First Project Truck!! 1998 Z71

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JakeZ71

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Hi all,
This is the story of my new to me '98 Z71. I found the truck behind a local mechanic shop I was making deliveries to for my job at the local NAPA. The truck was given to the mechanic in exchange for work done, though it wasn't clear which vehicle he did the work on. The truckhas some rust, but is other wise solid for a 18 year old vehicle that has spent much of its life in Ohio. The only catch is there is a awful racket coming from deep inside the engine, suspected to be a wrist pin jumping ship. However, the price was right, and I snagged the rig for $600 after storage fees. Shortly thereafter, I located an engine through the local Craigslist that should fit. While the story was suspect, the truck is currently a runner, so in theory all I have to do is swap parts until it runs with the new engine. Both engines are 5.7 Vortec V8's, the Craigslist one being a '97 and the truck a '98. This is exciting to me as it's my first project vehicle, as well as my first major engine work and swap. The pictures below are from when I test drove the truck. While it is home at the time of writing, I'll save the story of that fiasco for another day.
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JakeZ71

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So, this post spans a couple of days. The first pictures are the night I brought the truck home, and where it ended up staying for a few days, until I got the time to unload it. The final picture is where the truck currently sits, along with the nbs it will eventually replace. (The truck it's replacing is actually my first truck, which is 5 years newer than the Z71. The difference is the nbs has 212k miles, no options, and 2wd.)
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Also, I picked up an engine stand from a friend, so I'm ready to start working on the engine!!
 

Tet97Chev

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Great pickup for $600. Should be an exciting build, looking forward to seeing updates. Welcome to the forum!
 

96-1500

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Solid looking truck. I've always been a regular cab guy but there's something about those ECSB Z71s. Just look sharp.

Not sure what your plans are for the donor motor, but I'd suggest at the bare minimum doing the rear main seal and intake gaskets while it's out of the truck. Those are two extremely common problems on Vortecs.
 

slowburb

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Unbutton the "new" engine and replace the intake gaskets. While the intake is off, consider ($ permitting of course) replacement of the pressure actuated injector spider with the electronic version. Check the seals and replace if necessary. Also stick a new helical gear on the bottom of the distributor shaft, and make sure the drain/vent hole in the distributor housing is clean and clear.
 
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JakeZ71

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Thank you for the comments! The plan is to redo the intake gaskets, as well as the ignition system, as it is believed to be original. I picked up an engine stand for the new engine today,so hopefully work will begin this weekend!
 

JakeZ71

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Tonight I got the starter out of the pickup, and mounted on the engine, so now I can run a compression test on the new motor and make sure everything checks out. If so, then the motor gets new gaskets and is ready to go in the truck!
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JakeZ71

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But, before I pulled the starter, I moved the truck so I could mow under it one last time. And while it was still mobile, I took a few new pictures!
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