Is it worth it?

[alpinecrick]

As said these trucks are too cheap and easy to work on to get rid of. Truly a forever truck.

Has anyone looked at the maintenance comparisons at rock auto? https://www.rockauto.com/repairindex/

I have 96 and 97 K1500's and a 01 Sierra 1500 4wd. The diff in parts for the SBC vs the LS motor is sometimes plumb breathtaking.

The GMT 400 with the Vortec is the best blend of technology and simplicity of any of the trucks out there--in my semi-humble opinion..........

 

[shorepatrol]

I see a poorly maintained money pit you have. That's ALOT of work and parts and some undiagnosed noises coming from the driveline. I'd dump and get something a bit (alot) more sound

 

[Eveready]

My suggestion would be to drop the money in the pit as long as the body is sound. If you can get a good running, dependable truck for about six grand or so go for it. When you consider that a new truck that will not haul an ounce more (and is not nearly as cool and looks like a roving bordello) will cost close to 50 or so, you could put up to 10 G in a good GMT400 and get it RIGHT. Then you do the two payments a year bit on maintenance and it will likely outlast you.

Worth it.

 

[DerekTheGreat]

I second Eveready's comment. If it is rust free, then it's worth it. Try finding a well maintained, not modified or redneck Rick'um'd truck for less than $2,500, I dare ya! You'll just run into a bunch of people that put B.S. like this in their ad, "I know what I have!"

 

[RawbDidIt]

You'll just run into a bunch of people that put B.S. like this in their ad, "I know what I have!"

Favorite want ad quote right there.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[upper_tanker]

I'm with the majority here. In Michigan, it's hard to find a 400 that's not all rotted or clapped out with less than 120k miles, let alone find one for a decent price. I've always tried to find vehicles based on mileage and cleanliness of the body. I can do a lot of mechanical work, but I know precisely nothing about body work, and that gets expensive having it done.

I'd say dump some money in it and see where it takes you. It may be beneficial to replace your U-joints (I put Spicer in mine, got a killer deal from Advance Auto online with 30% off coupon code), and see if that takes care of it. If not, it may be more beneficial to you to see if you have any shops around that specialize in drive-line issues and see if they can give you a flat fee to diagnose what's wrong, versus you throwing parts at it that it may not need.

 

[Supercharged111]

Unless the driveline issue requires a diff rebuild, it's not going to be expensive to fix. I second a lot of people, if the truck is clean just fix it. I'm into my dually for a good 10k at this point, but it feels like a new truck so I'm OK with that. Makes the 1500 feel like a beater and even that runs circles around other trucks.

 

[David89gmc]

OK, I've got to share this.

I got an $800 1989 K1500 SLE SCSB TBI 350 as a parts truck for my '66 K10. After letting it sit for a month or so I took a good look at it. Was surprised at the quality of the '89, relatively new tires and windshield, so I fixed the blown head gasket and it runs great! Flushed all the fluids and rebuilt the brakes including a new master cylinder. Added Walker cat back exhaust with double pipes out the passenger side rear. It then passed California smog (amazing!). I'm now into the truck for about $1500 and 40 hours.

The real story is that the body is dented and the bed is trashed. Looks like the previous owner slid sideways into a tree, understandable because we live in snow country.

So, given the opinions voiced on this thread, I'm going to get a new bed and do the body work and paint to complete this truck. Even if I need to rebuild the engine, 4L60 transmission, and suspension, I'll still have a great pick-em-up for not too much money.

Thanks!

 

[Z Fury]

Kind of a complicated question that boils down to your personal preference.

On one hand, fixing up your truck, as others have mentioned, means you can take your time, do it right, and use quality parts. You also learn the truck - all of the unique things that exist in it. You also have a larger budget for repairs since you don't have a payment. That's my favorite part of fixing up my Tahoe.

On the other hand, it can be quite a drain to have a vehicle that is constantly being repaired. If you need this vehicle to be a daily driver, dependability is a huge thing. So if that is your need, it could be more beneficial to just buy something that is in better running order.

Based on your initial post it sounds like fixing the truck up would be the way to go, since this is an "extra" vehicle only used for weekend-related fun stuff.

 

[Eveready]

Kind of a complicated question that boils down to your personal preference.

On one hand, fixing up your truck, as others have mentioned, means you can take your time, do it right, and use quality parts. You also learn the truck - all of the unique things that exist in it. You also have a larger budget for repairs since you don't have a payment. That's my favorite part of fixing up my Tahoe.

On the other hand, it can be quite a drain to have a vehicle that is constantly being repaired. If you need this vehicle to be a daily driver, dependability is a huge thing. So if that is your need, it could be more beneficial to just buy something that is in better running order.

Z Fury makes some good points and if you are needing an immediate daily driver a Toyota might be a better bet. An old truck is to be sure a project. Still I'd rather have 7 or 8 G in a semi restored GMT 400 than have to shell out 50 grand for the "bordello" that will cost me twice as much every time something needs fixing. It will most likely take longer but the personal satisfaction having such a cool truck will usually outweigh the inconvenience.