1989 3500 4x4 454 in the UK

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Dariusz Salomon

I'm Awesome
Joined
Jun 4, 2020
Messages
1,179
Reaction score
2,783
Location
UK,Oxford
So here it is, I was sitting on the couch drink beer when I saw this come up on Facebook market place. Before I even looked up from my phone I'd blindy dropped a 2500$ deposit on a truck that was 4000 miles away from me in Nebraska. 6 months later I drove up to fetch it from the importing agent.
So you're going to tell me its got the wrong front wheels for a dually. This could be right because from what I can understand it was a red SRW truck that has had a camper body on the back, converted to DRW and painted white.

Good things: it runs drives and 4x4 seems to work.

Bad things: it needs new headlights, markers, the bed has been torched out behind the dually fenders, needs a new windscreen, both interior door handles are snapped off, no ignition barrel, no keys for the doors, cab corners need welding, the dashboard and clocks are out of another vehicle.

I'm going to be asking loads of stupid questions!
My plan is to remove the bed and build a welding/flat bed and run it as SRW. The roads round here are very tight. Hopefully I will get all the paper work sorted in the next few months and get a MOT test on it!

Heres the photos that I bought it from...

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach


You must be registered for see images attach
Hi and welcome to forum. Interesting truck. Let me know if you need anything-I'm in Oxford. I buy all my parts from rockauto as it's by mile cheapest source shipping wise. Don't bother with US automotive and others here. There are ofcourse parts you won't get there tho so look ebay too-amazon sometimes.
 

Dirtyninety

Newbie
Joined
Jul 5, 2021
Messages
11
Reaction score
21
Location
England UK
Hi and welcome to forum. Interesting truck. Let me know if you need anything-I'm in Oxford. I buy all my parts from rockauto as it's by mile cheapest source shipping wise. Don't bother with US automotive and others here. There are ofcourse parts you won't get there tho so look ebay too-amazon sometimes.
I've managed to find a new windscreen in the UK so hopefully get that picked up in the next few weeks. Only think I can't find on rockauto is a replacement light for the quad head lights. Im wondering if you can directly swap them for the single unit ones?

Can you tell me how you have your lights wired, so everything flashes/doesn't flash like it should here?
 

DeCaff2007

I'm Awesome
Joined
Sep 25, 2021
Messages
1,120
Reaction score
1,268
Location
PA
The headlights are a direct swap, so long as you have the correct bezel and front grill for them. As for the flashers, they depend on a relay underneath the dash. Nothing to do with the headlights, nor how they are wired.
 

PlayingWithTBI

2022 Truck of the Year
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
Messages
9,552
Reaction score
14,679
Location
Tonopah, AZ

Dariusz Salomon

I'm Awesome
Joined
Jun 4, 2020
Messages
1,179
Reaction score
2,783
Location
UK,Oxford
I've managed to find a new windscreen in the UK so hopefully get that picked up in the next few weeks. Only think I can't find on rockauto is a replacement light for the quad head lights. Im wondering if you can directly swap them for the single unit ones?

Can you tell me how you have your lights wired, so everything flashes/doesn't flash like it should here?
Yeah sometimes look under different year-I gotta look things up under 98 rahoe despie mine being 99-but officially 99 tahoe was already gmt800
 

SasquatchOnDeck

OBS Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 18, 2021
Messages
55
Reaction score
73
Location
West By God Virginia
Welcome in! I also bought a 89 K3500 with a 454 last year, oddly enough, its also a SRW with a dually conversion. What rear axle are you running? mine goes through an unmarked dana of some sort with 410 gears
 

Dariusz Salomon

I'm Awesome
Joined
Jun 4, 2020
Messages
1,179
Reaction score
2,783
Location
UK,Oxford
If I didn't have a family farm here I'd be moving straight out to the states!

Fortunately I have some pretty friendly MOT testing friends, so as long as I make it look pretty good the emissions side of things shouldn't really matter!
Hi-just wanna let you know-I ordered 2 abs sensors from rockauto on 30.12.2021-day before new years eve-and it was around 11pm our time. I got them this morning-5 days with effectively 2 bank holidays between order and delivery. I don't know how they do it man but that's just an example how quickly you can get your parts. Just when ordering choose slightly more expensive fedex option(9£ for various couriers vs over 12£ fedex)-there is no hidden costs with that option-they add vat ofcourse but that's it. Usps is often more expensive and they may try charging you customs and bull***
 
Last edited:

HotWheelsBurban

Gotta have 4 doors..... Rawhide, TOTY 2023!
Joined
Sep 18, 2019
Messages
9,686
Reaction score
17,583
Location
Houston, Texas
Yeah sometimes look under different year-I gotta look things up under 98 rahoe despie mine being 99-but officially 99 tahoe was already gmt800
One of the tricks I've learned about ordering parts, is what Dariusz mentioned. Also I've seen on Rock Auto that if you look by vehicle type( in my case 99 C1500 Suburban) then the engine choice will come up. Mine is a 5.7 as opposed to what the "real " 99(GMT 800, next generation from ours) would have a 4.8, 5.3 or 6.0....
The GMT 400 platform continued production for a few years to use up already made parts. So you have '99 and some 2000 model year SUVs that are the older style, and the crew cabs and duallys were also made into the early 00's. Also, at the beginning of the 400 series trucks, GM was also using up remaining square body truck parts, so you have Burbs,crewcabs and Blazers/Jimmy's that are square body trucks even though they are 88,89,90 or 91 model years. The differentiation is that those models are called R 1500,2500,3500 for 2wd and V1500,2500,3500 for 4wd, as opposed to the 400 new models being C/K designation.
 
Top