I had a 92 back in the Day. Loved it. Had it for 18 yrs. Gave it to my Friends Son. His first Truck. I've had my share of Trucks throughout the years. I'm 64 yrs old. I've always missed that GMC. It took awhile. But I just got a 97 with Low Miles. Truck is real clean. It's tight. It's a Texas Truck. It's made its way to CT. I have a hit list. Nothing major. I'm so happy to find a good one. There sought after. There Simple. They look great. And yes there Reliable. I have other vehicles for long trips. This is my KNOCK around truck. Those older Trucks just got that Soul. I was Patient finding one. It's worth the Wait. Great points . These Trucks really were the last great ones. It's updated version of those Box Trucks. I've had offers as we speak. Not happening. I've let one go. This is my Retirement Truck. These Trucks got those nice lines. And I love the 350 . It's like my old Bikes. They just got it.
My daily driver is my late dads 1994 K1500 4x4 5.7L 350 auto-tranny EFI with only just almost 139,000 original miles on it for it could definitely use a new paint job but can't afford that now but it's all surface rust and paint chipping here Virginia but she runs great with normal maintenance oil and filter change every 7 to 10 thousand miles doesn't hurt it for it gets driven not more than 500 miles weekly !!! And I always keep the tank topped off with the gas prices these days !!!
Tyler Bittle never had that issue, the only real issues these trucks have? Transmission will give in if never rebuild . Not the end of the world but it’s a given. The 4l60e has its quirks. The engine is by far amazing one flaw, like with its smaller brother the 4.3 vortec. It’s that godforsaken stupid spider injector design., If you need to replace it? It’s a bitch to service been there done that. Ac , none of my chevies ever worked right 😂
@@MichelLinschoten The 4l60es are better then the rap they got. My 98 Z71 has 340 000km on its original 4l60e and it's still going strong and I've had 13 000lbs on behind it more then once. Never understood why people diss them they have served me very well.
@@taylorh3930 mine is a 454 dually. It’s about to hit 300k it’s towed all over the az and Nevada desert. I just had the engine rebuilt. Transmission is still kicking hard. When not loaded it still puts you in the seat
@@Arizona_rider Your transmission would be a 4L80e though… built a bit stronger to handle the added torque of the 454 and heavy duty use. Both the 4l60e and 4l80e are great transmissions!!
I just picked up a 98, same truck as this one and I can’t believe how many nooks and crannies there are on the undercarriage where dirt and salt can just sit and build up. So many little ledges everywhere. I’m in WI so when you say “up north” yep that’s where I’m at 😝 everything is rusted and rotted out. The truck I got has a ton of rust but mechanicals are good and the interior actually came out great after I detailed it I’m hoping to at least get a couple years of light use out of it even if the thing is totally rusted under. Too bad because these are great trucks otherwise.
Actually the biggest problem area for the box rusting out is between the outer fender and the inner fender well area, remove the tail lights and look forward where the fender and wheel well meet. Debris can collect in that area and hold moister, end result will be rust. You can use a leaf blower or garden hose to clean out the area, two products I like to use are Krown and Fluid Film. Let the area dry and spray the heck out of that area. I like what changes you have made so far, it's your truck but I think the truck would look better without bull bar on the front.....just my opinion. Thanks for sharing, peace out.
A lot of the stuff your talking about is NOT because the truck has been beaten on and not taken care of. It’s because the truck was USED AS A TRUCK!!! Most people don’t own a truck just to be a mall crawler. Although you did get lucky! That is a beautiful OBS!!! Definitely keep it that way. My OBS K2500 has been used it’s whole life as a work truck. Still runs and drives good. Does have the rust on the quarter panels and wheel wells. Although mine had the factory fender flairs.
All very good points. I own a 88 Chevy Cheyenne V8 350 K1500 long bed. And it is like your truck just a rare find. Super clean and runs great. Iff you take care of a vehicle they will last forever. I wish mine was the 350 vortek but my 350 TBI still does a pretty good job for it's age.
Possibly thinking of getting one however the guy says he is not sure if it burns oil but he said he highly doubts it lol. Says it leaks oil and he said he usually fills a quart or half a quart of oil every month, have also heard this from another person saying that is normal. He said there is no overheating or smoking from the truck ever”.
