how reliable are your trucks

[aggiedave98]

I've got an '89 Suburban that my friend's dad has since new. I've had it for 6 years. So far, I've rebuilt the tranny, the steering/suspension front/back, replaced a few of the sensors, fuel pump, AC blower, (AC was done about 8 years ago but is still r12), and a few other things. I'm going to rebuild the engine this fall.

I have had lots of problems getting stranded for different reasons (tranny blew up, fuel pump went out, etc.) but I'm making the arguement to my friend after replacing the engine, ignition, etc. I should have a reliable truck.

Am I being too optimistic? You guys have older trucks than me... after doing that kind of work, do you have reliable trucks?? Would you drive them cross country for example (or 10 hours let's say).

[Prerunner1982]

On my 82, after I replaced my 305 @170K with a thrown rod with a 350 and had the tranny rebuilt about a year before I drove my truck to CO and back (12hrs) and also to Santa Rosa and back (with U-haul trailer)... took about 16-17hrs once it was all said and done. My 87 GMC would more than likely make it, the trans is going to need rebuilt eventually, so it may only make it once.. but the engine runs well enough I would trust it to CO..

[Eyegore]

I'm not sure about my 86 c10, the front needs rebuilt before any cross country. I had an 86 sub 4x4, loved it, took it everywhere, long trips, camping pulling a tent trailer and hauling two families of 4. Compare the prices though of some of the things you replaced to a newer vehicle, i just had the fuel pump replaced on my 99 tahoe -$800.

[Slonaker]

My truck has never left me in the 5.5 years that I have had it. It HAS been a real money pit, though. The longest trip I have taken in it was about 5 hours each way. The only problem was that the driver's side wing window pivot broke at about 70 mph. I finally have most of the bugs worked out, but with the cost of gas, I think the days of taking it out of town are going away.

Slonaker

[beaterC10]

I drive my 86 GMC everday and use it as a work truck on the weekends. I have driven it on two trips of 6 hours roundtrip. I lost a head gasket earlier this year on the way to work and competed the trip to work and back home (30 miles total). The engine was a 4.3, so I had no remorse about driving it into the ground to avoid a tow.

I have since installed a newer 350, rebuilt the front suspension, and popped for a new set of front tires.

All I have owned since 92 are trucks of this era, except for the current truck all have had over 125K on the clock when I bought them. On average I get stranded 1 or 2 times per year. The 350 in my current truck also saw time in the two trucks previous to this one.

I would have to say these trucks are fairly reliable, easy to repair, and cheap enough to just throw away when they get rusty. My current truck has around 85K original miles, it's like driving a new truck compared to some of the previous machines.

[ElGracho]

I've been driving these trucks pretty much exclusively for the last 10 years. I've put 200k on my 84k10, 40k on a 87 R10, 50k on my 86 C1500 diesel and 10k or so on the rest combined. I've been stranded 3 times. Once a tranny blew up, once a starter went bad and once my needle and seat on my carb caused my truck to flood.

If you do proper maintenance and aren't driving around with completely worn parts, there is no reason these trucks would be unreliable.

[aggiedave98]

Thanks guys. Well, I forgot to mention I also replaced the starter and probably some other parts...

and I tell all my friends and my wife that I'm keeping this truck forever... and I honestly mean it... I mean I see here a '40's message board so I don't think it's unreasonable... or even if I say that a '67 is 22 years newer than my '89 that is almost forever for me (I'll be 52 then...).

But the real thing is I want to make it a vehicle that is reliable and people will drive in and not make fun of (that is why I put in my new rancho 9000's to improve the ride after my 3" lift and 32" BFG's a few years ago) etc.

I always make the arguement that even if I put in $1000k/year into it it makes a heck of a lot more sense than buying a new one and having it depreciate $5k/year.

So what I am really interested in is what problems have people gotten stranded for besides the things I'm replacing/have replaced (alternator/starter/engine/ignition/fuel pump/fuel regulator/???).

Thanks!

