JOSHUA D. SILVERMAN

4Jimmie - The Restoration

Jimmie Chapman's 1984 GMC S15 Sierra Classic pickup was new to the Chapman family when it first drove off the lot in the time of the Cold War, Beverly Hills Cop, Indiana Jones, the Ghostbusters and the Karate Kid. The Olympics were held in Los Angeles that year, and Magnum PI, the A-Team, Knight Rider, Cheers, and Dynasty were on TV! Ronald Reagan was President of the United States and Apple debuted a new product, the Macintosh Computer.

Meanwhile, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a 1984 GMC Sierra Classic in two-tone blue and grey with a 2.8L 6 cylinder engine was in the driveway. Featuring chrome bumpers and side mirrors, this long bed, two-wheel-drive pickup with a bench seat, tilt steering wheel and air conditioning, was looking sharp. Over the years, through pulling tractors, a few dings, dents and scratches, a couple of kids through school and even a little bit of lawn care with mowers and rakes in the back, the S15 saw a new paint job, its side mouldings removed and, somewhere along the line, a set of 90's Blazer wheels added, but it remained in the family.

Acquired from family property in 2018 after the passing of Jimmie Chapman, Jennifer Chapman Silverman and Joshua Silverman loaded the truck, which still started when then key was turned, onto a trailer on the back of their 16 Chevrolet Silverado and pulled the truck to Belvoir Collision Center in Northern Virginia where the entire Silverman, Chapman and Belvoir Collision family pulled together in the loving memory of Jimmie Glenn Chapman, restoring the 84 GMC S15 Sierra Classic to as new condition as time, money, research and parts availability allowed.

Odell Greene oversaw the majority of the body and paint work on the restoration, with a little help from the rest of the Belvoir Collision Center family. Body work to remove minor rust and clean up dents and dings was follwed by removing the pickup bed to clean up the frame, while new brakes and rear shocks were installed. The oil pan and transmission pan gaskets were replaced to fix minor fluid leaks and a new headliner from BZ Auto Upholstery was installed, along with new chrome side mirrors, new chrome wheel arch mouldings, new tail lights and new rubber and chrome side body mouldings that Greene hand-cut and trimmed to fit each body panel. Global Glass installed a new windshield in the vehicle and removed, and later reinstalled, the truck's sliding back glass. The truck's original 14 inch steel wheels were resurfaced and repainted removing years of dirt and surface rust, then the freshly cleaned original GMC factory hubcaps were reinstalled, along with four brand-new whitewall tires. Restored S15 Sierra Classic badges were reinstalled after the truck was fully repainted to its factory colors by Odell Greene.