Chevy Silverado - Continued IX

meredith

This topic is a continuation of Topic 1661....

Chevy Silverado - Continued VIII. Please continue
these discussions here.

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

swobig

Ryan, Tim???

bhimelright

I just saw a new 4dr 4wd ex-cab 2500 Silverado sitting on the local dealers lot this morning. It was a charcoal over pewter LS. It looks like some are starting to show up.

ryanbab

Wont ever stop. Whether its prime time or nick at night we will keep rollin.

Ryan

planejane

Hi,
Its Cindy. Just checking - haven't been on in a while.. did you get your truck yet?

I have 15,300K on mine.

ryanbab

No i ordered it march 11th and last wk i got a TPW of April 10th. Hopefully first wk of june ill pick it up

Ryan

planejane

I hope it gets here soon, you have been waiting long enough.

werking

howdy,
just wanted to be one of the first ten people to post on a new topic. boost my self-esteem, etc. was out at lake greenwood, sc this weekend camping this weekend. had three different folks stop by our site to take a closer look at the new truck. all liked it. wife just rolled her eyes. great vehicle to camp in though. god knows i've got some great scratches in the bed already. half of it's white. this fall for the spray-in...wahoo.
can't remember who said they paid $90 for a bug-guard that you can only barely see from the drivers seat. mine was $40-$45 and you can't see it at all. not to challenging to wash under either. god i'm tired...see ya'll tomorrow.

kyle

vince4

Well I changed the rear speakers today, put in Boston Acoustics 4x6. It does sound better but isn't a huge change. The midrange and highs are definitely clearer. The factory speakers are dual paper cone. The new ones are 4 ohms and the old ones were 8 ohms so they are a little louder now. Need to use the fader control to balance it out. It wasn't hard to take off the plastic trim, it's held on with pressure clips which pop out when you pull. If you are going to do this job here are some tips.

-Transfer the rubber gasket from the back of the original speakers to the new ones.

-Have some 3/8 inch foam weather striping tape on hand to build up a gasket around the front of the speaker. The factory ones have a foam ring that seals against the plastic grill.

-The lighter color wire (yellow and light blue) is the positive. The old speakers aren't marked but I checked the actual speaker phase to determine this.

-A capacitor should be put in series with the positive lead to block the low frequencies. These speakers can't reproduce the low end anyway, trying to drive them down there just adds distortion. I used a 220uF non-polarized electrolytic cap which gives a cutoff frequency of 180 Hz (for 4 ohm speaker).

Now if only the Bazooka tube would arrive...

vince4

Welcome back, it's good to hear from you. How has the truck been for those 15k miles?

vince4

Someone mentioned their display went dead. If the radio still works then it's not a fuse, which means the radio is broken. My display also failed after a few months although it didn't go dark, it would say 3:89 o'clock and other wonderful things. The dealer needs to get a code number off the radio and then order a refurb. They only put in refurbs, not new ones. Mine looks and works like brand new though. My dealer put it back together and let me keep the old one while the new one was on order. Don't let them tell you that you have to drive around with a hole in the dash for a week.

davids1

I am considering purchasing a silverado 1/2 ton 4x4 with extended cab (4 doors hopefully). What king of mileage are you recent buyers getting from a similar truck with the new 5.3 liter engine. Thanks.

dustyone

see topic 1632 for details

werking

i have a 1500 LS Z71 ext cab with four doors. a little over 3000 miles and i've been getting about 14-15 city, and 18+ on the highway. one of the wonderful things about the big v8 is that you run 80 mph at about 2200 rpm. as for your comment about (4 doors hopefully) - if you get the extended cab, you're getting four doors. period. end of sentence. bottom line, the mileage numbers that chevy is reporting for the silverados is pretty accurate. haven't heard of anyone getting much better than 20 mph though.

kyle

mtrammell

Larry (rdve80),

Yes, I swapped trucks earlier this month. I ordered the 1st truck back in Jul 99. In Sep GM told me that I would have to change my ZX3 ride control option to the Z85 heavy duty option for them to accept the order. I caved. In Dec 99 GM was rolling out trucks with the ZX3 suspension, still didn't have a TPW, but they wouldn't let me change the order back. So, my dealer and I made a trade-in deal and I ordered a second truck with the ZX3 suspension.