[cheyguy]

I've had my '80 for about 8 years, drive it to work and back everyday 90 miles round trip. It has only left me stranded once when the coil went out on it. Fortunetly I was only 2 block from my house. I do try to keep on top of my potential problems and get them fixed when I start to notice a problem, instead of waiting till it's to late.

[cliffsta]

Well, my dad's had my truck since he bought it new (1980) and he drove it for a living, its gotta have close to 200,000 on it (the speedo was AWOL for several years). He's done everything to it... fuel pump, rebuilt the card half a dozen times, all kinda issues with most everything other than internal engine or tranny, and we replaced the timing set in Jan. of 05. That ol' 305 is tired, and that TH350C slips going in reverse, but they both still pull, and get me to work (30 mile round trip) every day.

Now that its my truck, the longest trip I've made is 90 minutes one way, then 90 minutes back a few hours later. Done several hour hops up the interstate, but those are about as far as I've driven it.

Now as to how far I would feel SAFE driving it.... I think Baton Rouge (lil over 2 hours) or Shreveport (lil' over 2 hours) is the farthest I'd feel safe taking it... no further north because the hills start actually becoming well, hills. South because to get to B.R. you're crossing the Basin and I'd sweat bullets hoping not to like, throw a belt on that bridge. And its only like 18 miles long. To get to N.O. you're crossing one of the BIG bridges... no way I'd do that.

Not to mention that my frontend, too, could use a rebuild, the wind isn't nice to me on these bigger wheels/tires.

Now, once I build the 350 I've got planned out, and put a 700R4 behind it, and lower it 2/4 and put new coilsprings under it, yeah, I think I'm gonna roadtrip.

My ultimate, sincere, deepest goal is to have my truck finished in time next summer to take a cross-country road trip to see all my family scattered accross the good ol' U.S. of A. But I'm a realist and if I have doubts in the ability of my truck I won't do it.

So I guess I'd say that yes, you could expect a durable truck out of what you got, but I'd also say it depends on the shape of it from previous owners and how well it has been maintained. If it was treated rough / not well-maintained then you'd probably have to replace some more things to get it back to "durable".... just my .02 though.

[beaterC10]

Originally Posted by aggiedave98

Thanks guys. Well, I forgot to mention I also replaced the starter and probably some other parts...

So what I am really interested in is what problems have people gotten stranded for besides the things I'm replacing/have replaced (alternator/starter/engine/ignition/fuel pump/fuel regulator/???).

Thanks!

I've been stranded due to:

A dual tank truck that would not switch tanks - a little detail PO forgot to tell me about, failed coil, failed module, broken fuel pump lever, plugged fuel filter, engine fire from worn-out 305 calling it quits, and shot radiator.

[Malo83]

Bought my 83 Silverado new, and now 195,376 miles and 23 years later she still drives great , she's all original except for the paint (Primered), tranny has been rebuilt once,the engine is all intact, just the normal wear and tear replacements like the water pump,fuel pump,alternator and carb rebuild, she's my daily driver from day 1, I do all the routine maint. never left me stranded except when the battery gave up once but after a quick jump and new battery we were back running, yeah she's getting a little tired and future plans call for a suspension rebuild, freshen up the interior,paint and when the time comes a new crate engine, but for now I think I got my moneys worth and more.
John

[SB406]

I frequently take my '71 on 12 hr round trip weekend drives to my girl's parents place. No troubles. Regular maintainance & some basic tools/ spare parts under the seat. Never been stranded but Things are less stressful within 200miles of home cuz I've got AAA RV Plus meaning I get 'free' 200 mi. tows. Annually, I put about 15K miles on my P/U during the summer months and another 15K-20K on my Dodge Van including an anual trip to Florida, An anual spring trip to either NC or SD, and one x-crounty trip to Seattle/vancouver last year.
Preventative maintainance is the key.

[Captkaos]

aggiedave98 I have been following your truck for a while. I plan on putting a lift on mine also once I get the other project running.

I bought my '87 as my daily driver last year and had it about a month and drove it to Orlando from Birmingham, stopped long enough to get the motor loaded I purchased and got back in and drove home. It was 15 hours both ways. On the way down there one of the fuel pumps went out, but that was it. I drive it to work almost everyday, and I drive it on weekends to the lake which is about 90 miles one way.

