Here is the deal I found a 1987 C/K 1500 4x4 for sale believe it or not my dream truck. The owner said the last time he drove the truck he blew a headgasket, water was dripping out of the exhuast. What all is involed in fixing a problem like this. Would it be better just to buy a new motor or is it going to take a arm and leg to fix?

 

couple hundred bucks...
easy fix if your into doing those kind of things..
but how long has the engine been sitting????
and water dripping out of the exhaust doesnt necessarily mean there is a blown head gasket..
check the oil, if it is milky, that is a sure sign of a gasket blown somewhere..
I rebuilt the top end of my brothers 84 F-150 with blown head gaskets, for less than $500
spent 200 on getting the heads reworked, and another 150 on misc parts..
and a bit more on oil, filters, and odd-n-ends

 

They said it has been sitting for about a year. It sitting that long could there be rust on the pistons?

 

Or gas turned into varnish!!!

 

depends on what is going for... if its somewhat on the high side.... id bring in some tools, like a compression guage and radiator pressure guage... and see what the problem is before buying...

if its on the cheap side... i wouldnt worry about it.... rebuild the motor for play time and play the hell out of it

 

Ok a update I bought the truck, and pulled it home. First thing I checked was the oil, it look good just a slight sign of milkyness. Next I put jumper cables on the battery and it fired right up, I turned it right off after tuning it on. What steps should I take next I have the average mechanical skills but no pro here. I guess I should have it checked out by a mechanic?

 

Anyone?

 

Can you tell or did he say which head gasket blew? I'd probably go ahead and pull that head if you know which one and have it checked out. Get a new gasket, change the oil/filter and see how the compression test comes out.

 

I would drain the fuel tank and replace it with new fuel, don't use the old fuel. Change the oil as well as the filter and wipe down the heads and run a chalk outline around the heads. Run it around for a little while and check the oil level and consistency as well as the heads to see if anything's amiss.

 

Drivers side head is blown looks like.