To keep my Suburban or not??? that is the question

[jturkey69]

well Im pretty new here, but have owned a burb or three...anyways...we finally found our new expo rig in a 91 1/2 suburban from a friend. For personal reasons only I have chosen a suburban over an LC we seen in WI for sale.

we have 6 kids all together....rarely all at the same time, but needs to be noted

previously owned 78 and 91, and a converted burbalanche in hs..all 4x4, so the typical idiosyncrasies, and the familiarness of the burb makes me feel better when I have loved ones aboard.( only because I know the brick burbs)

we also had a 00 Excursion diesel..LOVED IT!..lost it

after years of watching what jeeps, lc's, and other small scale very capable rigs...we as a family got into 4x4 ATV's...so hauling a nice two up 4x4 atv on the trail somewhere in Utah, Nevada, etc, with half the family aboard in a fullsize rig means I can go everywhere a smaller rig can, and have more fun doing it.(this would be my teaser thought for you now)

08 or newer Arctic Cat TRV or Can Am outlander max, in tow...on a small offroad trailer...is my dream, going to visit where I grew up as a toddler in Wy, and CO, and rockcrawling my way to a campsite, unloading my built 4x4 atv, and going further with jeep guys, and the like is a bucketlist item! (which will be reality next year

Landcruisers look so cool, will seat the same amount of ppl, and has the legendary status, and m wife wants one baaaaad....but because the population has pimped it out so much as the "ultimate everything vehicle",(which it is) it has priced us right out of the market.

sorry for the rambling....Calico n Mt. Dew, and the news of a future trade for our caprice wagon for a "brick burb" had me searchin for new pics for ideas,.....thank you all for reading my excited BS..lol

Turkey

 

[Little Red]

we finally found our new expo rig in a 91 1/2 suburban from a friend

Post up some picures of your new ride if you get a chance, I always like to see the older suburbans. If you have some pictures of the Ambulance Suburban I would love to see those too.

And good luck with your new ride.

 

[Humvette]

If you camp like i camp keep the burb. You will not get any 4x4 with much better mpg's! Mod the burb, more original. People dog the hummer as too big, well i just let them see where i can put it LOL! It is all about part prices and not having to deal with rust if you ask me.

Keep it. Later by a LC if you want to build up slowly.
M

 

[jturkey69]

Post up some picures of your new ride if you get a chance, I always like to see the older suburbans. If you have some pictures of the Ambulance Suburban I would love to see those too.

And good luck with your new ride.

currently on the fence with the possible trade as my wife got a glimpse of the truck yesterday, and its not going to win any shows thats for sure..lol. Its not a total bust, just needs to be cleaned up, and typical cheap gm door handles that are broke, and a few other things....I told my buddy to clean it up, and come back over the weekend..lol.

 

[Curmudgeon]

currently on the fence with the possible trade as my wife got a glimpse of the truck yesterday, and its not going to win any shows thats for sure..lol. Its not a total bust, just needs to be cleaned up, and typical cheap gm door handles that are broke, and a few other things....I told my buddy to clean it up, and come back over the weekend..lol.

Apparently you neglected to tell us you were buying it for your wife. :sombrero:

That IS what you're saying here, isn't it? I can't imagine any real expo dude letting his wife tell him what kind of truck to get. :Wow1:

JP

 

[Reece04]

I appreciate all the replies. Went out to the Overland Expo in Amado AZ yesterday... totally worth the $10 entry fee. Regardless, I got my fill of awesome off road land cruisers and now I am inspired to fix up the Burb and make it a primary off road/overland/camping/weekend vehicle. This means I can buy something smaller with good gas mileage to commute in... maybe a new Camaro! So now I am on the lookout for a 14bolt rear end on CL. Does anyone know if there are 14bolts that will not work (like a dually)? Also anyone in the Tucson Area have a paint/body work done that make a recommendation?

Thanks again... the cruisers are nice, but the "build what you got" attitude has finally set in.

 

[RR1]

Good choice, a Land Cruiser (like an 80) isn't going to be that much different than what you have already.

Your Chevy is going to be cheaper to maintain as well.

You can get crazy with suspension and engines if you wanted to.

