Well first let me start by saying hi. I just bought my first truck a few months ago and I only regret not buying a truck earlier in my life.

1995 Chevy Silverado Z71. 120K, 5.7, ext cab, short box...

What should I do first? Tires? Lift? Interior?

Bombard me.

 

Well you dont want to do tires first because if you get a lift then you have brand new tires that are to small. I would dicided on what type of lift you want then save up to do the lift and tires at the same time or get the lift and then tires with in a few months but it will look funny if you have a 6 inch lift and like 31" tires. Not sure what you want to do to the interior so thats up to you. But i would start on the outside because you have more people see your truck from the outside then the inside.

 

congratulations on your new trucks... im with hunt on this one, decide what you want to do as far as a lift first, then do tires, and if you get up to 35s youre going to want new wheels to kick the tires out a little...

personally, i'd do exhaust first

 

Also if you get up to 35 inch tires you are going to want to get new gears and then you are going to want to get either and custom tune or programmer for the new gears and tires. And then the list could go on and on and on just a matter of how much money you want to put into your truck.

 

What is the truck going to be used for? I jumped on this forum because I just bought a 200o Tahoe but I also have a '98 Ram 1500 with the 5.2. My wife wanted bigger tires (yeah, throw me in that briar patch) so I put 33's on it. We pull a 23 foot RV trailer in the summer. I haven't been able to afford to do the gears and it's killin' me going uphill when I drag that thing, not to mention I assume it's putting a little extra wear on the tranny. In short, if you plan on pulling anything and you go with bigger tires, be ready to put in gears or have your perfomance suck.

 

In order:

1. Engine mods.....it easier to work on it when it close to the ground.
2. Then a lift....it easier to do gears when its already jacked up.
3. Either the gears or tires are next if not both. If you are looking at going over 38" tires I'd do the gears first. Its also easier to pull the axles if your not pullin off huge tires plus it is easier on the transmission to spin huge tires with a lower gear ratio.

 

Oh and then tie it all together with a tune or programmer to make the most out of the mods.

 

Speaking of exhaust what do you have on your truck? I had a 99 and had magnaflow exhaust put on. The sound was ok, but not what I was really looking for. I have an 04 Crew Cab now with a 5.7 and I am just curious what others are putting on for exhaust.

 

Holy crap!

Easy guys... Slow down. All in due time my lovelies.

I'm not planning on taking the thing off roading, I don't pull anything, and I sure as hell don't carry anything in the bed. I'm one of those guys who just likes the idea that I COULD do all that stuff.
I've so far only put a ladder rack on it, (for work) but I'm debating whether or not to take it back off again (quit that job) as it's usefullness came to an end.

I haven't done much research, but I like the stock ride height, maybe a tad higher and 33" mudder tires. Why off road tires on a truck that will never see it's way off the pavement? Because I can.
The interior is a blank canvas however. I'd like to either replace the seats, or reupholster them with custom embroidery. I'm liking my silver and black color scheme, so maybe I could carry that over to the interior as well.
Has anyone tackled painting the dash, or other trim pieces?

Oh, and if anyone has any feedback on what stuff to stay away from on ebay, that'd be great. (Fake HID/projector headlights, altezza tail lights...etc.)

Thanks guys.
-Rainier

 

Clear Coners off Ebay for $20 (with S&H), excellent!
Altezza Tails for $40 off Ebay, (with S&H), lasted one week than leaked like crazy!
Airaid knockoff intake off Ebay $40 (plus S&H), excellent!
Thorottle Body Spacer $30 (with S&H), excellent!
etc....

You can find some great stuff on Ebay but its still a gamble, there is a lot of sh*t on there too! Be careful!