[bsmith0404]

As long as the radiator is clean and doesn't have any leaks there isn't a reason to replace it, all it does is flow water and transfer heat. You can use a flush kit to clean them out, but I prefer to pull them and flush them. If you pull it, you can normally take it somewhere and have it flushed and pressure tested for about $35. You can add a little more to that and they will straighten all of your cooling fins as well. If you flush it yourself, you can buy a radiator comb for about $5 and straighten all of the fins yourself. Of course you could take the truck somewhere and have the entire system flushed which would help to remove any sediment in the engine cooling jackets. Flushing the cooling system every 100k miles or so is not a bad practice.

The cap is cheap and easy to replace, but if the water isn't boiling the cap is holding pressure and is still doing it's job. A good 50/50 mixture of antifreeze would still boil at about 220. The radiator cap raises that about 2.5 degrees per psi. You most likely have a cap somewhere between 12-15 psi. so say another 30-35 degrees worth of boiling point protection. So if you're water is not boiling when you get up to 225/230, you have a sealed system which means no leaks and a good cap.

Your truck is a Z71, if I remember correctly, that comes with the towing package which includes the trans cooler.

If your water pump isn't leaking any water it is most likely still good.

I'm not a parts swapper, I believe in finding the problem and fixing it. While I'm at it, I may decide to change some related parts just because I'm partially there and it's easier/cheaper at that point. For example, if I pulled the radiator to flush it, I would most likely change the belt, hoses (including heater hoses), and water pump at that time since the radiator has to be pulled or drained to do all of that (except the belt) anyway. Also a good time to check/replace the belt tensioner.

You can most likely cure your problem and change your hoses for less than $100. That would also give you a little peace of mind that your cooling system is in better shape and not going to let you down on your next trip.