I have an old Lutheran cookbook. There is a recipe called 'Jill's Slippery Jacks', which I have made and quite liked. It sound a lot like what you described.
Jill's Slippery Jacks
Wash 10 cucumber, ripe and as large as they grow, and cover with boiling water. Net day, drain and cover again with boiling water. Repeat this step on third day. On fourth day peel, remover seeds and cut into strips.
Prepare syrup of:
6 cups sugar
2 tbsp pickling spice in cheesecloth
5 tsp. salt
4 cups white vinegar
Boil syrup for 2 minutes. Add cucumber strips. Let sit for 2 days. Then bring to a boil but do not cook. Put in sterilized jars and seal. Recipe from St. Peter's Lutheran church in Port Colbourne, Ontario
I cut the cucumbers into wedges instead of strips. I also drained the syrup and packed the cucumber wedges into jars, then reheated the syrup, removed the bag of pickling spices, filled the jars and then processed in canner like they were dills. They were good and the cucumbers kept their crunch.