2012 Suburban 1500 LTZ 5.3 LMG (I think) motor swap or.... >:) ?

[moxford]

Was an ex-limo I picked up a couple years back for "not a terrible price."

Trans went (6L80e), so I fixed that (and upgraded internals)
Lifted it 4" with nice Fox remote reservoir shocks, put on 34s and new rims, I like how it looks.

But after that many miles and that many "touches" things are falling apart, from the plastic to the doors, dash was f'd by Chevy in those MYs so cracking badly, and everything is just wearing out from being an ex-limo.

Now it's starting to burn oil - probably blowing past the rings ... I guess not unexpected with over 310k on the clock. (Yeah, I could rebuild the engine and sleeve it all that jazz, but just don't have time to muck with it. And I already did the rear main seal and cooler lines ... nothing obvious on the leakage.)

Problem is, trans is still pretty new, suspension work is all new, and it still drives well. It'd be a solid platform if I was 20 years younger with a lot more free time, ya'know, but with the engine failing ... sigh

Crate swap? Used swap? 383+blower? Dump it and move on?

2500 base with better interior and I'd probably push to suck it up and rebuild it myself because it's a solid platform, but I just don't love the interior.

Decisions decisions ... maybe I'll wait and see how much the new Avy sucks from a design perspective. I kinda miss my old 02, but Chevy engineering/design has really gone to ********, and stylistically almost everything coming out of GM these days is trash. I did see someone take a newer F-body an put what looked like an old-school combat-kit on it, ground effects and all. Actually made it look better, believe it or not, heh.

I don't fit in Jeeps of any flavor for any length of time (6'6" 240, I've tried - so cramped) so maybe it's time to explore the Ford/Mopar dark side. Or buy a Sprinter van and rock the man-bun (I hear it's all the rage these days ... but honestly, I'm just jealous until I remember the lack of true 4x4, ground clearance, and COG.)

Bah, humbug.

 

[Jacobm]

Depends on your budget. If you like the truck, I'd swap in a fresh(er) 5.3 and replace interior bits as you go along. What do you want to do with the rig? Dedicated long term overlander? Weekend warrior?

I wouldn't count on a new Avalanche being comparable in capability, I'd guess they'll be targeting the Maverick and Ridgeline segment more than adding a chopped 'Burb to the lineup.

 

[moxford]

Old Avy was based on Suburban chassis, and I saw a Z71-badged Sub on the dealer lot today, so who knows.

5.3 swap is a couple 3-4 k, interior is a few k.
Hard to justify 6-8 total just in parts, and then everything not replaced will say "hell ya, my turn to break! Gogogo!"

New Ram and Ford interiors make Chevys feel like tupperware. Sure, they are all varying levels of plastic, but fit finish and mounting/support vary widely.

Dealers all have huge markups right now too, capitalizing on the shortages to make extra cash off someone who actually needs something. All's fair in capitalism for sure, but screw those guys.

Ford rep was pretty cool though, and really knew his stuff. Ram would need a custom headliner due to it being dumb. Doable, just annoying.

Fors F250 vs Ram 2500 is the current matchup.

Bah.

 

[Jacobm]

I don't envy anyone shopping for a new truck right now. Sure you can dump a lot of money into fixing an old truck, but it's the devil you know versus the devil you don't. If you can swing a new truck you'll probably like it better, but I'd budget for suspension upgrades on either of those trucks, possibly excepting a Power Wagon.

I think GM would be foolish to bring out an Avalanche on the current Suburban platform - I don't think the demand is there given that Silverado 1500s are essentially the same market segment now, versus 20 years ago when you it was harder to get one with lots of lifestyle features. I'd bet an Avalanche would either be electric or targeting the revived mini-truck segment, or both.

 

[moxford]

Seriously. And between the nasty dealer mark-ups/gouging and the huge swath of recalls on both Ram and Ford right now, maybe it's time to go overseas. My favorite right now is "your RAM diesel may spontaneously combust, even when powered off. Don't park it in your garage or near structures. We'll let you know when we have a fix at some point."

Cheers.

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Ram is recalling over 130,000 heavy-duty trucks with 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engines because an electrical fault may cause a fire even when the vehicles are turned off. The recalled vehicles include Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups, and 2500, 4500, and 5500 cab chassis trucks from the 2021 and 2022 model years.

The problem is due to a faulty electrical connection in a heating element, and is similar to an earlier recall issued in March for a smaller number of trucks. According to documents provided to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ram does not yet have a repair for this issue. Until a fix can be performed, these trucks should not be parked inside garages, near structures, or close to other vehicles. Ram will notify owners when they can take their trucks in for a free recall repair.

The manufacturer told NHTSA it is aware of seven fires, zero injuries, and zero crashes related to the recall.

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[Bob Boyer]

Be interested in your thinking. Bought a 2011 LTZ with the HD trailer package with 230k on it. I'm in for about $15k total with $5 - 6K in parts and labor - huge new all aluminum radiator, large transmission oil cooler, Z71 springs, Air-Lift 1000 bags, and Bilstein 5100s all around to replace the blown air-ride suspension, an ARB compressor and new battery under the hood, some lights, wheels, tires, new brake pads/rotors, Weather Tech mats, a new door handle, full maintenance on everything when I got it, etc. Have the cracked dash as well - went with a Dashskin that looks pretty good instead of mucking with a new dash that will just break in all the same places again.

It's pulling a 4000-ish lb (loaded) Winnebago trailer and I'm not liking the lack of power. Could be an older motor, the 3.42 gears sure don't help, etc...

So I'm at this crossroads. I'm looking at perhaps a Jasper remanufactured 5.3 (which comes with the AFM/DOD parts deleted) plus 4.10s, a new rear locker, and rebuilt diffs for maybe $15k all in or sell it now for $15k and put the $15k I would have spent on it to get a 2500 PPV Suburban that was some federal exec's limo. I dunno. I like what I have but I'm heading out for a four week west Texas/New Mexico desert trip with 250k on the odometer. Though the truck has been nothing but reliable so far, I'm still not sure how smart that might be. I guess we shall see. And then start saving for whatever.