93 K1500 Z71 RCLB

[BonestockK1500]

Heading to the body shop with a truck load of parts - the big box is the new right side of the bed. It had rust extending about 2-3 inches out from wheel well and a few other minor dents so decided just to replace entire side. Also on board is:
- new front bumper with impact strip (will not reinstall the front license plate mount)
- new rear bumper with all step pads and impact strip
- new front headlights and parking lights
- new cargo light assembly
- 4 new factory wheels with new center caps
- 42 piece body to frame mounting kit, replacing all bushings and hardware when we remove the body to POR-15 the frame
- New front grille and emblem, OEM style all chrome instead of with the charcoal center grill (this is a minor deviation from factory, by choice because I always liked how the GMC of same era hade chrome all the way around the grille - we'll see how it turns out)
- New dash cap
- New door panel clips
- New wheel arch moldings
- New pre-cut black/chrome body side moldings

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[BonestockK1500]

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So now it's in first week of body prep - bed off for side replacement and POR-15 the frame. Forgot to mention both cab corners will be cut out and new corners welded in.

 

[BonestockK1500]

So a few things remaining for this phase:
- the new Z71 decals have been delivered (dark gray / argent color combo), there are lots of cheap alternatives on Ebay, etc, but since the price difference was so significant I figured there must be something wrong with the $10 versions and opted for the $50 versions from Classic Parts - they arrived in factory GM OEM boxes
- new Silverado side pillar badges have been delivered. I went with the square corner version as factory spec - LMC only seems to sell the rounded corner version which is only appropriate for later years. Mine came from China for $27 off Ebay, we'll see how they hold up
- still need to source the factory color pin stripe kit, they are a bright aquamarine and silver. GM did some strange things with pinstripe contrast in the early 90s, my '90 Sierra was a maroon/gold two tone paint with a bright safety orange pinstripe from factory.
- going to add new exterior door handles to the project since we already have them out for the paint and body work
- replacement tailgate lower striker bolts delivered - one was missing when I got the truck, and the other side was bent from bearing the weight of the missing. Since the load bearing side is the bed side being replaced I'm thinking all geometry should be in good order when complete

Will try to update with new project pics as they become available, expect truck to be in body work for a few weeks, then there are some mechanical things to check off while it is in also (A/C recirc equipment, rear brake drum, door lock actuator, 4WD thermal actuator...and the list goes on)

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[BonestockK1500]

Welcome, what part of Fl you in ? Nice touches, just removing steps, topper etc made it look 100 % better. No offense to the guys that like that stuff.

Pasco County FL - agreed, accessories are not for me, I'm a fan of stock. If guys like that stuff, god bless and I hope they enjoy it on their projects.

 

[BonestockK1500]

More facts about the truck:
- When I bought it, it was stuck in limp mode 3rd gear - a $5 fuse fixed that issue. Guy that had it thought it needed a new tranny, I was willing to roll the dice. New fuse and she shifts just fine from P-N-R to overdrive.
- Mechanical issues addressed immediately after purchase: temperature sensor (it was the only dash gauge not functioning), new oil cooler lines, front and rear diff service, oil + filter change + chassis lube. A/C blows cold but has a recirc motor causing ticks at ignition and shut down and that repair is currently on the list.
- I added replacement OEM style jack ratchet handle and extensions for $30, now the spare tire tool kit behind seat is back to factory specs ex: the plastic wing-nut that holds the lid on the kit - still looking for that in gray.
- I considered going back to OEM radio and cassette assembly, but cost outweighed benefit. It is a pain, and expensive to take the AM/FM/Cassette back to factory specs. I did replace the 4-inch dash speakers and the CD head unit with new, but passed on the speakers in the rear pillars due to the amount of plastic involved. If they disassemble the interior to weld the cab corners in (fire hazard) I might replace the pillar 4x6 while it's disassembled
- the glove box is all factory, with the original RPO codes and light still works. It has some warping but the new glove box door assembly is expensive and also not sure what color I would get and would require dye or paint, so haven't decided on that yet - future project
- it does have the rear sliding window OEM functional, which is a nice option

 

[98BlackSierra]

Hell yea man! Glad to see you’re fixing her up. Where’d you order the wheels and center caps from? That will be the last thing I do to my truck.

 

[BonestockK1500]

Hell yea man! Glad to see you’re fixing her up. Where’d you order the wheels and center caps from? That will be the last thing I do to my truck.

