My new $500 truck

[kevinr1970]

I saw this on Craigslist this past weekend and although I certainly don't need any more trucks, I couldn't pass this one up.
1986 GMC 1/2ton 4x4 short-wide bed.
Was asking $750. I offered $500 and he took it.

It is not without problems however but I think I scored!
Bad tranny; no reverse, only 1st gear going forward. The college kid I bought it from (inherited it from his grandpa and knows NOTHING about cars) told me he had driven it to the airport a few times in this condition. Thats about 15 miles on the freeway... with only 1st gear... I am pretty sure he toasted the engine too. It does run but is smokey on start-up.
Paint is peeling real bad - and this is after the dealer repainted it in March of 1993. I found 9 pages documenting his battle to get GM to repaint it which they finally did for 1/2 the cost even though he started complaining about the peeling paint in 1986?!?.

Truck had 01,9xx on the odometer and I think it is 101,9xx original. I believe I am the third owner - gramps, the kid and now me.
I went through the bundle of receipts going back to June of 1986. The earliest reciept is at 00,597 in 1986 and the last one is 94,xxx in February 2002. There is a receipt for 33" BFG AT tires in August 2001 at 86,000 miles and those might be the tires that are still on there now and still look good.

I bought a '85 GMC 4x4 swb for parts last winter with a bent frame but a $2200 rebuild on the tranny. Guess I have something to do with that one now!

[kevinr1970]

The last picture is the only dent I can find on the truck.
I think the canopy has been on there since day one; besides the peeling the bed looks perfect.

[kevinr1970]

More pictures:

[kevinr1970]

Even more pictures.

[kevinr1970]

Last pictures.

[Kurt L]

nice score there that was a heck of a price.[but one thing i need your dash pad lololo its in great shape].i wish i could find deals like that.

[bulky]

Good score. Worth the money all day long.

[Pyrotechnic]

Now THAT is a deal. You practically stole that thing....well not necessarily with the condition of the engine and trans. The fact that the body and interior are good is what counts though. Throw in a new trans, engine, and get that truck painted and you will be in business.

[cochino12]

Good for you, thats a great buy!!!! Plans??

[magnethead]

if that thing was around here, it'd have "muddin truck" written all over it.

[kevinr1970]

Originally Posted by Kurt L

...i need your dash pad lololo its in great shape].i wish i could find deals like that.

It actually has a few cracks in it. Not too bad, but not perfect. I have seen (and had) worse though.
I am somewhat religous about looking at Craigslist everyday. The guy I bought it from was out all morning Saturday. He posted it at around midnight Friday. I kept calling every 30 minutes and got lucky that he answered my call before listening to any of his messages. When I showed up to look at it he said he had returned around 10 messages.

Originally Posted by cochino12

Good for you, thats a great buy!!!! Plans??

You know, when I first looked at it I was thinking parts. I have a guy at work that has an '85 3/4 ton crew-cab with a bad tranny. I have been thinking abount a crew-cab swb for a while. Thing is the crew cab is the exact same color as this truck. Seems like it was meant to be.
The '86 GMC I already owned is a High Sierra where as the this new one is a Sierra Classic so it has a lot more options (including AC). There is a lot more interior trim. So I could gut the interior and put it in mine.
But after taking a real good look at the truck I am realizing that it is in better shape than my truck. Except the engine and tranny part?
After thinking about all the stuff I could do, involving taking trucks apart and putting them back together, maybe I should just take the engine and tranny from my parts truck and make this a runner. Then sell my long bed truck. I would lose money on that deal, but would save hours and hours of work. And lots of money probably too!

[Russell]

Transmission problem is a broken sunshell, you actually have both 1st and 3rd, but you really gotta rev it up high in 1st, then let off the gas to make it shift, then put it into neutral and back into drive again to return it back to first.

I bought a K5 with the same problem, and unfortunately, fixing it involves a total rebuild.

A bit of a puff of smoke on startup is practically expected on a higher mileage 350 due to leaky valve seals.