The 1st truck came in on 15 Feb - that's the one I took to Arkansas. The second truck came in 3 1/2 weeks later. This is the one with tranny problems. No more problems. One of the valves was stuck (had a burr on it). Replaced the valve and now shifts like a caddy.

I only have one complaint about this truck, and the previous one (so far). The fit of body parts is really lousy when you think about how much they cost. Still under the 500 mile breakin period, but should close it up by tomorrow.

BTW, I live about 15 miles south of Bastrop. I noticed that you live in Austin. I work off of 49th & Lamar. Maybe we can get together for lunch one of these days and compare trucks.

ryanbab

AHHHHHHHH IT SOUNDS LIKE MY electrical engineering circuits class all over again capacitors (just starting that section). This post is starting to turn into a classroom haha

Ryan

Only 3 weeks till the build wk. Just thought id keep ya all up to date

bluebeast

mtrammell, in that location you must be a State employee or working for UT. I'm close, Mopac & Burnet Rd (10-15 min). Lunch would be great (if I'm invited).

white6

Thanks for the "experience" info. I'm sure you helped some folks out there! These little details are what can be so time consuming and frustrating when you are trying to do something that seems so simple. Thanks again.

87lion

Did you get get a chance to check out the Century caps? Just wondering what you thought.

87lion

Different subject: If you're spending $25k on a truck don't you think a dealer would be a little responsive? March 18 I asked my salesman to give me an estimate for total cost out the door (tax,tags,etc). He was very reluctant to do this - said he preferred to do it when the truck arrived and he had the invoice in hand. I strongly suggested he work up the estimate (I was polite, but firm) and mail it to me. Called today and left voicemail suggesting he had mislaid the estimate and will stop by tonight to pick it up.

Same day I talked to the dealer's aftermarket sales rep about add-ons and asked for price. Said she'd work up a package deal. Again, haven't heard a thing. Also left a voicemail for her.

Are these people making so much money they don't need to be responsive?

The first dealer I worked with but couldn't get an allocation with called me 6 weeks after I cancelled my order just to let me know they still hadn't gotten an allocation. They were much better to work with. Too bad they couldn't order the truck I wanted.

ryanbab

Anyone have back country nerf bars? Can you give me some feedback if you do. I went accessory pricing today and the one place told me the black westin nerf bars are horrible and that 1-2 yrs they will become chipped and start to rust. He said he has 3 sets in stock and after that thats it hes not stocking westin anymore. The backcountry look pretty nice the step looks very rugged and the bar itself looks very thick Please anyone out there give me some info on these and how much you paid his estimate was $315 installed. Might be doing it after all if i can get em for 225-250

Ryan

rayt2

What part of Ontario are you in , I make a trip every summer to Brockville. My wife shows our Siberian Huskies at the Brockville Centre and I go down by the water to watch the cigarette boats & have a few Blue's..............

Ray T.

skiddo1

Hey Bill:

The name Skiddo was the name of an late 1800's mining town in the local mountains of Death Valley National Park. The term "23 Skiddo" was the distance in miles from Skiddo to Furnace Creek at the bottom of the valley.

Never thought about the similarity between Ski Doo and Skiddo.

Skiddo

mledtje

When you spell it Skidoo (like on my maps) it is even more like Ski Doo.

Went out to Skidoo between Christmas and New Year's day. Not much left.

But Death Valley is still a great place to visit. Ever made it out to Racetrack on the Northern end of the park?

Mike L

mgdvhman

Any black nerf bars are going to rust the quickest.

Best bet is solid stainless.....second best bet is Chrome plated stainless....3rd best bet is chrome...last on list is Black coated.

Good Luck
.....(Bring them to me....I'll put them on for no-charge....well..maybe a burger and some brews..)

