Kentucky Armory Club

I don't see many on the road...




I have my brother's 2003 1500 that is his 'extra' beater truck, I'm going to do some work on it for him and might keep it. It has 154,000 miles on it, it's a 4x4 with the 350 in it, ext cab.
It needs every normal maintenance job done on it- brakes, fluids, etc, plus some other problems- the A/C-heater fan only blows on high, probably has a bad head gasket, has some electrical glitch somewhere...

Does anyone know a good Chevy truck forum? I know there are thousands of them but I figured someone here has experience on one...

Nope But I know a few good ford forums for F150's.

I've got an 88 silverado that is currently my DD while my car is down. A quick google search will bring up several Chevy truck forums.

I think I joined one a few years ago, but I don't remember which one. I usually just google for whatever specific issue I am having

Chevy trucks are a breeze to work on!

You should buy the FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL, not a cheap knock off or some crap, but a FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL!

The manual will run about 150.00 bucks but if your going to do a bunch of work , its the very best thing to have, the Haynes and other brad manuals are junk compared to the FSM.

Probably time to flush the trans and change the fluid and filters, its a pain to do but worth the effort.

Are you sure it has a 350? I have a 2004 Z71 and it has a 5.3 liter, 323ci I believe.

I thought they had changed to the 5.3 liter around 2000ish

You'll probably end up doing some front end work too. Pitman and idler arms are common problem areas in those trucks.

[quote="Livewire"]Are you sure it has a 350? I have a 2004 Z71 and it has a 5.3 liter, 323ci I believe.

I thought they had changed to the 5.3 liter around 2000ish

1999 in the 1/2 tons and another year or two in the 3/4 ton ups.

yep- 5.3

son of liberty wrote:
Probably time to flush the trans and change the fluid and filters, its a pain to do but worth the effort.

gonna do that fo' sho'.

First thing is brake pads and rotors. He drove it so long after the pads wore down the retaining clips are grinding into the rotors

If the trans has never been serviced at 154,000 it's kinda sketchy to flush it. Seen a lot issues after people doing it IF,,,it's NEVER been done before. Probably safer just changing the filter and just whatever fluid you lose.

niceguyr6 wrote:If the trans has never been serviced at 154,000 it's kinda sketchy to flush it. Seen a lot issues after people doing it IF,,,it's NEVER been done before. Probably safer just changing the filter and just whatever fluid you lose.

I 2nd this. ^^^

bigelowe wrote:

niceguyr6 wrote:If the trans has never been serviced at 154,000 it's kinda sketchy to flush it. Seen a lot issues after people doing it IF,,,it's NEVER been done before. Probably safer just changing the filter and just whatever fluid you lose.

I 2nd this. ^^^

I'll third.

cool- I'm going by Advance Auto tomorrow to get some brake pads- The only place I know that still turns rotors is O'Reilly in J-Town- any place an Middletown anymore?

I'm going to try to find someone with a programmer to borrow to change some settings, too.

I just got a new Chevy. We kept my old one and plan to sell it. It is a 2003 240,000 miles on it. 5.3L Z71. Replaced the tranny once. Rebuilt the rearend once. New alternator and water pump. New rear brakes. Speedo doesnt work. Hood latch is rusted under hood.some rust starting on low spots. Four wheel drive works good.Antilock brakes have been acting up for about 100,000 miles now. Still drove it everyday. But still a decent respectable truck. Especially for work.
Dont bother turning the rotors, they are like $25 each new. Plus you dont have to mess with bearings to replace them.Just remove the calipers. There are two different thicknesses for mine on the rear. The first time I replaced them I had the thicker ones and my calipers and new pads wouldnt open wide enough to go on. Its a good truck even with that many miles.

Rext wrote:I just got a new Chevy. We kept my old one and plan to sell it. It is a 2003 240,000 miles on it. 5.3L Z71. Replaced the tranny once. Rebuilt the rearend once. New alternator and water pump. New rear brakes. Speedo doesnt work. Hood latch is rusted under hood.some rust starting on low spots. Four wheel drive works good.Antilock brakes have been acting up for about 100,000 miles now. Still drove it everyday. But still a decent respectable truck. Especially for work.
Dont bother turning the rotors, they are like $25 each new. Plus you dont have to mess with bearings to replace them.Just remove the calipers. There are two different thicknesses for mine on the rear. The first time I replaced them I had the thicker ones and my calipers and new pads wouldnt open wide enough to go on. Its a good truck even with that many miles.

is that the white one you drive around...probably get a fortune for it in the right market

Cheapest I see for new rotors is about $30 for fronts and $40 for rears. That's at Advance and Autozone- anywhere cheaper?

Best forum for Chevy truck info is
http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forum/forum.php
Lots of good stuff here.


Double-post sent from my iphone with tapatalk...

Best forum for Chevy truck info is
http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forum/forum.php
Lots of good stuff here.


Double-post sent from my iphone with tapatalk...

kokopelli wrote:Cheapest I see for new rotors is about $30 for fronts and $40 for rears. That's at Advance and Autozone- anywhere cheaper?

i get all my parts from rockauto.com

kokopelli wrote:Cheapest I see for new rotors is about $30 for fronts and $40 for rears. That's at Advance and Autozone- anywhere cheaper?

i get all my parts from rockauto.com

Check bumper to bumper. I have found them to be cheaper on most parts I ever needed for my 2002, which wasnt very many, even at 189000, when I traded it off.

Sign up for advanced auto parts emails... They run a ton of big sales on thier website and you can buy there and pickup at the store or have it shipped to your house for free.

I saved a ton on there when I was doing some work on my ranger.

Sign up for advanced auto parts emails... They run a ton of big sales on thier website and you can buy there and pickup at the store or have it shipped to your house for free.

I saved a ton on there when I was doing some work on my ranger.

I would like to contest the transmission flush myth. I say go on and have it flushed.

Sent from my Q10 using Tapatalk 2

86 slo-vo wrote:Sign up for advanced auto parts emails... They run a ton of big sales on thier website and you can buy there and pickup at the store or have it shipped to your house for free.

I saved a ton on there when I was doing some work on my ranger.

just ordered everything from there- 4 rotors and pads for front and rear, around $200 for everything...