1988 Chevrolet Truck C1500 Cheyenne review from North America

The interior was built of cheap plastic, so the vent grates were destroyed by the time I bought the truck.

The glove compartment door came apart. First the latch broke. Then it just broke off.

The cloth seat was in good shape for its age.

The stock Rochester radiator blew a tank and required replacement. I replaced it with a new Modine.

The 4.3L has an odd tick at low rpms.

The brakes always have been, and probably always will be junk. Replacement of master cylinder and repeated bleeding does no good. Brakes are just inherently weak.

If you start with a cold engine, just as truck reaches operating temperature, if you have to stop, and then attempt to take off, the TBI will freak out and flood the engine, causing it to sputter up to speed.

Front shocks don't live long. The A-arm suspension kills them.

The stock Delco paper speakers were a joke. They blew to David Lee Murphy at half volume.

The 4.3 has achieved up to 23mpg and has been very reliable, even with the haunting low rpm tick. Also, despite what some may say, the 4.3 can really put out some performance with the right driver and a slightly opened up exhaust. I'd take it over a 305 any day.

The THM400 tranny is bulletproof, only haunted by the standard GM bang when put in reverse.

The steering seems to have been set up for an Astro on this particular truck. This truck will not cut tight.

What exactly was the point of sport mirrors? You cannot see anything with them.

The 2.73 gear ratio in the GM 10 bolt rear end, while it helps deliver great fuel economy, hinders the truck's pulling ability and causes dead stop takeoffs to lag.

Never trust a GM fuel gauge.