Suburban!

ccarley

ccarley

Adventurer
Hey all,

I'm looking for photos of modified Suburbans. Reason is, I'm probably going to be purchasing one in the near future, to use as a second vehicle for backcountry adventures. Currently, I run around in an '87 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, but I want a second vehicle for other people to borrow, and just in case the Jeep gets really stuck, broke down, whatever.

I'm looking at something between '87 and '91, as the body style is what I'm looking for, and from what I can tell, they should be fuel injected. I know the fuel mileage won't be good, but I'm ok with that.

I have my eyes on an '88 3/4 ton model at the moment, which I found on the way home from work Friday night. It supposedly has only 40,000 miles, but the clear is peeling on the paint. The price listed is $2600, which I think is high compared to others I've looked at in my area, especially with the peeling clear coat. I think it has a 4" lift, but can't really tell. I was looking at it in the dark, but it looked like it had some rancho or skyjacker shocks in the rear, suggesting that some suspension work may have been done.

Thanks in advance for any photos or suggestions.
Clay
 
ccarley

ccarley

Adventurer
I'm totally checking that out right now ;)

After seeing the clearance with a 4" lift on that one, I'm not sure that the one I'm looking at actually has a lift. But, I was looking at it in the dark... I'll have to go check it out again today. I'm torn between getting a nice one versus one that is kind of beat up, especially since I'm going to probably be lending it out mostly.

Thanks,
Clay
 
xpndbl3

xpndbl3

Adventurer
i have a build thread that got bumped to page 2 if you'd like to check it out. For some reason the title hasn't been changed from 1998 to 1988 but it is the old box body style and I love it :)
 
ccarley

ccarley

Adventurer
xpndbl3 said:
i have a build thread that got bumped to page 2 if you'd like to check it out. For some reason the title hasn't been changed from 1998 to 1988 but it is the old box body style and I love it :)
Click to expand...

Ahh, that would explain my lack of clicking on that thread ;) I'll check it out, thanks!
 
ccarley

ccarley

Adventurer
I took a closer look at one near by yesterday, and it didn't look good for the price. It had been painted, and not very well; not sure if the clear was peeling on the new paint of if the strip hadn't been painted. Being advertised as having only 40k miles, it was odd that the speedo read 60k miles, and well since there is no 3rd digit, it could have had 360k miles (as my buddy pointed out). It did have a 4" lift though, and 33's. The rest of the vehicle, for the price, just looked like it would be a nightmare in a few years. So, no Suburban yet.

Thanks for the advise,
Clay
 
Spur

Spur

Adventurer
Have a look at my thread in my sig. There are a lot of things to consider, even if you aren't doing a complicated engine swap. A good place to start is ORD http://www.offroaddesign.com/index.htm Most suspension and steering components can be purchased from them - all very high quality.
 
zukrider

zukrider

Explorer
X2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and a couple more on ORD!!! love their product. waiting on school money so i can call them myself.

your looking at the right years. i love mine. started daily driving yesterday, and wont look back!

make sure you search craigs in other cities. i found good deals abound, phoenix for sure. can open a lot of possibilities!

good luck in your search!
 
zukrider

zukrider

Explorer
X2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and a couple more on ORD!!! love their product. waiting on school money so i can call them myself.

your looking at the right years. i love mine. started daily driving yesterday, and wont look back!

make sure you search craigs in other cities. i found good deals abound, phoenix for sure. can open a lot of possibilities!

good luck in your search!

also, i picked mine up for $600 with a slight oil burn(valve seals) and a salvage title(theft stripped). purrs like a kitten with 220k all original.
 
ccarley

ccarley

Adventurer
First off, thanks for all the tips. I really appreciate it, since I haven't done a ton of research on these rigs yet.

Now, I'm sure you are looking for an update and wondering where I am. I've been working 12 hr days, with no end in sight...

On the bright side though:
I picked up an '89 yesterday. I was also looking at a '91 which was diesel. These were in San Jose, which is about 2 1/2 hr drive from where I live, so I needed to really scrutinize before purchasing!

The Diesel, which I liked, had nice paint, it was 3/4 ton, but had something like 325k miles on it. Supposedly a new engine was installed like at 300k miles, but the radiator leaked, and there was water dripping from above the starter after driving. Also, although the vehicle looked great on the outside, with newer 33" bfg A/T's and a 4" lift, it was super grungy dirty on the inside. Smelly too, like refried beans :( I was mostly concerned with the water leaks. The engine sounded great, fired right up, no odd noises (for a diesel), and my wife hated how the grey interior was mostly black, including the seat belts.

This '89 is a 1/2 ton, but super super clean inside. The headliner is sagging of course, but the carpet and seats look superb. The odo reads like 55k miles, but there is no 100k digit, so it could be 155k miles. The tbi 350 sounds just like any other tbi 350, which I like, and it has a single flowmaster with single outlet. Seems to have a 4" lift with 35" bfg A/T in front, and some random 35" tires in the rear.

Right now, the steering sucks, as there is a lot of play in the box, and it may need a drop pitman arm too. Not sure yet, until I fix the play in the box. It has dual steering stabilizers (probably to "help" the steering play!) but the upper is dented from hitting the tie rod. No big deal, I just need to go through it. Found out, on my 2 1/2 hr drive home in the dark/rain last night, that the wipers may be original LOL. Not very effective at actually wiping the windshield. My wife was driving along side of me on the Golden Gate bridge, and she was getting more & more excited the closer we got to home. She loves it! How awesome is that?

Suburban_001.jpg


Looks like it's time to get to work. Got my LMC catalog Friday too ;)

Clay
 
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