1990 Chevy K1500 Could Be Your Next Budget Project Truck
Incredible benefits can be found in inexpensive but rewarding older Chevy rigs.
Ever sat and wondered what your next project car or truck should be? We at Chevy Forum do this on a daily basis. So, today we are here to explain why you don’t need to think so hard about that question anymore, we have done the work. We recommend your next project should be a classic Chevy K1500.
Recently, a truck owner named MountainMan300 posted on Reddit posted about how he had recently purchased a 1990 Chevy K1500. He is a college student and according says “I made the biggest purchase of my life; a 1990 Chevrolet K1500…[I] had been dreaming about buying a project car since the first time I played Need for Speed as a kid.” As you might imagine, being in college and wanting to build a project car are two things that don’t go hand in hand very well. In reality, we would probably be best not recommending doing both of these things together at all, but we are assuming most of you aren’t in college anymore.
Even though his real goal was to own a muscle car of some sort, he decided to stay a bit more responsible and found that he fell for hard for a Chevy 1500.
The reason for this was due to the fact that he enjoys camping and hunting and the usefulness of a 4×4 in that situation cannot be understated. We agree that the overall practicality of a truck is very hard to beat. Since purchasing the truck he has admitted to replacing quite a few parts, including the headlights, the EGR valve, the knock sensor, and the radiator; to name a few.
You might be thinking, wow, that sounds pretty unreliable. But the fact is, the reward far outweighs all other factors.
“Now it runs like a top,” MountainMan300 writes. “It’s a lot of work daily driving something this old, and I still don’t have air conditioning (but I have finally obtained all the necessary tools and parts to replace the compressor and charge the system.) The best part of driving something like this is when people tell me ‘Oh yeah, my dad/grandpa used to have one of these!’ or ‘Holy cow! I used to ride to elementary school in one of these!’ or ‘How in the world is that thing so clean?'”
Sure, this is an almost 30 year old truck. It is not going to get the best gas mileage, the interior might not be the greatest, and it does require extra upkeep. But it will be something special, a truck you know you have really put your own personal effort into. MountainMan300 explains it best, though.
“I know my truck isn’t anything special, but damn if it isn’t something I worked hard for and continue to pour my time, sweat, blood, and money into.”
First off, we think this truck does seem special. Secondly, considering that these trucks can be found for as little as $1,000 in running condition, with higher trims and models still only couple thousand, they present impressive value. Sweat equity pays off.
Got a project truck that is your pride and joy? Tell us about it in the comments or in the forums. Maybe the next story will be about you!
Photos: Reddit; General Motors
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