New to me ‘96 c1500, advice welcome

[OlTrav]

1996 long bed, 2wd, 191,341 miles, automatic, gifted to me by a family member. Was planning on using as a farm truck but have about $1k-$2k do put into it. Has a tick in the engine gotta have that looked at. Any recommendations and suggestions are welcome. I’m new to this whole old truck thing.

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[HotWheelsBurban]

Looks like a good starting point. Welcome to the forum, you'll find a lot of information and tips here. What engine? A ticking sound usually is valve train or exhaust leak, from what I've heard.

 

[OlTrav]

Looks like a good starting point. Welcome to the forum, you'll find a lot of information and tips here. What engine? A ticking sound usually is valve train or exhaust leak, from what I've heard.

I believe it’s the 6cyl vortex. It’s definitely loud but the muffler is hanging off. Guess that’s the first thing to get sorted out. Thanks for the welcome. Hoping to find useful info here.

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[HotWheelsBurban]

The V6 is 3/4 of a 350/5.7, I think it's a 4.3 (260 cubic inches). They're pretty stout motor for a 6. And the vortec engine is the most evolved version, best performance.

 

[OlTrav]

The V6 is 3/4 of a 350/5.7, I think it's a 4.3 (260 cubic inches). They're pretty stout motor for a 6. And the vortec engine is the most evolved version, best performance.

Thanks! If it’s been maintained and fluids kept topped off how many miles realistically can I expect out of a motor like this one?

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Some of the guys on here have 300 thou or more on theirs. My 99 5.7 has 193 thou on it, my other 99 5.7 Burb went 250 thou before it got wrecked. This one's a better truck and engine though. Regular maintenance helps a lot! My Burb gets daily driven all over greater Houston, so I check under the hood every morning. Usually nothing needed, but good to check anyway. The day you don't check is the day something is wrong, and if not tended to, the outcome may not be good.....

 

[F4U-1A]

Well if you have bulls on the farm, I would ditch the red. Ah, what do I know, never been to Spain. Welcome.