_zebra

iTrader: (5)

Alright fellers, as our 2009 H3 gets older & parts have been discontinued for years - we're considering picking up a different daily driver for my wife. Just as before, her stipulations are that it's got a back seat, 4x4, and a manual transmission (trying to stay away from Jeeps). She'd prefer a pickup this time around because our next move will ideally be to some acreage, and she'll be doing more light farm-hauling type stuff.

We've been pretty keen on 2016-2017 Tacomas lately but I recently came across what looks to be a really nice, clean, low-mile 1993 Silverado ECSB. Biggest bonus is its lack of electrical nannies & doodads required to control everything (which is why we're limiting the Toyota to 2017 because 2018+ added standard auto braking, lane 'assist', and all that other intrusive BS). I might be crazy, and I'm well-aware that OBS parts have been gone for a while, too... but there were literally millions of them produced (versus a couple hundred thousand TOTAL H3s), and the aftermarket still abounds for C/K trucks.

Thoughts on the reliability & feasibility of daily-driving a 30+yr old truck?

_zebra

iTrader: (5)

bonus for this particular one is that while it's got the normal L05 350 found in most 1/2tons... it was ordered with the heavy duty NV4500 (which consequently also got the sturdier 32spline NP241 t-case) and 3.42 G80. i remember the 93s used an external slave, had no reverse synchros, and used a two-year, oddball gearset (super-granny ratios), but aside from that, it's got the nice 40/60 seats, power windows/locks, chrome, etc.

strutaeng

...please tell me you are going to LS-swap it...I'm kidding, of course.

My brother daily drives a 90 RCSB C1500. He bought it from the PO who had just installed a TBI crate engine. Right after that his 700R4 blew and got it rebuilt. AC parts maybe twice(?), interior parts and minor stuff. Once he brought it over (pulled it) to my house because he thought his fuel pump was out and needed help removing his bed. I did some basic diagnosing and turned out it was his distributer pick-up coil, which seem like a common issue on those. Eventually his TBI engine started burning oil and his 700R4 had lost 4th gear after like 40,000 miles of driving. He kept driving it like that for some time. He finally threw the towel and decided to do an LS swap. I rebuilt a 4L80e for him for just the cost of parts and supplies. He's pretty happy but it was good amount of time, money and effort for that.

My Dad has an 89 Sierra RCSB C1500, but he hardly drives it. Literally his tires wind up cracked from age and tread looks intact, LOL. Pretty much same thing on his: TBI (which had already been replaced before he bought it like 2001) went out and we got it swapped from a suburban. I don't know the details though. Transmission once (maybe twice?), and a few AC systems. Other small stuff.

My BIL also had an 1990 ECSB C1500 that he passed on to his oldest son to use it for college. My nephew drove it like 80 miles round-trip and it was already like at 225k then. After like 1 year his engine was gone. He kept the truck and swapped an LQ4/nitrous/TH400, lowered and everything. Basically turned it into a near-track only truck. I don't think he even drives it on the road anymore, so this one rally doesn't count as a daily.

I would say if you are not driving it much and just cruising around doing light stuff, you can get by with a TBI/700R4 (4L60/e). If you daily drive a lot of miles every year or doing heavier towing/hauling, look for something newer, or at least into the C/K2500/3500 (avoid the mis-leading 2500 with 6 lugs.) Or have money saved for an engine/transmission rebuild. I would say the AC systems on the OBS absolutely suck. As well as the sagging driver's doors. I've got a 2000 K3500 CCLB SRW and the doors drive me insane! I only drive it the landfill every few times, so I just live with that.

Good luck.

Edit: missed the 305 post...OMG, NO! That's almost as bad as a V6, LOL.

shakenfake

@dantheman1540 Paging!
I know you have Dan's number you should have called and asked LOL

I am guessing you haven't moved to your new place that you were asking about a while ago? I would wait until you get there to buy something LOL

_zebra

iTrader: (5)

haha... not sure that assignment's gonna pan out. the hiring authorities (who keep encouraging me to put in for a couple positions) always pick somebody else.
so i'm sorting out what other options i've got. in the meantime, i ran across this truck & though i'd toy around with the idea because, aside from a couple cosmetics like needs headliner work & has some paint scratches, this one seems pretty well-kept.

either way, i don't remember ol Dirty Dan having any OBS trucks... but i also ain't talked to him in a few months.

eventual LS wouldn't be out of the question...
and while i appreciate the pointers, you seem to've missed more than the engine.
this one's a 350ci, plus it has a 5speed from the 2500/3500 trucks (factory built). still anemic at 210 crank hp with the junk pre-Vortec heads & flat tappet cam, but it's much better than a 305 & did good enough in our 95 suburban when i first got my license. also, 300lb-ft of torque @ 2800rpm with gearing to pull a house beats the snot out of anything Toyota could muster.

i'd still have my dodge for heavy work, so a 1/2ton will be plenty fine for her (we were looking at Tacomas, remember).

shakenfake

Ah gotcha

Yes he is now driving an OBS 2500 ECSB with a 5.7 but it is automatic.

_zebra

iTrader: (5)

FOR SHAME!!!

shakenfake

He still has his manual Ranger and Tahoe. I think he mostly drives the Ranger out of all three but I know he has been driving his OBS more.

_zebra

iTrader: (5)

good call on the a/c, though. so long as it ain't a R12 system, i think we could manage working with that.

_zebra

iTrader: (5)

the supercharged 05 get put out to pasture?