My 1991 Suburban V2500 Build (ideas welcome)

[Larry]

Leave it stock. It really is capable enough as is. Lift kits scream insecurity IMO. Pics of my '88 and '96 2500's.

Meh, I don't know if I agree with that :ylsmoke:. A modest lift will help a Suburban from dragging the fuel tank over obstacles, help with off-road suspension flex and improve the ride quality if done right, especially on the old leaf sprung Suburban's with the reversed arched front spring packs. A slightly bigger tire will also improve the off-road ability. A 3” to 4” is about perfect for a Suburban. Anything above that starts to look a bit redneck. My Sub is running an old 4” lift that came off of the K10. The ride quality improvement alone was worth adding the lift kit. The reversed arch front springs really limit the suspension travel and ride quality on the old Burbs.

BTW....clean burb you got there asmith!

 

[warwgn]

A 3” to 4” is about perfect for a Suburban. Anything above that starts to look a bit redneck.

I am guilty of being a redneck since I have a 6" lift, meh better than being a hillbilly I guess.

Always pros and cons to doing any modification to a truck so just go with what you like and have fun. BTW what shotgun is that?? I like the way it looks!

 

[asmith]

Looks like i have i narrowed down to 4 inch lift. What front springs do you guys recommend?

@Larry thanks, when i googled about my truck your popped up and i was hooked . I have been looking in to doing a hydro swap, if you have any parts #'s from you K10 build you could share would be awesome.

@ Little redneck never hurt anybody haha. The shotgun is a Remington 870 Tactical Express Magpul.

 

[xpndbl3]

I'm pretty happy with the overall buildup on my suburban, excellent street manners and works great on those dirt hunting trails as well. Build thread in the sig.

 

[bfdiesel]

A modest lift will help a Suburban from dragging the fuel tank over obstacles, help with off-road suspension flex and improve the ride quality if done right, especially on the old leaf sprung Suburban's with the reversed arched front spring packs. A slightly bigger tire will also improve the off-road ability. A 3” to 4” is about perfect for a Suburban. Anything above that starts to look a bit redneck. My Sub is running an old 4” lift that came off of the K10. The ride quality improvement alone was worth adding the lift kit. The reversed arch front springs really limit the suspension travel and ride quality on the old Burbs.

BTW....clean burb you got there asmith!

:iagree:

 

[daddyusmaximus]

I had a 4" lift on my old '87. Perfect combo for wheeling and daily driver. Used Rancho springs, she ran well off road and on. Great platform to build on. I miss mine.

I traded in my baby, my 4x4 Suburban, so my wife could get a new van... is that love or what?:Wow1:

 

[Scrib]

I did the 3" Tuff Country HD springs (heavy bumper & winch, otherwise I would have done the EZ-Ride) in the front.

 

[Erik N]

Meh, I don’t know if I agree with that :ylsmoke:. A modest lift will help a Suburban from dragging the fuel tank over obstacles, help with off-road suspension flex and improve the ride quality if done right, especially on the old leaf sprung Suburban’s with the reversed arched front spring packs. A slightly bigger tire will also improve the off-road ability.

To each his own. Both my Burbs drag the hitch mount way before the tank. Like a rear end rock slider, or whatever those are called.

 

[Larry]

I am guilty of being a redneck since I have a 6" lift, meh better than being a hillbilly I guess.

Hehe....well, you do live in Mississippi now. :elkgrin:

Just kidding

Looks like i have i narrowed down to 4 inch lift. What front springs do you guys recommend?

@Larry thanks, when i googled about my truck your popped up and i was hooked . I have been looking in to doing a hydro swap, if you have any parts #'s from you K10 build you could share would be awesome.

Cool! Glad to be of a bad influence :sombrero: The part numbers I used wouldn’t work for you as my hydrabooster, steering gear and hoses have standard thread fittings. After 1983 or so those fittings changed to metric.

In your case, just have your parts supplier set you up with hydrabooster, master cylinder and hoses for the same year of Suburban as yours but with a 6.2L diesel and JD7 brakes (hydraboost). You really don’t need to change the power steering pump for the sake of getting the extra return line into the reservoir. You can just add a T fitting and tie all of the return lines together. GM G-vans and P-chassis used the a T fitting instead of the dual return reservoir for years and the same way I plumbed mine. You’re also going to need some stuff from a junk yard donor truck though, such as the nice heavy P-clip that holds all the lines together at the booster, the push rod and retainer that goes in between the booster and master cylinder. You can’t buy those new that I am aware of.

Good luck with the project. Looks like you have a great truck to start with. I love the color! :victory:

 

[chilliwak]

Wow:Wow1:just checked out this thread for the first time. First off welcome to the site Asmith and I am glad to see that you filled us in with a good description of your truck with lots of pics. Larry is our GM guru here and very helpfull. As you have allready noticed there are lots of guys here with `Burbs´so you should be able to get all the knowledge you need. I like your truck and will be eager to follow your progress in the future. Cheers, Chilli..

 

[Outback]

In my opinion a visit to O.R.D. website is a GREAT way to get an idea of what you can do with a your Burb. I would suggest a 4" lift to start with. Good luck.

 

[tip]

Nice burb! I think those GM wheels really freshen up the older trucks.

 

[asmith]

Thanks everyone for the great info. Been doing some pricing and shopping, so look for some more pics this week.

Andrew
Oh and what's a good price for a dully Dana 60? Found one for 600 with 4.10 gears

 

[bfdiesel]

Thanks everyone for the great info. Been doing some pricing and shopping, so look for some more pics this week.

Andrew
Oh and what's a good price for a dully Dana 60? Found one for 600 with 4.10 gears

Sounds about right for a dually, I assume it is a chevy 60. I paid 1000 for a set of 4.56 duallies, 60/70hd. Of course it also depends on if it is a core or a good running axle.
Are you getting it and putting SRW hubs on or are you looking to get both front and rear to dually width for H1 wheels?

 

[asmith]

I would like to find a set of 24 bolt H1 rims but if not I can still go with SRW. Stopping by Deaver Spring Manufacturing Co in Santa Ana tomorrow for some springs.