- Tim

jescop

There is a small place around here (Mpls,MN) that will sell the black westin nerf bars for $199.00 uninstalled, another for $250.00 installed. I am starting to decide against them for the reasons of durability. I was told the same thing 1-3 years. Maybe if a guy wants to sand and paint on a regular basis.
If you don't mind the look, I think stainless nerfs are the way to go. I was quoted around $450.00 for surgical stainless made by westin, I believe.
I asked today if anyone made black painted stainless nerfs ( at least they wouldn't rust), but there wasn't anyone this guy knew.
I think black would look better on my truck.

mgdvhman

I know they have black powder coated skins for the bed rails....pehaps nerf bars also??

werking

if i remember right, the westin black powder coats are supposed to have a 5 year limited warranty for finish. you'd have to check the web site. the platinum cps nerfs i got from westin (i'll have pics real soon) have a LIFETIME warranty for finish/functionality under normal conditions. that means they won't pit, rust, scratch or break in any manner provided you don't do much more than step on them. if you beach them on a rock while off-roading, i think you can expect ANY nerf to scratch, dent, or otherwise fail. westin's the only one's i know of that offer the lifetime warranty. i know you don't like chrome, ryan, but how much do you like replacing/refinishing them every 4-5 years (at best!). and the platinum cps's i got were $359 - but i installed them. prob'ly pay about $400 if you install them yourself.

kyle

obyone

do you or anyone else have any experience with these ignition wires:

http://www.magnecor.com/magnecor1/index.htm

and these plugs:

http://www.torquemaster.com

just wondering..awful expensive..Silverado plugs are $116.00 for 8... wires were $105.00 per set

z71bill

I have had mine on for almost 1 year and they still look new. The are Go-rino brand and only cost me $160. (carry out). I think the black looks better than Chrome/stainless on my color truck (pewter). The one thing that does kind of piss me off is in the box with the installation instructions was a warranty card that said something like - 5 year warranty void if bars are not waxed every week with our special wax. This does make me wonder if a rust problem is in my future. Who ever heard of such a stupid warranty. I would have been happier if they just had no warranty. If I would have known this before I installed the drivers side I would have taken them back. I would doubt they have ever had to pay off on a warranty claim.

ryanbab

Put words in my mouth i never said i didnt like the chrome nerf bars. I am talking about black because thats what i want and will look better because of the black fender flares (gotta color coordinate)I do like the chrome but personally i dont want that id rather replace them every 5 yrs.

Ryan

mgdvhman

I got all black Ryan...with Black fender flares...and the chrome look goes awesome with my wheels and accessories..




Z71bill,
A warranty like that is a way to sound good saying a 5 year warranty....but they know nobody will wax every week!...and if they do...they will have made enough on the wax!!....and how do you prove you actually did it??

I had Black coated Nerf bars on my 88....and I took good care of them...but they still rusted a few years later..

Good Luck

- Tim

mdw1000

I got mine about a year ago and they have held up well so far. I really like them with the sunset gold paint, my black sportmaster tonneau cover, and my black molded mudflaps. Got them from the local Rhino liner dealer for under 200 bucks (not installed, a buddy helped me - its much easier with two people). Since I don't live too far from you, Ryan, if you want the number I'll look it up for you. Better email me though - mdw1000@yahoo.com - cause I can be sporadic on this board. By the time I check it two days later, there is 50-100 messages, and I usually skim if I'm too far behind. I've got the warranty paperwork around somewhere as well, so if you want details on that, I can get them too.

Mark

revitupfast

I'm in Dunnville, Ontario. A small town no doubt you have never heard of (sometimes I don't think anyone's ever heard of it) but we are only about 40 miles from Buffalo N.Y. Actually, as the crow flies, we are directly accross Lake Erie from Dunkirk N.Y.
Brockville is up past Toronto on Lake Ontario. A good hike from me.

ryanbab

My truck is gonna be blue. I know the chrome does look good with the black but to me blue and chrome i dont know its just not me.

Thanks MDW ill email u tomorrow at work probably

Ryan

revitupfast

The Westin "CPS" bars supposedly carry a lifetime warranty. I'm sure they will have some obscure requirement (like waxing once a week. Ha Ha what a joke) that will void the warranty after about 5 years. Don't know why u want black? I think the polished ones look the best with all colors. Then again, I'm an "Old Guy" that still digs "Chrome" stuff.

