- Location
- United States
Okay, I would figure most of you are not chevy/gmc folks but I have a pretty nice one up for sale. Need some dough to finish a K20 project and get into an FJ60. Asking $5500 obo. Located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Supposed to be on Craigslist but I wanted to list it here too. Maybe we can workout a mud discount!
The Short Version: Up for sale is a 1986 GMC High Sierra C1500 ½ ton Pickup with 50,960 original miles. It has been upgraded to a 400 small block Chevrolet engine and a number of other improvements under the hood.
The Good: Low miles, clean rust free SWB truck, Fresh Strong Motor, AC, original unmolested interior, posi traction
The Not So Good: Some Flaking Paint, Cracked Dash Pad, Cooling issues at idle with AC.
View Pictures Here – Slideshow of 1986 GMC C1500 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
View Video Here - 1986 GMC C1500 SWB 400SBC
History: I purchased this truck 5 years or so ago and it is the first vehicle I purchased solely with my own money. I had wanted this type of truck for some time and could not pass up a bone stock super clean 28,000 mile truck. The tires were a bit small and cracking so I put on the BFG long trails that are on it now. I drove it for roughly 20k miles with the original 4.3L V6. I had plenty of power to get plywood but not much for towing a bass boat. During that time the truck proved to me that the mileage was accurate. First thing was that the distributor mechanical advance was stuck from jelled oil. I figured that came from the truck sitting for a long time. The second item was the muffler. It fell off (luckily close to home) which to me it was a sign of short driving trips where the moisture in the exhaust was not evaporated by fully hot engine exhaust. I installed a used flowmaster muffler and de-smogged the vehicle.
A few years back I purchased a 79 K20 4X4 Chevy and after fully rebuilding the 400 sbc in it I decided to install a 4bt Cummins in the truck. This left the 400 sbc waiting for a good home. The 4.3l went to a guy in California to make room for the transplant.
Interior: The interior is completely original except for the addition of as Auto Meter mini tach and manual choke (see pics). It is a simple interior with a vinyl floor mat and a clothe bench seat. It has manual door locks and window hand cranks. The original am fm mono radio still looks and plays great through the center speaker. I never upgraded because I like the look of the dash. I would recommend a hidden stereo and installing speakers in the stereo speaker locations. As you can see from the pictures there is a crack in the dash. There is a faint stain in the bench seat. All gauges work properly and all lights work accept the courtesy light does not come on when the drivers door is opened ( I will try and fix this, should be easy).
Exterior: The truck is in good shape. It has normal dings and chips for it age. I have upgraded to an under the rail bed liner, stainless bed caps, and hide away tie down hooks. The bumper chrome is in great condition. I am not aware of any rust issues. I have been in or around the just about every piece of this truck. The paint still shines but it is flaking off in places. It leaves a charcoal gray primer showing. I have tried to touch it up in a few locations but duplicolor only sells a spray can for the lt blue metallic. I have not been able to store the truck inside and since I have taken ownership this problem has very slowly grown. A good wax every now and then and some shade from a carport would do wonders. See the pictures.
Under the hood has been blacked out including the under side of the hood. Some holes on the fire wall were filled in during the engine swap.
Mechanical: Now for the fun part. The truck is in super mechanical shape. Not only does it only have 50k miles on the truck as a whole but the engine is fresh and only has 3,000 miles on it. The 400 small block chevy was bored .040 over and the crank was ground 0.020 under by a local professional machine shop.
The engine was assembled with the following parts:
Stock rotating assembly
New oil Pump
Sealed Power Aluminum pistons
Clevite Bearings
Edelbrock Performer Cam and Lifters
Edelbrock double Roller Timing Chain and sprockets
Rebuilt cast iron stock heads with weep holes for the 400
Edelbrock Performer Intake
Edelbrock Thunder AVS 650 Manual Choke Carb
Edelbrock Finned Aluminum Valve Covers
Edelbrock Aluminum Timing Cover
Edelbrock Reverse rotation high output water pump
New 400 SBC Crank balancer
New flex plate
Rebuilt Power steering pump with new pulley
Rebuilt HEI distributer with Summit Racing rebuild kit
Power Master Chrome one wire 140 alternator
Early 90’s Camaro serpentine belt brackets and pulleys. Sand blasted and painted.
Mr. Gasket aluminum finned oil pan.
New fan clutch, reverse rotation fan and shroud.
New radiator for a 454 big block
Summit Racing Long tube ceramic coated headers
Custom fabricated dual exhaust assembled from aluminized tubing, mandrel bend sections and flow master side exit exhaust tubes.
Hushpower II Flowmaster stainless mufflers
The engine has run great. I can run it on 87 octane with no pings or detonation. It has plenty of low end torque. I have not had it on a dyno but some dyno simulation software I have rate the HP around 300 and the torque at 400 -425 ft lbs just off idle. The engine has plenty of grunt to pull my bass boat even with a 2.73 rear end. I did have an issue with fuel delivery. I originally installed a mechanical fuel pump but was having starting problems if I did not drive it for a few days. After troubleshooting I decided to go with electric instead and installed a Holley red top pump under the bed (see pic). About this same time the weather was getting hot and I started having vapor lock or sometimes called percolation issues (started seeing 10% ethanol on the gas pumps too). I ended up installing a heat insulator gasket from edelbrock under the carb and everything is great now.
