Daniel McDonald
Newbie
Here is my Chevy story and it is a good read I think....well here it goes............I have owned a couple of Chevy's in my past 40 years of driving. Mostly in the Northeast and yes they rust terribly. So I never owned one long enough to need to repair it and never had one really worth repairing.........Then I make a cross country move to Albany Oregon and first, here in the valley about 49+/- miles south of Portland everyone seems to have a truck. So when I was in need of a new vehicle I found two facts, one, mostly because trucks are popular in Oregon they run higher than what I have bought them for before.
However I then stumbled onto a 1998 white Chevy Silverado C/K 1500 4X4 for $2500.00 back in September 2019. Now I am no mechanic, just owned a lot of used vehicles in my lifetime so I have encountered many issues and learned a little each time...But I digress. Anyhow, I drove it around the block ......literally and then offered $2100.00 the lady accepted the offer right away. The lady told me it was a work truck (here in the grass seed capital of the world) this means it works on farms and towed all kinds of stuff. It also had 265,000 miles on the odometer, however it had an engine swap to a quote "A rated" used motor from a local pick your part. I believed her and completed the purchase.
I know of a website I used in the past called LMC for detailed small and large chevy parts and figured I could find anything it may need, it has a new compressor as well so it should have good AC etc etc....well then two months later the truck although it had been super dependable and never got me stranded, I began to like her but then I come home from work, park the truck and she starts pissing antifreeze. Now from my non-mechanic experience I know I got a bad water pump. The next morning I drive to the closet repair shop which luckily is two blocks away, get a ride into work and I must have been very lucky. The shop called me that afternoon and said I can pick it up after work...YES! Just $430.00.
Now I am feeling more confident each day in my new-to-me Chevy truck and I go on a 120+ round trip to Eugene, know she starts everyday and never leaves me stranded...Next before the trip back from Eugene my battery is dead. So as I look at the battery while receiving a jump, I notice it is the right size but a "walmart special", now I don't know why, but I have a spot for another battery opposite side under the hood. (if you know please educate my ignorance) Anyhow, back on the road and I need a good battery and problem solved $165.00.
So weeks go by truck feels squishy and drives like a boat and she looks sad from the front, leaning slightly to the right like she is just having trouble but again "NOT A MECHANIC" so I focus on why I cannot find out how and where I can get good solid interior parts, seat covers, new headliner, where the hell does my cup go, cool upgrades from a series that's been around for decades, but I have failed to find those sites yet.
Then the reason my girl was hunched to the right.... as I return from an all day errand run with lots of stops and plans to drop off the groceries and go fly my drone, when just as I complete the back up into the closest spot to my apartment and throw it in park and then it happens......................
The right side front end just crumbles to the ground, wheel folded in, axle and boot pulled out, lower control arm now has a 2 inch gaping hole which let go of the ball joint and fell right when I parked. Bent stuff was everywhere Thank Goodness it was not the day before while driving 70 on a back road. So it was my day off and a AAA tow to a shop and two weeks later control arms (both sides bent) lower control arm, both brake calipers and pads, (should do both sides anyway) and $1880.00 later.
She is back on the road, two day later....I see it leaking antifreeze again...argh!!%%$^%@!! looks like a water pump but it can't be, I just replaced it in November 2019 it's March 2020 why??? But it did not leak a lot so I drive it to work the next day anyway with gallons of water on board, I get to work no overheating, normal the whole trip and all day not not a drop of anything....Yes
Okay I am solid, drive home that evening and park her and she leaks about the same amount as the day before about a pint only at home???? Next day drive to work, park her, not a drop had leaked all day, drive home that night she leaks again ONLY AT HOME!!?? About a pint. I play this game until 6 days later while trying to pick up mom's power chair, I see I am leaking again and NOT AT HOME!!! So I send it back to the shop....two days later, it is NOT the water pump...YES!!! Mechanic: "wait a second, I am not done, I found the leak!" oh NO! "it's the intake manifold, and I usually do a tune up when I do these and I think one of your spark plugs was an original, when I removed the wire the plug broke in two, and by the way you got an exhaust leak. Great, forget the exhaust leak, how much to get her back to running again, Tune up and manifold gasket replacement $1175.00.
My thoughts had been to just sell her, but then I thought she looks good now with the front end done, water pump done, intake manifold repair done! So I said well I paid 2100.00 front end work 1880.00 and now 1175.00, 430.00 water pump and 165.00 battery...HMMM I now have $5750.00 invested, perhaps I should keep her!