I have a 95 c1500 same color like yours and I love it! but the temperature gage doesn’t work and I replaced both sensors and still no luck. is it a open thermostat or wiring? I’m not trying to spend a small fortune to get the stupid gage to work thanks
Heavy hauling and towing and mudding is what trucks are made for. Why would all the brands offer off-road and heavy duty packages for trucks. A truck is a truck. Where we live we use trucks like trucks. Not like cars
thats pretty much what I got out of it.... At one point he more or less said this gen or anything newer truck wise is not for work...he also refused to lay on the ground with a little rain.. sooo... yeah...
All good points. All have occurred on my '98 Silverado over time. Just be patient and listen to his info. Your truck will last longer. I clean and maintain all the areas he covers. Can't do much about the Spider. They're remanued too cheaply and don't last. He was right about the "personal vehicle" concept, too. It's a solid heavy truck, but it feels like I'm driving a Cadillac given all the interior details and comfort.
I have a 99 suburban and it’s got around 300,000 miles but it’s been babied, it has the Dexcool orange coolant that was switched over in 1994, silverados and burbans after that year were all dexcool orange from the factory. I’ve had it in there ever since, changed on it twice and it’s been perfect. But it’s funny my 94 is green and it’s got about 262,000 on it. Gotta love these old trucks! Good video
It's really just a simple shit that kills all trucks that kills these trucks. Neglect of fluids, neglective cleaning ect. The transmissions have failed prematurely really if only seen if people beat the living hell out of it or if they tow all the time like other halftime trucks of the same age. The biggest downfall in my opinion of these trucks is the electronics. They all prematurely fail like hell. Really it's all dirt cheap though to replace just about every single thing on this truck, steering components also get eaten up but it's all a piece of cake. Everything is so simple about these trucks. You could literally buy a few parts trucks for the price of a used Dodge and be set for the rest of your life nearly.
Spider injectors Never have had any trouble with them as I have more then 250,000 miles. I replaced them when I did hit 300,000 miles just because I wanted too. On “Some” K1500’s with the 350 Vortex The did have some problems with them. Mine is a 1996 with the 350 5.7L Vortex engine with now over 324,000 miles on it and the only things I’ve replaced is the ; Alternator, New Battery, and Water Pump Ana Thermostat. The 350 5.7L was the “Best” engine ever in the K1500........Love mine and also had a 1997 that had over 153,000 miles on it, but unfortunatelyi lost it in the 2010 Flood in Nashville. It was totally under water. Broke my heart to lose that truck.
I have bone stock 1996 2500 4x4 with 330,000km oddly enough up here in Canada it has no real rust other than on the back side of the passenger side all around great truck
Take the pump back out and make sure the float (like in a toilet) is intact and not caught by anything. Look around and take your time. The issue is almost always on the pump/assembly.
Looking into buying a 97 Chevy Silverado 1500 2WD aside from what’s been said in this video any other tips to look for. I am mechanically inclined I work on my own vehicles and always has and my husband is a mechanic. What are some main things that go out? I just want to make sure I’m not gonna constantly be changing parts like I am on my Jeep.
I have a 2wd 97' 5.7, ext. cab, short bed. I bought it in 99' and wouldn't trade it for the world, very reliable. runs great, all original at 292,000 miles
Very nice video and beautiful truck. I have a 1994 z71 4x4 with 141k miles love it more than my 2001 z71. I have had a 1994 1996 and a 2001 z71, im kinda partial to the TBI pre vortec.
Thank you so much for this video I’ve been eyeing a truck for about a week now finally arranged to check it out Wednesday and I’m super excited to finally get an obs. Just put my mind at ease that ima know what to look for mechanically
Owner of a 96 with almost 400k miles on it and she's still a beast definitely more reliable then the junk electronic 2014 nissan sitting on my driveway with computer problems and I never will get rid of my truck just a reliable machine I can always count on. It might drink gas like water but won't ever let me down love this truck have owned 3 of them and let me tell you all high mileage but still so daimmm reliable its unbelievable how good they are
The 350s dont have problems with the head gaskets, it's the intake gasket due to the dex after about 5 years it turns into an acid and eats the gaskets, flush it out and get the green
Yep my late dads 1994 had to have the intake valve gasket replaced and that was right expensive to get done but she 's running like a champ and mine could use a new paint job but can't afford that now !!!
