My '89 K1500 Cheyenne

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2 Sweet

Oozing Machismo
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Years ago, I had a '97 K1500 that I absolutely loved. I found it locally on craigslist, and it was everything I wanted: extended cab, 4wd, 350, and a 5-speed, rust free. It had 240k miles but was exceptionally clean. I was shocked to find a 350/stick combo in a '97 4x4, and rust free at that.

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At the time it was my only vehicle, and I did a lot of driving. The gas mileage was killing me and money was tight. I ended up trading it for something better on gas, and I really wish I would have kept it. I miss that truck a ton.

Nowadays I'm at the point where I have multiple cars, and no longer need a truck as a daily. So I decided to sell my S10 and look for a full-size GM truck with a V8. Initially I wanted a '73-87, but everything I found in my price range was on the rough side, or didn't have the right engine. I started looking at GMT400's again, and decided it needed to have three things: 350 (or bigger) V8, stick shift, and 4wd. I wasn't concerned about looks, I just wanted something mechanically sound.

Yesterday while browsing craigslist, I found exactly what I was looking for. Today, I went and bought it...

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It's an '89 K1500 Cheyenne, 350 TBI, 4-speed manual w/ granny low. Only 78k miles! It was a township truck all it's life at some tiny village about 1.5 hours north of Columbus. It looks like they never bothered to clean the thing, but clearly they kept up on maintenance. It runs and drives perfect! No leaks or weird noises, nothing mechanically wrong with it. Everything seems to work fine. It's rusty and looks a little rough, but I can live with it. I think the interior will clean up pretty well.

The exhaust is a loud hack job and ends right underneath the cab, so I'll need to decide what I wanna do about that. It needs new tires, and the original wheels look like hell, so I'll be looking for something different for sure. I'm thinking about MT Classics, or maybe factory wheels of some kind. Not sure yet, but I want chrome or polished, and probably nothing bigger than a 17.

What do you guys think? Let me hear it. All comments welcome, both positive and negative! :cheers:
 

98BlackSierra

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Looks like a really good starting point. I'd clean it up and fix the exhaust. Window tint, newer mirrors, and drive the hell out of it. Not sure what wheel would look good because almost all of the OEM wheels would look good.
 

98chevy2500SS

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Love the interior, if I were you, I would leave the interior just the way it is. :) But yes, newer mirrors for sure.

Looks like a great truck, I bet you will enjoy it!
 

2 Sweet

Oozing Machismo
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Looks like a really good starting point. I'd clean it up and fix the exhaust. Window tint, newer mirrors, and drive the hell out of it. Not sure what wheel would look good because almost all of the OEM wheels would look good.

Thanks! Yeah, I need to decide if I want a stock/factory style setup, or duals. Also not sure how loud I want it.

Love the interior, if I were you, I would leave the interior just the way it is. :) But yes, newer mirrors for sure.

Looks like a great truck, I bet you will enjoy it!

Thanks! Interior won't change a bit, other than a good cleaning. Well actually the bench seat is pretty rough so I'll look to replace it with something similar, but that's all I'm changing.

Other than wheels, I won't do a whole lot with the exterior. I do want a factory chrome rear bumper, and maybe different mirrors. Window tint is a must too.
 

jw_96

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My truck is 5 speed as well

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CrustyJunker

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I traveled across the country and paid wayyyy too much money just so I could have another 4x4 5-speed truck. Looks like it should be fun, congratulations!
 

jw_96

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Anybody ever had a Hurst shifter in their truck? It's pretty kick-ass.
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CrustyJunker

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Anybody ever had a Hurst shifter in their truck? It's pretty kick-ass.
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Put one in my truck a couple years ago. Worth the cost? I dunno...But still one of my favorite mods!
 

2 Sweet

Oozing Machismo
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Anybody ever had a Hurst shifter in their truck? It's pretty kick-ass.
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I wanted one just like that for my S10, but couldn't justify the cost, so I just modified the stock handle/knob.....

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