May have found my Titan replacement

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bigcountry78

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Well, my dad found a 96-98 gmt400 W/T, single cab short bed 4x4 for $500, complete with a title. It’s the vortec 4.3, automatic, with manual windows door locks and rubber floors. Running when sank. Yep, you read that right, the guy left it running and in gear I guess and it rolled into a pond. Now, I might be crazy, but this truck wasn’t in terrible condition before this happened. Had a few dents in the bed because it was a farm truck, but it’s only showing 145k on the odometer. The interior is in pretty good shape except for being in the pond, it’s just really dirty. Gonna get some pics from dad tomorrow. It’ll need a tailgate, hood and grill. The hood and grill got mashed while the last guy was moving it around with the tractor. I was talking to my wife and she agreed that we don’t absolutely need to be able to fit the whole family in whatever truck I get. If I could scoop this one up cheap and get it running, it would serve the purpose for hauling trash, home supplies and my four wheeler. We’ll see how it pans out. My dad already bought it and got it home, so it’s not going anywhere. Oh it’ll need a rear window too, that sucker is gone lol.
 

CheemsK1500

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It is hard to go wrong with a gmt400, even the worst ones are still often good trucks in their own right. a short bed 4x4 WT is not too common in my experience. Most I see are typically long bed 2wds. It sounds like you got a good starting point for a 4x4 build and maybe even a future daily.
 

bigcountry78

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It is hard to go wrong with a gmt400, even the worst ones are still often good trucks in their own right. a short bed 4x4 WT is not too common in my experience. Most I see are typically long bed 2wds. It sounds like you got a good starting point for a 4x4 build and maybe even a future daily.
I’ve seen quite a few of them. This one was a paper company truck. My dad used to work for a company called Bowater out of South Carolina. They were a very big company at one time. They used to run the 2wd W/T to keep costs down, but someone finally figured out that having 2wd in the woods doesn’t work so they went to 4x4 W/T, again to keep costs down. When they got rid of the forestry division, the guys had a chance to buy the trucks, so that’s where this one came from. A lot of them went to the paper mill for use there too, so I always thought these trucks were common. At least, we always had one in the driveway lol.
 

bigcountry78

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PICS ????
Here you go. Now remember fellers and fellettes, this was a running and driving truck, but it was a farm truck. So, here we go:
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bigcountry78

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Couple more:
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bigcountry78

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And a couple more. Now I know she’s rough, but it’s a $500 truck, with title, thats complete except for the rear window. My first truck was a 98 Silverado, so I’ve got a soft spot for the gmt 400 platform. And I know them like the back of my hand. It’s also got three cooper at tires with about half tread so that’s good. I kinda like the steel wheels that they come with. Little massage would probably get most of that dent out of the bed, I’m just bummed that he smashed the front with the tractor. Now that I’m looking at it, I believe this is a 98 based on the dash. I think 97 had a cubby hole where the passenger airbag goes, and then 98 got the passenger airbag.
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bucket

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I must have missed what happened with the Titan? Or maybe I just forgot.

Was it still running when it was pulled from the drink, or did it suck in water and stall it? Seems like a decent buy if it can run again?

Also, is it common for the truck community to call all of the base model trucks a "W/T"? I've always just called them base models since the "W/T 1500" was actually an option package on a base truck.
 

CountKrunk

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Never heard of W/T but I'm also 29 and recently into chevys lol.

Def ruff but $500 isn't bad, a screaming deal if you can get it running without much issue. Have you looked at any of the fluids yet?
 

bigcountry78

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I must have missed what happened with the Titan? Or maybe I just forgot.

Was it still running when it was pulled from the drink, or did it suck in water and stall it? Seems like a decent buy if it can run again?

Also, is it common for the truck community to call all of the base model trucks a "W/T"? I've always just called them base models since the "W/T 1500" was actually an option package on a base truck.
I’m wanting to sell it to get out of the payment. I hardly ever drive it and I’m kinda at the point in my life where I’d rather fix and older truck than make payments on a new one. And, it’s not a Chevy, so there’s that.

I call it a W/T because that’s what I’ve always seen on the tailgate. No idea if it’s a package or not, that’s just what I call it.

The story I’m getting is it sucked water in and stalled. I have been told that they changed the fluids but couldn’t get it to fire so the guy gave up on it. Apparently he’s notorious for being cheap and didn’t want to do anything besides the basics. So I’m told it’ll turn over but not fire. I also don’t know how mechanically inclined the last guy is, so it could be something as simple as a relay that shorted out and won’t allow it to fire off.
 

bigcountry78

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Keep this in mind as you "resurrect" this truck.. Electrical stuff hates moisture.. Odds are, you'll be forever plagued with electrical gremlins for a long, long time...
True, however it does have minimal electronics outside of the engine management system. And, I believe it was pulled out fairly quickly. I don’t think it sat in the water for days.
 

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