Chevy Silverado - Continued VIII

meredith

This topic is a continuation....

of Topic 1563 Chevy Silverado - Continued VII.
Please continue these discussions here.

Front Porch Philosopher
SUV, Pickups, & Aftermarket and Accessories Host

ryanbab

We do talk alot.

Tim: I looked at those pics at the 4x4 site great pics. I never seen the one with the rails and even though im not a huge fan of those it looks really good on your truck. You know what makes your truck look great is the flares. What kinda hitch cover do u have? Im gonna get the Z71 hitch cover to go with the sticker on the side. The bedliner looks good too thats the same kinda i have in my S-10. I can actually see the bedliner again i took all my sand out of the back. It looked like a low rider with all the sand in the back i took it out man it looks like the silverados do the backs up high and the front is lower. Actually loooks good. Sorry to drift from the topic just felt like jaboring.

Ryan

rbrick

I was wondering about waxing my new truck. Does the factory paint have a waiting period before I wax it? My wife drives a Grand Caravan and we had to have a new rear bumper put on. The dealer painted it. They told me to wait 90 days before I washed it with soap and wash mitt (just rinse it off) and a year to wax it. Does that sound right? Surely the factory process is different (heat lamps, materials???).

swobig

cause rain, snow, etc., will get on the bumper. Don't know why they would say that. Waxed my Y2K Silverado yesterday, thought about getting the Zaino Wax, but it's a little too expensive. $40 for wax? No, I'll stick with the $5-6 stuff with a little less shine. Did they say why the wait???

rwagoner

You want the paint to cure fully before waxing, otherwise the wax itself will scratch the paint permanently. The general rule is to wait about a month before waxing a repainted area; washing can be done immediately.

For new cars and trucks, the time from production to delivery (and then sale) is more than enough time.

Keeping the paint clean does far more than waxing, though. Keep that in mind.

Richard

m1685

Just got it in the mail, and cant wait to use it. I know it is more expensive than most waxes, but I would rather use a good wax to keep my $30,000 truck looking like a $30,000 truck. I know there are other very good waxes out there, but i have heard so many good things about Zaino.

kanton

Good truck.

Suggestion. 4" Rancho is not available for the 3/4 ton and it will not fit 35"s on the 1/2 ton. If you want to run 35"s on the 3/4 ton, go with the Superlift 6". This is the only kit available for the 3/4 ton.

good luck
Kyle

payner

Hello Michael
Hey I was just wondering if you could tell me how much larger are the 285 tires compared to the 245s?
Oh and you may want to take in to consideration the larger tires when figuring mileage, you may be doing better than you think

26andrew1

Does anyone know the web address for Gm employee's to buy car/trucks????????

vince4

You had 285 tires put on the stock 2500 forged aluminum rims?? Those rims are only 6.5 inches wide, didn't the tire shop warn you that they were too narrow? I've heard even 265 is pushing it for those rims.

revitupfast

Ryanbab - You mentioned seeing pictures of 4x4's on a website - how do I get there????
Bill.....Revitupfast

z71bill

285's are 32.8 inches tall VS 30.5 for the 245's.

They are 40 mm wider which is about 1.57 inches. This is at the widest part of the tire - not the tread.

majormorgy

dealer told me to wait 3 months before waxing to let the clearcoat cure. he also told me to wait till 3rd oil change to use Mobil 1 oil. to make sure rings & valves seat properly. Now if he could just tell me when I'm gonna get my truck!!! ordered late December and accepted early January. Still waiting for a build date. it was suppose to be week of Feb. 28th. but a call to customer service said no news yet. i wonder if i should cancel and wait a few months for the "01" models.

ryanbab

What r u talking about? I have no clue

Ryan

obyone

Has anyone installed the Hellwig anti-sway bar? If so, how do you like it? and is it worth the money ~$150.00? Thanks

wang2

On my door sticker (the one on the drivers door w/ the psi, etc...) it says that my rims are 16x7/6.5. So what does this mean? This is a 16" rim that may be 7" wide, or may be 6.5" wide? Tires ain't my thing, soooo... please 'splain it to me.

Huh, oh, Hello, I must be going!

Bryan

obyone

You are correct could be either. Easiest way to find out is to ask dealer.

mgdvhman

Tailgates......the standard bolts that hold the tailgate latch can be used to hold a liner of some kind...but the ends are going to be loose and need some kind of screws. I know drilling into your new truck may seem like hell....but you will get over it....I did.

