A few days ago, we showed you this 1999 Chevy C3500 that belongs to GM Authority reader Troy Case. The truck recently hit the 600,000-mile mark, and we we can now exclusively show you a video of the exact moment that the Chevy reached this incredible milestone.
As explained previously, Case is a photographer for the LA County Fire Department. He bought the Chevy C3500 for work, needing something that could be driven on many kinds of terrain. Although the power of its 5.7L V8 L31 Vortec engine is sent only to the rear wheels via GM’s 4L80 E transmission, the truck has performed very well even in difficult conditions. An eight-foot long bed and a cabin capable of seating five passengers have also been helpful.
The Chevy C3500 is not entirely stock. Case has upgraded it with a two-inch lift, modern Chevy wheels with a black finish, tint for the glass and a black-painted front grille insert. The chrome exterior moldings have been deleted.
It would have been nice to report that the Chevy C3500 has covered all 600,000 miles on the same drivetrain. Unfortunately, it hasn’t, though it very possibly could have. The gearbox was wrongly changed at 79,000 miles due to a mis-diagnosis: a noise from the rear end was in fact being caused by the axle, yet the dealer wrongly swapped out the transmission instead.
Later, the C3500 failed a smog check due to a valve guide problem in the engine. Either the valve guides or the cylinder heads could have been replaced, but this would have been a lot of work on an engine which had already been used for 408,000 miles. Case instead replaced it with a GM crate motor, which passed the smog check with flying colors. However, he firmly believes that both the stock engine and the transmission would easily have reached 600,000 miles had it not been for these circumstances.
Very large mileages have been reported for other Chevy trucks. In 1996, Wisconsin food distributor Frank Oresnik bought a ’91 C/K with a Chevrolet Small Block V8 when it had 41,000 miles on the clock. He reached one million miles 12 years later.
In an even more dramatic example, Hugh and Tammy Pennington bought a new Silverado 3500 HD fitted with a GM Duramax diesel engine in 2006. They used it both for their trailer delivery business and for long-distance holidays, and hit one million miles in just six years. Like Frank Oresnik, they had done it all on the original engine.
Check out the moment when Troy Case’s C3500 hits the 600,000 milestone in this video:
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Comments
Is it just me, or has anyone else nearly forgotten about how the “old” odometers used to work like that? It’s the first thing that struck me when watching the video. Now everything is electronic and you can no longer watch such a cool thing (sorry, digital turning over to 600,000 would not be near as cool).
The other thing is that this article actually talked about the powertrain changes made getting to those miles. Thanks. There’s nothing worse than reading an article about some super high miles vehicle and they are bragging about it having such high miles. Yet they don’t share with you how much it cost them to get the vehicle there. I’d rather know the true history and what it took to go the miles.
For being made in 1999, that doesn’t look that outdated by today’s standards. Really slick and it runs well. What more could you ask for?
IMO those GMT400’s were probably the most reliable trucks GM has ever made.
My ’87 Lesabre T-Type is about to roll 540000 kms. Hopefully i catch it so i can record it when it does.
Sounds like the 4L80E transmission is not far behind 600k…sitting at 521k
He has 200k on his SECOND engine. Amazing. Getting to 400k on the original block without any work done to it is newsworthy in and of itself. Can these engines go further? Sure. But think of all the ones that don’t due to misuse and abuse.
I have a 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid that has 214,000 Miles on the odo. That’s as far as it went till a lifter collapsed. Waiting for a GM crate motor to be built.
This article is somewhat initially misleading. This truck doesn’t REALLY have a motor with 600K miles, it’s more like 192K since the original was swapped out with a crate motor……….🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔………don’t get me wrong, I’m a Chevy man through and through, but…..C’mon………..🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
At no point in the article is it claimed that the motor has 600k miles on it.
Exactly, even with an engine swap it’s still on the road with high mileage. Many in the junkyard die at 150,000. Thanks for your comment 👍
The GMT400 among the best trucks ever! They still look fresh today.
I only have 148k on the clock on my 2000 2500 LS 4×4. Looking forward to some of that “ high” mileage
I know someone with a 95 c2500 454. Just over a million on it. Trans replaced at 280,000 with a GM reman. Engine original.
Several water pumps, radiators, A/C compressors, fuel pumps etc.
Mostly highway driving. Always used Rotella 15w40 oil.
no EV will last that long!!