95C1500's 1995 Silverado "Build" Thread

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95C1500

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This thread is the exact same as my other thread linked below. Just without the extra comments.
https://www.gmt400.com/threads/95c1500s-1995-silverado-build-thread.44668/

My original thread is almost 7 years old, has 3500 responses and my priorities and the direction I'm heading with the truck has changed. So, here's a new thread. Never was a fan of the "Grandpa's 95C1500 Reborn" title anyways so I'm going to make this one a little less cringy.


If you don’t care about the recap (long read), skip to post number 4.


A little recap of the trucks history (downfall) with me. I inherited the truck in April 2012 after my grandfather passed away. It was immaculate. Very few flaws cosmetically or mechanically. I'm talking, small (dime sized) dent in the bed from someone backing into him and a small antifreeze leak coming from the lower radiator hose. No oil leaks, no weird noises, it drove and looked fantastic. It had 71,000 ish miles on it.


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High school happened, I was broke, and thank God I was or it would have been much worse. Like the lund catalog but with stylintrucks.com. I won't even show you that phase.

Then the freshman year of college phase (actually like this one except the dodge mirrors)


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Then came the redneck phase


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Then the not redneck phase


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There were several small, subtle changes between each of these, however, they were insignificant.

I walked outside one day I hated how it looked. Hated what I'd done to my grandpa's truck that was full of sentimental value. So, I began fixing it.

Lowered it back down, threw some mild 265/75r15 all terrains on it, and proceeded to drive it.

Unfortunately, I just waned to enjoy the truck and it just so happened that this was the point it would really start going downhill.

Clearcoat started peeling and overall, the paint is trashed. Looks decent from 20 feet though.


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Running rough, AC went out, brakes...most of you know my battle with the brakes. Squeaky suspension, water pump went out, etc, and etc...

I'm at the point now where it is nickle and diming me to death with a laundry list of other things that need to be done. But I'm not giving up on it. The things it needs done don't keep it from being driven so it's not like it's going to be sitting, getting worse and worse.
 

95C1500

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So, as it sits, it's stock height with factory wheels and 265/75r15 Cooper Discoverer AT3 tires. 4 corner mod, added tow hooks, 30/20 window tint, factory OHC with homelink, full LED interior including factory radio, factory fog switch (not currently in use), tailgate lock, bakflip vp tonneau, Flowmaster Force II exhaust system, and LED bed lighting, TYC factory replacement lights all around. 60/40 split bench in place of the factory buckets with console, added some in bed tie down points as well.


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From this point on, my plan is to get it perfect mechanically and drive it. Use it as a truck. I’ve got some ideas for the future but for now, it needs some work.


A couple months ago, it started accelerating rough. It would buck (imagine “romp.. romp.. romp..” at low speeds). Air and fuel filter replaced at 146,000 miles. Plugs/wires/cap/rotor as well as map and 02 sensor were replaced at 148,000 miles. Someone suggested it sounds like an egr problem. Plugged the egr and vacuum line and sure enough, truck runs 1000x better. It still has an issue starting occasionally and today actually, crawling down the street at about 10 mph, it was “romp.. romp.. romp..” again. So I need to order and replace the egr valve. Still a head scratcher but I’m narrowing it down.


The parking brake release handle broke off a couple weeks after I got the truck. I finally got it replaced with new parts last week.


[update with pic]


The full LED interior consists of a combination of SBL leds with crappy wiring and cheap ebay leds that like to go out on me as well as a quality 3mm LED bulb in the radio that needs to be retouched with solder. I need to address those issues.


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The 4 corner mod looks great except the lenses are cracked, half full of water, and the sockets are so loose, the bulbs love losing contact. It’s a losing battle trying to keep all four corners lit up. Need to address this issue too.

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Fix the AC is another big one.
 

95C1500

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I know that was a long first two posts for the thread but I wanted to give some background from the past 7 years.


