New to the forums, and just saying howdy...

[Czechsix]

Hi folks, been a while since I was working on expedition vehicles, and I'd completely forgotten about this site.

Lo and behold, I found it again. Good deal.

Looks like there's been lots of new developments and everyone's hard at work building their vehicles, which is great to see! Here's to lots of learning in the future _clink_

 

[Bella PSD]

A Suburban with a Cummins..More info please....

Oh, and welcome!

Louie

 

[Czechsix]

Well, let's see.

1985 Suburban 3/4 ton, factory tow option, originally a 6.2, then 6.5, then 6.5TD, then 6.5TD low compression.....now '01 Cummins ISB 5.9 is in it.

NV4500 trans, mated to an NP205 xfer, mated to a 14 bolt FF in the rear and a Dana 60 in the front, both with Detroit lockers. Warn hubs in the front.

Cummins is basically stock, has RV275 injectors, silicone intercooler boots, FASS fuel system, putting on bypass oil filtration this month. Just put a van Aaken box back on it, just installed a new injection pump too. Runs Delo400 15w-40. Spits out through 5" stainless pipe.

NV4500 has 5th gear fix, is modded to mate to the NP205, has FAST cooler and tranny filter on it. Runs Royal Purple 75w-90 full synthetic.

NP205 is basically stock, but will get a twin stick later this year.

5" lift, combination of Skyjacker and Superlift leaf springs, 3" steering block, Rancho shocks and dampeners.

Spicer PTO, Braden 10K winch.

Wheel/tire combo is Eagle 589 16.5's, running 35" BFG mud terrains. I'm going to have to go with 17's when these tires are worn out..sigh.

Stock interior, except for Isspro pyro/fuel pressure/boost guages, GPS, laptop nav, 2m/440/6m radios.

Home made bumpers, CUCV brushguard. Soon to get rear exo with a rack on top. I don't like racks that bolt through the roof, always wind up with problems with those. Entire front clip is new metal - old stuff had rust.

Adjustable ball hitches, trailer brake controller.

Next steps in the project are to build a storage system for the bed, do the roof rack and rear hoops, and get another spare tire plus more MFC's stored on it. About that time I'll mod one of the 'mog skid plates I've got floating around and put that on the front - the winch drum is vulnerable. Then on to any of the hundreds of other projects...sigh. I'm sure I've forgotten some stuff, but that's a basic idea on it.

 

[DaktariEd]

Welcome to ExPo! :wavey:
Gotta post some photos of "The Subbins."

 

[Czechsix]

Ok, here're a few quick pics....

I'm going to edit this to ask a question:

Is anyone working on exo cages on this forum? The reason I'm asking is I'm planning on doing two rear hoops - one from the bumper, up and following the body contour. The second hoop will go from the frame, exit the rear wheelwell at the front upper curve of the well, go up following the body contour. I've got several reasons for doing this - the primary one is as a roofrack support. I have a tendency, when I'm out spectating races, to get up on the roof rack. Usually along with several friends. In the past, racks that I've installed have either been questionable as far as attachments, or when they penetrate the roof metal, eventually rot starts. So I'm trying to forgo both the light duty aspects, and the roof penetration aspects. Since these'll be relative heavy tubes they'll also give decent low speed rollover protection. That's the limit of the tubing so far, but I'm sure that it'll eventually morph into a full exo....just a matter of time.

So does anyone have any tips, or any issues they've found out about doing exo cages on suburbans?

Thanks for the welcome too!

 

[Jambi]

You have to admit...

...It's amazing what you can find with Google

A Subbins' eh?I may have to make me one of those...

 

[toyrunner95]

look at the landrover cage on grahm jacksons 110, its a good setup and if you follow your contours well, it could look really kick ass. and if you bolt the top to the upper supports, it could come apart if you have to repair it.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/vehicles/2006/grahamsrover/grahamsrover.php

 

[Czechsix]

...It's amazing what you can find with Google

A Subbins' eh?I may have to make me one of those...

LOL. Quit following me.

 

[Czechsix]

look at the landrover cage on grahm jacksons 110, its a good setup and if you follow your contours well, it could look really kick ass. and if you bolt the top to the upper supports, it could come apart if you have to repair it.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/vehicles/2006/grahamsrover/grahamsrover.php

Excellent link, and great photos. Yep, that's pretty close to what I was envisioning - rear hoop coming off of the bumper, using a single axis roll connector, and mid-hoop coming out of the top front curve of the rear wheel well, attached to the frame with another roll connector, and removable for installation and repair.

Thanks again for that photo lead!

 

[Grim Reaper]

Ok, here're a few quick pics....