Overall, I'd say you totally robbed the guy of that rig! I wish I could find one that nice around here for less than $3000

[kevinr1970]

The thing is that there doesn't seem to be a nuetral? When in reverse it isn't like nuetral either; it is doing something, just not moving the truck. Even in park it still seems to want to move the truck when you give it gas.
I am going to try and run it through emissions today and will try what you suggested.
I do have a tranny on hand that the guy said he had it rebuilt once for ~$1200 then about 60k later it went out again. I took it to be that was only two years later. So he went back and told them he didn't want that to happen again, he didn't care how much it cost. ~$2200 later, they put in all heavy duty parts including (IIRC) sun gears, planetary gears, servos, and a nice shift kit. It only has ~25k since that rebuild.

Originally Posted by Russell

Transmission problem is a broken sunshell, you actually have both 1st and 3rd, but you really gotta rev it up high in 1st, then let off the gas to make it shift, then put it into neutral and back into drive again to return it back to first.

I bought a K5 with the same problem, and unfortunately, fixing it involves a total rebuild.

It is actually a bit more than a puff. But I was thinking last night that since while it is in park it feels like it is actually in gear that maybe that is why it seems a little rough when it first starts. Maybe I should try to start it with the transfer case in Nuetral?

Originally Posted by Russell

A bit of a puff of smoke on startup is practically expected on a higher mileage 350 due to leaky valve seals.

[N2TRUX]

Dude you got a "smokin deal"...get it...

That truck has a ton of potential consider what it cost you. Unless you need it, sell the camper shell and get most of your money back. Put in the transmission that you already have and drive it, or better yet sell it for a nice profit.

[85_SWB]

good deal man
it looks really solid

[kevinr1970]

Allright, so even though the girl doing the emissions test eyes were watering while she was back next to the tailpipe, it passed? By a bunch?!?
I told them it was a full-time 4x4 so they didn't put it on the rollers. But there is resistance even in park or nuetral so I was worried.
That helps a bunch although I am still certain the engine is done.

So heres an interesting thing.
In WA. they only test back 25 years and only every other year. This year is odd year cars.
If I would have already owned this truck ('86) it would have been exempt this year. But when registering a vehicle in you name if its under the 25 years you have to provide proof of an emissions test in the past 90 days.
The girl at the inspection station (and I confirmed this while at the licensing dept.) said that since this year is an odd year that if I renewed my tabs before this date next year they would still honor the inspection form. That takes 2008 out of the way. Then in 2009 it would be an odd year again so I would be exempt from the test. Then in 2010 I would have to get it inspected. Which would be the last year it would need an inspection provided they don't change the emissions law again.
The engine I have has no emissions equipment on it although it is an '85 engine. And a nice pair of Hooker headers. Since it will be 2010 before I have to worry about it again I am tempted to not install the smog pumps or any of the other crap. And put those headers underneath the truck.

BTW, Russel, I tried everything I could to get it to shift to 3rd and it just wouldn't go. I was going down the street at close to 40mph and that was it.

[Jonboy]

Looks like you scored big time. After a clean up, and dumping off the extra crap (topper and bugshield) that will be a sweet truck. I wonder if your smoking problem might be a stuck piston ring or something like that. If you drive it some more, the smoking may lessen or stop, if that's the case.

[navybear70]

Good deals CAN be had! I just bought an 87 4wd from a guy down the street that needed money. He was asking $700 and I didn't even bargain down so that I wouldn't have to stop at the police station to turn myself in! It runs like a champ! The only problems are fuel pump(came with new one ) and it used to be TBI, so I have this massive TBI wiring harness on a carbed engine! I gotta dump that thing!

[kevinr1970]

They are definately out there. Every time I look on Craigslist there is something else I "should" buy. But my girlfriend would shoot me. Also, I would have a wrecking yard full of trucks.
I think the gas thing is forcing some people to shy away from these types of vehicles. Which makes the deals all the better for people like us!

Originally Posted by navybear70

Good deals CAN be had!