Does it have problems, yes, but they are normal wear items that any vehicle will have problems with. So far it has never left me stranded.

From 1989 I drove my 1973 truck everywhere until 1993. This was wtih a 454 and M22 trans.
In 1993 I bought a "new" Sonoma. Kept it for 1 year sold it due to the payments (all the while the 1973 is drivin' for fun occasions)
1994 I bought a 1981 K10 and drove it daily until 1997 when I bought my Jeep.
Drove the TJ until 2005 when I sold it to buy another 73-87 and got this '87 R10.

Each new vehicle I have purchased new I could have used that money and had all my vehicles up to to notch dependability. When I sold the TJ last year I got my original downpayment back and I am putting it in my project truck.

[aggiedave98]

Originally Posted by cheyguy

I've had my '80 for about 8 years, drive it to work and back everyday 90 miles round trip. It has only left me stranded once when the coil went out on it. Fortunetly I was only 2 block from my house. I do try to keep on top of my potential problems and get them fixed when I start to notice a problem, instead of waiting till it's to late.

Do you have examples of potential problems that you're talking about?? I tend to ignore those types of things... Or just not know enough on diagnosis (even though I'm good at fixing).

[aggiedave98]

Originally Posted by Captkaos

aggiedave98 I have been following your truck for a while. I plan on putting a lift on mine also once I get the other project running.

I bought my '87 as my daily driver last year and had it about a month and drove it to Orlando from Birmingham, stopped long enough to get the motor loaded I purchased and got back in and drove home. It was 15 hours both ways. On the way down there one of the fuel pumps went out, but that was it. I drive it to work almost everyday, and I drive it on weekends to the lake which is about 90 miles one way.

Does it have problems, yes, but they are normal wear items that any vehicle will have problems with. So far it has never left me stranded.

From 1989 I drove my 1973 truck everywhere until 1993. This was wtih a 454 and M22 trans.
In 1993 I bought a "new" Sonoma. Kept it for 1 year sold it due to the payments (all the while the 1973 is drivin' for fun occasions)
1994 I bought a 1981 K10 and drove it daily until 1997 when I bought my Jeep.
Drove the TJ until 2005 when I sold it to buy another 73-87 and got this '87 R10.

Each new vehicle I have purchased new I could have used that money and had all my vehicles up to to notch dependability. When I sold the TJ last year I got my original downpayment back and I am putting it in my project truck.

Hey, glad to know you're following it... it's been a great learning experience for me and the board has been great to me. Let me know if you ever want info from mine (I even created an excel spreadsheet w/ all the items and costs for it).

[MidnightBlues]

I'am driving my '84 for 7 years now, and it just let me down twice in all those years. Don't forget these are old cars. I've driven a lot of old european/jap cars, and had much more trouble with those.
Chevy engines are almost indestructable (unless heavily modified). My old 305 had 180000 miles on it before I replaced it with the 350. I did the swap because I wanted more power, not because the engine was bad.
The only problem overhere ( due to the very rainy weather) is rust, but I renewed all the sheet metal, so this car can last another 20 years easely, and I'll never sell it.

[Captkaos]

Originally Posted by aggiedave98

Hey, glad to know you're following it... it's been a great learning experience for me and the board has been great to me. Let me know if you ever want info from mine (I even created an excel spreadsheet w/ all the items and costs for it).

I plan to get with you when I am ready to jump in. It will be going on my '91 Burb, which BTW, just started a new symptom of stalling when coming to a stop...

[79BIG10]

I've been stranded in my truck a few times. I have had it down in a pasture for 2 years. I've done so much to it with some things broke and replaced then others needing replaced before it happen to break. This is my daily driver so I have to keep it running as smooth as possible.

[Nolowrider]

I have had my 74 Stepper for close to 24 yrs now. It has never left me stranded. I didn't say that it has never broke down. Never ant major problems where it had to be towed. Mine is a weekend warrior. SO I don't put any major miles on it. The farthest I ever go from home is about 20 miles. But, I know that things will break so I try to stay on top of the regular maint. I am not on first name basis at Advanced Auto Parts for nothing.