Ryan,

Thanks....looking forward to seeing your truck.

Wax....It's been 6.5 months and I have yet to wax mine...I will do it in about 6 weeks or so. I was told to wait a few months...as the paint does have to cure. 1 Month is too soon....and 3 months is about right. I know most people do it right away anyway.
A friend of mine wasn't too inpressed with Zaino.
I always liked Malms. It is a mail order that's been around for decades. For a look of pure black beauty...3M hand glaze (only found at paint supplies) gives a very good shine and goes on/off like a dream. It's not a wax..(it's glaze)...but does offer some wax like protection. It's the only thing I use on My Black Hurst/Olds....as it never sits in the elements or has ever seen rain...so it does not need a Wax....so to speak....just a Glaze to bring out the best..

- Tim

revitupfast

Ryanbab.... Thought I saw one of your posts where you were commenting on someone that had posted some pics of their truck. I went back through the
posts and couldn't find it. Sorry about that

Bill......Revitupfast

mgdvhman

He DID mention it...he just don't remember.

Check topic 1413....Autotrac or shift on the floor.
I had posted some pics there of my truck.

That is what Ryan was talking about.

- Tim

ryanbab

Tim yea i forgot long weekend to much fresh aire and work. Man it gets warm and everyone needs to build a deck or redo a roof. Seen alot of nice trucks this weekend though. Thanks for clarifing the pic thing tim

Ryan

vince4

I used Zaino on my pewter truck once so far. It was okay but I wasn't so impressed. I think regular wax would have done as well. Maybe it really shows better on darker colors. Next time I'll put several coats with the spray between like they recommend.

vince4

Check your e-mail.

vince4

My door sticker says 16x6.5J for a 2500 with aluminum rims. Maybe the 16x7/6.5 means the 1500 comes with different size rims depending on if you get the steel or aluminum rims.

vince4

I bought and installed the Hellwig bar. It works fine and is less expensive than others but doesn't fit very well. There has been extensive disscussion about it on the Cabover Camper Chat original (archived now) and -II topic #1637.

revitupfast

Yep....They must have been the pics ryanbab was talking about. She looks great. The rails look real good. I had rails on previous trucks but the styles available in my neck of the woods don't seem to look as good as yours. I went for the black GM rail caps and the Hide-away hooks. Looks neat but really can't be seen unless you happen to be riding in the box or are driving an 18 wheeler. They seem to work OK though.
Thanks for reminding ryanbab, he must be getting "Oldtimers" from working on all those decks and roofs.

Bill......revitupfast

obyone

thanks for the response. I'll check it out.

mgdvhman

Yeah...Ryans "old" mind...(almost 21 years now) must be slipping.

He is suppose to order his truck in under a week and maybe has a brain loss due to it?

I wonder what color he will get??....and will it have flares??
LOL


- Tim

ricobeach

Saw the post by "jmendo" (Chevy Silverado VII) and realized that there have been very few posts from V6 Silverado owners. I have a 2000 Ext. cab SB w/V6, Auto, A/C and Cassette all for just under $20000. So far I have been happy with it except for a problem with a leaking gasket. It should work fine as a basic homeowners truck.
Are there any others out there with similar vehicles? Let's hear about some of the problems or lack thereof that you have had with the "low" end Silverados.

sarti

Does anyone know of a kit you can use to raise the front enough to level out a 2000, Z71 1500ls Silverado without changeing a bunch of parts.This
is the only thing I don't like about my truck so far.

ryanbab

Bill: I dont build the decks or put up the roofs i load people up with the materials at a store called menards (dont know where ur from so if you dont know what it is its just like home depot).

Tim: Yep under a week now and no i javent had a brain loss i know everything im gonna get its just going there putting in the order and dropping the deposit. Color will be blue and flares will be black.

I am slipping not getting much sleep with school to much homework.

This coming weekend is gonna be great gonna order the truck on sat. go fishing on sunday (hopefully the weather will stay nice) then start spring break monday. Then ill be on the ball again and i wont be slippin

Ryan

dmr3

I noticed they updated the sevice bulletins, if anyone is interested. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/servicemmy1.cfm

looks like some new Silveradoo stuff.

roger350

Whoa, spend a weekend outside working in the yard and you miss a lot on this board.