She is now it is My solid truck! .....................I just need to fix her, I need to find a headliner, inside and exterior door handles, she is all power windows locks etc I need to get all the switches working and I have NO LIGHTS except tail and headlights, no bed light, no cab lights and the headlights need help. I think I now want to make her and I happy forever!!! Where does everyone buy parts and cool upgrades?? Because now I have to believe "Chevy Runs Deep!"
However I then stumbled onto a 1998 white Chevy Silverado C/K 1500 4X4 for $2500.00 back in September 2019. Now I am no mechanic, just owned a lot of used vehicles in my lifetime so I have encountered many issues and learned a little each time...But I digress. Anyhow, I drove it around the block ......literally and then offered $2100.00 the lady accepted the offer right away. The lady told me it was a work truck (here in the grass seed capital of the world) this means it works on farms and towed all kinds of stuff. It also had 265,000 miles on the odometer, however it had an engine swap to a quote "A rated" used motor from a local pick your part. I believed her and completed the purchase.
I know of a website I used in the past called LMC for detailed small and large chevy parts and figured I could find anything it may need, it has a new compressor as well so it should have good AC etc etc....well then two months later the truck although it had been super dependable and never got me stranded, I began to like her but then I come home from work, park the truck and she starts pissing antifreeze. Now from my non-mechanic experience I know I got a bad water pump. The next morning I drive to the closet repair shop which luckily is two blocks away, get a ride into work and I must have been very lucky. The shop called me that afternoon and said I can pick it up after work...YES! Just $430.00.
Now I am feeling more confident each day in my new-to-me Chevy truck and I go on a 120+ round trip to Eugene, know she starts everyday and never leaves me stranded...Next before the trip back from Eugene my battery is dead. So as I look at the battery while receiving a jump, I notice it is the right size but a "walmart special", now I don't know why, but I have a spot for another battery opposite side under the hood. (if you know please educate my ignorance) Anyhow, back on the road and I need a good battery and problem solved $165.00.
So weeks go by truck feels squishy and drives like a boat and she looks sad from the front, leaning slightly to the right like she is just having trouble but again "NOT A MECHANIC" so I focus on why I cannot find out how and where I can get good solid interior parts, seat covers, new headliner, where the hell does my cup go, cool upgrades from a series that's been around for decades, but I have failed to find those sites yet.
Then the reason my girl was hunched to the right.... as I return from an all day errand run with lots of stops and plans to drop off the groceries and go fly my drone, when just as I complete the back up into the closest spot to my apartment and throw it in park and then it happens......................
The right side front end just crumbles to the ground, wheel folded in, axle and boot pulled out, lower control arm now has a 2 inch gaping hole which let go of the ball joint and fell right when I parked. Bent stuff was everywhere Thank Goodness it was not the day before while driving 70 on a back road. So it was my day off and a AAA tow to a shop and two weeks later control arms (both sides bent) lower control arm, both brake calipers and pads, (should do both sides anyway) and $1880.00 later.
She is back on the road, two day later....I see it leaking antifreeze again...argh!!%%$^%@!! looks like a water pump but it can't be, I just replaced it in November 2019 it's March 2020 why??? But it did not leak a lot so I drive it to work the next day anyway with gallons of water on board, I get to work no overheating, normal the whole trip and all day not not a drop of anything....Yes
Okay I am solid, drive home that evening and park her and she leaks about the same amount as the day before about a pint only at home???? Next day drive to work, park her, not a drop had leaked all day, drive home that night she leaks again ONLY AT HOME!!?? About a pint. I play this game until 6 days later while trying to pick up mom's power chair, I see I am leaking again and NOT AT HOME!!! So I send it back to the shop....two days later, it is NOT the water pump...YES!!! Mechanic: "wait a second, I am not done, I found the leak!" oh NO! "it's the intake manifold, and I usually do a tune up when I do these and I think one of your spark plugs was an original, when I removed the wire the plug broke in two, and by the way you got an exhaust leak. Great, forget the exhaust leak, how much to get her back to running again, Tune up and manifold gasket replacement $1175.00.
My thoughts had been to just sell her, but then I thought she looks good now with the front end done, water pump done, intake manifold repair done! So I said well I paid 2100.00 front end work 1880.00 and now 1175.00, 430.00 water pump and 165.00 battery...HMMM I now have $5750.00 invested, perhaps I should keep her!
She is now it is My solid truck! .....................I just need to fix her, I need to find a headliner, inside and exterior door handles, she is all power windows locks etc I need to get all the switches working and I have NO LIGHTS except tail and headlights, no bed light, no cab lights and the headlights need help. I think I now want to make her and I happy forever!!! Where does everyone buy parts and cool upgrades?? Because now I have to believe "Chevy Runs Deep!"
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