New forum member

[RustyPile]

Hi folks.. I just joined this site and would like to introduce myself.. Although I'm a new guy here, I'm not a "new guy". I'm a 74 year old retired automobile mechanic, having worked in the field some 35 years. My recently purchased '83 GMC Sierra Classic 1500 is just one of a long line of GM square bodies I've owned beginning with a 75 Silverado I purchased in 1977.. I've just about taken care of all the minor problems the '83 had when I bought it.. It originally came with a 305 4BBL, but some previous owner replaced that with a much stouter 350 crate engine.. They also installed an aftermarket aluminum dual plane intake and Holley 600 cfm carburetor.. As for as drivability, the truck starts, stops, and generally goes down the road just fine, but it does have a couple troublesome issues. This truck is destined to be my daily driver, so I'm being very particular with the repairs and upgrades.. The temperature gauge is bad and I'm having trouble locating a replacement gauge -- reproduction or "otherwise".. But that's a subject I'll be addressing in a thread I'll be starting in the tech forum..

I live in Elkhart, a small country town in East Texas.. This area of the state is sparsely populated with the nearest "big city" being some 70 miles away.. Needless to say, parts acquisition is a bit challenging but not impossible.. I'll do my best to keep everyone posted as to my progress with this old truck..

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[74 Shortbed]

Welcome to the site, nice clean truck..

 

[animal]

 

[Lil'm]

Looks like a gem.

 

[Charlie]

Welcome brother TEXAN!!!

 

[78C10BigTen]

Your truck is in great shape, i love how texas treats old squares. Up here in pa were lucky to find one with half a body left.

 

[Honky Kong jr]

Welcome to the site. Nice truck

 

[WFO]

Welcome from up in the Panhandle.

 

[shiftpro]

So you don't intimately know about icy roads no doubt...

I'm commenting on the lack of rust. Nice truck sir.

 

[ajd89]

Welcome nice looking old square you've got!

 

[RustyPile]

Thanks guys, for the welcome.. Pictures can sometimes be deceiving. The truck has a few minor dents and the paint is wearing thin in a few places. The paint is original and the truck is almost rust free.. This part of the state is famous for it's old rust free vehicles, but our 100* plus summers reek havoc on the plastic pieces. This old Sierra Classic is loaded with options -- power steering, tilt wheel, power door locks and windows, full gauge instrumentation, AM/FM with four speaker sound system, dual fuel tanks, and cruise control.. Almost everything works.. At some point in the past, the main fuel tank and some of the cruise control components were removed.. Overall, the truck is in very good condition. It's destined to be my daily driver, so my emphasis will be on making it totally dependable..

 

[seabee]

Welcome on board.

 

[Old77]