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Buying an older truck?

Antique plates to avoid emissions testing ??

What state do you live in?

Georgia does emission testing by model year

Doesn’t matter what license plate is on it

Anything newer than 25 model years gets tested

1993 is the cutoff now
Almost any 3/4 ton truck is exempt
But they are almost always longbeds and always ride rough unless you swap the springs to 1/2 ton springs

I’d get the extended cab
Even if it’s the half cab
Nice to have some room to throw the kids backpacks and stuff

You can find what you’re looking for if you cast a wide net
Other than the manual transmission
That’s gonna be hard or impossible to find in a nice truck

Be more common in beat to death work trucks with no cruise control no power windows etc

Most likely gonna have to get at least two hours out of Atlanta to find a deal
It’s weird , the same truck in Mobile or Birmingham Alabama or rural Tennessee will be a lot less $$ than in Atlanta

If you use CL check the box for nearby areas and reload the page

Then reload the page again and click the box again and it will offer up a lot more towns to pick from
It will “show 6 more “ at the bottom
Keep clicking that until no more towns pop up
Then hit the search button magnifying glass icon again

Hit the button for “owner” to eliminate the car dealers , then in the top right it will say “relevant “. Click that and change it to “newest “

There are several apps where you can set up a keyword search that will text you when an ad you’re looking for is posted So you don’t have to spend hours scrolling through ads every day

Keep an eye on eBay


Any ford or Chevy from 88 up will have fuel injection and avoid the hassle of an old carburetor

The 73-87 Chevy pickups and 73-91 K-5 Blazers are starting to go up in value

And are easy to work on

73-87 Chevys rust in the rocker panels and rear cab corners and door bottoms



And As with any used car , Ronald Reagan said it best
Trust but verify

If the seller claims it has a new or rebuilt engine , and doesn’t have the receipt , then they are lying
No one spends a couple thousand on a new transmission with a warranty and doesn’t keep the receipt

“All new brakes” means they threw some cheap pads on it and maybe some cheap shoes on the back which they Probabaly installed backwards

If you find the perfect pre 88 Chevy and it’s not a Stepside
Get it anyway
The bed is 6 bolts and easy to change
Getting those six rusty bolts out may be a challenge
 
Anyway you go LMC has got you covered to replace all the little interior parts that have seen better days. Sand down the natural patina and flat clear it. Then start replacing the interior bit by bit. No need to go totally caveman.
 
The only thing about those years is the cheap metal used in the panels and bed. If you find one that is good shape and isn't rusty I wouldn't think twice about coming off the hip a 1,000 or a little more for a good no rust job. Then undercoat it. Then sand down to patina and flat clear and so on.

If it has one of those GM carbs on it first off hook a chain to the carburetor and hook the other end to a funny car. Then have them do a hole shot and yank that retarded bitch off their. Put a Holley 600 double pumper on it from Summit. You will get a lot better power and few degrees of timing have a nice running truck that won't let you down. Those early years GM plugged the adjusting screws with metal plugs to keep ADD hands off. HP restricting pieces of crap. Holley makes a direct replacement or you can go with a double pumper carbs for more power. Best money you will ever spend.
 
I've got a 2000 model Chevrolet Silverado extra cab 4x4 that I'm planning to sell. Got some rust, but had a new transmission a few years ago and has the 5.3 V8 with 224k miles. Good old truck. I just need something like a Tahoe or Expedition. Just put a new transfer case shift motor from Oreilly's in it last weekend. Asking $3900. Tailgate is rusted, but I can put a replacement on for an additional $100. PM if you'd like pics and more details. I'd drive this truck to California and back with no hesitation.
 
The only thing about those years is the cheap metal used in the panels and bed. If you find one that is good shape and isn't rusty I wouldn't think twice about coming off the hip a 1,000 or a little more for a good no rust job. Then undercoat it. Then sand down to patina and flat clear and so on.

If it has one of those GM carbs on it first off hook a chain to the carburetor and hook the other end to a funny car. Then have them do a hole shot and yank that retarded ***** off their. Put a Holley 600 double pumper on it from Summit. You will get a lot better power and few degrees of timing have a nice running truck that won't let you down. Those early years GM plugged the adjusting screws with metal plugs to keep ADD hands off. HP restricting pieces of crap. Holley makes a direct replacement or you can go with a double pumper carbs for more power. Best money you will ever spend.


Holly 600 LOL!!!

The WORST leaking piece of junk carb ever. Stick one on if you want to burn your truck to the ground.

I have 2 I will sell you for 50 bones each. Free fire extinguisher included.

Very few folks knew how to set up a Quadrajet back in the day, and 90% of those that did are dead today.
Not difficult, but knuckledraggers do not do well setting them up. Holleys have just a couple of adjustments and they are always mediocre performers, but great leakers.
 
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