94 Suburban has been sitting for 5+ years

[Z71Sierra]

Hi all, been a while.

Quick backstory, my poor 94 Sierra is gone, 93 Silverado is gone, I parked my 94 Suburban pretty much because I didn't know what to do with it. My father bought it used way back when. Rough guess being around '99/'00. When I was around 14 or 15 my father lost the ability to drive and the truck sat first outside, then in a garage. When I was 19 (2007) I bought it from his estate. I drove it for maybe two years and then parked it in my garage because it was in such good shape (as well as being a 4x2) that I didn't want to drive it in the winter anymore.

I want to say I had my Silverado for one year before I bought my new truck in '14. That means unless my memories are completely wrong it's been sitting since 2012/2013.

Full of gas, without anything done to it prior. I backed the truck in one day, shut it off and never started it again. This summer it's coming out one way or the other and I've got a pretty good idea of what I'll need to do to get it back on the road.

However.... before we get into all that I would like y'alls opinion on something that's been the topic of discussion around many a bonfire the last couple years. Several of my buddies are pushing me to do the bare minimum to get it back on the road and then sell it. Their reasoning is that it will never again be a reliable vehicle. This thing has been sitting for long periods of time over the last 15 years.

What say you? Are my friends right in thinking this truck will nickel and dime me till the end of time?

 

[Z71Sierra]

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[Gramps]

You can buy one 20 years newer and it can still nickel and dime you.

You already own the rig, it has sentimental value to you. If its clean I say keep it and don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t doubt for a minute that a fresh battery and it will fire up fine. Change the fluids, check the brakes and probably a new set of tires and rock it!

 

[Z71Sierra]

I do and I don't. When we were settling his affairs it somehow fell to me to go through it and sell it. Iirc it needed a few things like exhaust work, battery, etc to get back on the road. It basically came down to "this isn't worth my time or money. I'm not going to do all this just to split the money 4 ways. I will buy it for x amount from the estate. Take it or the truck can sit there forever"

They accepted and I had another 400. If anything this truck makes me reminisce about my old Sierra more than my father, he only had it a short while before getting sick. A true "dad's truck" would be either a '79 or '88 F150.

My argument for keeping it is mostly the money and second the truck itself. Despite being a 2wd suburban it does still have the sights, smells, and feel of a 400 that harken back to my younger days. I could throw 5k at it and have it back on the road and slightly customized the way I want it.

5k for a nice looking rolling sofa that smells like highschool vs something like a manual srt challenger and going back to vehicle payments.

 

[df2x4]

Welcome back!

I'd keep it. Payments suck and rolling sofas rule.

 

[Z71Sierra]

That they do. A fast car checks a lot of boxes for me, and owning a nice fast car is something I've never done before, but I'm still hunting critters on public land and shooting guns at gun ranges.

But the payments. A used srt challenger runs about 30k. And because I've never owned a vehicle I haven't modified in some way I know I won't be able to leave it alone. 4 years of car payments, especially for a second vehicle, would be rough.

Also but... 475hp with a 6sp manual transmission....

 

[df2x4]

Easy solution, LS swap the 'burb!

 

[94burbk1500]

If she still holds fluids, change them all out and give it a tune up, I bet ti will start up with a new battery and fresh fuel. If the seals are rotted, then you have to ask yourself if it's worth tearing apart. Most of my vehicles were resurrected from the dead. I vote keep it.

 

[Z71Sierra]

Easy solution, LS swap the 'burb!

You sound like my buddy lol. It's crossed my mind but you've still got 4200 some pounds of bodyroll.

Again knowing myself and my love of blower whine, if I go down that road things could get stupid real fast.

 

[Z71Sierra]

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If she still holds fluids, change them all out and give it a tune up, I bet ti will start up with a new battery and fresh fuel. If the seals are rotted, then you have to ask yourself if it's worth tearing apart. Most of my vehicles were resurrected from the dead. I vote keep it.

It's leaking something and I think it's tranny fluid as I changed it like 6 months to a year before I parked it.

The other big issue for me is the tires. They look brand new but there were put on by the dealership my dad bought the truck from. They've gotta be around 20 years old.

Simple answer is buy new tires but that's a problem because the stupid little pizza cutter tires that sit well inside the body drive me absolutely insane, and it's 10x worse on the suburbans.

If I do this it's going to have to be fluids, battery, filters, hoses, tires, and wheels right off the bat. I cannot spend good money on factory replacement tires. I get what gm was trying to do but it kills the whole truck for me. It's like the slippery road signs.