Joe's First Ride - A Silverado Recovery [56k]

[Soylent Joe]

After over a year of looking, I've finally got a ride of my own.

2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 LS
Extended cab 4D
4.8L Vortec V8
201,000 miles

There are quite a few things that need to be done:

Complete cleaning, washing, and maybe waxing
Rim from tire in bed needs to be put on the spare which is installed (tire in bed is gashed or something)
Clear out the bed and the leaves above the engine bay
Tire rotation & alignment
Oil change
Deep clean the seats with upholstery cleaner and the wet & dry vac
Rear bumper fixed up
Glue the "SL" sticker back on
Arm console repaired
Armor-all on the black accents above wheels, and all the dash stuff inside
Ugly-ass pinstripe which is flaking off needs to be removed & replaced with some good looking stuff
Toolbox padding needs to be removed
Tire pressure checked
New spare tire purchased (a cheap one)
See how much bed liners run



http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/2163/akita.jpg

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D:
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This was for a CB radio. I'll probably just wrap it up and hit it with a zip tie.
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/8582/numbat.jpg

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Any idea what the selector circled is called or does? It makes the radio sound a little different, but I don't know what it's doing.
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/9563/pelican.jpg


Yes, all I did today was nitpick and take it around the neighborhood. It was too cool and I had some homework calling, so I didn't mess with anything.

I'm going to keep this thread updated with changes. Hopefully it'll be all in order within a few months time.

[MT Alex]

Very nice first truck(toast)
I imagine you will have that baby spotless in no time:D

[JC316]

After over a year of looking, I've finally got a ride of my own.

There are quite a few things that need to be done:

Complete cleaning, washing, and maybe waxing
Rim from tire in bed needs to be put on the spare which is installed (tire in bed is gashed or something)
Clear out the bed and the leaves above the engine bay
Tire rotation & alignment
Oil change
Deep clean the seats with upholstery cleaner and the wet & dry vac
Rear bumper fixed up
Glue the "SL" sticker back on
Arm console repaired
Armor-all on the black accents above wheels, and all the dash stuff inside
Ugly-ass pinstripe which is flaking off needs to be removed & replaced with some good looking stuff
Toolbox padding needs to be removed
Tire pressure checked
New spare tire purchased (a cheap one)
See how much bed liners run



Yes, all I did today was nitpick and take it around the neighborhood. It was too cool and I had some homework calling, so I didn't mess with anything.

I'm going to keep this thread updated with changes. Hopefully it'll be all in order within a few months time.

It's not as bad as I was imagining, that will be easy to make nice. The front drivers floor board is going to be tough to clean, you are going to need more than a spray cleaner. Best thing would be to rent a steam cleaner for it, otherwise get a rag and some soapy water, then use the wet dry vac to clean it out. You can follow up with some spray can stuff.

The seats will clean up nicely. If there are any stains on it, get some stuff called "Blue Magic". You can find it at most auto parts stores. http://bluemagicusa.com/index.php/blue_magic/products/89/carpet_stain_and_spot_lifter_22_oz/

The bumper is likely going to prove difficult, it's probably bent the mounting hardware.

Don't bother with armor all on the outer plastic trim, it won't do jack. Instead get some Tire Foam, make sure it's the spray on stuff that foams up, it will bring the black out in it like nothing else.

The little slider bar is a loudness and built in EQ. I usually flick it all the way up. Think of it like a bass boost.

[Soylent Joe]

It's not as bad as I was imagining, that will be easy to make nice. The front drivers floor board is going to be tough to clean, you are going to need more than a spray cleaner. Best thing would be to rent a steam cleaner for it, otherwise get a rag and some soapy water, then use the wet dry vac to clean it out. You can follow up with some spray can stuff.

The seats will clean up nicely. If there are any stains on it, get some stuff called "Blue Magic". You can find it at most auto parts stores. http://bluemagicusa.com/index.php/blue_magic/products/89/carpet_stain_and_spot_lifter_22_oz/

The bumper is likely going to prove difficult, it's probably bent the mounting hardware.

Don't bother with armor all on the outer plastic trim, it won't do jack. Instead get some Tire Foam, make sure it's the spray on stuff that foams up, it will bring the black out in it like nothing else.

The little slider bar is a loudness and built in EQ. I usually flick it all the way up. Think of it like a bass boost.

So how do you suggest I get the bumper fixed? Just carry it to the body shop and get an estimate? I bounced up and down on it and tried pulling up and it was going nowhere. I doubt it could be fixed here at home.