Wheels came from Autorimshop.com, shipped from Atlanta

Center caps from BB Auto Restoration via EBay, shipped from Columbia SC

 

[Oldblue98]

More facts about the truck:
- When I bought it, it was stuck in limp mode 3rd gear - a $5 fuse fixed that issue. Guy that had it thought it needed a new tranny, I was willing to roll the dice. New fuse and she shifts just fine from P-N-R to overdrive.
- Mechanical issues addressed immediately after purchase: temperature sensor (it was the only dash gauge not functioning), new oil cooler lines, front and rear diff service, oil + filter change + chassis lube. A/C blows cold but has a recirc motor causing ticks at ignition and shut down and that repair is currently on the list.
- I added replacement OEM style jack ratchet handle and extensions for $30, now the spare tire tool kit behind seat is back to factory specs ex: the plastic wing-nut that holds the lid on the kit - still looking for that in gray.
- I considered going back to OEM radio and cassette assembly, but cost outweighed benefit. It is a pain, and expensive to take the AM/FM/Cassette back to factory specs. I did replace the 4-inch dash speakers and the CD head unit with new, but passed on the speakers in the rear pillars due to the amount of plastic involved. If they disassemble the interior to weld the cab corners in (fire hazard) I might replace the pillar 4x6 while it's disassembled
- the glove box is all factory, with the original RPO codes and light still works. It has some warping but the new glove box door assembly is expensive and also not sure what color I would get and would require dye or paint, so haven't decided on that yet - future project
- it does have the rear sliding window OEM functional, which is a nice option

About eight years ago, the factory oem radio in mine was having problems in the cassette player so I wanted to upgrade to a OEM CD type player for my year truck. Was a guy on ebay that rebuilt oem radios with new buttons, cd player, bulbs and added a couple other options. I think at the time it was 150.00 shipped and it is still in there today and works flawlessly and looks new. Has a good sound , at the time I did front and rear speakers in mine as well. I have messed with old cars for years and I use to cringe when I would see a old car or truck that someone had hacked up the dash to install a boom box or a aftermarket radio. Those things are great for the folks that want that but I like stuff oem original that looks like it belong's there. Some of the aftermarket radios today you need a degree and a set of plans just to turn them on and find a station to listen to.

 

[Eveready]

I thought long and hard about restoring the OEM radio in mine but decided that the addition of bluetooth and CD/Mp3 capability was worth more. I still have the OEM radio and might delve into making it work (most likely the usual power supply caps) but in my mind the center radio doesn't look bad, has all those great capabilities and the box where the old radio used to go is a great place for either a backup cam screen or a small GPS unit.

If you want complete bone stock I can see why you might feel differently.

I will be following this thread with great interest as mine is also a '93. Mine is a W/T so I will be bolting on what you already have in the way of trim. Much of it is sitting in a pile in my garage.

 

[BonestockK1500]

About eight years ago, the factory oem radio in mine was having problems in the cassette player so I wanted to upgrade to a OEM CD type player for my year truck. Was a guy on ebay that rebuilt oem radios with new buttons, cd player, bulbs and added a couple other options. I think at the time it was 150.00 shipped and it is still in there today and works flawlessly and looks new. Has a good sound , at the time I did front and rear speakers in mine as well. I have messed with old cars for years and I use to cringe when I would see a old car or truck that someone had hacked up the dash to install a boom box or a aftermarket radio. Those things are great for the folks that want that but I like stuff oem original that looks like it belong's there. Some of the aftermarket radios today you need a degree and a set of plans just to turn them on and find a station to listen to.

I would love to have it back to OEM radio hardware but considering everything on my plate decided the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze. The factory equipment has the driver dash interface unit, the AMFM tuning unit under dash, and then the cassette with equalizer unit in the center. And if you buy all 3 from different places I’m pretty sure you need to make sure that the head unit is compatible with or without equalizer depending on what you put in the center. I had a hard time finding all 3 units sold as a functional set and gave up. Not my first choice but was able to put a very simple new Kenwood unit in the center with the matching gray trim kit for about $100. I opted for a CD player with no Bluetooth because I didn’t need technology in this thing. Maybe some day I can always reconsider options and take it back to OEM, but it’s not too fancy and I’m not adding amps or extra speakers or anything so it’s a pretty vanilla aftermarket change.