Calling All Automobile Enthusiasts

[quicksilverva]

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

I have recently acquired my late grandfathers 1982 GMC Sierra K2500 from my uncle. Here is the caveat: it has not been started in close to 15 years, plus, according to my uncle, it was a diesel and was converted to gas.

 

I am wondering if I should spend the time and money restoring the truck to operating (and then some) condition.

 

 

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v727/quicksilverva/Engine_zps47f19987.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v727/quicksilverva/Rear_zps7e296b09.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v727/quicksilverva/Front_zps2b46f4ff.jpg

 

 

[Vagrant0]

I don't think the Sierra was something iconic or is something popular among collectors or enthusiasts. So then the important question is what exactly you are looking to get from all this?

[quicksilverva]

The Sierra was never as iconic as the Silverado is, or was. But like I had said earlier, it belonged to my late grandfather who passed away this past Tuesday. I pretty much grew up riding around my hometown and in the mountains of Virginia in that truck, and to be honest, I don't want to see it leave the family. So I guess you can say that it has a lot of sentimental value to me, something I can pass down to one of my nieces or nephews, or possibly one of my children one day.

 

From what little I had the chance to look over the truck, there were some rust spots on the body, the interior seemed to be in decent shape, but most of the work looked to be centered around the mechanical and electrical aspects, from where it has been sitting for the past 13-14 years or so.

[Illiad86]

Probably be a bit expensive to re-do all that work on the engine if it's been sitting for that long. You would probably have to either rebuild the engine or get another engine. The tubing in there looks really good for sitting for that long at least. Re-wiring it will be kind of expensive, but not nearly as expensive if you wanted to get today's cars done.

 

Parts would be easy to find at a local scrapyard. Possibly could even find good body panels there too. Pretty sure most auto part shops still carry alot of parts for it...but I haven't been to an Auto Zone since we had to buy a clutch for our 1990 Festiva..and that was a million years ago now it seems :P Pretty sure though, I see a lot of early to mid 80s trucks still chugging along around here.

[quicksilverva]

Probably be a bit expensive to re-do all that work on the engine if it's been sitting for that long. You would probably have to either rebuild the engine or get another engine. The tubing in there looks really good for sitting for that long at least. Re-wiring it will be kind of expensive, but not nearly as expensive if you wanted to get today's cars done.

 

Parts would be easy to find at a local scrapyard. Possibly could even find good body panels there too. Pretty sure most auto part shops still carry a lot of parts for it...but I haven't been to an Auto Zone since we had to buy a clutch for our 1990 Festiva..and that was a million years ago now it seems :tongue: Pretty sure though, I see a lot of early to mid 80s trucks still chugging along around here.

 

I would LOVE to drop a Duramax mated to an Allison into it :D

 

I can dream, right? lol. I had already planned to put a new engine into it, since I have no idea what is wrong with the engine, if anything (my uncle doesn't even know why it was parked). Wiring probably would be an issue. The OE harness is for a diesel, and I do not think that it will work all that great with a gasoline engine, if the harness is in good shape. Not many junk/scrapyards where the truck is currently at, so I may have to get the rust spots bondo'd.

 

As for parts, if a part store doesn't have what I am looking for, I'm pretty sure Summit Racing, JEGS, JC Whitney, Year One, etc, would have it.

[Shadowspade]

All of the fluids are bad. You'll probably have to get new gas tank and lines, if gas was left in them. All of your hoses are gonna be dry rotted, all of your gaskets are going to be bad. It would be much easier to drop a new motor in it. And most of the new motors you can find the wiring harnesses for them. It's going to be expensive, but if it has sentimental value, it would be worth it. If you wanted to go an easier route, buy a carburated crate motor. They usually have less sensors so the wiring harnesses aren't as complicated. And a lot of the crate motors, you can buy fuel rails for them and turn them into Electronically Fuel Injected. It'll cost you a couple thousand, but if the body is in great shape and it's sentimental, I'd say do it.