Werking,

I'm mechanical Engineer, Texas A&M, '96, Whoop. Took a class devoted to the internal combustion engine, Dr. Lalk, dude is great, best teacher I've ever had, and a real car guy. We discussed the topic of octane at length. I can confirm that if an engine is designed for 87, and does not ping using 87, you are totally wasting your money using anything other than 87. Having said that, if your engine is pinging on 87 it should go to the service department, because it was designed to run on 87, and shouldn't be pinging. Now, computer controls have come a long way, and an engine computer will retard timing on its own if it hears knock, but i'm not sure the knock sensor is sensitive enough to hear pinging? Now as far as better fuel mileage using the lowest octane without pinging, that is not exactly right. Yes it will be most efficient, but that does not translate to better fuel mileage here. Octane is the rating of the amount of energy in the fuel. If you put in 93 octane, and are only getting out the energy of 87 because the compression ratio was selected with 87 as the design parameter, you are wasting a certain amount of energy. But, you are still burning the same amount of fuel and going the same distance, so fuel mileage should be the same. If an engine is borderline for 87, causing the computer to retard timing, mileage would go up using 91 or 93. As for the person who posted that GM has service bulletins out saying that using higher octane causes lower fuel mileage, I can't explain that? It makes no sense from a thermodynamic sense. If this is true, I would assume it has something to do with GM's computer controls?

KSR318i,

Are you sure the 2500 4x4 has the semi-floating 14 bolt? From literature, and looking underneath these trucks, I have decided it has the 10.5" 14 bolt, which is the full-floater. I could be wrong, I don't have one of these trucks yet, and you do, so it is possible I am just wrong on this one. But, looking at a 2wd 2500 and then a 4wd 2500 there is an obvious difference in the shape and size of the pumpkin. The 4wd truck has the massive and distinct profile of the 10.5" full-floater, and both are 14 bolts. I'm just wondering where you got your information. If some dealer told you this, he is probably wrong. If you are a knowledgeable mechanic and can tell by looking at it, then I apologize and stand corrected. It is also possible that they recently changed it on the 2000's. I haven't crawled under anything but 99's. I will be very disappointed if this is the case, as the full-floater is stronger than everything short of a DANA 70, and that is a close call.

Dropper,

Tire calculation is correct, but for purpose of calibrating the speedo after a change in size, most people recommend actually measuring the difference, because the the static and dynamic size and shape will differ depending on tire pressures, etc.

Sorry for the long post, anyone who hasn't checked out Tim's pictures go to the push button/lever 4wd topic, they are great! Later.

mledtje

Go with the 5.3 3.73 combo. You won't notice the fuel economy difference - my dad still gets 20mpg with this combination, but you will notice it when towing. My dad has a 6000 lb tag trailer and it pulls his favorite test hill 10mph faster than his 99 with 5.3 3.42.

But the mileage was the same for both combinations.

Mike L

scottay

ryan, can you get your hands on any robby gordon promo stuff? how about some old tony stewart?

Zaino....not a wax, more like a very very clear chemical that looks better with each layer. has sunscreen in it also. i started out with the Z2 on my new truck, anyone start with Z5?

-scott

scooterdude

I still have my '89 Sportside that I bought new (it stickered $13,100..yikes!). Loaded 2WD except for the V6 and 5-spd manual. I've got 290,000 miles on it with no major repairs needed (just the normal wear items). It's only on clutch #2 (first pack made it to 230,000). Gotta love the Vortec's...I've heard other stories of Vortecs getting these numbers (both 6's and 8's). Just stay on top of the oil changes. I only rarely do any towing with this truck, so no doubt that's extended it's life. Power's diminished over time, but that's not a surprise. New truck's due in a couple of weeks....it'll be tough to part with the old one. Hope the next one's just as solid...

ryanbab

No we dont have any racing stuff sorry. I did meet Tony stewart though they had him his car and his truck (oh man this was a sweet Rig) about 2 yrs ago when we had a grand reopening. John menard does send us little like matchbox (model) racing cars on holidays i think i have about 5 of em and they sent me a poster but my brother got that.

Ryan

markbuck

"Octane is the rating of the amount of energy in the fuel."

Uh, this statement is wrong. Check your text.

