New guy here, with a far less than new '89 GMC Sierra SLE C1500

Dead Reckon · April 23, 2017

My name is Ben, I just got my truck on Friday, traded my 1984 Dodge D150 Prospector with a 318 and 727 auto for my cousins '89 GMC Sierra SLE. It has the 350, 4L60E, AC, optional tape deck, no other options to speak of. The truck has had a lot of work done, the engine has been rebuilt, whole front suspension has been rebuilt, new radiator, water pump, steering pump, alternator, TBI, reman ECM,bunch of other stuff has been done too. I had to put a VSS in the trans, truck wouldn't go up a hill because the sensor was bad.

The mileage on the truck is unknown, though the engine probably has less than 50k miles on it. It's a bit of a hodgepodge truck, parts from another 89 GMC, a steering column from a Chevrolet Silverado, Chevy 15x8" rally wheels in the rear with 31x10.5's BF Goodrich's on them, instrument cluster from a '88 GM pickup, Chevy center caps in the back, GMC's in the front. The seatbelt latches are different colors, too, as funny as that may be. One is maroon, the other tan. One mirror is chrome, the other black, there is black electrical tape on the top of the grill where the chrome peeled off, screws holding the headlight switch in, the door panels are barely attached. But ya know what? I don't care, this truck is fun to drive, that 350 is plenty powerful and so far seems to be better on gas than my '84 Dodge and it's wheezy 2 barrel 318.

It doesn't need much work, exhaust manifold gaskets, drivers side door sucks horribly, it's bent, missing some of the exterior window seal rubber, and takes the force of a Norse god to shut it sometimes. The transmission has a small leak, it's gonna need coolant in the radiator before winter because it blew a heater hose, and if I'm being really picky, the exhaust is to quiet and the high pitched interference whine coming through the stereo is insufferable. So it's going to get a new stereo and exhaust soon.

More pictures in the album, feel free to look.

So in short, about two years ago I wrecked a car that was going to be my forever car, the car I kept until there was nothing left to fix. The car was a 1977 Oldsmobile Delta 88, it was nothing fancy but it had a GM Goodwrench Crate 350, TH350, AC, and no other options, it wasn't that heavy for its era, only around 3,770lbs. I totaled it when I didn't see a traffic light change, I've been looking for another replacement. I had a '79 Olds Delta coupe that I got on the road with parts from the '77 I wrecked, sold it because it was a basket case after sitting for years upon years. I bought a '96 Roadmaster, a car I'd long wanted, though this car was also a basket case, it's LT1 made up for it, though I could not afford to fix it, so I bought the '84 Dodge and sold the Buick. I really liked the Dodge, but it was underpowered and had issues, nothing major, I'd have kept it if my cousin wasn't willing to trade a much, much better truck for it.

So here I am, not sure if this GMC will be my planned "Forever" vehicle, but I'm not getting rid of it, it's too good, and too much fun to roast those 31x10.5's. It's getting some spraypaint after I find another door and catch up on some bills. The kid my cousin got the truck from had spraypainted it black, the people who rebuilt the engine put the distributor in 180 off, kid thought the engine was no good. My cousin fixed it in an afternoon and has drove it since for the past 7 years, though he's been chasing problems, that's resulted in a really sound (mechanically) truck for me. I keep joking with him "Hey man, thanks for fixing my truck."

So yeah, to summarize me, I like cheap V8 powered beaters that scare the crap out of passengers, I'll also list the cars I've owned.

2001 Chrysler Sebring 4dr bought in 2011 for $800 - (Never on the road) installed a crankshaft position sensor, sold for $2,500

1986 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser 2013 - $750 Owned two weeks, nuked the transmission

1977 Oldsmobile Delta 88 4dr $600 (Over $2,500 in it when I wrecked it), sept 2013 to aug of 2015 (Wrecked)

1985 Dodge D100 oct 2014 jan 15 $700 (traded)

1994 Mercedes E320 wagon jan 2015 - owned for a month after trading the Dodge for it, sold, I regret selling it, it was a fun car but it was a basket case, and most of the work could not be done by me

1979 Oldsmobile Delta 88 2dr Bought Jan '15, got on the road August '15, sold December 15

2005 Subaru Forester (Was gonna be a great beater!) $600, did the timing service, transmission took a dump after reinstalling radiator and filling transmission with fluid, wouldn't shift gears, sold for $750, lost about $100 on that mess.

1996 Buick Roadmaster - bought january 2016, sold august of 2016

1984 Dodge D150 Prospector - Bought late June '16, put on the road in August, traded in April of '17 for the GMC

1989 GMC Sierra SLE C1500 2017 til ?

So yeah, beater to beater, I terrorize this poor city with obnoxious exhaust and my blaring loud music, metal all the way man. I've come to this forum for no reason other than to let random strangers know the nonsense I do to this used and abused old truck I now own.

SteveBBB · April 24, 2017

Welcome to the group Ben!!

ValidUsername · April 24, 2017

Welcome, your vehicle history sure sounds like a lot of fun

Dead Reckon · April 24, 2017

Welcome to the group Ben!!

Thanks, I've wanted a Chevy or GMC pickup for a while, they've all been either too expensive, too rotten, or just too trashed to me to mess with though.