Some plans for the immediate future include

- Fix the AC
- Replace egr valve
- Figure out why it still isn’t running perfect
- Fix all my LED woes
- Fix 4 corner mod
- New tailpipe (want a factory style 3”, not a fan of the one from flowmaster)
- Strip and polish or repaint wheels (two are faded from sitting in the sun for 10 years)
- Bed rail caps (have to modify for the tonneau)
- New windshield/tint
- New tint on back and side windows
- Door lock switch is finicky. Only works about 31% of the time
- Door pins/wiring boot
- New Driver side mirror
- Ujoints
- Etc…

Some future plans include

- Option A: 3” body lift, raise exhaust/rear bumper, new hitch
- Option B: Lower on some factory 20’s like this badass ls9 Tahoe
- Rear End Rebuild: different gears, powertrax no slip unit, bearings, etc…
- Shocks
- Rear disc Kit along with all new brakes, master, bearings, calipers, seals
- Fix all leaks (multiple oil leaks)
- Paint job

This is a very minimalistic plan for the future. There are a lot of odds and ends that need to be addressed as well. However, this gives me a general direction. Either way it’s done (A or B), A clean, mechanically sound truck is what I’m going for with a few small personal touched here and there.

Here's a picture of that LS9 Tahoe

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And a pic of a 2wd with a 3" body lift

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I've pretty much always been against body lifts, but after owning both RC suspension lifts, a body lift seems like the easier, cheaper way to go. Frame hang ins't great but it's 10x better than a 4wd. I miss the height sometimes.
 

95C1500

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Starting here, this will be my new “build” thread. I’ll keep a log of maintenance, replaced parts, mileage, etc…

For starters…
April 11, 2019
Mileage:

Changed the oil, new washer fluid pump, figured out why the passenger side nozzle wouldn't spray (pinched line under the cowl), reprogrammed my homelink for my garage door after it was replaced almost three years ago, cleaned out the truck and ripped off the driver side mirror plastic that rattled and howled while driving (backing up the driveway, cut the turn too tight and clipped the gate. :doh2: Broke all three of the plastic tabs that hold the plastic to the mirror). Not a bad day.

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95C1500

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May 8, 2019
Mileage: 149,770
Delphi EG10099
$53 from local Summit

Replaced the EGR valve
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95C1500

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May 13, 2019
Mileage: 149,942

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- Fixed a washer fluid spray issue - again. This time, the hose came off the back of the nozzle. I'm sure I'll revisit this again soon.

- Dried out my passenger side headlight, went around the seam with black rtv. Hopefully it won't leak again.

- Soaked my old IAC in carb cleaner, dried it off, blew it out with compressed air, reinstalled. Thinking it MIGHT fix my odd idle fluctuation. Probably won't but, it was free. :shrug:

- Ripped out my 4-corner mod and did it again. My highschool wiring was horrible. I did not remember it being this bad. :nono:
4 Standard 194 pigtails
STA S-74
$7.20 from Rockauto
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Heading to the junkyard tomorrow in hopes of grabbing some things I need, possibly some things I don't. We'll see what I come across. Hopefully, I'll get some of those things installed tomorrow as well as valve cover gaskets. Cleaning the remnants of the leaks as I go

---------------
On an unrelated note, I fixed a washer fluid issue on my grandmothers 2017 Escape as well as my girlfriend's 2003 Silverado today. Needless to say, I'm tired of messing with washer fluid no spray issues lol.
 

95C1500

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Double post...
 
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95C1500

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Triple Post
 
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95C1500

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Another busy day.

