400 vs newer

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thinger2

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I've already spent some time on Colorado trails in my '98 K3500 CCLB so I'm not really worried about a taking a MUCH shorter square body.

I want to swap out the engine and trans with a newer 5.7L Vortec/4L80e trans. That's what's in my '98 and I never had altitude issues since it's basically a computerized 350/th400. From 400 ft elevation in East Texas to clear over 12000 feet where I drove.
You my friend are going to have a blast in Colorado.
My K5 ended up being a purpose built Arizona/ Mexico beach rig
More about highway speed and sand driving with some low end crawl.
The trails in Colorado are much more about traction over rocks and the big deal is performance at altitude.
Go to the mine at Lamartine.
It is really cool.
Take the trail guide books with a bit of sketicism.They are written for Jeeps.
When you drive up the backside trails to some of those spots and you think you will get down by taking the trail that goes down the shade side of the mountain.
6 feet of hard friggen snow and water runoff under the snow pack.
The sun never hits it.
The water runs underneath the snow.
That upslope snow pack is unstable and slick like snot and washes out the trail underneath you.
And it is all fun as hell.
Pack for a disaster.
Be ready to stay wherever you are at all times.
Its a long way to any kind of help so you are very much on your own.
It will be awesome.
You will dig every minute of it.
All of that you are doing and the place you are doing it in is just more friggen fun.
I miss it and I am just amped up for you.
I think its awesome.
 

densobro

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The year (2011)
I started off with a 93 GMC Sierra that I “totaled”. It was still drivable and didn’t report it to my insurance company as I only had liability and they would’ve considered it totaled. I ran into a ditch. Any ways got enough money to buy a brand spanking new 1995 Chevy Silverado c1500 extended cab. PRISTINE condition. Only had 40,000 on the odometer. Every single thing was in brand new condition on the truck because it had been sitting in storage for over tens years and the owner had passed and the children kept it there forever until they decided to sell. A was only 19 and wound up lifting up the truck on but tires and a bunch of other stuff (ruining the truck)…
(the year 2015)
Wound up having a baby on the way and knew I wouldn’t enjoy getting a car seat in and it of the truck, so I traded it in along with some money down on a 2014 Silverado Z71 LTZ 4x4. Had every single bell and whistle available. A/c seats, heated steering wheel four wheel drive and 5.3 eco motor that would cut off 4 cylinders when cruising to save gas. Truck was $640 a month, thought I could afford it. Couldn’t after a couple years and traded it in for a piece of **** 2019 keep Cherokee latitude. I hate that keep, it doesn’t even have a damn CD player. I missed my old 95 Silverado. I made a huge mistake selling it. Bought my wife’s grandma’s 1996 gmc k1500 single cab. Now I know what to do. Restore the entire truck to its factory condition as much as possible and enjoy driving an awesome reliable paid off truck that doesn’t need all the bells and whistles because ITS ALL YOU NEED.
Never sell and buy newer if what you have is running perfectly fine.
 

densobro

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One more thing, 89-98 is the BEST model In my opinion because they kept the same body style (that looks better than anything) the same for years. And not just on Silverado, but Yukon’s, suburbans, And Sierras. All parts are interchangeable between 4 different models in a 9 years span. Junks yards will be filled with them forever and you’ll always be able to find parts especially off the internet.
 

densobro

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My dad has an 07 (or 08?) and I hate the throttle. I drove it daily for a week a couple of years ago. I'm not sure if something is wrong with it, or the throttle is just programmed stupid. I felt like I was getting no power, so I'd press the peddle a little more, still no power, press the pedal a little more, then all of a sudden I'm accelerating to mach 3, like I'm in an SR-71.

I also mostly hate modern interiors..... especially the fabric that if anything at all gets it wet it looks like it's been peed on.

Yes, 07/08 is "modern" to me...... the newest vehicle I've owned is an 04, and my current daily is a 96.
My step dad had a 2001 GMC Sierra single cab long bed that felt like that too. There was so immediate throttle response even tho the truck is fast with a 5.3. The interior looks so bad and the seats are not that comfortable at all, I even felt like I was sitting lower. My 95 Silverado could cherp the tire if I tap the gas pedal, but not the 01 gmc
 

east302

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I can change the radio station and a/c in my 400s by touch without taking my eyes off the road. Just hit a button or turn a knob. It has a key for the ignition. If it breaks, I can (usually) fix it.

My wife has a newer Acura and it has the whole touchscreen mess. It’s a nice car but it’s way too much technology which distracts me when driving. She loves it and I’m ambivalent but practical since we need something that will function without any special attention. Kind of like owning a blender.

It’s probably what people my age said when the 1988s came out with their control panels.

I’d be lost in a Tesla.
 

east302

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I don't want to drive an I-phone, or an Android.
Me either, and that pretty much sums up my mindset. Maybe I can’t be fixed or don’t want to change, but there probably isn’t a difference.

Perhaps disposable cars are the way that it’s going or (probably more likely) repairing digital stuff will be commonplace thirty years from now and they’ll reminisce about how their parents used to buy gasoline, had column-shift transmissions and used actual car keys.

I’ll then be the “crazy old man” shaking my fist and yelling at kids to get off of my lawn.

I’ll make a mental note to give them hell then :)
 

someotherguy

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One more thing, 89-98 is the BEST model In my opinion because they kept the same body style (that looks better than anything) the same for years. And not just on Silverado, but Yukon’s, suburbans, And Sierras. All parts are interchangeable between 4 different models in a 9 years span.
Yes and no - many parts, but not all parts! And some can be adapted, others require major effort. Trust me on this one!

Richard
 

DeCaff2007

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Don't even get me started on the touch screen nonsense. I had a 2021 Nissan Murano (it was a rental covered by insurance, so don't go judging) at one time, for 2 weeks until I found another vehicle. That POS was a legitimate space ship with a 4 cyl engine. You'll spend more time figuring out the touchscreen console/dash and the completely unnecessary gadgets on the instrument panel, before you even put on your seat belt and shift into Drive. That vehicle taught me that I'm a much better driver - using the rear view mirrors as they were intended - as opposed to a friggin back up camera.

Did I also mention that that POS was also constantly trying to connect to my phone?

Hell, the FIRST thing I tore out of my 89 RCSB was the radio. I'll put a CB in there, or better still a blank plate, before anything else.
 
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