I'm not a Burb guy per se but I had an 87 V-10 for about 15 years.
Colorado K5 will be a wealth of information for you moving forward. Go ahead and order a catalog from
LMC Truck if you haven't already. They have EVERYTHING.
87-91 on the Burbs are TBI injected. It's OBD1, so it can be a pain in the *** to troubleshoot. It's probably worth it though. From what I remember, it adds about 40 HP on a 350. I can't remember which two, but there's pins you jump on on the OBD1 connector that makes the codes flash. By flash, I mean that the check engine light will blink in a sequence that makes numbers. The first code it should give you is 12, which is just means everything is normal. One flash, short pause, two flashes. It repeats each number 3 times, then loops back to 12.
The biggest problems with these are with the frame cracking around the steering box, especially with larger tires.
http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/steeringkit.htm is a great brace. ORD makes a bunch of stuff you may be interested in. That's definitely an issue to look for as you shop. I've seen a lot of these cracks just booger welded over to cover things up.
The half-ton has 10-bolts front and rear.
The front is fine up to 35s or better. If you're really going to push it, you'll need to find a Dana 60 and a place to cry about how much it costs. (Close to what you'll pay for a whole Burb.)
The rear 10-bolt is really on the weak side. Upgrades aren't too expensive though.
The next step up is the 14-bolt semi-floater. That should be standard in a 2500. That also bumps you up to 8-lugs, so if you later decide to upgrade.
The strongest is the full-floater 14-bolt, which is basically indestructible. If you've bought a 3/4-ton to start with, you already have your 8-lug rims, so you don't have to buy new wheels to do the swap. You also will have the 8-lug outers in the front. Those can be hard to track down. Well, they were hard to find in the early 2000s anyway. The downside to the 14-bolt FF is that it's heavy and will reduce your ground clearance some. I am not sure if the spring perches on the half-ton are the same on the 3/4-ton. If they are, you will have to get the spring perches on the axle moved to match the location of the leaf springs.
Other recommended upgrades are a rear disc brake conversion and a slip yoke eliminator for the t-case.
I never had to do a whole lot to mine and I bought it with 200,000 miles on it. 4" of lift on 33s and was getting 14 mpg. Only thing it needed when I bought it was tie rod ends/drag link ends. Puddles made it want to drive up on the sidewalk. I eventually replaced the engine and trans, went up to 35s, and did a few other mods. On mine, wheel bearings were the only thing I had to deal with in unusually short intervals. I always used Timken stuff but big tires and little axles just don't play nice.
It was a great truck! Thinking of all this stuff is really making me miss mine. It went to a good home though. A cute little redneck Air Force girl bought it and took it to Texas.
If I think of anything else, I'll let you know. Good luck with your search!
