1996 Chevrolet K1500 SIlverado Z71 "Small But Mighty"

[Daniel9597]

I've decided that I am going to start a build thread to document my truck's progress as well as to get any extra tips, tricks, suggestions, and comments on it as I turn this truck into what I envision it to be. I am currently located in Fort Bragg, North Carolina as my duty station with the US Army. I found a 1996 Chevrolet K1500 Silverado Z71 for sale in my hometown in Missouri for cheap. A L31 5.7L Vortec motor, 4L60-E trans, GM 8.5" rear diff and 8.25" IFS front diff. I plan to purchase this truck within a month, drive it the entire 14.5 hour trip from Missouri to Fort Bragg, and begin work on it here. I have a lot of plans for this truck, and it is a great starting point for a custom project. It is entirely stock aside from the rims, highway tires, and the sunroof that was put in. Whoever owned this truck before me was obviously looking more for a street truck, so they luckily didn't modify much before selling it. I will upload pictures of the truck in the next post, and begin laying out some of the plans I have in the near future for this truck.

 

[Daniel9597]

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[Daniel9597]

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[Daniel9597]

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[Daniel9597]

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[Daniel9597]

The very first thing that I will be doing to this truck is a hardcore tune-up. I will be performing an oil change, transmission fluid flush and fill, draining and refilling the differentials and transfer case, replacing parts of the ignition system (spark plugs, plug wires, distributor cap and rotor, ignition coil, and ignition control module), replacing filters (fuel filter, air filter, and pcv filter), and replacing other miscellaneous parts (belt, Idle Air Control valve, and EGR valve). I will also be using Royal Purple Max-Clean fuel system cleaner and greasing every available point on the truck. Along with this I will be cleaning the entire truck inside and out, including the engine bay and undercarriage. I will be taking the truck to my buddy's detailing shop when I am done with everything, just to ensure everything is as clean as possible. After all of this I will be driving the truck the entire way back to Fort Bragg, so a 14.5 hour trip to really test if the truck is mechanically sound.

 

[BerHntr]

Looks like those fenders have been replaced... possible accident? Otherwise nice looking truck. Look forward to the build

 

[Daniel9597]

Looks like those fenders have been replaced... possible accident? Otherwise nice looking truck. Look forward to the build

According to the records for the truck there haven't been any wrecks or anything major happen to it in its lifetime. I have one last test drive before I purchase it, and I plan to take the truck to my buddy's body shop and have him look over it and see if there are any problems. If he signs off on it, then I will purchase it.

 

[T-Bone]

Pop top sunroof

 

[Roger Stephenson]

According to the records for the truck there haven't been any wrecks or anything major happen to it in its lifetime. I have one last test drive before I purchase it, and I plan to take the truck to my buddy's body shop and have him look over it and see if there are any problems. If he signs off on it, then I will purchase it.

I have a '95 K2500 that was giving a friend of mine problems, I bought it a year ago from him figuring that a change of driveways might help it. Going through the truck I found many issues were related entirely to a less than thorough mechanic not tightening bolts or reconnecting wiring connectors. I know that the engine had been replaced, reason for replacement is unknown. I also know that the transmission had been rebuilt, again reason that the rebuild was needed is unknown. Along with loose connectors, cut wires etc I found enough evidence of dirt, sand and possible sediment for me to think that the truck had been in a flood at some point. Decided to run a carfax on it & for my money all that I learned was that it had 4 owners, no history of failures, no mechanical issues and still had a recall on the records for a wiper motor issue. The engine and transmission were done during the 12 years my friend had the truck so there is no doubt that the work was done by a garage since he is not mechanically inclined. I also found that the doors came from a Canadian truck, different VIN on them than on the cab. Records only show what is reported. Hopefully a thorough inspection will reveal a more thorough history on your truck before you purchase. It may still be a bargain as mine was because I bought it with known issues and for well below market value.