Mark Buckholz
GaTech '83 ME

mtrammell

My 2nd 2K silverado arrives today. For a short history:
Ordered my 1st truck back in July 99. Wanted the ZX3 suspension but gave it up so GM would accept my order (accepted in Sept 99). In Dec 99 found out that the ZX3 was no longer on constraint and tried to get my order changed - nothin doin.
Ordered the 2nd truck on 12/21, exactly like the 1st except with the ZX3 suspension.

I received my 1st order on 2/15. Stopped by the dealer last Friday 3/4 to purchase mud flaps and my salesman informed me that my 2nd order would arrive today, 3 weeks after the 1st. Never even received an order#.

The dealer is allowing all but $600 to trade in the 1st order. Thinking about keeping both.

mledtje

I know for the 1500's the wheels and tires are worth very little. One local dealer sells new takeoffs for $500 a set. And I have seen them for less than $300.

I suspect the market for 2500 wheels is more limited.

You really need to find a buyer who wants them.

I've seen 2500 sitting on the lot with steel wheels, and they were an issue for me. If I were to buy this truck, I might be interested in your wheels, but shipping from NY would probably cost over $100.

Good luck,

Mike L

roger350

OK, thank's for catching that error. As I was writing that I was trying to recall it, and I must have got it wrong. I think what i was trying to remember is that octane is NOT a measure of the amount of energy in the fuel, but I obviously forgot the NOT. I'll see if i can find my text and verify my brain fart, but I'm sure you are right. Either way it doesn't change the overall message there that it is waste to use the high octane if the engine was designed for 87. Please do not let my poor memory reflect badly on Dr. Lalk, he really was a great prof, he'd be verbally abusing me as we speak if he knew I screwed this one up. Later.

mledtje

Lower octane gasoline has more energy than higher octane gasoline. The only real difference is higher octane is harder to ignite, making it more resistant to knock.

You are right about the computers detecting knock and retarding the timing and reducing mileage. It is very hard to detect mild knock these days. The computer detects it and retards it out of existence before you can hear it. The only way to tell is to try a few tanks of 89 or 93 and see if it improves your mileage. One tank just won't do it, you need to check it over several tanks.

But if your vehicle has no knocking on 87 octane, then 87 will give slightly better mileage than 93 due to its higher heat(energy) content.

Mike L

gsxr1216

I have a guy who is interested, but he has not talked pricing, so i am trying to get the range on what they are worth. I know what you mean about not getting one with the steel wheels, it was a issue for me also, for the $110 more you are crazy not to get them. I bought them for 2 reasons, one, i think the chrome looks like sh*t. 2nd i knew i would get a lot more than my addditional $110 i spent when i go to sell these, plus who wants to buy stock chromes?? as for shipping, i was looking at tirerack.com and they are only going to charge $56 for wheels to be shipped from delaware to Upstate NY, that was for UPS 100lbs ground shipping, Not to bad. Where are you located
Cam

quadrunner500

...a chemical compound. The amount of stored energy in gasoline is measured in units of BTU/gallon.

I believe all grades of gasoline should contain the same BTU/gallon, but this can vary, I suppose.

dropper

Whoop right back at you. Texas A&M, B.S. Mfg. Eng., Class of '91.

Keith

http://members.brandx.net/user/dropper/images/truck/tamu.jpg

http://members.brandx.net/user/dropper/thetruck.htm

quadrunner500

Hullaballoo, connect....gig 'em aggies.

swobig

store for the 01' models? Trying to find a Gen II K&N, but heard they don't make them yet...

markbuck

Working on my Aggie Jokes right now.....

Anybody started carrying extra drive belts? Was gonna go get at least the main belt to put under the seat or maybe install it and store the old one.

Rode a 110 mile off road motorcycle event last weekend in the muddy, rainy, snowy high desert. Actually got a mild case frostbite on my, er, special purpose. Was really glad the Silverado has such good heating unit for the ride home.

mledtje

Swobig asked about any changes for these trucks.

My question is: Will GM drop the 2500s based on the light duty body and only offer the 2500s based on the heavy duty body. Ford did it and I'm concerned that GM may also.

Mike L

mledtje

Nice pictures. What is the resolution of your camera?

I have a 2 year old digital camera (Minolta?). It was the best I could buy at the time, but it doesn't give the resolution of yours.

m1685

All I know about the octane is that right now with the high prices of gas, 87 will do the job just fine.