Nashville newbie checking in...

[jb1016]

First off, I hope I'm doing this posting thing right; I've never done this before. I've been into reading about all things automotive ever since I could hold a magazine, but now I'm a homeowner (and more importantly, a garage owner) and I've actually got the space to get my hands dirty and gain firsthand gearhead experience, which means I've got to seek out advice from people with more experience than myself. I found this site right after I bought this longbed 72 cheyenne:



It was a solid old beast, a 402/power brakes/power steering truck with a pretty straight body, even though it was rusty in the normal places. I learned three things through my experience with this truck:
1. Never buy a vehicle without a title. I eventually got it straightened out, but what a pain in the butt!
2. Even when converted to HEI ignition, a crusty old carbed big block is not the most practical choice for a daily driver. The bigger the hurry you're in, the less likely it is to want to start.
3. I would love to have another one of these trucks one day.

But it just wasn't quite the right fit for me -- I wanted something that cranked every time and got a little better mileage, since it was going to be my daily driver. So after making about a thousand phone calls to get a legal title, I sold it and turned my attention to my second favorite body style: 88-98. My best friend had a lowered, loud 89 shortwide when we were in high school, and I never got over it. Those shortbed, regular cab trucks are just tough looking. Plus, if I'm gonna get my feet wet working on my own stuff, what better motor than a 350? So I found this:





I gotta say, I'm enjoying it a ton, and I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time under the hood. Immediate plans include getting catback duals (a truck like this just has to sound right) and replacing valve stem seals -- I get the occasional puff of smoke when I give it gas, especially when going into reverse...not sure why that is, but I think it's gotta be the stem seals. Long term, I'd love to put on a pair of vortec heads (it's a 93 with new-style grille and mirrors), and an edelbrock performer multi-point efi kit. Of course, then I'd want to go ahead and rebuild the bottom end (it has 164k+ on it right now), and the tranny will need attention at that point, and of course, there's that open 3.08 diff that I'd love to replace with a posi 3.42 and disc brakes. I've got the imagination, now I only need the budget and the time, right? Anyway, thanks in advance for welcoming a newcomer and I'll see you down the road.