Hey all,
I've aquired a 85 Jimmy (v6) from my girlfriend's family and am having some issues. As it stands right now, it will crank but not start. I put in a fresh batter and just swapped out the plugs. While replacing a spark plugs wire, the plug stripped out from the distributor cap. This is my next replacement. I was told that this was running 2-5 years ago and has been sitting since. Asides from changing the cap, is there anything else I can look for/test. I know the gas is old so that'll either have to be dumped or topped off with some fresh stuff. I am by no means a mechanic but am willing to learn and tinker.

Side note, if I wanted to just grab a crate engine for a turn key solution, does anyone have any suggestions. I have yet to look into this but will do so this week.

 

Is this 85 a carburetor or a TBI fuel injected version?

 

Carb with a big old pan head air filter. Once I've verified that the motor runs, doesn't knock, functional etc, I'll most likely upgrade. This is more or less why I'm a little more comfortable working with it.

 

Carbs after sitting for a long time most probably has run dry.
It may take quite a while cranking to fill it with gas at all. The old fuel in the tank can be an issue, especially if contaminated with water.
(Depending on how the truck was stored and where you live.)
Draining it completely may be an option (Taking all the precautions when dealing with fuel).
Also replacing the fuel filter(s).

While cranking look at the oil pressure and all the other indicators. Don't crank too long, let the starter motor cool after two or three attempts for a long time (1h or so).