Just joined today, after reading lots of useful info in recent weeks. Glad to see a useful forum like this for Chevy owners.

While my wife drives a Subaru, I drive two Chevrolet pickups. And yes - my wife is always asking why I need two trucks in the driveway, haha!

The first, and older truck, is a 1996 C1500 Cheyenne, 5.0L, extended cab with the step side body - I've owned it since 2000. The newer truck is a 2006 Silverado work truck (8 foot bed, standard cab) that I bought from a former employer about 10 years ago. I've been driving the 2006 since about 2014, while my kids and at one point one of my son in laws drove the 1996, but it came back home to roost in 2021, and has mostly been sitting since.

A few weeks ago, a delivery guy asked what I was doing with the blue truck (1996) in the driveway, and was I interested in selling it. At first I seriously considered it, but he took a couple of weeks without contacting me, and in that period of time, I decided to start fixing drivability issues on the 1996 myself. I've replaced the AC blower, blower relay, high and low side valves, and vacuumed out and recharged the AC. I've also replaced broken seat levers on the drivers seat, broken door and tailgate handles, and other random things. Oh - also replaces the master cylinder, as brake pedal was slowly going to the floor. Unfortunately, even after purging 3 quarts of brake fluid through the lines bleeding the brakes, that is still going on - so maybe the booster is next.

I guess where I am going is that I am now distracting myself with thought of a full restore on the 1996 step side, getting a paint job and upholstery work, and potentially selling the 2006 Silverado to fund all that.

To that end, I've been working on check engine codes on the Silverado, replacing the evap canister solenoid, purge valve, and tomorrow I plan on tackling a bad knock sensor.

Anyway, am I crazy to consider keeping a 1996 C1500 with 201K miles on it, rather than the 2006 Silverado with 130K miles on it? Especially just because I like the step side body style? The 1996 has not been fully problem free over the decades, as I've replaced intake manifold gaskets not once but twice, along with a number of other repairs over 24 years of ownership. But I've always liked the way it drives.

Glad to meet you all, and look forward to participating in this online community.

Jim

 

Welcome.
Check out this restoration: https://chevroletforum.com/forum/199...ration-114290/

 

Wow! That was a project for sure

Not sure I will be painting myself, although I have had the bed off the 1996 before (to replace the fuel pump without dropping the gas tank). I only have a normal size 2 car garage to work on this stuff in, plus the driveway.

And I am still on the fence. A lot seem to say that the GMT800's like my 2006 Silverado are a lot better than the GMT400 series, which gives me some pause. It will take a lot of years for the 2006 to hit 200k miles, of course, with just around town driving, it will be a lot of years to get the 1996 from 201K to 250K miles. Just a lot of variables.

 

Welcome from Florida. Glad to have you.

 

Thanks! And wow - that is an old chevy - or is it the National - in your avatar picture!

My neighbor passed away recently, and was essentially a "car hoarder", and one of the vehicles in his hoard in a suburban backyard was a 1939 Chevrolet that I had never seen in living here 30 years. Apparently it belonged to his mother, was driven here in the 1980's after she passed, and drove into a backyard shed never to come out until his sons sold all the old cars off to someone who wanted to restore them. It was in amazing shape all things considered, inside and out.

If I had know how good a condition the 1973 GMC 3500 crew cab also in an adjacent shed was, aside from the raccoons living on top of the hood, I would have bought it for restoration myself... just not sure my driveway would have liked the dually configuration...

 

It's a 1928 Chevy National Roadster. And it runs!!

 

Welcome to the forum. Good luck with your restoration.

 

Do you have any videos of it, Oldchev?