Dex cool was never the problem. The cheap plastic intake gaskets and not changing the coolant every 5 years that was the problem. Also running it low sometimes creates gunk, and if you’re running on low coolant, you probably don’t care all that much about your vehicle. Plus the formula has changed since it first came out. It’s a completely safe coolant to use as long as it’s not mixed with another type. GM still uses it to this day and I’ve never seen any problems since I’ve been a mechanic in 2008. Chrysler started using the same coolant just a different color in 2013 and I haven’t seen any problems. Fords orange coolant is also the same as dexcool. It’s become the standard for domestic cars.
I have found the same, the dex works great. All coolant has a life-expectancy, change your coolant. The 'green' coolant reacts/corrodes with the aluminum parts, which is why they use the newer coolant.
I don't know how you would keep the inside of those cab corners clean, even inside the bottom rear end of the front fenders. GM made those areas to rust out because there's no drain holes on the inside panels to drain out the dirt or to get a hose in there. The first thing you should do in those areas is to drill out some drain holes. That's what I'll do with mine before I go replacing sheet metal.
i wonder how many videos of the same shit over n over n over n over can be done. probley 3000 vids of the same chit over n over n over n over... get it stop wasting space on the net with repete
I just bought a 97 stepside with the fiberglass bed. A guy at work says that its hard to find one like that.. The truck looks and drives like its brand new. It wasnt cheap though but Im glad I have it.
Dude you paid $600 to change the fuel pump? The part was $92 for me! Granted I did it myself but I still can’t see $600 at a shop for that, you got ripped off
using a perfect K1500 as an example is not a good idea... he should have used a beat-up one and shown us all the faults and what it looks like... a customer had 800K miles on his... I was shocked and impressed so I took a picture of it and went out and brought one last year from an old man with 140K... I had to change the oil cooling line, pitman's arm, shock... did a tune up and chance all oil and fluid and it is running good now... I also found out it gets good mpg if you keep it under 65...going 80 not so good... I like it so much I change out the 1.5 din and put in a double din touch screen dvd ....it was cheap and easy with the faceplate kit ... also use the rear tailgate light to turn on the rear camera while towing...anyway overall I'm very happy... if you want to used full size truck... I would go with chevy since they get better mpg with the vortex engine and are easy to fix than the ford or dodge... if you get a small one... toyota is a way to go but not cheap
That’s just trucks if you baby one don’t get a truck there meant to pull weight plow snow and be dirty never baby your truck like this there meant to work you listed the problems but no exactly why
I've got a 1998 chevy silverado k1500 heading this way to look over if i buy it and the only thing major I'd have to do is paint the bed since the owner replaced it cause he had a blow out tore up the side of the original bed
My dad just passed down a 1995 GMC Sierra to me like 2 days ago, great car when I was first learning back in 2015, currently sitting @ 169k miles… will be doing some mods to it here soon🤪
Full paussy. Air shock. Pro flow exhaust with headers. High rise intake. This truck has balls. It built for off road. It also has full heavy duty ranch rack with a winch. It a bitchen fucken truck.
For the truck Bing leveled out I can still be stock but they could’ve turned the torsion keys up a little bit or all the way and it’ll actually make the front left a little higher than the back
1995 GMC Sierra was the first vehicle my dad taught me to drive when I was 16 in 2003 lol. It's was the best truck a girl could ask for and would like to get another GMC in a couple years or even the same old model. Love myself a truck.
Please don't ever pay $600 for a pump again. The sound isnt a bad thing. Low fuel level will make it louder as well as the brand of pump itself. The expensive pumps tends the be quieter because of the insulation it is wrapped in. I prefer a loud fuel pump. If you get stranded again because of the pump. Go ahead and kick the fuel tank from underneath. Dont worry about cranking the engine. Just cycle the key and listen for the pump to "kick" on. (Pro tip) tape the courtesy light switch down so the buzzer doesn't come on. (If you have a quiet pump.) $600 is way too much. You can do it yourself. ($100) Dont be the guy always on E and the pump will stay alot cooler, making last much longer. 👈😎👉
