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Lignite man’s pickup reaches 565,000 miles, running fine

565,000 miles and running fine

Kim Fundingsland/MDN Jim Heitz, Lignite, with his 1994 Chevrolet Silverado pickup, holds a magazine for members of the 300,000 mile club. Heitz’s pickup has turned 565,000 miles and is still running strong.

LIGNITE – No backup camera. No in-dash GPS or phone. Fifteen sets of tires. 188 oil changes. More than half a million miles. Starts everytime, even during North Dakota winters. Doesn’t shake or rattle or ping or use oil.

“There’s no logical reason it should still be running. I even had a diesel mechanic tell me that,” said Jim Heitz, Lignite, when asked about his gasoline-powered 1994 Chevrolet Silverado pickup. “It just runs smooth as silk, even at a stoplight. Doesn’t sputter or shutter. It’s one of a kind and I’ve still got it.”

Remarkably, even with more than 500,000 miles of use, the pickup has never stopped running, never even left Heitz stranded on the roadway. It did act up a bit one year during a visit to Minot, but all it needed was a fuel pump.

“I got an alternator at 419,000 miles,” said Heitz. “That was only the second one. The transmission failed at 335,000. I got a Mr. Goodwrench replacement that now has 230,000 miles on it. The valve covers on the engine have never been off. I’ve had maybe three intake manifold gaskets but that’s not part of the internal engine. The engine itself is still completely original.”

Heitz purchased the pickup new in the fall of 1994 from Gateway Chevrolet in Fargo which, at that time, made a $300 better offer than a dealership in Grand Forks. He sought out that particular model of pickup for unique reason.

“I was looking around to replace my ’85 pickup which was a lemon,” said Heitz. “That was the last year they made a vehicle without air bags. I wanted one and found one in Fargo. Air bags then were so loud, 150 decibels, and could damage hearing.”

Heitz has personally done every oil change on the high-mileage pickup, an astounding 188 of them.

“It’s never been changed by anyone other than myself, every 3,000 miles,” said Heitz proudly. “A secret is to always fill the filter with oil so there’s no clickety, clickety, click before you get oil pressure. You get instant oil pressure when you start it.”

There’s a few other “secrets” that Heitz credits for helping the pickup reach 100,00, 200,000, 300,000, 400,000, 500,000 miles and closing in on 600,000. He outfitted the pickup with a block heater and a pan heater to keep both the engine coolant warm and the oil warm during cold weather.

“And I’ve never burned a single gallon of ethanol, only premium gas. I’ve never run regular gasoline in anything I’ve ever owned,” said Heitz.

Ryan Chevrolet of Minot did the service work on the pickup for the first 20 years or more, then Heitz turned to a mechanic closer to home in Columbus, and now, when it needs “odds and ends” he drives his legendary pickup to the shop in nearby Portal. Earlier this year though, he made a trip to Walmart in Minot for a new set of tires where the mere appearance of his truck dazzled onlookers.

“There was a half dozen people in there just shaking their heads,” laughed Heitz. “They said, my God, does that thing still run?”

Oh, it runs alright. And very well too. All the original gauges, AM radio with cassette, brake lights and turn signals, air conditioning, all in working order. The seat, original, is very comfortable and has only needed some minor stitching. There’s no wind noise either, even at highway speeds.

Heitz has driven the truck all over the country too, and into Mexico.

“It’s been everywhere,” remarked Heitz. “Las Vegas and Reno 10-15 times. It’s been driven every day. Unless it’s running it is always plugged in from October to April.”

The rubber coating on the steering wheel has worn down to the steel where Heitz has placed his right hand for more than a half-million miles. Where his heel sits near the gas pedal there’s also evidence of 27 years of use.

“Pretty soon I’ll be able to watch the road go by,” laughed Heitz.

One day Heitz was surprised to find a magazine in his mailbox. It was “New Roads,” a magazine for owners of trucks with more than 300,000 miles on them. Ryan Chevrolet was so impressed with Heitz’s famous pickup that they informed General Motors and enrolled him in the exclusive club. In addition to the magazine, he’s received caps and a medallion that graces the tailgate of his pickup. Underneath Chevy’s trademark bowtie it reads: “Truck Legends, est. 1918.”

Heitz owns a car and an almost new pickup, so why drive the oldest one?

“It’s an experiment in longevity. That’s what it is,” explained Heitz. “I used to trade pickups about every 10 years but this one ran so good I just kept it. It’s my daily driver. I just decided to see how long it would hold up. If it fails, it’s over.”

In the fall of 2010 the pickup nearly met its demise. Heitz was driving the pickup when he was involved in an accident on the outskirts of Stanley. He was hit in the left front by another truck.

“The grill and the radiator were lying on the ground. They are still held in place with wire. It had 400,000 or something miles on it then,” recalled Heitz. “I decided to keep driving it. It’s absolutely worth nothing except as a collector’s piece. The paint is down to the primer in places. It looks terrible but runs great.”

Heitz travels from his home in Lignite to Portal to get coffee several mornings a week. He also fills up there with premium gasoline as necessary, even putting a few extra gallons in portable gas cans so he’s never without premium, which isn’t available in Lignite.

How many more miles will the old pickup run?

“The way I feel,” said the 77-year-old Heitz with a smile, “It might outlast me.”

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