May 15, 2019
Mileage: 149,960

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- Valve Cover Gaskets
Cleaned valve covers and the air cleaner housing while I was at it

FelPro Gaskets
VS50088R
$13.44 from Rockauto

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- PCV Valve/Hose
ACDelco Valve
ADO-CV774C
$7.99 from Summit

Dorman Hose
46001
$5.99 from Autozone
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- Coolant Temp Sensor
$5 from a junkyard motor - looked brand new
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- Junkyard Cupholder (looked tan at the yard, but wasn't). Swapped my old handle on the new cupholder
$5 from Junkyard
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Today was a battle, there were casualties...
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- EGR Vacuum Line
SUM - 230162
$4.99 from Summit
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- TPS
ACDelco TPS
ADO-213-895
$35.99 from Summit
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Also took it to a shop to get an AC repair estimate. I refuse to go through a third summer with no AC. I did my time. My sentence was extended though. $1800 minimum with the possibility of reaching $4-$4500 depending on how much crap they break while replacing parts on my "must have been up north for a while due to the rust" truck. This truck has never left Texas and is not rusty. I'm not playing that game. So I brought it home. AC was ice cold to my surprise. We'll see how long that lasts. They said there is a big leak from the clutch cycle switch and a small leak coming from the compressor. $200 in parts plus whatever a shop charges to charge the system and it should be good to go.
 

95C1500

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May 20-May 24, 2019
Mileage: 150,314

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3/4 full gas tanks and I are not on good terms.

What I thought would be a 6 hour job has turned into a multi day ordeal. I originally rented a fuel pressure test kit from Oreilly's. Get it home, crawl under the truck, take a fuel bath installing the t-fitting inline before the filter. Had my girlfriend turn the key on and I took another fuel bath. The t fitting was missing an o-ring. Return that, go to another oreilly's and rent another kit. Hooked that one up, no leaks. Gauge read 6 psi koeo/cranking and 9 psi idle. Pinchec the return line and ruled out the fpr.

Proceeded with the fuel pump replacement. I thought tilting the bed would be easier than dropping the tank again so I tried that. Im a bigger guy, who hates tight/confined spaces. It just wasn't working out. I got all the way to the point that the lock ring needed to be removed but I could not for the life of me get it to break loose. So I lowered the tank, by myself, with two scissor jacks. It was a slow process (refer to pic of the tank above).

Got the tank down, got the ring off, the pump replaced along with the strainer, sending unit gasket, feed/return line o-rings (at $4.31 each!?!?), and a new lock ring. Spend yet another hour and a half methodically lifting the tank back up into place. Get everything hooked up, hit the key to prime and gauge reads 0 psi. I try again, and again, and again, and again. Wait a day, try again. Still 0 psi. The truck ran and idled perfectly in the driveway for 10 minutes.

Return the pressure test kit the following day after work, go to yet another oreilly's and rent yet another kit. Get it home, hooked up and BAM, I'm taking yet another fuel bath. This one had an o-ring that looked like it had been screwed into threads. I searched the garage, driveway, trash, etc.. looking for one of the old line o-rings I had replaced. Couldn't find it. Got the gauge as tight and leak free as I could get and hit the key. Instantly 11 psi. Thank the Lord! Key off, waited 10 seconds, hit the key again, 13 psi. I have a fuel pressure reading! I unhooked the gauge and fitting, threw it back in the box and started installing everything I had removed in the process.

As the truck sits now, still unfinished, the bed needs to be shifted as it is too far to the driver side and the driveshaft needs to be reinstalled. It needs u joints bad and I have them sitting in a box in the garage. As bad as I want to throw it back in and drive the thing to see if the pump fixed my issues, I just can't. One of these days (Saturday probably) when I haven't been at work all day and don't have to be up at the ass crack of dawn the next morning for work, I'll replace the u joints and get the driveshaft reinstalled and see how she does.

Whew, long post for a hectic fuel pump replacement. It probably doesn't sound as bad as it was, however, I hope I never have to do this again. What a PITA.

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-Fuel Pump
ACDelco Pump
ADO-EP386
$52.99 from local Summit

-Fuel Strainer
ACDelco Strainer
ADO-TS7
$7.99 from local Summit
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-Feed/Return Line O-rings (I won't lie, I didn't realize they were different sizes and was not about to let this hold me up so I only replaced the feed line o-ring)
ACDelco O-ring
ADO-217-452
$4.31 each from local Summit
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-Lock Ring
Precision Lock Ring
PTS LO01
$4.49 from Oreilly's
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