2000 Suburban K1500 budget low lift with 37"s

[CrazyDrei]

I'd just pull the carpet and bedline the floor vs dyeing it black. My carpet is black and it doesn't stay clean looking for very long.

I wish my truck had the vinyl floor. It would make it so much easier to keep clean.....

Todd n Natalie,

My 2011 Suburban 2500, a former boarder patrol truck has vinyl floors and I pull the seats out, hose it down, some deck brush scrubbing and hose it down again on an incline, so easy to clean. I kinda do wish that I had vinyl floor in this truck also, but i doubt that I will do that anytime soon or ever.

Stay tuned for more shenanigans!

 

[nitro_rat]

The issue with either the SAS or TTB conversion is going to be keeping your ride height low, that’s one of the best things about your rig IMO. Once the driveshaft starts moving with the diff, you’re going to have all kinds of clearance issues, which is why most of the trucks you see with it done have the rocker panels even with the tops of the tires.

The carpet stains do make me want to barf a little too, I think I’d be spending a weekend pulling them out and attempting to dye them black in a kiddie pool.

Have you ever seen an 80's or 90's F-150/Bronco? They sit almost as low as a 2wd. As long as you keep the pivots close to the oil pan the ride height is reasonable. Drei also has a body lift he can ditch to keep things lower if needed. The high body height is needed for 20" of travel with 35's or 37's...

SEM carpet dye in a spray can is much easier than messing around with a kiddie pool! Most of that crap will come out of the carpet with a good industrial strength degreaser and a pressure washer!

Some people like doing things the hard way...

 

[CrazyDrei]

The issue with either the SAS or TTB conversion is going to be keeping your ride height low, that’s one of the best things about your rig IMO. Once the driveshaft starts moving with the diff, you’re going to have all kinds of clearance issues, which is why most of the trucks you see with it done have the rocker panels even with the tops of the tires.

The carpet stains do make me want to barf a little too, I think I’d be spending a weekend pulling them out and attempting to dye them black in a kiddie pool.

gatorgrizz27,

Yeah, I thought about the clearance issues. I know I don't want a solid axle because I will be loosing 6-8" of ground clearance. I am going to try and find a couple TTB trucks and measure their ground clearance to see how it compares to mine right now.

Yeah, the IFS, as limited as it is does give me an awesome ride quality and ridiculous ground clearance up front.

Don't say any more about the carpet, they make me barth too and that picture is after they were cleaned. I guess 2 toddlers got it properly dirty over the last 4 years of weekly road trips. I will replace it eventually, but right now it is not high on my priority list.

Stay tuned for more shenanigans!

 

[nitro_rat]

TTB ground clearance will be closer to solid axle than true IFS, maybe a little better at the highest spot than a solid axle but probably the same or worse on average because the beams are much thicker than a solid axle's tubes.

 

[Burb One]

Hey Drei,

Don't think going to a TTB would be a good idea. I'm not sure what your fab work is like, but that is a whole can of worms, and it's not a "few week" project unless you are full time on it and have a cnc/plasma table. Plus the stamped TTB setup is not really any stronger than a GM IFS (weaker in some ways, stronger than others).

All three 1500 burbs here are now on full mid-travel (BurbOne is currently going to a long travel setup- self designed- 10 inch king coilovers, I designed control arms etc.) I have an engineering/physics background with CNC and design ,as well as some decent fab/ welding practice. Doing this is significantly easier than "welding on" a TTB axle and it's taking me a lot of time to do it right and I have access to a plasma table, etc.

All of the 1500 Burbs with the atomic kit were converted over to a 2500 front diff and axles. Not one has broken a 2500 front diff or CV, even with a front locker and- no disrespect- some much more extreme/serious trails than your videos show.

In short just put in a 2500 axles and diff and call it a day. It is much stronger than the 1500, 10x easier and cheaper. and likely more than strong enough for you application

 

[CrazyDrei]

Hey Drei,

Don't think going to a TTB would be a good idea. I'm not sure what your fab work is like, but that is a whole can of worms, and it's not a "few week" project unless you are full time on it and have a cnc/plasma table. Plus the stamped TTB setup is not really any stronger than a GM IFS (weaker in some ways, stronger than others).

All three 1500 burbs here are now on full mid-travel (BurbOne is currently going to a long travel setup- self designed- 10 inch king coilovers, I designed control arms etc.) I have an engineering/physics background with CNC and design ,as well as some decent fab/ welding practice. Doing this is significantly easier than "welding on" a TTB axle and it's taking me a lot of time to do it right and I have access to a plasma table, etc.

