Just got back from looking at a '96 Jimmy and what a score! Needs freeze plugs, everything else works well including the 4wd, no body damage, only rust is from a chip in the hood and a little surface rust on the drivers side front corner of the fender near the hood. Interior is a bit dirty but nothing a good cleaning wont fix. All this for 300 bucks, I'm a happy camper. In the add it said good beater, it looks too nice to be a beater, so it'll get a good polish and cleaning and it will be my winter truck since my 2wd crew cab just doesnt cut it where winter lasts 6 months long...

 

Seems like a pretty good deal for only $300

 

Wow you got a great deal on that. I basically got a 92 Blazer body for 500 bucks. Runs but has a tick on it and a fairly substantial amount of rust. Interior is nice though. Cant wait to see some pics of your ride and see what you have planned. Welcome to the forum from Central Florida

 

Just got it to my shop. it was quite an ordeal! The Jimmy was frozen into the dirt where it was parked in the fall and we tried everything to get it out including lifting it by the front hooks with a tractor, pulling it out with the tractor, etc. The truck wasnt running, just cranking over so we couldnt try to get it out under it's own steam. Finally about an hour later I saw somebody had left the parking break on! It came out easily after that. After the tow truck brought it to the shop it started with minimal cranking, no issue because it needed to be towed regardless because of the freeze plug leak. Runs very smooth.

Body has minimal rust, just light surface in a few spots that paint had peeled, and one dent in the driver's door that looks like I can pop out from inside. Interior is very dirty but thats easy. Overhead console doesnt seem to work, I'll chase wires later.

I'm undecided what to do with it yet. I already have an '08 uplander that I owe twice as much as what it's worth thanks to depreciation, and a '93 F350 crew cab, 5 speed 7.3L IDI that I'm very fond of but I just couldnt pass this up even if I just drive it for the rest of the winter and sell in the summer for a profit.

Pics later, it was too dark to take good pics.

 

well, it's not a '96 after all, I saw a freeze plug on the front of the block which means it's a '95... which means there's one behind the bellhousing too... crap... well, I have the tools for the job I just hoped it was going to be as easy as I thought it was going to be.

 

Sounds like a good deal to me! Welcome from Northern Fla.

 

Welcome from New York, good luck.

 

Well, the engine bay is mostly taken apart and the driver's side motor mount is removed. With an engine crane I was able to get enough clearance to get to the rotten plug (the one behind it is a block heater, and it isnt leaking) but it was so corroded that the centre punched in and the rim of the plug is seized in the hole. I'm going to have to carefully use a dremel to cut it out and make sure I use a good coat of sealant on the new plug. Looks like the passenger side plugs were done at some point, they dont look bad at all.

Looks like the tranny is leaking, I'll have to take a look at that, hopefully the pan gasket is leaking and nothing more, I purchased this on a limited budget.



And here is the shop I use, it's the base motor hobby club. I volunteer there so my hours are free and they have almost any tool available.

 

Got them out, a night's sleep helped. I came up with a way to punch in the plugs on the front of the block using a large impact socket in the new plug, with a small sledge beside it, a long and large tapered bar wedging them against the large accessory bracket, then hammering the tapered bar to push in the plug. I call it the "Frank maneuver" lol, worked excellent.

 

Well, it's all together now, and I see steam shooting from the head so I suspect the previous owner overheated it and blew a head gasket. I'm done, dont want to be into it too far financially so it's going for sale locally basically for what I have into it.

Edit:

Jumped the gun, it appears to have been residual release-all or something else burning on the manifold or on the block looking suspiciously like a jet from a leak, today there was no sign of it. Gonna iron out the wrinkles that it has and drive it for a while.