Other Notables Mechanical upgrades: Completely reworked AC system converted to R 134 that includes a new compressor, accumulator, and orifice tube with custom made high and low pressure hoses to accommodate the new compressor location.
The Rest of the Drive Train: The trucks transmission is the turbo 400 that originally came in the truck. I replaced the vacuum modulator with and adjustable unit and have set it for smooth shifts at part throttle and slightly hard shifts under full throttle. I have not been into or worked on this transmission.
The rearend is the original GM 10 bolt with factor posi-traction. This works as supposed to and has helped me get up some slippery hills.
The brake system is in stock and works fine with no shimmies or shacks when stopping. I replaced the pads a few years back and had the rotors and drums turned down.
Electrical: The trucks electrical system is in good working order. I simplified the harness under the hood and deleted a number of items and hid the majority of the remaining wiring.
An Autometer tach was installed on the steering column. I am the most proud of that upgrade as it tuck in nice and neat and almost looks factory.
The fuel pump is run off of a relay and the keyed turn on wire is on a piggy back type clip in the fuse box. The tach power for lights has been done the same way
The original knock sensor computer is still under the dash behind the glove box but is not hooked up.
Operation: The truck is a great daily drive. It is not a show truck but I do get comments from time to time. In searching for a good truck like this I never found one with this few miles or in this kind of condition. Please note that I have opted to run this truck with a manual choke. I like to have control over this. My first car had one so I guess that is really why I like it. I have had this setup going through the winter and summer and it is really simple to use. In the winter I generally pumps the gas a few times.
Since I have gotten the AC back up and running I have been fighting a cooling issue at idle. Let me state first I have never allowed this motor to overheat and I am the only drive of this truck. I can drive the truck around in normal traffic with no issue. Temp stays low around 165 but if I sit in traffic or in line at a fast food place for a long time the temperature begins to creep up. I have not had to shut it down but it will go towards 210. I have tried a flex fan and 2 perma cool electric fans with no luck so I reinstalled the heavy duty fan clutch and fan. I did trim the fan shroud back. This needed to be done since the thicker aluminum radiator moved the fan shroud too close to the engine. There may be a simple fix for this. Please ask plenty of questions, I have tried to have full disclosure on this vehicle.
Supposed to be on Craigslist but I wanted to list it here too. Maybe we can workout a mud discount!
The Short Version: Up for sale is a 1986 GMC High Sierra C1500 ½ ton Pickup with 50,960 original miles. It has been upgraded to a 400 small block Chevrolet engine and a number of other improvements under the hood.
The Good: Low miles, clean rust free SWB truck, Fresh Strong Motor, AC, original unmolested interior, posi traction
The Not So Good: Some Flaking Paint, Cracked Dash Pad, Cooling issues at idle with AC.
View Pictures Here – Slideshow of 1986 GMC C1500 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
View Video Here - 1986 GMC C1500 SWB 400SBC
History: I purchased this truck 5 years or so ago and it is the first vehicle I purchased solely with my own money. I had wanted this type of truck for some time and could not pass up a bone stock super clean 28,000 mile truck. The tires were a bit small and cracking so I put on the BFG long trails that are on it now. I drove it for roughly 20k miles with the original 4.3L V6. I had plenty of power to get plywood but not much for towing a bass boat. During that time the truck proved to me that the mileage was accurate. First thing was that the distributor mechanical advance was stuck from jelled oil. I figured that came from the truck sitting for a long time. The second item was the muffler. It fell off (luckily close to home) which to me it was a sign of short driving trips where the moisture in the exhaust was not evaporated by fully hot engine exhaust. I installed a used flowmaster muffler and de-smogged the vehicle.
A few years back I purchased a 79 K20 4X4 Chevy and after fully rebuilding the 400 sbc in it I decided to install a 4bt Cummins in the truck. This left the 400 sbc waiting for a good home. The 4.3l went to a guy in California to make room for the transplant.
Interior: The interior is completely original except for the addition of as Auto Meter mini tach and manual choke (see pics). It is a simple interior with a vinyl floor mat and a clothe bench seat. It has manual door locks and window hand cranks. The original am fm mono radio still looks and plays great through the center speaker. I never upgraded because I like the look of the dash. I would recommend a hidden stereo and installing speakers in the stereo speaker locations. As you can see from the pictures there is a crack in the dash. There is a faint stain in the bench seat. All gauges work properly and all lights work accept the courtesy light does not come on when the drivers door is opened ( I will try and fix this, should be easy).
