Possible new member need advice

[bizzo15]

Hey guys,

I've decided I want to sell my Jeep and acquire a pickup truck. Since I'm a chevy man at heart I've decided to narrow my search to a 88-98 chevy. I've got a couple I'm going to look at this week one being a '92 1/2 ton ecsb with a 5spd 350. Another one is a '97 ecsb with an auto tranny. I'm leaning towards the '92 since the body is in better shape and I like that fact that is has a manual transmission, i'm assuming the nv3500. The '97 has a fair amount of rust and the thing that is turning me away the most is one of the cab corners is pretty rotted and looks like a lot of work to repair. Gotta love new england winters!

What are some things I should check out when looking at these OBS chevies? I'm gonna inspect the frames real good since i live in salt country. Is there any particular areas of the frame that are more prone to corrosion than others? Also what else should I look for as far as problems on these trucks. When I spoke to the owner of the '92 he said the clutch pedal was harder to push in due to it having a heavy duty clutch installed? Never drove a manual with a heavy duty clutch so is this true? Or could it be a potential problem?

Thanks for any information can't wait to be a future owner

-Matt

 

[Mike]

Where in new england are you?

The 96+ trucks are light years better than the older ones so definitely don't buy a non-vortec if you can afford it.

Common things to check:

Newness of fuel filter
Offroad damage on underside
Wipers working?
Intake gasket replaced
Front hubs
Rear axle
Rain leak on inside passenger side
Interior fan control 1-4 working

Frame should be ok, check cab corners and under doors for rust.

 

[bizzo15]

Technically I'm not in new england i actually meant to say the north east. I'm located in upstate ny about a half hour outside of syracuse ny. Thanks for the checklist of things to look for. My budget is only about 2g's which doesn't give me a real good range to work with so I gotta work with what I got. The '97 I could go look at has some serious rot on the passenger side cab corner which is kinda steering me away from it while the '92 i want to go look at looks pretty clean. There's also a '96 in my area for sale that the guy says needs a new spider injection which i'm assuming is part of the fuel system and probably not cheap. I'm not in a big rush to get a truck but I would prefer to pick one up sooner than later.

 

[Bigg G]

LOL @ 96+ being better than older models.
Isn't that's a matter of opinion & personal
preference or is that a written rule in the
book by the OBS Gods ?

 

[1badgmc]

I had a friend that had a '91 with a 350 5-speed and he had a heavy-duty clutch put in his. It was a painfully stiff pedal. My '91 is a 350 5-speed as well. Mine likes to eat synchros for some reason. I swear a stock 350 must be close to the limits of the transmission.

 

[Mike]

To clarify, the trucks are obviously the same but the vortec system is fairly more advanced than anything preceding it and that is a fact. The minimal price difference leads me to suggest someone towards the better system.

I have been in many pre 96 trucks but they do not run as well as the later models.

The computerized shifting via load tables alone sells the system in my mind.

 

[88GMC]

Welcome bizzo15. Glad to see someone else from Syracuse here. Where abouts are you from? Liverpool area here. These trucks tend to be rot boxes up here. I just finished replacing pretty much all the sheet metal on my 88' over the past year. In addition to checking what was listed above, check the floors under the carpets, inner/outer rockers, cab mounts (*Big time), cab corners and look for previous patch work. I know several people including myself that have found someone's bondo patch job just to get rid of the truck and the rust usually spreads quicker than ****. Good luck on the search.


Oh yea and dont listen to them bag on 96 and older trucks. My 88' would blows the doors off my 99 burban any day lol.

-Matt

 

[bizzo15]

88GMC, I live in Oswego, so we are pretty close to each other. I know what you mean about these trucks being rot boxes. Seems like any vehicle older than 5 years old in this area has some sort of rust issues. I'll check into those other areas you mentioned when i go look at the truck. 1badgmc are you saying that the manual transmissions don't hold up as well as the auto's do in these trucks? I was thinking the manual transmission would be the better option due to simplicity and in most vehicles the M/T is stronger than the A/T.

 

[dcZ71]

Make sure to check:

-pull the little black flap up along the bottom edge inside the door, very common for rust and dirt to collect there
-pop the plugs out from the inside of the rockers, put your fingers through the hole feel the surfaces, smooth= good, rough=rust
-bed supports- the three square rails where the bed is bolted, another common rust spot
-edge underneath hood-another common rust spot
-take off the oil cap and look into the oil fill make sure its clean, no antifreeze residue or anything, take a flashlight and shine it down the tube
-frame surface rust is ok just make sure its still solid
-check body mounts to make sure they are ok structurally


For the TBI vs Vortec arguement:

-TBI will be more basic and reliable
-Vortec has more power but only if its running right, big problems with the intake gaskets.

 

[bizzo15]

Wow more things to check, sounds like I'm gonna have my hands full looking this truck over, I appreciate all the input, if you guys have anymore suggestions keep them coming!!