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TS888

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Just picked up an '89 K2500 for a great price - free. Has about 220k on the 5.7, might need a transmission per the previous owner. Going to get it running and decide what is next. The truck is arrow straight except the driver door (bent because the latch is bad and its been kicked shut), the paint is typical GM peel but there's no rust. The biggest issue is the steering column, bearings have died or something, it wobbles around like a spoon in oatmeal. I'm looking local for a good column, but there are a bunch on eBay.

In my neck of the woods, a running/driving 4x4 pickup is worth $1500 regardless, so I could stick a good 700R4 in it and sell it on, but I haven't had a project in a while so I'm tempted to put a bit more effort in. I've always liked the GMT400 trucks. They have a shape I find appealing, and parts are everywhere so they are cheap to keep.
 

TS888

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Apparently I need to do a bunch of sh*tposting to hit some level before I can post in the parts wanted forum, so if you have a good steering column that will work in an '89 K2500, feel free to PM me.

Tony
 

HotWheelsBurban

Gotta have 4 doors..... Rawhide, TOTY 2023!
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I believe it's 50 messages. Welcome to the forum! You'll find plenty of information here
 

95C1500

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I don't think it's quite 50 but, it has been a while since I had 50 posts so I guess it could've changed since then. Welcome aboard!
 

Old77

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:welcome:
 

TS888

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I finally got some time to work on the free truck this week. Battery was bad, so put in new one. Strong crank but no fire. Checked spark, none. Pulled the dizzy cap, rust city in there. Ordered a new dizzy, coil, plugs and wires, $150. Jeez, Chevy parts are cheap!

Installed the new dizzy and coil today, and it fired up on the first crank. Wires look recent, I'd bet plugs are too, but still need to check. Spent some time with the pressure washer blasting all the gunk off the engine and underside. Put it on the lift for a look. The trans is a Jasper reman, doesn't look that old. The guy who gave me the truck said his son stopped driving it because he thought the trans was bad. I'm betting the ignition was his problem. Drive lines and u-joints good, Front axles look good, and no major leaks. Most everything on the bottom is good except the exhaust, it's rusted to bits from the cat back. The steering and front suspension are OK, the only immediate needs are an idler arm and some tie rod ends.

After all the pressure washing, it didn't want to run. Pulled off the dizzy cap to see if it was wet, but all dry. Sprayed some brake cleaner in the TB and it fired right up. OK, maybe the gas gauge is wrong? Pumped a few gallons of fuel in, still no bueno. Maybe the fuel pump was on it's last legs, or maybe I got water in the tank? I suppose that could be the problem, I did blast out the area under the filler cap cover and around the fill hose underneath. I'll check tomorrow. I'm still under $300 in this thing even counting the $50 of diesel I put in my boss's truck to tow it home, so I'm happy to put a pump in it.

The interior is crap, it's been wet and there's mold. The only good parts are the dash and the rear seat. I'm going to chuck everything else in the dumpster and start over. A good pressure washing, then some bedliner on the floor, new carpet and a new headliner. I have some grey fabric sport seats from an Audi in storage, they would look pretty nice in this thing. It should be pretty easy to adapt them to the GM bases. I will fish CL for some kind of center console that has storage and cup holders. Lots of other interior on CL near me, so door panels and such should not be a problem. Found a good steering column for $40, picking that up tomorrow.
 

TS888

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Checked on the fuel issue today. La bomba no bombea. Pulled off the electrical cover, the fuse is good. The relay is, well, there. I could test it, but a new one is $20. I ordered a pump and relay, If I'm keeping this heap for a while I want it to be reliable.

I should probably say, I'm working through the years most people allocate to retirement as a service writer for an independent repair shop, so I get parts at wholesale. But even the retail price on GM parts is cheap. Most of my personal cars have been BMWs, with a sprinkling of VWs, Audis, Saabs, Alfa Romeos, Volvos and Land Rovers, so I'm stunned at the economy of new GM parts.

Why would I buy such crazy sh*t you ask? Well, I am the son of a mechanic, so I learned early to how fix things. I have never bought a new car in my life, I buy junk and fix it, and then drive it a few years and generally sell it at a profit, or at least break even. 80's and 90's European cars are simple to repair, but a repair shop will charge you a fortune - I know, I write the estimates! Before LKQ sucked up all the junkyards, I could go to a U-pull-it and buy good used parts for pennies on the dollar, and BMW, VW and Volvo shared parts across platforms extensively, so a parts car was good for many repairs. Now -- forget about it. Since the early 2000's Euro brands are built like crap, but still cost a fortune. US brands are absolutely the equal of them in quality, if you want a car to drive. If you need the ego strokes, well... Maybe you should work on that self esteem.
 

TS888

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Plugged in a new relay, didn't do anything, so I dropped the tank and put in the new fuel pump. Fired right up after, runs good. While the tank was out, I discovered someone cut a hole in the bed floor to get to the fuel pump. There's a sheet of plywood in the bed I have not pulled up. it was covering the hole. Could have saved that hour!
 
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