WeldCountyStix
Newbie
This is my first post on this site so feel free to relocate if not in the correct location.
Backstory:
Myself just like many others are circling back to pickup these OBS trucks right now as the used vehicle market in 2021 hits record highs. My funds in my opinion are better spent buying a $6,000 truck and putting $6,000 of work into it. Compared to buying a $12,000 tuck that needs maintenance. This will be my third K1500/K2500 over the last seven years, and the sixth or so in my family. I've owned around 12 vehicles in that timeframe. Lots of flipping. LS platforms, Duramax, etc. At this stage in my life it was time to jump back this direction. I had a 1996 K2500 (gold) I unfortunately had to sell in 2017. Before that I had a 1997 K1500. (red). There was something about the extended cab long bed that I personally loved for the 88-98 looks. Crew Cabs are awesome too but I was searching for a 5.7 platform so much harder to find.
Here was the build breakdown for the 1996 K2500 from 2017:
Fully Loaded K2500 With Semi Float 5.7 and 4l80E 4:11 Gears, Leather interior, Keyless entry, 6" ProComp Lift Kit, Add-A-Leaf, Torsion Keys(mild crank), 22x12 Scorpion Gloss Black Milled, 37x13.50R22 Toyo Tires, Smooth front bumper, aftermarket headlight and taillights, 2015+ Tow Mirrors, 3" Back custom exhaust, and some other misc. This truck sold for $12,500 back in 2017. Which was my break even price.
Here was the problem with this truck. It looks awesome and was so not practical for anything other than a grocery getter. The 5.7L had great power even on 37s and I could have towed anything around town but it was a "show truck" that was built essentially for instagram at the time. So fast forward to 2021. I'm ready for a K2500 again. I miss it badly, but I'm not going down this route again. Maintenance and function are more important to me this time around. So here starts this next build thread for my (forest green) 1998 K2500 Ext Cab Long Bed with 109,000 original miles. I'll warn the big block guys ahead of time I favor the small block for certain reasons but we can get to that later. I'm going to detail and outline my route. Certain cost savings measures, and parts links for anyone in 2021 attempting to daily drive their K2500. Even though this is my third K1500/2500 I am still learning a lot along the way and hope it helps others.
Backstory:
Myself just like many others are circling back to pickup these OBS trucks right now as the used vehicle market in 2021 hits record highs. My funds in my opinion are better spent buying a $6,000 truck and putting $6,000 of work into it. Compared to buying a $12,000 tuck that needs maintenance. This will be my third K1500/K2500 over the last seven years, and the sixth or so in my family. I've owned around 12 vehicles in that timeframe. Lots of flipping. LS platforms, Duramax, etc. At this stage in my life it was time to jump back this direction. I had a 1996 K2500 (gold) I unfortunately had to sell in 2017. Before that I had a 1997 K1500. (red). There was something about the extended cab long bed that I personally loved for the 88-98 looks. Crew Cabs are awesome too but I was searching for a 5.7 platform so much harder to find.
Here was the build breakdown for the 1996 K2500 from 2017:
Fully Loaded K2500 With Semi Float 5.7 and 4l80E 4:11 Gears, Leather interior, Keyless entry, 6" ProComp Lift Kit, Add-A-Leaf, Torsion Keys(mild crank), 22x12 Scorpion Gloss Black Milled, 37x13.50R22 Toyo Tires, Smooth front bumper, aftermarket headlight and taillights, 2015+ Tow Mirrors, 3" Back custom exhaust, and some other misc. This truck sold for $12,500 back in 2017. Which was my break even price.
Here was the problem with this truck. It looks awesome and was so not practical for anything other than a grocery getter. The 5.7L had great power even on 37s and I could have towed anything around town but it was a "show truck" that was built essentially for instagram at the time. So fast forward to 2021. I'm ready for a K2500 again. I miss it badly, but I'm not going down this route again. Maintenance and function are more important to me this time around. So here starts this next build thread for my (forest green) 1998 K2500 Ext Cab Long Bed with 109,000 original miles. I'll warn the big block guys ahead of time I favor the small block for certain reasons but we can get to that later. I'm going to detail and outline my route. Certain cost savings measures, and parts links for anyone in 2021 attempting to daily drive their K2500. Even though this is my third K1500/2500 I am still learning a lot along the way and hope it helps others.
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