Laredo

[Laredo]

This is my 1998 Chevrolet Silverado K1500, which was gifted to me by my elderly father. The truck has 118,000 original miles. The truck was originally purchased by a Native American tribe in northern California and then sold to a tribe member. My father purchased it from the gentleman who purchased it from the tribe member. Until April 2022, the truck has always been registered in California, so it has very minimal rust.

Here is the truck shortly after being driven from Sacramento to Phoenix:

 

[Drunkcanuk]

Welcome from Alberta Canada.
That's a clean looking truck. What is the color?
From the picture it almost looks like a tan.
Any big plans for it?

 

[Laredo]

Like most projects, it started with simple intentions. I started by replacing the door hinge bushings and pins; inner and outer door handles; door latches; side view mirrors; outer window sweeps; and other items. I also replaced the door wiring harness tape and associated clips.

 

[GrimsterGMC]

Welcome, I can't say that I have seen a truck in that colour before, it looks good.

 

[Laredo]

Then, after debating for months about whether to keep the suspension stock or install a lift kit, I decided to pull the trigger on a 6" BDS lift kit. This, too, was supposed to be a simple upgrade: I would paint the frame myself and replace common wear items (e.g., ball joints, tie rods, etc.) as necessary. However, once I removed the bed and realized just how dirty the frame was, I knew what I had to do next.

 

[98BlackSierra]

I’ve seen that color before on the 88-94 trucks, but never on a ‘98. Looks super clean!!

 

[Laredo]

Of course, the next step was to take the truck down to a bare frame and start rebuilding every aspect of the chassis---from the suspension, steering, front/rear differentials, and fuel/brake lines to details such as the exhaust hangar insulators and fuel tank strap insulators. I have used Genuine GM and AC Delco replacement parts wherever possible (very few aftermarket parts have been used so far, aside from the obvious). Moreover, if the factory used metric hardware, it was replaced with either factory hardware or Grade 10.9 hardware from my local hardware store. No detail has been overlooked.

 

[Laredo]

My wife received an expected promotion opportunity in May 2023. The catch: we would have to relocate from Arizona to Tennessee on relatively short notice. Accordingly, I spent every weekend in the garage for approximately two months to advance from having a powder coated frame (completed on April 27, 2023) to the stage of completion depicted below by the last week of July.

 

[Laredo]

That leads to today. I'm currently preparing to install a factory replacement GM crate engine (I didn't want to mess with cleaning and rebuilding the original engine, even though it ran just fine). If anyone has any questions about the 6" BDS lift kit, Kryptonite steering linkage, or anything else, please don't hesitate to ask.

 

[Laredo]

For those that asked, the paint code is U9403. I don't know what specific name GM called this shade of tan for MY1998.