[Russell]

My 80 GMC only stranded me once, and like mentioned earlier, that was a bad fuel tank switching valve. I crawled under, bypassed the switch to the full tank, then killed the battery cranking to get fuel back into the carb. Got a boost about 20 minutes later (had probally 30 - 40 cars drive right past while I held the booster cables out infront of me with my truck's hood open, but that is a different complaint) at which point she fired on the first crank.

My 74 was totally reliable, but I didn't have it very long... New owner drove it very hard, and it lasted almost a year till a lifter collapsed. The engine came out, but never went back in. Wound up getting parted out, and the rest of the husk is sitting at my place right now.

89 was the most unreliable peice of crap ever. That thing was nothing but trouble and spent more time in my shop getting fixed than it did on the road driving. I blew 2 engines, 3 transmissions, 2 fuel pumps, u-joints, and hunted down another half a million electrical glitches that kept it from running properly.

77 has been dead reliable, and I wouldn't hesistate to drive it across country tommorow

[chevyfan420]

my old 79 C10 had the spring pocket of the lower control break off when i went over a railway track. if i had a jack that went high enough, i coulda jacked it up and taken the spring out and drove home with my 4-ways on. its the only time in 8 years of driving ive been towed. like someone else said, preventitive maintance is very important. i check u joints, steer components, new leaks and what ever else i think of when im under doing oil changes

[ARAMP1]

Here's my $.02...

A vehicle is only as reliable as it's weekest link. These trucks are made extremly durable, but if you havent changed a radiator hose or belt in 12 years, you shouldn't be suprised if you end up stranded. I just took my truck on a cross country trip that was over 2000 miles with no problems. But, I keep up with routine maintenance.

[00StangGT]

Mine has been very reliable. In the 3 months I have had it, I have put just over 9000 miles on it. Many of the trips were 400 miles plus from eastern wyoming to Sioux Falls SD. My A/C puked on me and my heater core started to leak a little. My cruise also quit, but a little adjustmenyt on the brake pedal and it was fixed. It needs a new axle seals and uses about a quart of oil between changes. If you are any bit mechanically inclined (I am luckily) you can fix them really cheap b/c there are so many part companies and they are usually pretty cheap. I do know why chevy's are the longest lasting trucks on the road though, you can really afford to park the truck for a $50 part, so you end up rebuilding the whole truck about every ten years just peaice by piece as it breaks.

[aggiedave98]

One of the reasons I love the burb is easy to work on and cheap parts!! I can replace the alternator for $29 and 15 min or work, the AC fan blower for $12 and 18 minutes of work... you get the picture.

Thanks for all the replies. I wanted to trigger comments on the things I haven't thought of replacing (like the fuel pump before that went out...) as preventative stuff... or things like an O2 sensor, etc... electrical problems because the shielding came off a wire and it melted into a short in the engine compartment, etc... stuff I may be not thinking about replacing... I will do the radiator w/ the engine...

thanks again for the replies!!

Originally Posted by Captkaos

I plan to get with you when I am ready to jump in. It will be going on my '91 Burb, which BTW, just started a new symptom of stalling when coming to a stop...

Hopefully you don't have my problem....

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=205923

[cheyguy]

Originally Posted by aggiedave98

Do you have examples of potential problems that you're talking about?? I tend to ignore those types of things... Or just not know enough on diagnosis (even though I'm good at fixing).

Well for instance when I noticed the tranny slipping I had it replaced, replaced the carb when it begain to have a slight starting/flooding issue. Basicly as soon as I can I investigate anything that dosen't seem "normal". I try to routinely check fluids, plugs, voltage, ect. Now I'm getting ready to change the U-joints because they're starting to clunk. My truck has its original 305 with 170,000 so it dosen't get driven "hard" because there's really little to be gained by doing so. I just let her take her time getting up to speed when I hop on the interstate. I'm sure I've wasted money on parts that still had some life left, but that's preventive maintenance for ya!