All of the 1500 Burbs with the atomic kit were converted over to a 2500 front diff and axles. Not one has broken a 2500 front diff or CV, even with a front locker and- no disrespect- some much more extreme/serious trails than your videos show.

In short just put in a 2500 axles and diff and call it a day. It is much stronger than the 1500, 10x easier and cheaper. and likely more than strong enough for you application

Burb One,

I always look forward to your words of wisdom, you were one of the few people that really inspired me to turn my Sub into what it currently is.

So my fab work is non existent, no access to CNC or plasma table. So sounds like that few weeks that i was thinking about will most likely turn into a couple years.

I'm not particularly looking for anything stronger than my IFS but rather more wheel travel. I figure that more wheel travel, lower rate coils, and less impact. I am running 1,200# coils right now and even if i drop it down to 750# coils I will be so much happier and so will my Sub.

I have a spare 2500 Sierra sitting in the yard, has 6.0, 4L80, NP241, GT5, G80. So I can definitely pull the front diff and manual transfer case and stick them into my Sub once the front diff or NP246 breaks again. Will probably end up doing that eventually, but I also believe in if it aint broke, don't fix it.

Great to hear that all 3 Burbs are up and running and sitting on AtomicFab coil overs. Can't wait to see your King setup. Also, if you put the 9.25" diffs in, you must have also done the diff drop lifts, correct? I have tried to stuff a 9.25" diff in the front but ran into clearance issues from what I remember.

And yes, the trails you run your Burbs on are way more difficult than anything I have ever even tried running my truck on. I haven't even made it out to Moab yet, lol.

Once again, thank you for all your advice and direction, now I have some more homework to do.

Stay tuned for more shenanigans!

 

[gatorgrizz27]

Have you ever seen an 80's or 90's F-150/Bronco? They sit almost as low as a 2wd. As long as you keep the pivots close to the oil pan the ride height is reasonable. Drei also has a body lift he can ditch to keep things lower if needed. The high body height is needed for 20" of travel with 35's or 37's...

SEM carpet dye in a spray can is much easier than messing around with a kiddie pool! Most of that crap will come out of the carpet with a good industrial strength degreaser and a pressure washer!

Some people like doing things the hard way...

Yes, I owned an ‘81 Bronco that was a TTB and I swapped a Dana 70 under. They do sit low from the factory, but they also have extremely wide engine crossmembers that the beams mount inside. Not to mention things like steering linkage, headers, starter motor, etc can all cause clearance issues when converting.

 

[gatorgrizz27]

Burb One,

I always look forward to your words of wisdom, you were one of the few people that really inspired me to turn my Sub into what it currently is.

So my fab work is non existent, no access to CNC or plasma table. So sounds like that few weeks that i was thinking about will most likely turn into a couple years.

I'm not particularly looking for anything stronger than my IFS but rather more wheel travel. I figure that more wheel travel, lower rate coils, and less impact. I am running 1,200# coils right now and even if i drop it down to 750# coils I will be so much happier and so will my Sub.

I have a spare 2500 Sierra sitting in the yard, has 6.0, 4L80, NP241, GT5, G80. So I can definitely pull the front diff and manual transfer case and stick them into my Sub once the front diff or NP246 breaks again. Will probably end up doing that eventually, but I also believe in if it aint broke, don't fix it.

Great to hear that all 3 Burbs are up and running and sitting on AtomicFab coil overs. Can't wait to see your King setup. Also, if you put the 9.25" diffs in, you must have also done the diff drop lifts, correct? I have tried to stuff a 9.25" diff in the front but ran into clearance issues from what I remember.

And yes, the trails you run your Burbs on are way more difficult than anything I have ever even tried running my truck on. I haven't even made it out to Moab yet, lol.

Once again, thank you for all your advice and direction, now I have some more homework to do.

Stay tuned for more shenanigans!

Up until the last couple years, fab work has involved cardboard cutouts, a drill press, and a grinder. Don’t let lack of high end equipment limit you. It’s honestly quicker to build a one off part by hand rather than drawing it out in CAD and having the machine cut it for you.

If you just want more travel, there are a ton of mid and long travel kits available for your platform. The Cognito upper control arms along with some softer springs and air bumps would be a good start.

The next step would be kits like this, 11” travel.

Motortrend

 

[nitro_rat]

Come on guys, I love a good abortion! Really, the TTB only has four mounting points. Two pivot brackets on the crossmember under the engine, and two radius rod brackets back by the trans crossmember somewhere. All of these are easily fabbed from flat plate or even angle iron by anybody with an angle grinder and a drill motor, maybe a welder.