[JC316]

So how do you suggest I get the bumper fixed? Just carry it to the body shop and get an estimate? I bounced up and down on it and tried pulling up and it was going nowhere. I doubt it could be fixed here at home.

It's likely going to be body shop only. Crawl under it and see if it's bent where it attaches to the frame.

[Soylent Joe]

It's likely going to be body shop only. Crawl under it and see if it's bent where it attaches to the frame.

Alright I'll do that tomorrow. For putting that oddball tire on the proper rim, that will happen at a tire shop right?

I'm making up a list of all of the things that can be done here, and things that will have to be done elsewhere.

[JC316]

Alright I'll do that tomorrow. For putting that oddball tire on the proper rim, that will happen at a tire shop right?

I'm making up a list of all of the things that can be done here, and things that will have to be done elsewhere.

Yeah. Check around for used tires, they are usually MUCH cheaper than a new one.

[Soylent Joe]

Yeah. Check around for used tires, they are usually MUCH cheaper than a new one.

That's what I was planning on. Find a cheap used tire to stick under the bottom as the spare.

The spare on the front left seems to be just as good (tread-wise) as the rest so it can probably stay, it just needs the good rim.

[Reventon]

Needs a little work but I like it :). I'd love to have an '02 Silverado like that.

[DaMulta]

You can get new carpet for about 100USD off of Ebay. Me, and my dad replaced his in his Tahoe it was easy easy to do.

[Wile E]

What is GM's obsession with making engine bays retardedly cramped for the size of vehicle it's in?

[JC316]

What is GM's obsession with making engine bays retardedly cramped for the size of vehicle it's in?

Dear God +1!!!

I cussed a 3.8L camaro for all I was worth, I can only imagine a 5.7L. 4.3L blazer? Spark plug change is roughly 3 hours. N* Cadillac? Don't even get me started, there isn't even enough room to get a ratchet on the belt tensioner!!!
What happened to these days? 88 Silverado 5.7L

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs184.snc1/6160_95957097886_528987886_2154548_5641906_n.jpg

[Wile E]

I had a 3.1L Beretta and you had to unbolt the engine mounts to change spark plugs on it.

I just don't get it man. Makes no sense whatsoever.

[de.das.dude]

congrts on your first ride :thumbs up:

[Soylent Joe]

Spent a few hours on it this evening vacuuming out the interior floors & seats and some junk from the bed. I also got the toolbox padding off which was a p.i.t.a.

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The front carpets still need a deep cleaning, but I think the back floor and back seat is fine, and the front seats will be fine after some covers.

Plenty of stuff left to do. It'll get a good wash & wax tomorrow and most likely an oil change, tire rotation & alignment, and the proper rim will be put on the front right tire. Also got to clean out all of the hard surfaces inside the cab. So much filth.


Would plastic covers the same color & texture of the wheel hub pieces to run over the sides of the bed be an option? Do they even make such things? Holes are already present on the top of the sides, so the pieces could have prongs that snap into those holes. Here's a concept picture:
http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/3995/banksyconcept.jpg

[Reventon]

I had a 3.1L Beretta and you had to unbolt the engine mounts to change spark plugs on.

I just don't get it man. Makes no sense whatsoever.

LMAO like in my Firebird's 3.1

[1Kurgan1]

Eh, everythings packed in every car so tight now days. I been use to working on that kinda crap, will be nice to work on my 350 now, if I get tired I can just crawl on either valve cover, close the hood and take a nap, probably room for 2 under there...

[Soylent Joe]

Put 5.5 more hours into it today. Total completion on what I can do is at about 75%

The seats need a deep cleaning, so a carpet cleaner may need to be rented. Tomorrow it will go for an oil change and the tire work will be done on it. I'll change the air filter too. Then maybe wax it and apply Rain-X. I'll take some better pictures of it all finished up since these were taken by my pops and we got some better floor mats this evening.

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Joe hitting up the back glass :rolleyes: Stupid water left spots even though we dried it off :mad:
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Props to JC316 for recommended the foam polish for the black pieces. It bought the black right on out (toast)
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Cleaning out that bed was a chore. There was some caked on baked on grime back there 3/4" thick
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This actually looks 2x better now because we used foam polish on everything black. I'll take a better picture tomorrow.
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Pictures of the mounting hardware for the bent bumper:
http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/1962/kbackbumper.jpg

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/1584/kbackbumper2.jpg

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/7262/kbackbumper3.jpg

Are these two things (proper word escapes me) aftermarket? If so why would they be put on there?
http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/1051/whatisthis2w.jpg

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/5393/whatisthisl.jpg

[JC316]

Put 5.5 more hours into it today. Total completion on what I can do is at about 75%

The seats need a deep cleaning, so a carpet cleaner may need to be rented. Tomorrow it will go for an oil change and the tire work will be done on it. I'll change the air filter too. Then maybe wax it and apply Rain-X. I'll take some better pictures of it all finished up since these were taken by my pops and we got some better floor mats this evening.


