1998 K2500 Suburban Build

[TurboChris]

If you want to be able to really abuse it...then a straight axle swap is what you want....how do you come up with that kind of a price range though? Sounds expensive...I was assuming more like $2500ish with someone else doing the labor?

 

[Judoka]

ca$h

Well, to have the spring perches and the mounts for the springs alone was estimated at 4k to fab by Desert Fab Motorsports, and the kit to bolt up without the crossover steering was quoted just under 4k, but the kit also includes shocks, lines, springs,and aligns springs to fit 86-98 Dana 60.

 

[TurboChris]

I don't have a lot of experience with custom fab on 4x4's.......but I do have a fair amount with hotrods and race cars..and the shop down the street from me is $75 an hour...and 53 hours sounds like WAY too much to me...might be time for more quotes?

 

[wrench-head]

Sas

It can be done for cheap if you find a good deal on most of the parts. I spent around 6K on mine but went all out. I spent a lot of money on things I could have done cheaper. Things I could have eliminated and kept price down were:
cheaper shocks and not dual fronts
reattach factory exhaust, I have 1500 in a new exhaust alone
no sway bar, save 500
off the shelf front springs instead of customs, save 400

right there I could have dropped it by 3000, and i can still think of more things to lose.

53 hours sounds actually on or a little low. My friend and I spent 2 days just cleaning the frame up. I had the IFS out in a few hours and the rest was grinding. If you don't want it to be clean and leave all the old stuff, you can save a lot of time. I just didn't think it looked professional.

 

[coreys88burban]

you guys who have IFS shouldnt even worry. unless your taking it on jeep trails and rockcrawling IFS with anything up to id say 37's is fine. i did lots of research and talked to lots of people as my dad has a 2005 silverado2500HD cc/lb so big truck with IFS and people with the same truck on 37's,, 35's, 33's all never have a problem..tie rods are easy to break if your not careful and a cheap lift..well dont get cheap stuff lol. ive heard of people doing 45-50mph on dirt roads and being fine with pot holes. all the BS you hear is from two kinds of people. 1: people who dont know thier truck so they break it, and 2: people who buy cheap parts and think they have a rockcrawler cuz it has big tires and put on front tire on a 45% angle.....if you have a 4x4 IFS or not LIFT IT!

 

[bftank]

in the oil field they may not break all the time, but they are replaced twice a year. if you haul its more. and its not because they are cheap replacements. unit bearings on ifs and solid axle have similar problems, but that is another story.

corey you are absolutely right that they are broken by people who don't know there truck, i would add that it is also because they are under the impression that their truck is as tough as comparable vehicles with solid axles.

if you can fab and do some research sas can be done as cheap or cheaper than an ifs lift.

4wheel and offroad did an article about trying to get ifs to work in a 2500 (called project red sled) with 35's and they couldn't keep cv's in it. there's a reason that owners that choose to go on more difficult trails don't use gm ifs as a majority.

if its a mall crawler that sees occasional gravel roads it'll work. i believe it is a waste of money but that is because i want mine to be prepared for anything and not leave me stranded. to each his own.

barnold i love how your rig looks and i think you will be able to see a lot of country in this setup.:victory:

sorry about the hijack, just wanted to clear some things. looking forward to the report on the tires and future mods:wings:

 

[wrench-head]

I agree with the above posts, that for 95% of people the SAS is not needed. For me it was not needed, but I like messing with things that aren't broken. I have 0 regrets on doing the conversion, but if I couldn't do it I would not stop going out and having fun with the truck. When I bought my truck it needed all the front end maintenance from balljoints and all bushings to unit bearings and brakes. I just put that towards the sas and it made the decision easier for me. I actually researched for a long time on how to get the 8 lug ifs components in there, but couldn't find the info. If i could have done that, that is where I'd be. Go figure, that after the SAS, I found the info I needed.

On a 2500 suburban, you will probably never have a problem. I know the article on the red sled and do not agree with what they were doing with the truck. I could break a Dana 44 u-joint doing what they do. Doing a front dig in a 7000 lb truck sas or not is asking for it.

 

[arktrekker]

There are several places that offer kits for the sas on chevy trucks. I'm not sure if the suburban frame is the same in the front or not, but it can't be too hard to make something based off of what they are selling. If you are talking leafsprings up front, I would think 2k not including the front axle and steering components. With a link setup I can see it getting about
1K higher.

http://www.offroaddirect.com/Chevy-88-98_c_4.html - If I do it, this is the one I am going to buy.

http://www.sky-manufacturing.com/new/detaproduct.php?id=64 - I have heard of a few guys on pirate bending it, but some of those guys could break a ball bearing.

http://www.bigredchevy.com/swapkit.htm

 

[funkdaddyfresh]

I agree, IFS does have a bad rap almost anywhere you look. There are a few issues with the GM IFS like I have but fortunatly I've headed one off before it became an issue. Normally on a 3/4-ton IFS a lift as small as 2" causes enough extra strain to grenade axles at an almost unbelievable rate. A wheeling trip in eastern Tennessee back in 2007 saw my friend's '97 K2500 truck go through 5 axles in 2 days, and believe me when I say this was a light trip with most trails a stock truck with 31" A/T's could handle.

(first post)

Hi there,


i'm about to pull the trigger on almost identical setup on my 95 k2500 and was curious why you feel your setup will not grenade axles.
(this post got me a little worried is all) Beautiful suburban btw. Can't wait to see more posts and install the stuff on mine also.

 

[BorntoVenture]

(first post)

Hi there,


i'm about to pull the trigger on almost identical setup on my 95 k2500 and was curious why you feel your setup will not grenade axles.
(this post got me a little worried is all) Beautiful suburban btw. Can't wait to see more posts and install the stuff on mine also.

The reason I wasn't overly concerned with the axle shafts is because the lift kit I used didn't change the shaft angles at all. I also considered that I can repair a broken IFS axle in the field very easy and carrying a couple of spare shafts wouldn't take up much room. That being said I will never, let me clarify that, never lift an IFS vehicle like this again. The ground clearance lost due to dropping the front diff, the excessive tire wear due to the GM "bounce" problem, and the overall cost just isn't worth it compared to a SAS. If you have the time and money I highly recommend a SAS if you're lifting 4" or more, you'll be much happier in the long run. If I hadn't had to sell the Suburban it would have certainly received a SAS and hopefully have the 5.9 diesel by now.

 

[warwgn]

53 hours is way to much time, they did the same thing but on a IFS Blazer on extreme 4x4 and only took them and hour and that is with commercials!!!

 

[turbolab]

53 hours is way to much time, they did the same thing but on a IFS Blazer on extreme 4x4 and only took them and hour and that is with commercials!!!

It's a tv show everything is ready to fly and lots is cut out, a quility job takes time.

 

[warwgn]

It's a tv show everything is ready to fly and lots is cut out, a quility job takes time.

I was kidding of course.