1988 GMC C3500 RCLB

[Caspian]

Hey dudes, back in a GMT400. Bought a super rough 1988 GMC C3500 yesterday for $600. Drove it home 50 miles, which was a bit of a fun drive....

It's got the TBI 350, TH400, SF 14 Bolt which I was kind of hoping it'd have the FF but oh well. It's got a bit of an identity crisis with the GMC grille and the chevy tailgate lol. I have to get a new battery for it, the one in it is 8 years old. That's first on the agenda list. Secondly, the ignition starter switch was pulled off the column, I was told it was because the switch went bad. Have to start the truck with a small screwdriver by sliding the actuator inside the switch over. Once I get a battery where I can readily start the truck without having to jump the thing every damned time I'll work on that.

It runs alright, runs rich as hell, smokes, throttle body is nasty! So it'll need a rebuild in the future. Tune up too and an oil change. Oil pressure is good I think, someone changed the cluster out and it's got one from a truck that had OD. Speedo is way off, gas gauge I think reads like it should, as does temp. As far as the cluster is concerned, I read the calibration is off cause of the swap. I'm thinking of getting one from Intellitronix that'll be digital and just going that route. The throttle body, I'm undecided on. If I leave it throttle body it'll just be a rebuild, maybe regasket the intake while I'm at it and put long tubes on. Or I have a set of 062's that have been rebuilt, a summit Stage 1 intake, edelbrock 750, with the TH400 I could just go right to carb with vortecs and bump the power and torque up but lose the kinda okay fuel mileage. Undecided at this point. Anyway here it is, I'll update as I do stuff. I'm in between jobs at the moment and fixing to get started on as soon as I finish the pre-employment stuff once I get the call, so it'll be slow at first.

I need to clean the SPID label gently so I can decode it and see what it came with. I've already verified via VIN that it is a C3500 and is a factory 350/TH400 truck.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Caspian]

Pics continue.

I originally thought the truck had 150k on it, until I saw the OD shift indicator.. speedo is so far off, between 60 and 70 it's 52 to 65..

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[skylark]

Pics continue.

I originally thought the truck had 150k on it, until I saw the OD shift indicator.. speedo is so far off, between 60 and 70 it's 52 to 65..

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

That is quite a piece of interesting. Definitely a truck in the rough.

 

[Caspian]

That is quite a piece of interesting. Definitely a truck in the rough.

Yessir. It'll do what I need it too, it's worth fixing up too so it won't look as rough hopefully in the near future lol. I gotta scrounge up some moneyz so I can get a new battery first. I spent most of the day researching on the ignition starter switch. Guess in my heat soaked brain I couldn't remember how the thing went on the column lol. Then I found out there's no screws/bolts to retain it to the column, they're nowhere to be found so I'm just gonna pull the dang column and figure out what size they are.

BTW, google and forum search isn't really a big help.. everyone calls the key cylinder the ignition switch, so trying to find info on the actual ignition starter switch is bothersome lol.

 

[skylark]

Yessir. It'll do what I need it too, it's worth fixing up too so it won't look as rough hopefully in the near future lol. I gotta scrounge up some moneyz so I can get a new battery first. I spent most of the day researching on the ignition starter switch. Guess in my heat soaked brain I couldn't remember how the thing went on the column lol. Then I found out there's no screws/bolts to retain it to the column, they're nowhere to be found so I'm just gonna pull the dang column and figure out what size they are.

BTW, google and forum search isn't really a big help.. everyone calls the key cylinder the ignition switch, so trying to find info on the actual ignition starter switch is bothersome lol.

Try the term ignition lock cylinder.

 

[Caspian]

Try the term ignition lock cylinder.

That's the actual key cylinder, what I was searching for was this:

You must be registered for see images attach

The starter switch. Since everyone calls the key cylinder or the lock cylinder the starter switch, it makes finding info on the actual switch somewhat hard. I just didn't remember the orientation it sat on the column.

 

[DerekTheGreat]

Holy hell that interior is rough, quite the Frankenstein's monster overall.. I doubt that when they swapped clusters, they swapped the odometer too, so mileage is unknown at this point. Your truck could have had the Dana 70 but could have been swapped as well.

 

[Biggershaft96]

I wouldve bought it for that price looks like whoever had it was a professional duct tapper

 

[Caspian]

I wouldve bought it for that price looks like whoever had it was a professional duct tapper

Yeah and he originally wanted $1000 for this truck.. lol

I’ve made worse decisions lol

Holy hell that interior is rough, quite the Frankenstein's monster overall.. I doubt that when they swapped clusters, they swapped the odometer too, so mileage is unknown at this point. Your truck could have had the Dana 70 but could have been swapped as well.

I haven’t gotten under it to look or tried to clean the SPID Label yet. I’ve been fighting with poison ivy for a week now and any sweating makes it spread I remember why I hate cleaning out brush and trees without a burn out first.

 

[Caspian]

This is as clean as the SPID is gonna get without scrubbing the remaining print off of it. I’m gonna start decoding it.

I wouldn’t go through all this if compnine actually had the VIN listed for a build sheet lol

You must be registered for see images attach