Joe hitting up the back glass :rolleyes: Stupid water left spots even though we dried it off :mad:


Props to JC316 for recommended the foam polish for the black pieces. It bought the black right on out (toast)

Cleaning out that bed was a chore. There was some caked on baked on grime back there 3/4" thick


This actually looks 2x better now because we used foam polish on everything black. I'll take a better picture tomorrow.



Pictures of the mounting hardware for the bent bumper:


Are these two things (proper word escapes me) aftermarket? If so why would they be put on there?


Wow, looks 100% better, I am impressed. Told you the foam would do a number on those pieces. The aftermarket things are shock absorbers. They are usually put on the change the ride firmness or lift the truck some.

[driver66]

To straiten the back bumper you will need to look ate these 864 IF the big bracket is not bent, you may need to elongate the bolt holes. (toast)

[Wile E]

Meh, just get rid of the rear bumper altogether, and put a roll pan on it.

[Soylent Joe]

To straiten the back bumper you will need to look ate these 864 IF the big bracket is not bent, you may need to elongate the bolt holes. (toast)

I'll need to compare them to the ones on my dad's truck to see if they're actually bent or not.

Meh, just get rid of the rear bumper altogether, and put a roll pan on it.

I prefer to have a step to get up into the back, and it looks like roll pans are just a downward extension of the tailgate.

[DaMulta]

You could always get yourself a big as iron tube bumper. :P So if someone nails you....they pay not you when it comes to damage lol.

[Reventon]

Damn, Joe. Looks so much better already! Very clean, I'm jealous :).

[Soylent Joe]

Damn, Joe. Looks so much better already! Very clean, I'm jealous :).

Thanks bro. I'll take some better pictures tomorrow since we waxed it and did some further detailing today. The neighbor came over so I couldn't get any shots.

[Reventon]

Sounds good. Btw your avatar makes me lol. Lol.

[Soylent Joe]

Appearance won't change much from here except for the bumper, tire, & possibly the carpet/seats. I drove it to school for the first time today, it ran very well. The length of it got on my nerves though, it takes forever to park.

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[JC316]

Appearance won't change much from here except for the bumper, tire, & possibly the carpet/seats. I drove it to school for the first time today, it ran very well. The length of it got on my nerves though, it takes forever to park.


Very nice. The seats look pretty good. You will get used to parking it. My dad can park his Dodge ram 1500 extended cab in one try. He knows the length of the front end down to the last inch.

[yogurt_21]

yeah soon parking will be like butter, though finding spots that it fits in in compact parking lots will always bee annoying. my truck is a little longer than yours so not too different, but the 4 door trucks with the 8' bed, now that's a 2 spot park job no matter what. lol

[Reventon]

Lol crew cab long beds must be a bitch to park. Especially duallies.

[Fourstaff]

Nice truck you got there, it looks like its worth as much again after the cleanup.

[DaMulta]

Lol crew cab long beds must be a bitch to park. Especially duallies.

Only for girly men!



Nice truck again(if I didn't say it the first time), and I bet your in loves with it:)(hope so).

[Reventon]

Only for girly men!



Nice truck again(if I didn't say it the first time), and I bet your in loves with it:)(hope so).

Well considering I've never driven a crew cab long bed dually, it's probably hard for me. Though I'm sure I could learn it in no time.

[Jakl]

Well considering I've never driven a crew cab long bed dually, it's probably hard for me. Though I'm sure I could learn it in no time.

Its all about the driver. Good Driver = Can Park Anywhere.
It takes practice . I got a 4 Door Crew Cab, Long Bed. Sometimes it takes one backup to reposition yourself. It aint hard and takes another couple seconds of ur life



Also
+1 Nice truck dude , I just bought myself my first new/used truck from GM. I'm lovin it

[Reventon]

I'm a good driver, I'm sure I wouldn't have much of a problem. Like I said I would just need to do it a few times and I'd be good.

[JC316]

Its all about the driver. Good Driver = Can Park Anywhere.
It takes practice . I got a 4 Door Crew Cab, Long Bed. Sometimes it takes one backup to reposition yourself. It aint hard and takes another couple seconds of ur life



Also
+1 Nice truck dude , I just bought myself my first new/used truck from GM. I'm lovin it


Depends on the lot too. There are some parking lots that it's impossible to park anything bigger than a Crown Victoria in without at least two spaces to swing into.

