Ed Snyder says he first became an enthusiast of V6-powered GMC Suburbans when he was a junior in high school; that is when his father bought a 1965 GMC one-ton panel truck and converted it into a Suburban with four rows of seats for their large family.

“Dad still has this Suburban, although the salty winter roads in Kansas have taken their toll on the sheet metal,” he says. “I owned a 1963 GMC Suburban for a few years in the early 70's, the same green color as my dad's.”

Ed states that, today, fewer and fewer people are familiar with—or have even heard of—the V6 engine GMC offered in the 60's.

“Young men behind the counter at auto parts stores are especially hard to convince that you actually have a 305 V6, not a 305 V8 Chevy engine under your hood,” he claims. “Due to the unique shape of the valve covers, some people at car shows think they're looking at a 348 or a 409 Chevy engine.”

Ed says that he then points out that there are only six spark plugs, and they're on top of the heads, not underneath.

“I like to call these V6's ‘GM's most over-engineered and under-appreciated engine.’ They weigh about 850 pounds, compared to about 550 pounds for a small block Chevy and about 750 for a big block Chevy,” says Ed.

He notes that besides the 305 in the light duty trucks, 351, 401, and 478 cubic inch V6's, all with the same external dimensions as the more common 305, were offered in the heavier duty trucks of the era.

Ed adds that his favorite Suburban is the one he bought in 1997: a 1962 model with factory-installed four-wheel drive.

“I had just sold my 1965 four-wheel drive V6-powered GMC pickup, and was in the market for a Suburban, when I found this one in Hemmings,” says Ed. “After looking at photos the owner mailed to me, I bought one-way plane tickets for me and my wife and flew from Medford, Ore., to Phoenix, Ariz. to complete the purchase.”

Ed goes on to say that the drive home was uneventful, except for a blow-out in the middle of the Arizona desert on a 120-degree July day.

“The truck more than met my expectations,” he says. “It's a rust-free example that came with the original bill-of-sale from a dealer in the Fresno, Calif., area. It had spent most of its life with one family there before moving to Phoenix. Its 1982 repaint of the original Dove Gray still looks pretty good. I had the interior repainted, and am currently finishing up an under-hood restoration and upgrade, including an engine swap to a 401 V6 and the addition of Vintage Air.”

Ed says that he and his wife, Sharon, enjoy cruising to various car and truck shows in Oregon and northern California and look forward to many more years of showing off their GMC's wonderful V6 engine.

To learn more about Ed's Suburban, visit: www.geocities.com/gmc6066/

Story by: Ed Snyder, as edited by Becky McLaughlin