I'm one of you guys now

[joe231]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

It seems the text in your post got scrambled somehow. I took the liberty of correcting it for everyone's benefit . . .....

yeah.....dunno what happened there must have a glitch in the forum

[joe231]

gonna quote my self here

Originally Posted by joe231

N2TRUX, your response brings another question to mind, were there Silverados with manual windows and locks?
this one has them and I'm wondering if the doors have been swapped?
is there a way to tell if it were originally a Silverado? it has the lights and badges....

any one have any input?

[spoon]

I have an '80 Silverado, manual windows and locks. He's got everything elso though... and yeah I call him a "he"!

[joe231]

you have the RPO sticker? does it show silverado with manual stuff.
my RPO sticker is gone bye-bye

[rod86]

my silverado has manual windows and locks too, got no evidence of ever having power in the doors an they havnt been swapped.

[spoon]

I'd have to look for the RPO sticker... where would that be located? Sorry.

Yeah the truck's got everything but power locks and windows. It's got the fancy dashboard/door panel trim, headliner, carpet, power steering, power brakes, A/C, wood bed, color matched dash/panels/carpet/seats and even two fuel tanks! Boy what I'd give for power windows and locks though!

[f.monroe]

These trucks were built back when you could still order one . That means that ther were a lot of options . Silverados got the full exterior trim package , interior trim package ,etc but things like tilt, A/C , cruise, v-8 , auto, power locks, tach dash , dual tanks, were all options. You could have ordered a truck with power locks but manual windows . I have personally had a 79 Silverado with manual brakes . My 78 Cheyenne , which is one step below a Silverado , was a non air truck because it was sold new in Oregon . I only wish we had the capability of ordering one the way we wanted these days .
Frank

[joe231]

wow, learn something new everyday on here!

the RPO sticker is supposed to be in the glove-box
I may be able to get a pair of power doors from a '85 truck for free,
I am debating whether or not i want to put the stuff in my '80.
one part of me wants one piece powered windows and power locks,
and another part of me wants to keep the manual stuff if it came on the truck (which i have no way of knowing for sure),
but it isn't like I'm gonna restore it to stock original anyway....
the more I talk and think about it, i want power stuff....
what do you guys think?

[TimE]

If you've got the dime to drop, go one piece power. That looks clean!!

[joe231]

hey Tim....you found me
i don't have the money now for one piece, but think i can get the power doors for free

[N2TRUX]

Frank nailed the answer dead on. You could go down a check list and decide what options you did or did not want.

[joe231]

thanks for the info guys
it is very much appreciated

[jonzcustomshop]

I am one of you guys too, I just don't tell anybody that!
between us my dad and I own 7 suburbans ,2 4wd pickups, 1 crewcab, and a wrecker that was my dads old truck.
The wrecker is one that I would like to replicate original someday(it is a little too rough to fix) It is a metallic green 73 3/4 ton 2wd long box, with a white roof , and a tan interior, and the best part, a factory 454!
It was what I was riding in in 1979 when I got my first street rodder magazine, which got me started down the whole custom car/ truck road...

[joe231]

i'll never tell

[TimE]

Originally Posted by joe231

hey Tim....you found me
i don't have the money now for one piece, but think i can get the power doors for free

I'm stalking your build Joe!

Free sounds like a good price to me.

I had a 76 about a year ago and couldn't find a good deal on power doors. I utimately decided it would be best to sell it so I could stay more focused on my '64 and '65. (Yea, right! Me stay focused on a project!?!?! Phew!)

Anyway, keep us posted on the progress!

[COMP]

cool ,,, love those wheels

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by jonzcustomshop

I am one of you guys too, I just don't tell anybody that!...

Is that like the old joke- "I tell my Mom I'm a piano player on a whore house so I don't have to tell her.....

[Dinos63]

hey joe nice square body, looks like a good start hows it run?

[joe231]

thanks Dino,
it runs good, believe it has a newer 305 in it. that'll have to change one of these days
i'm replacing front brake hoses and calipers today, the drivers side hose was bad and not letting the caliper release, so it jumped to the right when you hit the breaks
found out the wheel bearings on both sides were loose, looks like some one re-packed 'em and didn't get them tight enough.
i'm very excited about this truck, can't wait to slam it

[COMP]

Originally Posted by joe231

thanks Dino,
it runs good, believe it has a newer 305 in it. that'll have to change one of these days
i'm replacing front brake hoses and calipers today, the drivers side hose was bad and not letting the caliper release, so it jumped to the right when you hit the breaks
found out the wheel bearings on both sides were loose, looks like some one re-packed 'em and didn't get them tight enough.
i'm very excited about this truck, can't wait to slam it

how did you find the loose bearings ???

[andresco50]

Hey nice truck!!

[joe231]

Originally Posted by COMP

how did you find the loose bearings ???

I shook down the front end, felt some slop so I had my son wiggle the tire back and forth while I watched the steering and suspension components. you could see the wheel moving in relation to the spindle
also found a bad inner tie rod using the same procedure

Originally Posted by andresco50

Hey nice truck!!

Thanks!

[joe231]

so her is a little update,
the brakes were horrid as I have stated above, the driver's side caliper was hanging up and braking was a white knuckle affair
got new hoses, calipers and pads on the front, it is much nicer to drive now
here something else I found







while I was greasing the ball joints, I was having my son turn the wheels for me to make it easier to get to the joints, saw and heard the front bumper pop and move so I crawled under the truck and had him turn the wheels back and forth, i noticed the frame was twisting while the wheels were moving. the rivet that holds that cross member to the bottom of the frame had sheared and was allowing the frame to flex. the 2 parts of the rivet knocked out surprisingly easy. I put a grade 8 bolt in it, thinking about welding it so there is no chance of the bolt loosening and the frame moving around.
guess I will drive it for awhile and see how it does.

[joe231]

after I got the brakes all taken care of, we went to the car wash and cleaned her up a bit.
looks like the power steering had been leaking. it has a new pressure hose on it, but the frame and front suspension was filthy. I took care of that, just wish I would have done it before I worked on it
gonna have to rebuild the front end soon, so it will be clean for next time
anyway here are some pics of it after. This is my normal truck picture taking spot.
enjoy!!

[joe231]

few more









oh and Dino, these are just for you so you can see that big-ol' back window that is just screaming for a Chevy Only decal