1984 Chevy Sierra Classic – Lee C.
| My in-laws gave my wife and me this 1984 GMC Jimmy that had been in the family for years. It was under a shelter because Robert, my father-in-law started restoring it, but got busy on his ’69 Camaro (you should see it!). Robert had already put a 400 small block motor in place of the factory 305. He put a cam and headers with dual exhaust, put a tachometer, transmission thermostat, beefed up radiator to compensate for the 400 small block. When we got it the 700R4 transmission was shot, it was all factory except the motor. I had always wanted one of the bad looking machines since I was in high school. I found it ironic that I finally got one and it happened to be the same year model I graduated high school, 1984. Now money was limited so this project took us a few years. The first thing to do was rebuild the tranny, to get this Jimmy on the road again. Then I wanted to beef it up a bit and as luck would have it I found some great 35×12.50 BFG tires on chrome wheels for an even better price. Afterward, they scrubbed a little, so I put a 2″ lift and new front springs and shocks all around which made it handle and ride much better. This Jimmy was starting to come together! The original paint was near the end of its value to our Jimmy, it had some small rust in spots and we loved it so much we knew we had to paint it to preserve it. I wanted something unique for our Jimmy. I’ve always thought the Marine Corps Dress Blue uniform was sharp looking, and I never got wear a set while I served in the Corps from 1985-1993. I thought it would be fitting to honor our Marines by painting the Jimmy with a similar paint scheme. I began looking at paint books everywhere I could and finally I found the colors to use. I had a family friend to paint the Jimmy and he did an outstanding job, he even painted the blood-stripe down the side, just as an NCO’s Dress Blues would have. While it was getting painted I went ahead and took out the faded carpet and replaced it with a new rubber mat, and I put Reese hitches on front and back, new rear bumper, new window and top seals, new dash cover etc.. We finally got the Jimmy back and it looks GREAT, but it still was not complete, it felt like it couldn’t breathe so I had new Flow-master exhaust put on and what a difference. I fill the tank with the hard to find Non-Ethanol gas(the carb loves it) and this thing is a beast, and it gets compliments everywhere it goes. |