Exterior: The truck is in good shape. It has normal dings and chips for it age. I have upgraded to an under the rail bed liner, stainless bed caps, and hide away tie down hooks. The bumper chrome is in great condition. I am not aware of any rust issues. I have been in or around the just about every piece of this truck. The paint still shines but it is flaking off in places. It leaves a charcoal gray primer showing. I have tried to touch it up in a few locations but duplicolor only sells a spray can for the lt blue metallic. I have not been able to store the truck inside and since I have taken ownership this problem has very slowly grown. A good wax every now and then and some shade from a carport would do wonders. See the pictures.
Under the hood has been blacked out including the under side of the hood. Some holes on the fire wall were filled in during the engine swap.
Mechanical: Now for the fun part. The truck is in super mechanical shape. Not only does it only have 50k miles on the truck as a whole but the engine is fresh and only has 3,000 miles on it. The 400 small block chevy was bored .040 over and the crank was ground 0.020 under by a local professional machine shop.
The engine was assembled with the following parts:
Stock rotating assembly
New oil Pump
Sealed Power Aluminum pistons
Clevite Bearings
Edelbrock Performer Cam and Lifters
Edelbrock double Roller Timing Chain and sprockets
Rebuilt cast iron stock heads with weep holes for the 400
Edelbrock Performer Intake
Edelbrock Thunder AVS 650 Manual Choke Carb
Edelbrock Finned Aluminum Valve Covers
Edelbrock Aluminum Timing Cover
Edelbrock Reverse rotation high output water pump
New 400 SBC Crank balancer
New flex plate
Rebuilt Power steering pump with new pulley
Rebuilt HEI distributer with Summit Racing rebuild kit
Power Master Chrome one wire 140 alternator
Early 90’s Camaro serpentine belt brackets and pulleys. Sand blasted and painted.
Mr. Gasket aluminum finned oil pan.
New fan clutch, reverse rotation fan and shroud.
New radiator for a 454 big block
Summit Racing Long tube ceramic coated headers
Custom fabricated dual exhaust assembled from aluminized tubing, mandrel bend sections and flow master side exit exhaust tubes.
Hushpower II Flowmaster stainless mufflers
The engine has run great. I can run it on 87 octane with no pings or detonation. It has plenty of low end torque. I have not had it on a dyno but some dyno simulation software I have rate the HP around 300 and the torque at 400 -425 ft lbs just off idle. The engine has plenty of grunt to pull my bass boat even with a 2.73 rear end. I did have an issue with fuel delivery. I originally installed a mechanical fuel pump but was having starting problems if I did not drive it for a few days. After troubleshooting I decided to go with electric instead and installed a Holley red top pump under the bed (see pic). About this same time the weather was getting hot and I started having vapor lock or sometimes called percolation issues (started seeing 10% ethanol on the gas pumps too). I ended up installing a heat insulator gasket from edelbrock under the carb and everything is great now.
Other Notables Mechanical upgrades: Completely reworked AC system converted to R 134 that includes a new compressor, accumulator, and orifice tube with custom made high and low pressure hoses to accommodate the new compressor location.
The Rest of the Drive Train: The trucks transmission is the turbo 400 that originally came in the truck. I replaced the vacuum modulator with and adjustable unit and have set it for smooth shifts at part throttle and slightly hard shifts under full throttle. I have not been into or worked on this transmission.
The rearend is the original GM 10 bolt with factor posi-traction. This works as supposed to and has helped me get up some slippery hills.
The brake system is in stock and works fine with no shimmies or shacks when stopping. I replaced the pads a few years back and had the rotors and drums turned down.
Electrical: The trucks electrical system is in good working order. I simplified the harness under the hood and deleted a number of items and hid the majority of the remaining wiring.
An Autometer tach was installed on the steering column. I am the most proud of that upgrade as it tuck in nice and neat and almost looks factory.
The fuel pump is run off of a relay and the keyed turn on wire is on a piggy back type clip in the fuse box. The tach power for lights has been done the same way
The original knock sensor computer is still under the dash behind the glove box but is not hooked up.
Operation: The truck is a great daily drive. It is not a show truck but I do get comments from time to time. In searching for a good truck like this I never found one with this few miles or in this kind of condition. Please note that I have opted to run this truck with a manual choke. I like to have control over this. My first car had one so I guess that is really why I like it. I have had this setup going through the winter and summer and it is really simple to use. In the winter I generally pumps the gas a few times.
Since I have gotten the AC back up and running I have been fighting a cooling issue at idle. Let me state first I have never allowed this motor to overheat and I am the only drive of this truck. I can drive the truck around in normal traffic with no issue. Temp stays low around 165 but if I sit in traffic or in line at a fast food place for a long time the temperature begins to creep up. I have not had to shut it down but it will go towards 210. I have tried a flex fan and 2 perma cool electric fans with no luck so I reinstalled the heavy duty fan clutch and fan. I did trim the fan shroud back. This needed to be done since the thicker aluminum radiator moved the fan shroud too close to the engine. There may be a simple fix for this. Please ask plenty of questions, I have tried to have full disclosure on this vehicle.