Maybe the coil buckets can be bolted on the existing frame rails? If so that handles shock mounts too! It's gonna be easy...

The hardest part will literally be making the exhaust and the front driveshaft play nice together. I say go for it, I bet you'll love the cushy ride!

 

[Burb One]

Up until the last couple years, fab work has involved cardboard cutouts, a drill press, and a grinder. Don’t let lack of high end equipment limit you. It’s honestly quicker to build a one off part by hand rather than drawing it out in CAD and having the machine cut it for you.

If you just want more travel, there are a ton of mid and long travel kits available for your platform. The Cognito upper control arms along with some softer springs and air bumps would be a good start.

The next step would be kits like this, 11” travel.

Motortrend

Ya, sorry that's what I was trying to say. Fab work, just takes time and it takes experience (either doing it by hand or with computer). If you want to jump in, then go for it. That's how you learn, and I'm all for it. However, it's going to take time, a lot of it, especially because there's limited experience with it here. Im pretty much self taught with welding and I'm glad my first project was my bumpers and then a million other projects and not my suspension. If my current suspension project had been my first big welding project, it would have been a mess... I don't think a swap like this is a good idea for a first substantial welding AND design project. I just want to warn Drei the type of time that goes into that(it's not a weekend project unless you have experience doing it). Thats the opinion he asked for in the end.

What that leads to is, as you mention there's a lot of options that have the strength and travel Drei is looking for that don't deal with making any, or limited, custom parts AND are decently budget friendly. That's because they aren't reinventing the wheel with marrying a different front axle setup that comes with its own problems to solve that take time (steering, travel, etc.)

I think the best option would do one of the "mid travel" setups, with a diff drop lift and 2500 diff and axles. It will get you a much stronger driveline and ~11 inches of travel and is limited welding and design. Even just upper control arms and coilovers with the right lift will get you 10 inches of travel and open up spring rate options.

Anything past that the truck because a race truck and it just starts feeling uncomfortable on trail because the speeds just go up so much... More so to actually use the travel costs skyrocket... Coilovers/bypasses, bumps, etc. All $$$ even if sourcing used parts and budget items. Athat point too if you actually use the suspension you should really be caging the truck, have harnesses... start worrying about the frame, etc.

In the theme of Drei's rig... sourcing used 2500 diff and cv's, and getting larger coils on the front would stay to a budget and get him what he is asking for, môre travel and a strong front end. Not jumping down the dark hole that is a decent amount of fabwork. (Though if that is what Drei wants, go for it!!)

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Overlandtowater]

Sitting on the throne looking through some old mags and found these little nuggets....

 

[CrazyDrei]

Sitting on the throne looking through some old mags and found these little nuggets....View attachment 602954View attachment 602955

dirtdobberoffroad,

I think you have officially nailed it.

"WE LIKE EXAMPLES OF VEHICLES THAT ARE DIFFERENT AND BEND THE RULES OF WHAT OTHERS SAY WON'T WORK."

Looks like lots of cardboard, 1/4" steel, drill press, angle grinder and stick welder time for me real soon!

Another fun question, but has anyone seen a rear TTB axle configuration???

Stay tuned for more shenanigans!

 

[nitro_rat]

Another fun question, but has anyone seen a rear TTB axle configuration???

I'm all for you TTB'ing the front of your Suburban. Rear TTB is a bad idea.

The reverse cut ring and pinion will be loaded the wrong way going forward in a rear mounted application. Even if you used a Dana 50 TTB chunk I'm pretty sure you'd blow it up during normal driving.

Even if you could get the ring and pinion to live, you would essentially have a three ton Corvair with a much higher center of gravity. Rear "swing axle" suspensions aren't the greatest, and you'd have to severely limit droop travel to keep the rear wheels from tucking in when cornering. Can you say "unsafe at any speed?"

I guess there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. In the case of TTB at both ends maybe it's too much of a bad thing though...

 

[CrazyDrei]

In the case of TTB at both ends maybe it's too much of a bad thing though...

nitro_rat,,

That's kinda what I figured shortly after posting that, lol. But if there is someone out there that has tried that, it would be good to hear exactly how bad that idea really is.

Stay tuned for more shenanigans!

 

[nitro_rat]

That's kinda what I figured shortly after posting that, lol. But if there is someone out there that has tried that, it would be good to hear exactly how bad that idea really is.

Look up "M151 MUTT"