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2003 Chevy 1500 (GMT-800 platform)

fourwheelerjeff

fourwheelerjeff

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I have been driving my dad's pickup. it is a 2003 Chevrolet 1500 extended cab with the 5.3. I have told my mom when she is comfortable selling it I would like to buy it. it has 127000 miles on it. I am almost tempted not to buy it as I would rather have a 2500 for towing. but after driving it occasionally for the past couple of months, I like it. my dad hit a hog a few years ago and never did fix the bumper so it needs a bumper and I would like to add a grill guard along with a new bumper and a narrow tool box across the bed. my dad bought it brand new. it does have some rust which is disappointing.

so I am asking for the pros and cons of these trucks.

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The only negative is the rust. But it’s your dad’s truck. So there’s that.
 
Patch panels are pretty cheap to fix the rust. I've got to do a set or rockers in the cab of an 03 crew cab. Looked like 5-600 bucks for inner rockers, outer rockers and cab corners for both sides.

There's a potential issue with the transfer cases. The pump inside was rubbing through the case and loosing oil. Might not apply to yours, but my 01 2500hd had the issue. Might be something to research.

Overall I've had good luck with my 01. With the 428,000 miles mine has, I expect some things to happen, but I don't feel it's excessive.
 
I like it, and the Dad factor is a plus. I'd patch it up, paint it and drive it. I love my 5.3 and will put one in the K30 if I can swing it.
 
The pump rub issue was on the 3/4ton t-cases, not the half tons. The GMT800 platform is solid. The cluster on an 03 may wig out on individual gauges where the needles hang up. Lots of options to replace the stepper motors by DIY kits or online services.

Do the maintenance and it will go a long way.
 
eric67camino said:
Patch panels are pretty cheap to fix the rust. I've got to do a set or rockers in the cab of an 03 crew cab. Looked like 5-600 bucks for inner rockers, outer rockers and cab corners for both sides.

There's a potential issue with the transfer cases. The pump inside was rubbing through the case and loosing oil. Might not apply to yours, but my 01 2500hd had the issue. Might be something to research.

Overall I've had good luck with my 01. With the 428,000 miles mine has, I expect some things to happen, but I don't feel it's excessive.
Click to expand...
ZooMad75 said:
The pump rub issue was on the 3/4ton t-cases, not the half tons. The GMT800 platform is solid. The cluster on an 03 may wig out on individual gauges where the needles hang up. Lots of options to replace the stepper motors by DIY kits or online services.

Do the maintenance and it will go a long way.
Click to expand...

no transfer case at all on this one.

I cleaned it out and found some paperwork where he had the dealer replace the cluster
 
The lower bearing in the steering column and the intermediate shaft itself can get a rattle in them. From what I see, the lower bearing doesn't show the wear very obviously. Guys will replace it and believe that the part which they remove is fine, but the noise goes away. There are several YouTube videos on this problem.
There is supposed to be an updated intermediate shaft if that is the problem, but I don't know how to determine if it is making the noise, unless you just give it a shake. I have not diagnosed my Dad's '02 yet.
If the ignition lock gets to be a problem to unlock, I start with having a key cut to the factory code 1st.
The lock cylinder is not bad to swap if needed. With only 127K, I could be fine for a long time, but I had a company truck be a problem at 140K.
Watch for slow oil pressure on start up, the O ring on the pick-up tube can get tired and suck some air. Easy fix on a 2wd, but you should be good for quite a while as it is.
I really like this series of trucks after working on them some. And they will go lots of miles.
 
Oh, and if the hinge pins and bushings get loose on the doors, don't wait, replace them! They are stupid easy to pull the door and do as long as they don't get the hinge destroyed from lack of a bushing.
 
They are good trucks, my father in law has/had 2 of them for work trucks. His current 05 is set to roll 500k here soon. On 2nd engine and trans, and has a trailer hooked to it most days.
He sold me his 03 and it had 450k when i sold it. I only sold it because a single cab wasn't practical for us, it was on 2nd engine original trans.
 
6872xtc said:
The lower bearing in the steering column and the intermediate shaft itself can get a rattle in them. From what I see, the lower bearing doesn't show the wear very obviously. Guys will replace it and believe that the part which they remove is fine, but the noise goes away. There are several YouTube videos on this problem.
There is supposed to be an updated intermediate shaft if that is the problem, but I don't know how to determine if it is making the noise, unless you just give it a shake. I have not diagnosed my Dad's '02 yet.
If the ignition lock gets to be a problem to unlock, I start with having a key cut to the factory code 1st.
The lock cylinder is not bad to swap if needed. With only 127K, I could be fine for a long time, but I had a company truck be a problem at 140K.
Watch for slow oil pressure on start up, the O ring on the pick-up tube can get tired and suck some air. Easy fix on a 2wd, but you should be good for quite a while as it is.
I really like this series of trucks after working on them some. And they will go lots of miles.
Click to expand...
I-shafts were the main issue. Lower column bearings also, but not to the extent of the i-shaft.

The “updated” gm I-shaft starts rattling after a couple years or more of use so I’m not actually sure what they did to update it. They had a special procedure with a special tool to introduce greas into the shaft and eliminate the rattle but they discontinued it when the supposed updated shaft came out.

If you really want the rattle gone forever, throw the gm part in the garbage and get a Borgeson replacement. They are different and the price reflects it.
 
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