Bill.........Revitupfast

rshornsby

I am getting my 2000 Silverado LS 2500 4x4 in the morning. Chevy dealer finally came down to same price the GMC was going cost. Still don't have a firm TPW, keeps sliding 4 or 5 days at a time. I suspect a constraint is holding things up. No matter. This pickup is the one that I tried to order about 8 months ago, and was told to keep my '88 Ford and forget about the order. "No allocations". When they did get one for stock they used my option list. They must not have been able to sell it at their asking price,$30500, so I offered the same as the GMC and this moring they said come pick it up. In the morning I will. Wait's over, now tonight it will like Christmas Eve when I was a kid. No chance of sleeping.

Have a wonderful day everyone,

Roger !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bob332

Suggest you forever forget that dealer. I placed an order on March 16 and got it on the dealer allocation for a 00 LS 1500 with almost everything on it and found out on March 26 that the TPW is April 10. I expect to have it in my garage by April 24 at the latest. I got quotes from several dealers to order the same truck and ordered from the one that gave me the best price. How is that TPW date for dealer service as well as the best price. Hope you find a good straight forward dealer that does not play misleading games.

mtrammell

bluebeast,
Yeah, I work for the Dept of Health. Mopac & Burnett generally means IBM. As far as lunch goes, absolutely. Larry hasn't responded to my post yet. Do you have a local email address? Mine is posted under my profile.

mgdvhman

Bill,
I agree...I like chrome....very few cars display it any more like the old days. It makes a car.

Ryan,
Like James says in "Fuel"

.."Burn Your Face Upon the Chrome!"

Man this weather is shaping up here....I gotta get me a Chevelle again and re-live some years of yesterdays....

500 Horses and a Chevy Mill
Makes me the King of the Hill
Guns and Guitars
Bikinis and Fast Cars
Slide behind the Wheel and GO!

http://www.teleweb.net/mgdvhman/GimmeFuelGimmeFire.wav

- Tim

werking

sorry, didn't mean to "put words in your mouth" and say you don't like chrome. how about...don't PREFER chrome, that better. ya try to help some people... anyways, if you're that hell-bent on black, here's another suggestion. consider getting either powder black OR stainless chrome, and having them sprayed with rhino-lining or line-x or something similar. then they'll be black, scratch resistant, and grippy over the whole bar. again, just a thought.
i know, i know, you never said you were "hell-bent on black"...i took a little poetic license there.
anyone out there for a bash in, like tenessee or something. i'm in sc...need you all to come south a LITTLE.

oh, and roger...happy new truck day!!! congrats, hope you enjoy it. you deserve it.

kyle

roger350

Never tried those wires or plugs, but they sound pretty expensive. I can tell you that ignition efficiency, (can't remember the actual term,) is about 96% already. So, adding fancy plugs, wires and coils can at most increase that efficiency 4%. Having said that, I will confess that before I took my Internal Combustion Engine Class I bought an MSD-6 ignition box for my '90 350 and did experience about a 1-2 mpg increase, (Highway only). But, using the same gas pump and automatic shutoff is still a very unreliable method of determining such small increases in mpg, so I may not have actually gotten an increase in mpg. Also, when putting on mods to improve mileage one is tempted to drive more conservatively to extract the best mileage. I tried to be scientific and get a good light foot base line before installation and everything, but you still can't peg much on that. If you are looking at strictly performance gains, well I would say forget it. Very little to gain there. I did not feel a seat of the pants difference after installation, even though i really wanted to. The one up side of the ignition box was that I still to this day surprise the hell out of the emission police when I get my yearly inspection. They generally have never seen such an old engine run this clean. If you are dead set on making every possible mod to your engine, then hold off on these ignition pieces for now, and do everything else first, exhaust, MAF sensor, air cleaner, HPIII, etc., and when there is nothing left to buy wait until you need a tune up and get the expensive plugs and such. But until then, it is pretty much a waste, in my opinion. Hope that helps. Have a great day.

ryanbab

WEATHER NICE? IT was like 60's this weekend and now its in the 30's brrrrrrrrrrrrr supposed to snow today. On the chevelle subject my dad had one back in the early 70's maybe 72 it was a sweet car i forget what color blue but one day he took it to work came out and it was stripped nothin left they left it up on blocks. After that happened he got a 79 Chevy pickup full size short bed sportside.(damn i wish he still had that)

Ryan

87lion

I went back and took a look at your pics again (best I can do 'til mine comes in). Anyway, what kind of mud flaps are on your truck and where did you get them. Your post said you didn't have to drill and I like that.

