I have a new project which will commence very slowly until it warms up here. My very general question is this. It's paid for and sitting in the yard - what are the first 2 or 3 things you do with a new project vehicle? Feel free to elaborate on the list, or not.
Thanks 
Wash it so you can see what you've got? (Everywhere. This may not be appealing in the yard when it's too cold for lots of work...)
Generally inspect.
Make lists of what you do know about parts and fixes needed so you can budget, and figure out which steps depend on which others, and perhaps which ones will uncover other issues.
So, uh, write up your known unknowns and see if you can uncover any unknown unknowns...
Wash it. Clean the interior. Clean the engine compartment. Walk out to it with a cup of coffee and just contemplate what I've done for a while. Mentally make a list of what is the most important fix and what it will take to accomplish that. Does it need a new engine? How do I pull the old one? It's not even worth sourcing another one until I figure that out.
Agreed. I like a good detail to give me time to climb around and see what I'm getting into. I also make a list and post it on my beer fridge for motivation.
The first thing I do is decide on its end use. Why shampoo the seats if they're coming out?
Yes, then a good bath inside and out.
I usually drag mine inside, partially disassemble them, then throw blankets over it and pile a bunch of stuff on top so my wife can't tell what it is.
Is that the right answer?
Bath then?
Makes perfect sense. I have a few known issues to tackle before or after the bath.
Given that the interior reeks of the electric lettuce, I'll pull the seats and carpet and give those a proper full on shampooing. I'm debating whether the carpet should go back in at all.
It's a 2001 B4000 4x4 manual trans. 4.10 gears and a LSD in the rear axle. Good glass, not terrible body. lifted with torsion keys and blocks. Less than 50% challenge price after converting to $US. The plan is for dump runs and general truck boring stuff. But since it was inexpensive and not my only wheels, I would like to do some wheeling too. So better tires for sure and....??
XLR99 wrote: I usually drag mine inside, partially disassemble them, then throw blankets over it and pile a bunch of stuff on top so my wife can't tell what it is. Is that the right answer?
LMAO! I just had to tell the GF why I almost spit out my lunch.
In reply to akamcfly:
Electric lettuce? I can't even...
Although, the official first step is to take and post pictures.
Crackers wrote: In reply to akamcfly: Electric lettuce? I can't even...
Contact high levels of weed stank - true story. 
Oh, well in that case, your first task should be pulling the seats/carpet to make sure there's no gifts left behind.
Seems like a nice truck! I could have a place for that. Where are you in canada?
Here are steps. 1-start a thread on grassroot with pictures 2- tell the wife 3- clean it ans look what you got and do a list do adapt it for its use. 4- plan an ls swap with appropriate 4wd transmission Or a diesel..
If you're going to wheel it I'd first concentrate on getting everything up to date maintenance wise. Belts, hoses, make sure fluids are staying where they should be. Change ALL the fluids. Breaking in the middle of f-all because of something preventable sucks.
In reply to mazdeuce:
Also check every inch of all brake and fuel lines for crusty rust, and give the brakes the stomp test. And check the battery isn't being held down by the popular gravity method.
physician wrote: Seems like a nice truck! I could have a place for that. Where are you in canada? Here are steps. 1-start a thread on grassroot with pictures 2- tell the wife 3- clean it ans look what you got and do a list do adapt it for its use. 4- plan an ls swap with appropriate 4wd transmission Or a diesel..
Pics when I actually start working on it.
No wife anymore, just my old, fat, smelly dog
Will definitely clean and get the mechanicals to a known solid condition before anything else
A diesel swap (353 Detroit sans muffler?) might be fun. 
Treasure hunt! Search the nooks and crannies for all those little bits.
Inventory on paper of items broken or missing.
Systems check! Brake system, cooling system, electrical...you get the idea.
Lube stuff! If it moves, check for slop(aadd to broke list if needed) and lube it. Door hinges, EBrake stuff, shifter bushings, glovebox latch...everything!
Rattle check and missing bolt check too.
Bruce
Probably want to go ahead and R+R all your u-joints too.
No bath, no pics, but I worked on trying to cure the rough idle and CEL. Lean banks 1 and 2. Common problem is leaking PVC elbows that break down and allow unmeasured air in after the MAF (Google can be your friend). It idles a lot better, but I think I'll find a tamper proof torx and clean the MAF when I get a chance. Maybe it just needs to re-learn what a nice idle is? My reasonably fancy OBD2 thingamabobber showed vacuum of 29inhg and steady after the repair.
$40cdn for 2 ~1/2" ID rubber elbows but it made more than a $40 difference in the idle quality
Good troubleshooting. The internet is fantastic for common problems. Now go take us some pictures. 
mazdeuce wrote: If you're going to wheel it I'd first concentrate on getting everything up to date maintenance wise. Belts, hoses, make sure fluids are staying where they should be. Change ALL the fluids. Breaking in the middle of f-all because of something preventable sucks.
Add to this, extend all differential, transmission and transfer case vents, to the firewall at the base of the windshield. Getting water in the gears and bearings, is not conducive to keeping things turning smoothly.
Toyman01 wrote: Add to this, extend all differential, transmission and transfer case vents to the firewall at the base of the windshield. Getting water in the gears and bearings is not conducive to keeping things turning smoothly.
Been thinking about this - would a line from the rear axle to the firewall be a bit long to allow decent breathing? Run it to the top of the box side? Hard pipe most of the line to prevent collapse?
I had a better look at the interior while I was checking the data from the obd2 thingy. It's pretty dirty, and the driver's seat has a tear. But given it's mission in life, I think I'll just get some decent covers and repair the console/armrest. I'll clean the upholstery first though, and I'll likely repair the tear to keep it from spreading.
The reefer stank seems to be subsiding on its own.
In reply to akamcfly:
There isn't much air flow, only what temperature and atmospheric pressure causes. The length of line shouldn't be an issue. Running it to the top of a bed rail would work fine. Any dryish place works. Make sure the rear tire doesn't throw mud up in that area.
A thorough cleaning inside and out, a full service if it's running, and then make a list and prioritize.
An easy method for the rear diff breather is to run it up behind the tailight. That's usually a nice void that remains relatively protected and you can easily remove the taillight later if you ever need to blow air through the hose to clear it out.
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