-kept, and reliable condition.
This regular cab pickup has been in his driveway for 39 and a half years now. It was what he picked up his now wife in on their first date, and it's what they drove away in after getting married. In the future, he plans to hand it off to his son, if only so he can call him up and ask to go for rides.
"For me, there's a lot of history, a lot of memories in it," said Lawrence. "
Under the hood, this truck is still rocking its original 350 5.7L V8. However, it's been kept alive through great investment of both time and money. Lawrence has put in plenty of work to keep it in good, near immaculate condition, having the block bored 30 over, and fitted with a new cam, lifters, heads, valve springs, and a complete rebuild of the valves themselves.
The truck reads at over 400,000 kilometres on the dashboard these days. That dashboard has an updated electric set of Dakota Digital Gauges, installed in 2020 during the pandemic after the originals failed. Lawrence, at one point, had two other matching trucks with the intention of restoring all three. However, as time took its toll, he eventually ended up using both as parts units to keep the original '81 going.
"It is enjoyable to keep something on the road, as opposed to it ending up in a junkyard or recycled or just scrapped," said Lawrence. "I'd rather have something old that looks good as opposed to something new that just gets old."
Even when re-painting the truck in 2002, it was repainted as close to the factory original colour and hue as possible. It had to be repainted after a series of growing pains during Lawrence's youth, which led to dents and damage. He even ended up replacing a few of the fenders. Inside the cabin, the dash is still the original. He did end up having to recover the seats early on, after an unfortunate rip.
Lawrence has toured a total of four Canadian provinces and 20 U.S states. He has been taking it on road trips into America for so long that he is able to remember a time before they shut down drives down Fremont Street in Las Vegas.
"My favourite (memory) was being a Saskatchewan boy driving down Fremont in an old, loud GMC truck," said Lawrence.
Some of the plans for the truck include a different set of rear gears. It's the first upgrade for the drive train outside of engine parts since Lawrence replaced the transmission with a 700R4 Overdrive 15 years ago.
After that is complete, Lawrence will be undergoing the biggest change the truck has seen yet.
"It's going to become a short bed instead of a long bed," said Lawrence. I always wanted it to be a short bed, and I've decided it's time."
The truck will be frame swapped and given a new, shorter bed. He says he isn't worried about needing to tow anything with the long box, and has already bought the parts to make it happen.
His advice for anyone looking to ensure their truck, new or old, makes it to 400,000 on the odometer? Wash it, keep it clean and dry, and keep up on your basic maintenance.
"Do all your maintenance," urged Lawrence. "Maintenance is super important, and it's how you end up with vehicles that are over 400,000 kilometres."
Under the Hood is powered by Great West Auto Electric, your local Bumper to Bumper dealer in Swift Current. Long live your car.