questions about 80s silverado

[enduro400rider]

ok im lookin to buy my first car and i found an 84 sliverado, its got a 350 with 100K on it 4x4. anybody have or had one of these trucks? how did you like them? any common problems? basically i am in the need of a full size truck right now for my job. i need to haul a tractor and my ranger had a hitch but my dad pulled the whole rear end apart trying to pull out bushes. will a regular lawn mower fit in the bed? its about 50in wide. thanks for the help

[SixthFloorFreak]

check the bedsides above the rear wheels, the cab corners, and the rocker panels for rust. other than the body, they're pretty tough trucks. the 350 is reliable as a rock, but down on power in those trucks due to emissions crackdowns and being before the onset of fuel injection. it also most likely has the TH-350 tranny(i'm assuming its auto), which is a pretty tough tranny, and parts to rebuild it are cheap.

the 73-87 trucks are a helluva truck, and they're coming up in value. i don't think you'll be disappointed providing its in proper running condition, but of course it isn't a new truck by any means

[enduro400rider]

yeah its an auto, any way to get around emmisions? id like to do something with the exuast to get it to sound a little better.

[cknox88]

well, if your state doesnt require emissions testing you can either hollow out your cats(to make it look legal) or totally get rid of them. then put some flowmasters or magnaflow exaust on it. then it will sound good.

[enduro400rider]

yeah we dont have emmision testings around hear. at least i dont think so. we have never had any of our cars tested before. i think im just going to take the cats off and and put glass packs that end right before the rear wheels.

[underpowered]

is it an overdirve? if it is the tranny can be a weak spot. if not the the th350 will be hard to beat. They have some rust prone areas as sixthfloorfreak said. Also check the frame for rust. the frames tend to rust around the rear axle and spring hangers. The frames were also known to crack around the steering box, but you can buy bolt on kits to solve this common problem. The 350 will be hard to beat, even with 100k, it still should have plenty of life left. My '92 350 did not give out until 230k, and most of it was with a trailer. If the motor does give out, parts are cheap and easy to come by for the 350. they are also easily upgradable with just some bolt ons. As the exhaust goes, a good flowmaster 40 will make it sound good, but glasspacks will work. They will just give it some more pops and crackles.