King Jimmy - should not have sold this beast
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Here is what I wrote up for the ad to sell this beautiful beast. I should not have sold it, I miss it the most. It was my first veggie conversion... 2003!
The great: It's an 88 full-size 1/2-ton 2-door GMC Jimmy Half-convertible w/ 160k miles. The engine is the 6.2l diesel, this is important, it's not the 5.7l that is very troublesome and gave diesels a bad name in the US. The 6.2l is much more reliable, and has served me well. It has a live (solid) front axel and it is a very, very capable 4x4 as it was even used by the government in the 80's before they switched to the Hummer. It is a go anywhere, do anything vehicle. It has a complete towing package including an updated rear suspension capable of towing 6000+ lbs. It's also really easy and inexpensive to work on. It has one-month-old 31-inch tires by Dayton that cost $500+ installed, plus a full-size spare (different brand) and a set of brand new tire chains. It also has a new OEM starter. I drive it everywhere, often to CT and NYC, never with a problem. For diesel trucks, it’s a great competitor at a very affordable price.
The Mild: However, since I can walk to work, and other members of the band I'm in have gotten trucks for moving equipment, I have found that I'm using my truck like a car and not for hauling stuff or driving in heavy snow! It gets 15/20 mpg for short trips in the winter and 65mph on the highway respectively. I've used it for 2 years and the only big thing that I had to fix was the injector pump, and it now has a rebuilt pump from a military grade version. The new pump works really well and It has both much more power and better mileage than before.
I use an amp hooked up to 6”x 9” eclipse speakers and a portable DVD player for audio (I don’t use a head unit as I drive it into NYC frequently and don’t want something visible and easy to steal). The AC needs a recharge; in Vermont I never needed it. The right electric door lock doesn't function and you have to reach over to unlock the door.
The rear wheel wells and rockers had rust and they have been cleaned, had the steel replaced, filled with fiber-resin, and painted (slightly different blue), but there is still some surface rust in places. The frame is in great shape and has an oil coat; it even still has a lot of the original undercoat. The front right fender and hood are from a white and red jimmy; the rest of the jimmy is blue. The tail gate has some rust along the bottom edge, but it still fully functional, I jump around on there all the time loading stuff in and the window motor still works.
The less good: Truck needs one of the dual tailpipes welded on, same thing happened to the other side and I just welded it in place and it hasn't been a problem. The glow plug relay has started to be finicky, but people with this problem usually simply fix it by putting in a manual switch. The relay always goes on, but sometimes you have to turn the engine over once before it clicks into play. Just passed inspection.
Labels: GMC Jimmy, WVO conversion
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