Thanks.

'87 Lion

87lion

Ryan, I too have an Indigo Blue Silverado on order and I prefer the black to chrome for this truck (I had polished diamond plate on my last 2 trucks). However, I want boards instead of bars. I like the way they help protect the underside.

I saw in the J.C. Whitney catalog they have black anodized running boards. Has anyone had experience with these? Anyone know of any place else that sells/makes black anodized boards?

Thanks.

wtking

Dee Zee makes a nice set of what they call "Black Chrome" running boards and box boards. They also make bed caps to match. They also make alot of other accessories.

www.deezee.com


-Todd

ryanbab

Like todd said deezee has some nice stuff. Also putco (tims brand) has some nice stuff too. I also seen some running board looking things im sure u have seen em they are on alot of expeditions they are black with lights at each end. The brand is cord design my dad might be getting a set of these for his blazer they are $525 kinda expensive but they are nice. I think these look nice on SUVS (blazers, tahoes, suburbans) never really seen em on trucks.

Everyone is ordering indigo blue now oh well. LION what did u get 1500,2500, ext, reg cab, 4x4 2wd????

Ryan

quadrunner500

While I was away, 156 posts. Read them all!
Kudos to Vince4 for 1st law of thermodynamics.

I believe it was Rwagoner who asked about tow/haul when decelerating. On mine, the tach never dropped to 500 rpm as was stated. Went to about 1500 rpm instead. If coasting in tow/haul down a long steep hill, it down-shifts automatically at 62 mph for more engine braking, (before parachute deploys.)

rayt2

Roger, Hip Hip Hooray!!!!!!!!!!! I'll e-mail for more info.....Congratulations :-)

Bill, Your right never heard of Dunnville until now but you are on the map! Brockville is a hike for ya it's between Kingston & Cornwall on the St. Lawrence River across from Ogdensburg NY. They have a poker run every year there with all kinds a big dollar cigerette boats that come from all over. If only I could win the lottery NY or Canada's I don't care.......

Ryan, I have the black Westins as picture shows, they come with 5 year warranty but when they chip I'll repaint myself not that big a deal. The CPC & Chrome are nice chrome has same 5 yr. warranty & CPC are lifetime. I like you preferred the black so when I need to touch up down the road back off 2 bolts there off I paint & reinstall.

Mark,.......The mudflaps are made by Plastic Color they are rubber based fiberglass reinforced & come in many different logo's ie; Nascar, Taz, Chevy Logo, Heartbeat logo etc....I got them at AutoZone $14.95 per pair 10"x14" fronts $16.95 12"x18" rears & hanger kit for $9.99 (I only used two of the eight hanger straps provided. The installation used existing predrilled lower hole on rear along w/lower fender brace support bolt w/one bar from hanger kit drilled to accomodate where I needed hole for flap. You have to drill upper hole in bar to allow factory brace bolt to be reused. The front I used middle hole & drilled hole in plastic fender liner to insert plastic body panel push pin. I also used the existing body push pin in front (be careful pulling it out) No metal was drilled other than enlarging hole in hanger bracket to accomodate brace bolt size. I'll try to take some pics showing installation if you'd like. For me these were the better flaps, they give when they have to. The molded ones I believe will not give & may damage the body panel if you bottom out while off roading & their design tends to lead to trapping road dirt between them & body mounting area because they wrap around somewhat by design.

WOW long post............

Ray T. :-)

rshornsby

Dankashane...I have enjoyed all of the posts on this site. Now I can enjoy them even more. I have what I was wanting in the first place. I am leaving in about 10 minutes to go down and pick up my beauty. Salesman called about 15 minutes ago and said it was being washed, and stickers removed. So I'm on my way.....

Have a marvelous day everyone..... !!!!!!!!!

Roger.....

rdve80

All,
Just finished the additions. Check it out at http://photos.excite.com/photocenter/album?albumid=628022 Shows Fold-A-Cover, 5th wheel hitch, spray-in bed liner ( grey is a close match to Pewter), 41gal gas tank with tool box access under the front cover panel. The brake controller is inside the CD storage area. Also, Lund Interceptor bug shield and GM mud flaps (hard to see). Y2K LS 1500 4dr. Pewter over Charcoal. Let me know what you think.

Larry