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How long did your trucks run on the original drivetrain?

mikey_d05

mikey_d05

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Ok, this one is pretty simple. I'd like to know how many miles were on your truck's original drivetrain before you started having troubles of any kind. (major I'm talking, I'm not real concerned with a water pump here and there) I'm looking at a possible buildup truck with 142k that looks like it's been treated pretty well, but I'd need to keep the motor, trans, and tranfercase unmodified for a while. Thanks for any help.
 
As long as you keep the fluids clean and cool you should not have any trouble. I have a 94 blazer with 230,000+ mi all original, as well as a 86 with 200,000+ mi all original. The 94 has the tow package which includes a oil cooler, I also added a 2nd trans cooler and remote filter to the trans. The 86 has 2 coolers dual remote filters on the trans, a cooler and dual remote filters on the eng.
 
I got mine with 88,000 miles on it . Front axle went 130,000 mles and it only got pulled so I could swap to lower gears , its going into the project , still on original ball joints and axles . Gov Lock died around 120,000 , went to an older 12 bolt open with a locker , original 28 spline shafts went into a 87 Sub and still working . 700r4 may have been rebuilt before I bought it , it works great for nearly 4 years now . Motors bottom end is day one original , replaced heads because original owner overheated it and the heads made pinging , still had crosshatch on the bores .

So basically only a gov lock and common 305 head problem for me :D
 
I cant answer that one!!

NONE of my trucks I've had in the last 14 years had any original parts when I got them!:blush: --but I'm willing to bet the original drivetrains had at least 200,000 on them before they got replaced....

One K5 Blazer (72) I owned for 8 years had 225,000 on it when I bought it--I drove it another 50,000 miles until the speedometer croaked,drove it six months with no speedometer,then put another 25,000 miles on a boneyard speedo!--the truck had the original 350,the TH350 had a problem from day one(would not shift into drive in the morning until the engine warmed up--I drove it 6 years that way!)so I put in an SM465 4 speed that had 150,000 on it from another truck,it had the original 12 bolt posi(never even changed the gear lube more than once!)and it was a very reliable truck--I'd still have it today,if I had built my garage sooner,and washed it more often..it got salted to death....:frown1:

If you keep the oil changed and dont overheat it too many times,a small block will go 200,000 miles most of the time,with only minor maintenence,like a timing chain after 100,000 or so--that K5 had a noise in the front of the motor,so I bought a timing chain--turned out it was the fuel pump making he noise--the ORIGINAL AC fuel pump from 1972!!--it started making a clacking noise in 1989!....now THATS chevy tough!!....
 
Don't know bought my beater truck which turned into daily driver tires bald so was gave 31's back to 35's now put the 31's back on. almost 3 years with clutch chatering and only changed the oil twice in the almost 3 years. Only maintenance was carb rebuilt, 2 belts, free tires, battery, air fiter, plugs, wires and cap and button for ignition. Still ain't got a grand in it yet. As long as talk sweet to it it will never let you down.:waytogo: Have to work on broke stuff at work, don't do to much at home, truck ain't worth fixin' up bondo in all the fenders is cracking. What do you expect for $600?:dunno: Should i check some other fluids besides adding oil? If it ain't broke don't fix it! Added oil to the t-case it just leaks till below the speedo cable that don't work no way. The power steering fluid was brown so afraid to change it.
 
bought my truck at 136k, by 140k, the 350 was knockin, by 144000 it was waiting on a new motor :crazy: :crazy:

O yeh and i forgot to add, the 350 i blew up was the 2nd motor in the truck............the 496 makes #3.....
 
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I have 207,000 mile on my 90 burb 3/4 ton with the 350 and th400. All original miles on everything and the truck was not exactly had an easy life. Lots of heavy towing and city/daily driving. But it still runs pretty good and the tranny shifts nice and frim still. Ball joints are starting to get worn out a little but the tires still dont lean in. Its still got the ogiginal alternater, and i just had to change out the ogiginal starter last year. Its been a dam good truck over the last 14 years sence my dad bought it new in october of 89.:cool1:
 
My 97 yukon (yea, its 97, but its got 130,000 HARD miles on it) is still going strong. The transmission shifts fine, doesn't slip. The motor pings a little, but I think that has to do with the way the stealership programmed the PCM after the fuel pump went and took the whole fuel injection system with it. It certainly doesn't burn oil. The only real problems that I've had with it were the fuel injection system, and that was because the fuel pump broke and sent pieces of fuel pump through the system.

I don't think mileage matters much if the truck has been taken care of. My dad's '03 Yukon XL has something like 120,000 on it and it still runs like the day we bought it. If maintenance is kept up and the truck isn't abused, it'll last forever.
 
I got my 85 K10 at 130K on it and it was in perfect working order. I ran it for a while with the 305 tell it finally went, I neclegeted it. So far with 350 I'm at 165K and only other thing to go is the transefer case. But lots of little other damn things going wrong lately!!!
 
My 70 has less than 72,000 miles on it, and it still has a functioning Delco-Remy coil, so I guess age is less important than actual mileage.
 
200K on a 75 K5 when the trans let go. At least I think. It only has a 5 digit odometer so who knows how many times it's been around the horn. Of course the only reason it did let go was because I was doing 85 down the highway for about an hour with a SERIOUS vibration from the front driveshaft. I had things to do!!!:saweet: (Those things cost me 1500 bucks of drivetrain) As far as I know the stock axles and transfer case are at 230K without problems - even after towing 5000 lbs. across the country on 35's and stock 3.08 gearing (hurting).
 
according to the p/o, my truck's 80K were original when I bought it. I must admit, it sure did look like it. Only the rockers were shot, the rest was in rough but serviceable shape, looked just like the farm truck it had been used as should look. the wood in the bed (factory option) is even still there, just dryrotted pretty bad.

however, the engine, 465, and the Rockwell t-case were all painted the same shade of blue, which raised a few flags for me. I decoded the block, and lucky for me its a 350 from a '73 or '74 school bus chassis. The truck still has the original closed knuckle drum braked D44 up front, and a dana 60 ff rear. The p/o said the R&P were changed from the stock 4.10 to 3.73, which I believe. The truck even still has 4 original split rim wheels, and a spare.

The truck ran great for me until the seals went in the Rockwell for some reason, and it started gushing gear oil. It eventually locked up on me at 55 mph, and I stuck a fork in it, its done. When this happened, the starter decided to take a crap at the same time, and the truck had been needing a new clutch as well. The small rock chip in the w/s spread from the cold weather, and now the crack is position so that the w/s is ruined. So now its been sitting a while, and the tires are going flat. I bought a NP205 to switch in, and I even moved the crossmember, but I decided to let it set, and I bought my Buick for a DD so I can work on it. Too bad I never get to because of college or other obligations.
 
I'd say nearly 150,000 miles when I burned a valve and pulled the engine. Blew the 10 bolt up on the street with 31s about 6 months before that. My 700R4 and NP 208 are both still living without rebuilds in two different trucks.
 
My '90 Burb had 330,000 miles on it when the rear main let go and blew all the oil out, locking up the motor....I had replaced the heads last summer, original bore....


No idea on the tranny though....
 
My '90 K5 has 256,000 miles on original engine and transmission. Uses no oil and is still going strong. I don't hesitate at all to travel or go anywhere I want to go. Makes me wonder why Chevy dropped the 350. In my opinion this is the best engine every built not only by Chevy but by any company.
 
My '84 Burb has 333,618mi on th ticker as of right now. Never has had ANY drive train problems (SM465, NP208, 350cid, 14b SF, 10b) and all it's had done is regular mant. it's whole life.
 
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