New to me 99 Suburban: 5.7 vortec repairs

[KLAKEBRONCO]

But to answer your other questions.....:
Approach departure and break over all will not be very good because of the vehicle. Heavier parts that won't break when using more throttle to get over things and modifications aiding recovery should be a priority. The old camel challenge Rovers on small tires did pretty decent I'd say.

As for the gas tank I might look into a Ford OBS rear tank. 18 gallons but mounts under the rear between the rails. Not sure how other modifications would make it possible (wiring for pump and fuel gauge)

 

[chilliwak]

Glad to hear that you child is doing well. For a slightly higher rear lift without block maybe go for a rear shackel reverse kit? I think ORD makes a decent set-up. Cheers, Chilli..

 

[unabashedpraise]

I don't follow. You don't want to replace the 10 bolt but you do want to add modifications that will stress it more than stock use isn't in a way that will stress it MUCH more than stock when it's already marginal when is d as intended as stock

I don't follow your "I don't follow". Which modifications are you referring to?


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[unabashedpraise]

But to answer your other questions.....:
Approach departure and break over all will not be very good because of the vehicle. Heavier parts that won't break when using more throttle to get over things and modifications aiding recovery should be a priority. The old camel challenge Rovers on small tires did pretty decent I'd say.

As for the gas tank I might look into a Ford OBS rear tank. 18 gallons but mounts under the rear between the rails. Not sure how other modifications would make it possible (wiring for pump and fuel gauge)

Angles do suck in this thing. However, if there is something simple I can do to improve them, why not?

Heavier parts? U joint instead of CV axles? That kind of thing? Been thinking about a belly skid too.

Those old camel trophy guys winched and slid, sliced and diced their way through those areas. I am not about to go that route! Smaller tires on smaller wheel base too.

Gas tank: 18 measly gallons?!




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[KLAKEBRONCO]

You're right doesn't hurt to make things better I suppose.
The gas tank is definitely a tough one. On one hand stock is huge and hangs low and ones that don't are much smaller capacity.
I suppose two jerry cans could expand capacity to close to 30 gallons

As far as I'm concerned regearing is absolutely necessary when running bigger tires. Power, fuel mileage, drivability and durability will all suffer if the gears aren't changed.

It's so important that even to step up from 265's to 285's I'm regearing from a 3.73 to 4.10

 

[nitro_rat]

I would recommend replacing the goofy heater hose fitting on the intake if it is still stock. You can use a NPT to hose barb fitting and a hose clamp there. I would also replace all of the plastic "T" fittings for the rear heater if so equipped as well as the plastic heater valve. May as well swap all the hoses while you're there.

If you really want to upgrade braking, late model knuckles and brakes can be fit on the front end, do a search to find a thread about this.

If you want to upgrade the rear end and braking, get a 9.5 out of a late model with disc brakes. You should be able to find one of these with 4.10's installed.

You will be able to run the late model wheels with any combination of the above parts and your existing stock stuff. My mother-in-law has late model Z-71 18's on her 97 Tahoe that is otherwise stock. No spacers or anything.

I have seen a Suburban swapped to a pickup saddle tank. You will have to get creative with the filler. The one I saw was lowered. They moved the tank because the rear tank hung down below the roll pan (ugly). The filler was hidden behind the driver side tail light. You will loose fuel capacity but gain departure angle.

Steering parts (pitman and idler arm) are a weak link on these, there are aftermarket parts out there to address these.

 

[KLAKEBRONCO]

The hose fitting on the intake is an absolute reliability issue

 

[unabashedpraise]

The hose fitting on the intake is an absolute reliability issue

Part is inbound.


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[unabashedpraise]

Took some paint stripper to the wheels to get the faded clear coat off. Scuffed them a bit in spots, but then polished them. Turned out ok. Buys time, and cheaper than new or new-ish wheels for now.

With this pic in mind, I'm thinking about how to eventually tackle the clear coat peeling.

I'm thinking some sort of two tone paint. Something like this on the upper line and roof.

I also am going to have to peel the bottom molding off and probably some sort of tough paint on the bottom. This will be as I take care of the rust and cover it.

Not sure what colors or paint method. Something inexpensive and easy.


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[chilliwak]

The truck is looking good Unbashed. If you want a cheap alternative in the paint department you can always go with a rattle can camo paint job. Cheers, Chilli..

 

[unabashedpraise]

Talk about the proverbial can of worms...


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[rayra]

Boy that looks like it was inhaling oil for a loooong time. That lower intake's supposed to be clean.

How fouled are the plugs?
Better look at your EGR setup as well.

on the plus side, you shouldn't be having any cylinder wall or ring wear problems. heh.



I ran into something akin to this on our '05 Tahoe, when the driver side valve cover baffle system (EGR breathes thru this) clogged up (~160k mi) and the vehicle started inhaling a lot more oil, occasionally laying its own smokescreen. Found the intake manifold central chamber had a pool of oil in it, would up dismounting the whole thing and cleaning some similarly filthy INTAKE runners. It's written up in my 'Hey Vortec Guys' topic.

 

[unabashedpraise]

Haven't checked the plugs yet. Still wrestling with the AC bracket. The front of the engine has oil covering it. Looks like it's from the intake. I did have code p0440 pop up before I started this.

Anyone know what part number 23 is called? It snapped like a dry trig...

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[rayra]

Just looks like a vacuum line, you can patch it / partially replace it with a tight-fitting rubber vac line. Thin black plastic tubing, right? Did it snap like a compound fracture, or did it crumble completely? Have a lot of similar lines on my '85, VERY brittle at this point. Pretty common problem.

Only reason I've kept the original lines is because their shaping makes it easy to reconnect things. But I have a lot of breaks patched with rubber line segments. Typically I clean the line up and put a dab of silicone on each end about a 1/4" back from teh break. Then I stick both ends into the rubber segment so they butt together inside it, then give the rubber a spin to spread the silicone and leave it sit to cure.

a cracked line could very well trigger the 440 code. Your vehicle, it might also be a saturated evap cannister.

 

[nitro_rat]

Haven't checked the plugs yet. Still wrestling with the AC bracket. The front of the engine has oil covering it. Looks like it's from the intake. I did have code p0440 pop up before I started this.

Anyone know what part number 23 is called? It snapped like a dry trig...

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That parts breakdown shows most of the crappy stuff that should be changed on your cooling system...

#3 should be changed to a regular NPT-hose barb fitting with hose clamp.

#'s 30, 13, and 14 will be brittle and will crack on you. These are available from any FLAPS in the "Help" section.

#4 is a metal tube that runs behind the alternator. This will eventually crack and leak where the bracket is welded on. It can be exchanged for a piece of rubber hose. Put some of that plastic electrical wire loom stuff on it where it looks like it will rub on stuff.

Go ahead and swap out all of the rubber heater hose while you're at it. I personally don't mind the spring style clamps. They keep you from cracking the plastic fittings by over tightening the screw type clamps. You will need a few extra clamps with the mods above.

I would also at least pull the fan shroud and inspect between the a/c condenser and radiator. I usually find this area packed with pine needles, leaves, bugs, rat nests, etc.

Also, there is a larger radiator available, I think it's listed for a 1 ton truck. Same size as the Suburban, but the core is twice as thick. I usually grab that one as it's about the same price. Now that they are only available in aluminum/plastic they are only about $125-150. When they could be had in copper/brass they were $6-700!