Part replacement Advice

[cgbude]

Recently purchased a 1989 Silverado k2500 350 V8. I don't have much experience working on vehicles but I can't afford shop prices. I need some advice on what parts have the highest and lowest priority to replaced.

 

[Schurkey]

See my post (#4) in a similar thread.
www.gmt400.com/threads/what-to-replace-look-out-for-just-bought-this-94-chevy-c1500.63688/

What to replace / look out for? Just bought this '94 Chevy C1500

Just sealed the deal on this sweet 1994 Chevy C1500 with the 4.3L v6 automatic. I'm planning on bringing it into a shop for an inspection but anything I should go ahead and plan to replace or look out for? Its in amazing shape for its age and drives great -- under $150k original miles and the...

www.gmt400.com

An '89 is likely to need lots of work. Age and mileage are not kind to vehicles or people.

 

[RichLo]

Highest priority are the parts that are not working or broken. Lowest would be the working, not-broken parts. lol

JK, 89 can still be reliable but you should find a friend that can help listen to odd noises and help guide you to purchasing the right parts the first time. A lot can be fixed with the parts cannon but that's not something you want to do under a budget and when your relying on it daily.

How is it running currently? Is there anything odd happening that we can help with are are you just looking for normal 'Tune-up' parts to keep it running good?

 

[Erik the Awful]

Safety and reliability first.

I have a stock of other parts on hand to put on WCJr and Roscoe, and whenever tackle serious work I tackle whatever else I can do. Shop RockAuto's clearance page for stuff you'd like to replace but don't have on hand yet. When something pops up cheap you order it and set it on your "To-Do" shelf.

 

[sneakingfart]

Ok, let me tell you what I had to do on a free-to-me non-running 1999 Suburban. In no particular order except the rear differential, as that was the reason it wasn't running to begin with.

Rear diff and all associated components, battery, rear wheel bearings and seals, front wheel bearings, rear passenger axle, rear brake cylinders, stainless steel brake lines (single biggest expense, but the original ones were rotted), fuel pressure regulator brake master cylinder, brakes, rotors, cap, wires, steering shaft and rag joint. This was the high priority stuff that was actually broken.

Lower priority stuff that was also broken: AC compressor, condenser, orifice tube, accumulator/drier, all easily accessible AC O rings. Most power door lock actuators, AC control panel.

Stuff that wasn't broken but was giving me signs that it was on it's way out: fuel pump, water pump, alternator, coolant hoses.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but old vehicles are costly to keep alive. That is especially true for American trucks. These will run forever, but it's the little things that add up. Good thing is, parts are cheap compared to my Japanese and German cars, and they are easy to work on. Bad thing is, labor is expensive.

All said and done, I'm probably about $10k into this truck, doing some work myself and giving some to my mechanic, but I have a 100% reliable people hauler. That said, if this was my only vehicle, I'd be struggling.

 

[Caman96]

Recently purchased a 1989 Silverado k2500 350 V8. I don't have much experience working on vehicles but I can't afford shop prices. I need some advice on what parts have the highest and lowest priority to replaced.

Without any indication of condition, it’s impossible to answer this.