2003 Chevy Suburban 2500 LT build

boss324

Observer
Went to Frank Raines OHV park today with my 17 year old son and I let him drive the Burb...Lol he was at least very cautious not to damage the Burb. First extended run with the Rear fox 2.0 and handle just the way I want. I do need to replace the right side tie rods so Rare Parts G2 HD tie rods now on order!

Watch "Frank Raines 2003 Suburban 2500 Part 1" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/EOxFjiHzY7k

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boss324

Observer
Sweet. I have been taking notes for future front end upgrades when my OE stuff wears. My stuff is all still tight so I might have to justify it as preventative maintenance. Haha Thanks for sharing.
Exactly they are maintenance items and come with a lifetime warranty and rebuildable what's not to like? Lol

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Burb One

Adventurer
Went to Frank Raines OHV park today with my 17 year old son and I let him drive the Burb...Lol he was at least very cautious not to damage the Burb. First extended run with the Rear fox 2.0 and handle just the way I want. I do need to replace the right side tie rods so Rare Parts G2 HD tie rods now on order!

Watch "Frank Raines 2003 Suburban 2500 Part 1" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/EOxFjiHzY7k

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

Truck looks good and driver looks competent! Awesome, bet your son had a ton of fun!
 

boss324

Observer
Truck looks good and driver looks competent! Awesome, bet your son had a ton of fun!
Yeah he drives the Burb daily to school and taught him how to drive in it so he's pretty comfortable driving the beast.

He was pretty stoked to to some off chamber stuff an and even got the G80 lockers to kickin!

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boss324

Observer
My wife picked up my Rare Parts HD tie rods over at Rare Parts in Stockton. cant wait to install this weekend.
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chilliwak

Expedition Leader
Looks like some beefy:Wow1: tie rods. They should get your machine through the worst. Cheers, Chilli..:)
 

rayra

Expedition Leader
Hey is that a plate under your fuel tank? Is that a stock part or aftermarket? Been working up ideas to fabricate a plate for my 32gal tank in my k1500. But if one already exists ...

20161203_162645_zpsyfqysidc.jpg

Still curious to know if that's a plate under your fuel tank or is it thin sheet metal like the guard on the driveshaft side of the tank?
 

boss324

Observer
Still curious to know if that's a plate under your fuel tank or is it thin sheet metal like the guard on the driveshaft side of the tank?
I'll have to take a look once I install the tie rods.

I had the right tie rod pulled off. A couple things if you all attempt. It's easier with the tire off to navigate. Also for leveled trucks with bigger tie rods you will also need to pickup the Cognito endlinks to clear. Cognito also different length depending on your lift. I found out the hard way. I read you can get this in but will rub on turns. I ended up putting everything back in. The old tie rod had a busted boot and found it wasn't torqed down thus the vibration i felt at speed.

I'll snap some photos when I swap out.

On order:
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Last edited:

rayra

Expedition Leader
IIRC the other 'feature' of the Cognito end links is that you can readily disconnect them 'in the field' for greater articulation with the IFS setup.

I'm not having any clearance trouble with my low-budget tie rod sleeves from Rough Country. But they certainly aren't in the same league as the beefier options. Details and pics in my 'Hey Vortec Guys' topic. I am surprised that there is a clearance issue with the Incognito tie rods. Seems like there is enough room and both the tie rod and sway bar move pretty much in sync. Maybe they'd touch at full droop / extension.

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ETA - there is a clearance issue when trying to screw the inner tie rod end into the center link, it's possible to unscrew the original tie rod, with the rod pivoting as it rotates / rubs agains tthe sway bar. But the reverse isn't true. I fould I had to disconnect the sway bar end links and pivot the sway bar up our of the way to even thread in the factory inner tie rods, much less my re-assembled new OEM tie rod pars with Rough Country sleeve. That might be / have been your only clearance issue. It's worth re-examining before you order their end links.
 

fl0w3n

Observer
Awesome Suburban!

I just sold my 06 LBZ Duramax and am looking to replace it with a 2500 Suburban, so your pictures provide inspiration. I plan on doing very similar modifications.

BTW, I had fully replaced all my steering and front end (other than steering input shaft and steering wheel) with Cognito and Kryptonite parts. That thing steered amazingly.

One thing I can definitely recommend and will likely do myself is the Deaver mini pack. It greatly improved the ride quality and I had minimal squat when towing a ~6k# boat.
 

fl0w3n

Observer
What's going on with it? Absolutely nothing. Scarcely 2" over factory ride height. And nowhere near the stops.

In the photos they do look a bit extreme, but maybe it's just the photos. I can't quite tell, but is that the factory UCA or aftermarket? I come from the Duramax world where everyone obsessed over "CV Angles". If you've got 5/8" to 3/4" gap to the jounce/bump stops, then that's usually accepted as "OK".

In the end, if it works for you and you're not burning up ball joints then keep it up :victory:
 

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