Cost of a full tune-up ?

[Julian Rorick]

Im buying a 69 i wanna drive it home its know my understanding its not such a good idea but i dont think the pathfinder has the power to pull the old truck up and down all them hills beetween here and williums lake its actually further then that but anyways i was wondering if i could get to williums lake what might it cost to have a full tune up like all the fluids changed brakes tires battery what ever might make it run safe just a rough estmate would be greatly apreated thnx.

[Long Knight]

Julian,
How mechanically inclined are you, because that will make a HUGE difference. Tire will run around $100 each by the time you get them mounted and they charge you for all that stuff that doesn't make sense. Plugs, wires, points (yuck:ask later), oil and radiator fluid change, Tranny fluid change (if you want), lube job, ...I think that about covers it...will run $200 if you do it yourself. It wouldn't surprise me if it cost $600 for a shop to do all of this stuff. Oh, and throw in a new cap a rotor. Keep in mind that most shops like to work on old vehicles less and less, and some don't even know how unless they have an older mechanic. Prices are USD, could vary slightly depending on quality of product desired. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Happy trails!

Ro

[Randy70C-10]

Please don't take this wrong, but if you're about to buy anything built before the 70's, you should be able to do all of the above with the exception of the tire change.

[Long Knight]

You have a good point Randy. I'm hoping that Julian is able to do it all himself, but maybe hasn't done it before. Not everyone was as fortunate as me to never own a car newer than the 1970's. LOL

[Julian Rorick]

To be honest iv never realy worked on any car/truck before but i have a great intrest to learn, im thinking im gonna buy all the parts here at home and bring them to the truck which is out in a remote area nexed door to our summer cabin about 500 miles from here i know a few naibors that could help me and if I had to theres a shop about a half hour away but that would be more over priced then any where else but the good thing is my naibors never have anything to do and would be more then happy to help me im gonna buy the book on maintenace/repair for the year it is. do you think i could do the work based on that?

[Long Knight]

You came to the right place. The main thing is that you are determined to try. That's actually the second thing. The first thing is to buy the truck as soon as you can if it is actually as cheap as you say it is. Next, tune up stuff is a piece of cake. The hardest part is going to be...well, nothing is that hard. If you know what a wrench and rachet are, it's just following procedure from there.

Oh, I almost forgot: Water hoses, and don't forget the clamps.

Make sure you take a camera (preferably digital so we can see it soon after) because something will happen that is worth capturing on film. Besides, we're always up for a good laugh!

[71-longbed]

theres no better time than the present to learn more about engines.... in your case i'd buy a cheapy service manual like chilton or haynes(even though there worthless)... or spend alittle more and get the factory re print manual from www.chevyduty.com or lmc truck.com and do it all yourself .... you'll save a bundle and learn more about your truck

hope this points you in the right direction

[71-longbed]

rough estimate

plugs = 16 - 20 bucks
plug wires = 20 - 25
cap = 10
rotor = 8 - 10
points = 10 -15

motor, tranny, coolant,brake and power steering( if needed) fluid = 30 - 40

[Slammed67]

Other things that you might need.......

a case of your favorite beer

Band-Aids

fire extinguisher

oil-dry (or cheap kitty litter)

...... and a lot of patience!

Have fun