Chevy buyer needs advice.
 

Haha, well first off my names Joey, and before the bashing stats, Ive usually always been a blue oval guy, but I did have a 91 s10 that was the best damn truck i ever have owned thus far. and im looking at getting a fullsize chevy now.

I need some advice on which model year is best Im thinking Im looking through 89-96, GM didnt put the spider systmes intil around late 97 right?

I'm looking for a silverado single cab flat bed to probably drop down a little and some some drivetrain work. What is a better model year in those mentioned for me to look for, why?

And there werent any major diffrences in the chevy and GMC were there?

Thanks for any help, Joey.

id go 96+. that way you get the nicer interior that came out in 95 but you get the vortec motor instead of the tbi.

there is a spider upgrade for the vortecs but i forgot what its called.
there is no signifacnt difference between a GMC/Chevy

Well see I was trying to stay away from the spider. Im under the impression it will restrict me from any kind of power or building a motor. Where as the TBI would be easy for power. But I dont know, Im trying to learn. Is there any other forums or places I can also be reading while guys here are helpin me out.

and an out of place question, what are these style trucks going for? In decent shape.

Any other advice, thanks :)

Try Full size chevy.com forums, they believe the 350 is gods greatest gift to man. but i bet most would tell you to go with the vortec 350.

the tbi isnt bad, both motors are good and reliable

I personally like the 1988-1994 Dash setups, and looks, especially The GMC's from 1988 to 1993. 1995+'s are OK, but I like the previous ones more. The trucks with the grille that is painted body color looks fugly in my mind.

Differences between Chevy/GMC are superficial, and maybe more option, but I've always liked the looks of GMC's more.

Can't go wrong with a 305 or 350. The 454 ain't too shabby either :D

I have to say, I like my 92 interior. What really helps is: MY DOOR HANDLE IS STILL ON!!11

96-99 have the spider injected Vortec motors. They run alot better than the older TBI motors (87-95). As far as horsepower mods there is alot more available for the 96 and newer trucks. The older throttle bodies are VERY restrictive performance wise. I tried to hop up a 1995 TBI truck and it never really got very impressive so for what it's worth I would say go with a 1996 and newer truck.

Yeah newer vortecs are better. Other than that, throw a high rise intake, carb, external fuel pump, and your ready for upgrades like cam and headers and heads etc.

Ok, thanks. Yeah ive been cruisin FSC to, learning alot already. Gotta love the easynes of the power for Chevy vs Ford. What kind of power are guys making with the intake, porting, cams, MAYBE some heads. Can I boost the stock motor, how strong are the internals, or do I need to build a cast iron/alum. fully forged motor?

I kinda like the interior on 96 down but, like ALOT of guys have mentioned while reading if you want to do power stick the 96+ motors so I will.

What are the 96-98 trucks going for? Did they still make the reg cab short bed /step side also in those years??

And is there anything particular to look for, besides the average when buying a used truck, how many miles is ALOT for these trucks? I mean i want a decent truck to drive around not a pile of **** haha.

Thanks everyone for all the help, Joey.

A friend of mine just picked up a 1998 Chevy stepside regular cab with 136,000 miles for $3000. The main issue I have seen on these trucks is the intakes leaking. So I would ask whoever you end up buying from if they have ever been changed. They seem to be good for around 100K, but once you install the newer style FelPro's you should be good for longer than that. You should be able to tell by looking at the front of the intake to see if the RTV looks original or not. Besides that they have there little stupid things like all trucks, but are great all in all. As far as hopping one up I would get a lower mileage truck and throw a good supercharger and a computer tune on it and call it a day. By the time you go through changing the rest (heads, porting, cam, etc.) you will be out of your pocket the same and have a much more comfortable (probably faster) truck. Just my 2 cents!

Ok thanks for the input, I think thats how I'll end up going but Ok, well dont laugh. But did they only make the stepside trucks for a year or 2? From looking around the made it in 96 so should I look for a late model build date? Im really wanting a shortbed stepside/reg cab. And how can I look at it to verify it has the spider sytem?
thanks again.

I thought ever year up until 07 has had a stepside option. Correct me if I'm wrong...

Yes they were available every year, although their production numbers must have been alot lower than the fleetsides because there seems to be a ton more fleetsides available. Any 96-99 is going to have spider injection. Chevy went to exterior individual cylinder injectors with the newer 4.8, 5.3, 6.0, 8.1 line of trucks. They started late 99 so in 99 you can get both, but you can obviously tell the later 99's by the newer body style. Good luck!

Ok thanks for the help everybody, is there anything in particular I need to look at when buying one of these trucks used (350/454 if im lucky.) other than the usual of buying a used vehicle

The only way you will find a shortbed stepside with a 454 is if someone custom built one. You can still pick up a 454 SS truck fairly reasonable (in the 5000-6000 range) they were only produced from 1990 - 1993 and the later years get pricey because they are alot more rare. They are all fleetside though. A 1990 454SS isn't that hard to come by, but you are limited to a black truck with red interior. They are extremely detuned from the factory, but with a set of good heads and a few odds and ends they runs real decent. You could always put a stepside bed on one if you can find one for sale.

Hey thanks man. There is a guy down the road who was thinking about selling his I think he was said he'd prob ask around 3500-4500. I havnt checked it out any though. But I will be happy with a 350 to, im sure you can get some good power with heads, cam, exhuast, intake, induction.

Ok well, how hard is it to upgrade the "fuel" system in the pre 96 350 motors? Because i honestly think I like the inteior better in the older ones than the others.