watch this space for photos..................soon, now that I got the new board working!
Introducing Sam I Am, the Motoring Magic Shop Truck! For a year I have been using my MINI (and so has everyone else) for shop errands, customer pickup/delivery/occasional loaner, etc etc. and the past 3 months it has really started to wear on me. SO I started looking at all the junk I could find that was cheap, since in general the shop vehicle only has to travel a 5 or so mile radius and if a customer who “borrowed” it found it unpleasant, all the better. I looked at cavalier wagons, mitsubishi expos, 250k Honda accord wagons, etc etc. As the price of fuel here has escalated, all this junk got ever more expensive-the Expo, which was a 500.00 turd brought 1400 at a wholesale dealers auction! After said auction, where a good friend works, I looked around and said, (for the 12th week in a row) “well, what DIDN’T sell today?” and there sat my new shop truck! With gasoline nudging $5 a gallon here, no one in their right mind wants a big block pickup, but I’ve never been in my right mind so we started the PITA process of procuring this tank from the dealer who brought it in to auction, where it got absolutely not one bid. Interesting how, when it is unsellable, the dealer who took it in trade, likely for nothing, wants someone-anyone-to take it off their hands but as soon as you show interest, it is the most valuable pos they have in their inventory!
Anyway, it is, by both VIN and door label a 2000 Chevy regular cab 2500 pickup, 8600 GVW, although it does NOT have the new for 2000 bodystyle-if it was a Silverado, I guess it would, but since it is a cheapo work truck, it retains the bodylines/lights/structure of the 1990-1998 trucks. A 454 Vortec/4l80e/dana 60 is the powertrain, and it has 90,000 miles on it. Came with brand new tires, new air filter, new serpentine belt, clean oil, recent shocks and the appearance of someone caring for it all its life. The registration discovery above the visor proved this out, one owner since new, not first sold or registered until 2002, same owner up till this past month. Passed Ca. Smog test with the tech stating it was “really clean!”
The only options are A/C, tilt/cruise, complete gauge package including tachometer, and a factory am/fm/cassette. Rubber floor covering, cloth bench seat. Heavy duty hitch/wiring/trailer brake controller, Bedliner and a nice aluminum diamond plate tool box on the bed, and I even got the key to the tool box!
The body has some door dings that pdr will fix, the lenses on the head and tail lamps are cloudy, the grille is cracked in the right upper corner, and I already replaced the broken inner right door handle/lock assy, but overall it is exceptional for its age and mileage. Someone already rebuilt the hinges on the drivers door, and possibly the trans as well, but the right rear axle seal has coated the brake shoes and the gauges seem a little wonky-oil pressure bounces around and the fuel gauge would have you believe this thing is making gas as it is driven-started out with 3/8 of a tank this morning and now it has 3/4! [COLOR=#3e3e3e][FONT=Tahoma]
The factory radio has 4 speakers, and will undoubtedly get replacement speakers, although I am not sure I will need to upgrade the radio-at least not until it dies. The cheapo steering wheel is coming apart on the top of the rim and will get a leather replacement asap, and interestingly, this truck has NO airbag system installed whatsoever. I am in the airbag repair business, and as far as I knew everything had to have 2 by 1998, but there it is-never had them. An aftermarket power door lock setup with keypads will be a must, I am way too spoiled from pushing a button as I approach my vehicles to put up with inserting a key into the handle for long. Might source carpet and 40/20/40 seat from a 00-03 Silverado as well as aluminum wheels from same, and if I get really ambitious a power window install but that is last on the list. This truck is smooth, runs and shifts nice, rides a bit stiff but is way more than I expected for 3k. This thread will show the improvements as they happen and I will undoubtedly need all the Bangshifter help I can get, as I haven’t owned a pickup of any kind in 25 years, but so far I really dig this one!
Introducing Sam I Am, the Motoring Magic Shop Truck! For a year I have been using my MINI (and so has everyone else) for shop errands, customer pickup/delivery/occasional loaner, etc etc. and the past 3 months it has really started to wear on me. SO I started looking at all the junk I could find that was cheap, since in general the shop vehicle only has to travel a 5 or so mile radius and if a customer who “borrowed” it found it unpleasant, all the better. I looked at cavalier wagons, mitsubishi expos, 250k Honda accord wagons, etc etc. As the price of fuel here has escalated, all this junk got ever more expensive-the Expo, which was a 500.00 turd brought 1400 at a wholesale dealers auction! After said auction, where a good friend works, I looked around and said, (for the 12th week in a row) “well, what DIDN’T sell today?” and there sat my new shop truck! With gasoline nudging $5 a gallon here, no one in their right mind wants a big block pickup, but I’ve never been in my right mind so we started the PITA process of procuring this tank from the dealer who brought it in to auction, where it got absolutely not one bid. Interesting how, when it is unsellable, the dealer who took it in trade, likely for nothing, wants someone-anyone-to take it off their hands but as soon as you show interest, it is the most valuable pos they have in their inventory!
Anyway, it is, by both VIN and door label a 2000 Chevy regular cab 2500 pickup, 8600 GVW, although it does NOT have the new for 2000 bodystyle-if it was a Silverado, I guess it would, but since it is a cheapo work truck, it retains the bodylines/lights/structure of the 1990-1998 trucks. A 454 Vortec/4l80e/dana 60 is the powertrain, and it has 90,000 miles on it. Came with brand new tires, new air filter, new serpentine belt, clean oil, recent shocks and the appearance of someone caring for it all its life. The registration discovery above the visor proved this out, one owner since new, not first sold or registered until 2002, same owner up till this past month. Passed Ca. Smog test with the tech stating it was “really clean!”
The only options are A/C, tilt/cruise, complete gauge package including tachometer, and a factory am/fm/cassette. Rubber floor covering, cloth bench seat. Heavy duty hitch/wiring/trailer brake controller, Bedliner and a nice aluminum diamond plate tool box on the bed, and I even got the key to the tool box!
The body has some door dings that pdr will fix, the lenses on the head and tail lamps are cloudy, the grille is cracked in the right upper corner, and I already replaced the broken inner right door handle/lock assy, but overall it is exceptional for its age and mileage. Someone already rebuilt the hinges on the drivers door, and possibly the trans as well, but the right rear axle seal has coated the brake shoes and the gauges seem a little wonky-oil pressure bounces around and the fuel gauge would have you believe this thing is making gas as it is driven-started out with 3/8 of a tank this morning and now it has 3/4! [COLOR=#3e3e3e][FONT=Tahoma]
The factory radio has 4 speakers, and will undoubtedly get replacement speakers, although I am not sure I will need to upgrade the radio-at least not until it dies. The cheapo steering wheel is coming apart on the top of the rim and will get a leather replacement asap, and interestingly, this truck has NO airbag system installed whatsoever. I am in the airbag repair business, and as far as I knew everything had to have 2 by 1998, but there it is-never had them. An aftermarket power door lock setup with keypads will be a must, I am way too spoiled from pushing a button as I approach my vehicles to put up with inserting a key into the handle for long. Might source carpet and 40/20/40 seat from a 00-03 Silverado as well as aluminum wheels from same, and if I get really ambitious a power window install but that is last on the list. This truck is smooth, runs and shifts nice, rides a bit stiff but is way more than I expected for 3k. This thread will show the improvements as they happen and I will undoubtedly need all the Bangshifter help I can get, as I haven’t owned a pickup of any kind in 25 years, but so far I really dig this one!
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