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97 Silverado v8 Vortec 313k miles $1700 .. Deal or no Deal?

Some dealership around the corner is selling a 97 Silverado V8 with Flowmaster installed

I'm looking for a V8 as a project truck and 2cd car. Body is perfect condition, though the chassis, springs and manifold look like they have a lot of surface rust. I showed the truck to mulfler guy and he said it looked solid and not to worry about the rust.

It has manual windows, vinyl floor and vinyl door panels. Doors need to be adjusted a bit as they are not lining up right.

I drove the truck and sounds like a v8 dream, the engine is very clean. From the gate, it's seemed very slugish for a V8, it did not respond like I would have hoped, but after a little got moving realy good.

Owner is only asking for $1700 and will drop to $1500. Keeping in mind this truck already has a flowmaster ($400 installed value) It's plain white, which is fine since I'm planning to custom paint it anyways. Tires and rims are not in good shape, which is fine, since I was hoping to replace them anyways.

Now here's the kicker.. 320k miles on it... I have the VIN, but have not checked it yet. I don't know if the engine has all those miles, but it looks awfully clean to.

Should I worry about the sluggisness when I hit the gas? the engine did not stall or shake in any way. What could this be? Any chance responsiveness issues are due to fuel injection tweaking to save gas. I don't care about Gas consumption on this truck?

Should I worry about rust on the chassis? Again the body is very clean.

I've looked around, and all V8s from that year are going for 3k+ and in most cases I'm paying for a paint job and rims I really plan to toss and/or I would have to install Flow master for about $400+ tax.

Mostly, the truck will be sitting in my driveway for hobbie and light weekend work. I want it too look and and sound like a bad ass chevy, but don't need it to be fast for racing or anything like that. But I did expect a V8 to move like a V8.

Since I'm thinking of painting this truck and removing the bed liner. I going from Stock white to likely Red and black stripes. Anything to consider? What can I expect to pay for a decent paint job and how long will it last? Will they need to do any kind of stripping, priming, etc? I am almost tempted to go with a Rat Rod spay can job I can maintain myself rather than pay $2000 for a paint job that might not last more than 3 years. I know that's crazy.

And Finally, just curious, if I flow master a V6 Vortec will it sound anything like the V8 does?

Thanks for any help or information!!

Reply to
jc
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By the way, any chance that sluggishness when I hit the gas is transmission related. It's an automatic transmission. BTW, no burning or leaking of oil. Not the original owner so I don't know anything about the history on the truck. Looks clean, sounds great.. just kinda sluggish at go.

Reply to
jc

A dealer wouldnt say it has 300,000 miles on it unless they had too. Anything can be wrong with this truck. It should be sluggish at 300,000 miles. Id offer $500 for it. Then leave. If they call back in a month or so , Go get it.

Reply to
None4U

If you rebuild the Vortec, there is a good chance you will loose the heads to cracks. There are a LOT of Vortec engines around that need heads.

Sluggish is not unusual for an engine with this many miles. It's probable past due for a rebuild. Only a compression check could clarify if it's the original. If not, you would need a good mechanic to make sure the Vortec heads have not already been replaced with cheaper 350 heads. I'm told replacing the Vortec heads alone will add about $700 to the cost of a rebuild, and most people opt for cheaper replacements.

No, a V-6 will not sound anything like a V-8 even with a Flowmaster. Frankly I would keep stock exhaust on a V-6 simply because of the sound.

White is a good color choice though. I have a white 74 Silverado 1/2 ton, and a white 95 Cheyenne 3/4 I use for my business. Between the two I have replaced a right door, right front fender and two hoods, and been able to do so with out painting anything. Any other color would be hard to find, seems they always have every color except yours, and white. I didn't plan it that way, just like white trucks and got lucky.

You might want to look it over real good too. It also doesn't sound like a real Silverado. I haven't seen one with plastic floor mats, or without power window, at least made it the 90s or 00s. But I guess anything's possible.

Reply to
Tim

Buy It!

Reply to
K Man

Hi!

The 4.3L V6 does have a nice bark to it when the exhaust falls off. :-)

The only thing I have against it is that it shows everything. Otherwise, I agree completely. There never seem to be any of the color you need.

My current truck is a pewter metallic '03 S-10. There are so many on the road in that color. It'll be interesting to see what I find if I ever need a door or body panel.

It could be. By that point I think all the other names for Chevy pickups had died out...all of the Custom Deluxe, Cheyenne, Scottsdale, etc were gone as far as I know. The only other truck offered around that time frame was the W/T, and it was stripped down with a rubber floor and no power goodies.

I'll bet this truck was ordered that way on purpose.

William

Reply to
William R. Walsh

Hi!

The only thing I find bothersome about this truck is the mileage. They *can* go that far if taken care of. (I've got an '89 Buick Electra that's inching closer to 300,000 miles on its original, unrebuilt engine. It looks rough but runs and drives perfectly.)

"Project truck" or "project vehicle" usually ends up meaning "money pit". You're likely to spend more than you expect in bringing this truck up to speed.

There might be a reason why the doors aren't lining up right. This doesn't usually just happen. The hinges may be saggy and bad.

It could probably use a tuneup. Plugs, wires, fuel filter...those kinds of things.

I'd try to bid them lower, maybe even going so far as to point out the flaws. $1200? $1000? Those prices sound better to me.

Possibly not. I've got a '94 C1500 W/T whose chassis is rather rusty. Until a few months ago, the body was free of any rust and had only a few boo-boos in the metal. Now it's got a rust hole coming in the cab corner by the passenger's side door.

The 4.3L V6 has a nice loud bark when the muffler falls off. People did mistake it for a V8 when they heard it, and it was louder than you'd want when going down the highway. It would probably sound good with the exhaust system you have planned. But it probably won't fool anyone when the exhaust system is in one piece.

William

Reply to
William R. Walsh

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