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Looking into getting an IFS Daily Driver

BlazerBoyK5

BlazerBoyK5

1/2 ton status
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I have been looking into getting a 96 to 98 Chevy 1500 Z71 and i have few questions.

1.) How many miles can you excpect from a Vortec engine before they start having problems?

2.) What is the biggest tire i will be able to fit stock? (this is going to be a DD so i am want the crusing rpms to be lower because of the bigger tire)

3.) What kind of gas milage can i expect? (I am looking for an average number)

4.) What is the most common rear end ratio in these trucks?


Thanks in advance.

P.S. If anyone has one for sale Shoot me a PM.
 
2 - 285/75R16, 255/85R16, or 305/70R16 if you put them on stock wheels. Those convert to 33x11.25ishR16, tall 33x10ishR16, and 33x12.5R16.
However you will loose gas mileage running any of them. I always have.

3-Stock truck with stock sized tires...13-14...maybe 15 if it's a stick. Figure on 13. Higher on the freeway but reports vary and it depends how fast you want to go.
 
i had a 96 with the 305 and i was getting 18 with stock tires. but then i went to 35s and that dropped alot lol.
i never had any problems except for stuff that i did, being young and dumb i had straight pipes for a couple years and it eventually ruined my injectors so i had to replace them...unfortunately i sold it and that was the only problem i really had. they are great trucks!
 
1. My 93 TBI has over 200,000 miles , its going in my truggy . My 99 Suburban has over 130,000 now ,s till runs strong .

2. 33" inch seems to be the limit for turning nicely without hitting the fender up front . I run 265/75/16C for street and 235/80/16E for towing .

3. varies between 15 to 18 highway empty , never got better than 11.5 loaded up with a trailer and truggy behind it .

4. Both my 93 and 99 have 3.73's from the factory . Most of the 3/4 tons and the 4x4's got 3.73's during the IFS years .
 
Awesome guys thanks for the info. I went and looked at one last night with a rebuilt motor and tranny combo with only 30k. Body was crap and he wouldnt drop his price so i left.

Also i heard that some of these came wiht the sf14bolt rear. Is this true and what option gave it the stronger rear end?

Another question, is there anything that normally goes wrong with these trucks that i need to look at besides the drivetrain? Small stuff that i will realize later that i should have check?
 
It was the F44 option. Confusing how it was applied because some guys had half tons with the plowing and tow packages but didn't get it and they've been found under trucks with low GVWR's. Chances are better than not that you'll find a 10 bolt at any rate.

No, the Z71 package did not get the 6 lug 14SF as part of the option. A lot of people repeat that but it's a myth.
 
My K2500 LD six lug 3/4 ton got the 14bsf . My 99 Burb K1500 was preran for the brake controller , and had the trailer wiring , but got a 10 bolt .
 
Yeah im not too worried about the rear end because im not going to be doing much towing other than a bumper pull with my blazer and it should be okay. 90% of the time its going to see highway time back and forth to class.
 
Honestly , the 10 bolt will probably be ok . I towed last year to Moab and back , then put about 15 K on the rig this year and the 10 bolt is fine .
 
pauly383 said:
Honestly , the 10 bolt will probably be ok . I towed last year to Moab and back , then put about 15 K on the rig this year and the 10 bolt is fine .
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Thats good to here. If i can find one with the 14bsf thats great but i am not going to be my decision maker. I need a truck that gets better than 10 on the highway for drivinig back and forth to class.
 
I just sold my 97 a couple months ago...miss it dearly:( and had it since new! I traded it in on a 03 crewcab and it sold the same day...new I should have asked for more!

With 33's a 5 speed and 3.73 gears I got around 14-15 but it was also a std cab short bed. Quick little truck, had a few injector problems and had to swap in a new water pump alt and distributor but other than that no problems in the 143k I owned it. I hauled my jeep all over with it and had plenty of power.
 
alf4444 said:
I just sold my 97 a couple months ago...miss it dearly:( and had it since new! I traded it in on a 03 crewcab and it sold the same day...new I should have asked for more!

With 33's a 5 speed and 3.73 gears I got around 14-15 but it was also a std cab short bed. Quick little truck, had a few injector problems and had to swap in a new water pump alt and distributor but other than that no problems in the 143k I owned it. I hauled my jeep all over with it and had plenty of power.
Click to expand...

Did you any problems fitting those tires? Stock or after market wheels?
 
They can be made to fit with it stock. A bit of trimming and it works. Then again there are narrower 33's that need no trimming at all.
 
Not a big fan of body lift. I actually like the stock wheels so i will prolly just end up with narrower tires. I dnt like the gaps you can see with the body lift. I plan on uzing the the bed and i have heard that there are strngth issues with the bottom of the bed. This true?
 
They make "gap guards" that cover up those gaps. Basically just mud flap like material that hangs down and covers them up. I made some for my lifted Tracker out of old floor mats.

The bed issue I've heard but I've also heard there are blocks you are supposed to put in between the bed and the frame to eliminate/minimize this issue...I've heard.

Personally what I'd do...and if I could go back in time to 1999 and stop a younger me from lifting his '92 Blazer K1500...is just run 285/75R16's or 255/85R16's on the stock wheels. Those work out to 33x11.25R16 and a tall 33x10ishR16.
 
Will i need to crank the torsion bars to clear the tall and skinny 33s or is that stock? And i really dont want to lift the truck because thats what my blazer is for. Its got the big tires and sucky gas milage. I want this truck to be stock but pull my buddies out when they take out there 2wds.
 
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