trucks been sitting for 5 years

The head gasket puts a monkey in the works. If you want the trick and can get it cheap it will need to be fixed or hauled home and fixed. Without the head gasket issue I would check all the fluids including the fuel, hoses and wiring and if everything looked passable you could just start it. Good luck.

 

Head gasket?

I would not touch it unless you want to do a project truck, the head gasket my not be the issue but a cracked head or warped.

 

RUST ! May well be looking at inframe and or head.

 

Did you go buy that truck yet, txnewbee ?

 

He decided to pass on it or so it sounds like " The seller would only go down to 4500 and id rather look for another oldie but goodie "

 

Smart move I think, setting and a head gasket is not a good choice.

 

Don't touch any vehicle you can't start unless you plan to do a complete restoration...silence hides a host of defects. Why would a good truck sit for 5 years? Must have high mileage. Where was it driven? Northern winters=bad/Southern routes=good. Consider...rubber that sits gets hard and brittle. Check the serpentine belt, windshield & sleeper weatherstrip, bend heater hoses,check tire sidewalls, etc- look for cracks. Electrical connections will have corrosion. Corrosion raises resistance- resistance causes heat and increases load on charging system. Are you prepared (at the minimum) to replace the rubber and unplug and treat (with grease or anti-corrosion product) all the exterior connections, including the ones buried at the back of the engine and under the cab? If you buy this inexpensive truck and get it running; carry tools and repair kits. Plan to set aside money in savings to replace the engine/transmission ($8,000-$10,0000). Expect a lot of "nickle & dime" repairs. Might work if you're good with tools...if you have to pay for all your repairs, you'll be broke in short order.

 

It's painful that I heard that , I have an 85 359 she's working that kw has a lot of potential I brought mines for 7000 it paid for it self running local, I used to haul cattle when first started out

 

I have seen National Guard trucks, that only got started up every two or three months, that were 10-20-30 years old, that would start and run, with no problems, every summer for two-three weeks, and then parked again. These trucks had old tires, old seals, old gaskets, old filters, old belts, old hoses, old electrics, old oil (oil samples pulled once a year), old everything, and still ran without any problems, leaks, etc. Now granted, most only had around 50 (+or-) thousand miles on them. But, that also shows how little they were actually run.

Now, we did have a pmcs program, basically done by weekenders, and obvious bad parts would get replaced. But, losts of stuff, that would get you put out of service now, were considered ok, and ran without a hitch.

 

Don't take this the wrong way, but were you interested in the truck cause it was a KW 900? Some will want a truck just cause it say's pete or k/w on it. some can not afford one in newer condition, so when they see one they can afford, they want it. it's their chance to own a hood. anyway, maybe a good thing you did not get this particular truck. I think you can find a older pete or k/w worth buying, just look way beyond the name.