I'm going to edit this to ask a question:

Is anyone working on exo cages on this forum? The reason I'm asking is I'm planning on doing two rear hoops - one from the bumper, up and following the body contour. The second hoop will go from the frame, exit the rear wheelwell at the front upper curve of the well, go up following the body contour. I've got several reasons for doing this - the primary one is as a roofrack support. I have a tendency, when I'm out spectating races, to get up on the roof rack. Usually along with several friends. In the past, racks that I've installed have either been questionable as far as attachments, or when they penetrate the roof metal, eventually rot starts. So I'm trying to forgo both the light duty aspects, and the roof penetration aspects. Since these'll be relative heavy tubes they'll also give decent low speed rollover protection. That's the limit of the tubing so far, but I'm sure that it'll eventually morph into a full exo....just a matter of time.

So does anyone have any tips, or any issues they've found out about doing exo cages on suburbans?

Thanks for the welcome too!

Lets see some more engine bay pictures and lets hear about the conversion and what you went through to do it.

I'm thinking of replacing my R20 88 burb with 454 with a V20 or K20 Diesel or convert to diesel. The 6.2 and 6.5 are not really my favorite motors and I would eventually end up doing a conversion to something else and the Cummins is one of the higher choices.

Did you manage to get the A/C hooked up?



As for the Exo cage. www.ck5.com for some ideas. The problem with the Exo cage is the frame being so narrow. It is really hard to get good cross support. Then there is the width. That make the downs of EXO cage out way the goods.

I think one of the neatest things would build an internal cage with the diagonal bar behind the front seats to keep it from folding that direction. Cross bars at the floor behind the front seat and under the back seat that you can drop down to the frame if you want to tie in that way. Then drill through the roof to put and external Halo bar to help protect the roof and make your roof rack base.

That would make they least encroachment on the passengers and cargo area but provide better safety then an Exo is capable of. From there once you have the Halo bar in place you can go to an Exo cage off it if you want to but with the flex these old Chevy's have I can see some issues arising. My Old K5 would lift up corners of the hood all the time and make the roofs "pop".

Honestly on these trucks I don't like going to the frame on the cage. Just way to much flex going on at the frame. Everybody that I have seen go to the frame eventually formed cracks in the floor where the Cage passed through the body. If you got to go to the frame you just about have to make the commitment to put a under hood cage like a racer and make the truck a monocoque structure to take the flex out of the frame all together.

This burb has what I am talkign about and Cummins power. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CUST...oryZ6155QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

On my 88 I salvage some roof racks off a 89 or so Jeep Cherokee. Some years have the nice flat channel. Longest I could find on any truck in the junk yard. Almost 6ft as I recall where most are around 4ft or less.

I would attach the picture but since this forum is set up funny I can't img link existing pictures on the forum and I cant reload the same picture. Here is links to the pictures of the rack and the track I used to mount it on.

http://expeditionportal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7578&d=1178463336

http://expeditionportal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7577&d=1178463294

http://expeditionportal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7576&d=1178463284

 

[alaskantinbender]

Well, let's see.

1985 Suburban 3/4 ton, factory tow option, originally a 6.2, then 6.5, then 6.5TD, then 6.5TD low compression.....now '01 Cummins ISB 5.9 is in it.

NV4500 trans, mated to an NP205 xfer, mated to a 14 bolt FF in the rear and a Dana 60 in the front, both with Detroit lockers. Warn hubs in the front.

Cummins is basically stock, has RV275 injectors, silicone intercooler boots, FASS fuel system, putting on bypass oil filtration this month. Just put a van Aaken box back on it, just installed a new injection pump too. Runs Delo400 15w-40. Spits out through 5" stainless pipe.

NV4500 has 5th gear fix, is modded to mate to the NP205, has FAST cooler and tranny filter on it. Runs Royal Purple 75w-90 full synthetic.

NP205 is basically stock, but will get a twin stick later this year.

5" lift, combination of Skyjacker and Superlift leaf springs, 3" steering block, Rancho shocks and dampeners.

Spicer PTO, Braden 10K winch.

Wheel/tire combo is Eagle 589 16.5's, running 35" BFG mud terrains. I'm going to have to go with 17's when these tires are worn out..sigh.

Stock interior, except for Isspro pyro/fuel pressure/boost guages, GPS, laptop nav, 2m/440/6m radios.

Home made bumpers, CUCV brushguard. Soon to get rear exo with a rack on top. I don't like racks that bolt through the roof, always wind up with problems with those. Entire front clip is new metal - old stuff had rust.

Adjustable ball hitches, trailer brake controller.

Next steps in the project are to build a storage system for the bed, do the roof rack and rear hoops, and get another spare tire plus more MFC's stored on it. About that time I'll mod one of the 'mog skid plates I've got floating around and put that on the front - the winch drum is vulnerable. Then on to any of the hundreds of other projects...sigh. I'm sure I've forgotten some stuff, but that's a basic idea on it.

Great truck. Its good to see more full size iron on the board.

Regards,

Jim