My local best buy is one of those, I can BARELY get my F-150 regular cab in.

[Reventon]

Depends on the lot too. There are some parking lots that it's impossible to park anything bigger than a Crown Victoria in without at least two spaces to swing into.

My local best buy is one of those, I can BARELY get my F-150 regular cab in.

Yeah most definitely. Parking at Applebee's down the street = hard, parking at the sports complex down the road = easy

[Soylent Joe]

Got the oil changed and wheel work done today. The matching tire that was off turned out to actually be good (holy, but patched) and they said it should hold. They also chucked an estimate of like $1200 at us for brakes. Turns out the e-brake doesn't hold at all, and that the pads are almost worn down. But, we're most likely just going to get the materials and let the neighbor take care of it.

[yogurt_21]

Got the oil changed and wheel work done today. The matching tire that was off turned out to actually be good (holy, but patched) and they said it should hold. They also chucked an estimate of like $1200 at us for brakes. Turns out the e-brake doesn't hold at all, and that the pads are almost worn down. But, we're most likely just going to get the materials and let the neighbor take care of it.

no kidding, for 1200$ you could get a whole new brake system!

[JC316]

Got the oil changed and wheel work done today. The matching tire that was off turned out to actually be good (holy, but patched) and they said it should hold. They also chucked an estimate of like $1200 at us for brakes. Turns out the e-brake doesn't hold at all, and that the pads are almost worn down. But, we're most likely just going to get the materials and let the neighbor take care of it.


Yeah, $1200 is insane. I could change all of the rotors, all of the pads, all of the lines, and all of the ABS wheel sensors for less than that.

[Soylent Joe]

Turns out the tube you stick the tool into to let down the jack to put the spare back underneath the truck is bent, because of the bent bumper. That means that the spare won't be going back underneath until we get the new brackets.

We also took out the center console to work on. The latch isn't releasing and a hinge on the back is split because of some broken plastic. It's going to be hard to fix.

[yogurt_21]

Turns out the tube you stick the tool into to let down the jack to put the spare back underneath the truck is bent, because of the bent bumper. That means that the spare won't be going back underneath until we get the new brackets.

We also took out the center console to work on. The latch isn't releasing and a hinge on the back is split because of some broken plastic. It's going to be hard to fix.

fortunate to figure that out now, My dad had that happen on his truck and discovered it last week when he went to change a flat. took him an hour to get the spare out.

[Soylent Joe]

So up in middle Georgia this weekend I picked up some bumper brackets and a bed liner with the covers for the sides of the bed, from a nice junkyard all for $75. Plus my pappy gave me a toolbox for Christmas. I'll take some pictures of it after I get the bumper back on and give it a wash from the trip. It looks a lot better with the box on there.

[Wile E]

All I want to know is, when does it get stroked to 427 and a blower thrown on it?

[1Kurgan1]

The 4.8l is the wrong LSx to build. It's the only one not to build, the 5.3 and up are great. But I don't think you can stroke or bore the 4.8l much at all and I believe the heads are really limited. Would be better to swap another LSx into it, like a JY LQ4 then go from there.

[Wile E]

I don't care how he does it, just that he does.

[Soylent Joe]

Just sold it for $5,300, the man is gone to the bank to get the money for it right now.

Bought for $4,500 but total after repairs and additions is $5,229.17, leaving me with $70.83 pure profit.

Time to start looking for my next ride (▲)

[JC316]

Just sold it for $5,300, the man is gone to the bank to get the money for it right now.

Bought for $4,500 but total after repairs and additions is $5,229.17, leaving me with $70.83 pure profit.

Time to start looking for my next ride (▲)

Congrats.

[Fourstaff]

Just sold it for $5,300, the man is gone to the bank to get the money for it right now.

Bought for $4,500 but total after repairs and additions is $5,229.17, leaving me with $70.83 pure profit.

Time to start looking for my next ride (▲)

Have you factored in the time you spent? Well, as long as you are happy, its good :)

[JC316]

Have you factored in the time you spent? Well, as long as you are happy, its good :)

Can't factor in time unless you do it professionally.

[Soylent Joe]

Have you factored in the time you spent? Well, as long as you are happy, its good :)

Yeah, me and my dad put in a total of about 18 hours on it. But, as JC said, our time is basically worthless.

I would have hoped to get a lot more for it, it was sitting down there for $6,100. But, this was the highest offer we've received, most have been for $5,000 or less.

Should be able to get something less elaborate for the refunded $4,500, then maybe get a nice video camera with the other $800 plus my money :D