Not a Suburban, but you get the idea.

http://www.chaosfab.com/projects/blazer/blazer.html

 

[jturkey69]

Apparently you neglected to tell us you were buying it for your wife. :sombrero:

That IS what you're saying here, isn't it? I can't imagine any real expo dude letting his wife tell him what kind of truck to get. :Wow1:

JP

********!!...well its for me, and to cart the kids around daily to school, etc.. as I am the stay at home dad now.
My wife and I had a good laugh over your comment...her other comments were "that thing is big, loud and ugly..and your gonna park that in my driveway??" and "I cant even get in it...its too tall!!" ..********! shes 4'11" and about 110lbs. she ultimately said you have to drive it, not me..lol.
I may end up with it yet, but my buddy says he was going to give the spare new rebuilt engine with it, spare set of wheels and tires, and fix the back side glass which is cracked.....I think I will make him at least fix the glass, and replace the radiator, and a couple other minor things before a trade..lol only because my wagon is great looking and ready to roll.

Reece04---AWESOME news! I will have another suburban thread build to follow now!! congrats on finding the direction, and newfound motivation!!!

 

[87GMCJimmy]

i agree with Climber Rob.

i think you need to consider the space requirements you need. a suburban can be made bullet proof for any type of task.....and you already own it. with a 4" lift you should have no issues with 35" tires if you put the money into 4.56 gears and a semi floating 14 bolt. parts are cheaper for these trucks, it'll tow better, hold more, can have better fuel economy with the proper engine modifications and gearing, rides very well if the proper springs are used, parts are everywhere, and you already own it.

what tires do you have now? what springs and shocks? how many people do you carry? why do you need a roof rack? as long as you don't overload the roof you should be fine, but remember it increases drag, raises the center of gravity and kills gas mileage.

the weak link in that rig is the axles......i'd spend the coin to upgrade those. you could look into a swap from an Army M1008, they have 4.56 already and the rear has a Detroit locker in it. you'll need a few different things to do the swap though........completely worth it imo.

For the win!!! I'd do the 4" lift, crossover steering, 37's (only a little fender trimming is needed to squeeze them in, I run 'em on a 3" lift on my Jimmy) and swap to M1008 axles, they are a Dana 60 front, 14BFF rear (with a Detroit locker in it!) and 4.56 gears!!! Those gears will be perfect for 37" tires, put ya almost back to stock ratio vs tire size. The front swap couldn't be easier, bolts right in! Just may need to clearance the front spring plates a little to clear the diff when running 1/2 ton spring pack (I had to, a little). Also, you will need a new set of rear spring perches to weld on as the 1 ton set from the CUCV are narrower that the width that your burb had in the back originally!
Here's some nice spring plates for the front (what I run, just don't forget to get new U-bolts and studs):
http://diy4x.com/cart/index.php?route=product/product&path=24&product_id=124
A nice swap kit for the rear, with all ya need (what I run, actually this one is even nicer than the one I got since my axle was converted to discs already when I bought it):
http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=178

The above mentioned things, extended brake lines, nicer longer shocks, and conversion u-joints and you have a beefy chassis to build your expedition Burb on!!!

BTW, I love Burbs, I am jealous of the space available in them compared to what's available in my Jimmy!

Just remember, with that long belly, invest in some good belly skidplates, and some good rocksliders for those long rockers!!! Also, get a beefy skidplate for the fuel tank, it sticks way out with that rear overhang!!!

SOME PICS FOR INSPIRATION!!!

Stole this pic from another site, they can be wheeled!:

Here's my "foolsized" Jimmy out wheelin (back when it was in one piece):

 

[westexhunt]

For the win!!! I'd do the 4" lift, crossover steering, 37's (only a little fender trimming is needed to squeeze them in, I run 'em on a 3" lift on my Jimmy) and swap to M1008 axles, they are a Dana 60 front, 14BFF rear (with a Detroit locker in it!) and 4.56 gears!!! Those gears will be perfect for 37" tires, put ya almost back to stock ratio vs tire size. The front swap couldn't be easier, bolts right in! Just may need to clearance the front spring plates a little to clear the diff when running 1/2 ton spring pack (I had to, a little). Also, you will need a new set of rear spring perches to weld on as the 1 ton set from the CUCV are narrower that the width that your burb had in the back originally!
Here's some nice spring plates for the front (what I run, just don't forget to get new U-bolts and studs):
http://diy4x.com/cart/index.php?route=product/product&path=24&product_id=124
A nice swap kit for the rear, with all ya need (what I run, actually this one is even nicer than the one I got since my axle was converted to discs already when I bought it):
http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=178

The above mentioned things, extended brake lines, nicer longer shocks, and conversion u-joints and you have a beefy chassis to build your expedition Burb on!!!

BTW, I love Burbs, I am jealous of the space available in them compared to what's available in my Jimmy!

Just remember, with that long belly, invest in some good belly skidplates, and some good rocksliders for those long rockers!!! Also, get a beefy skidplate for the fuel tank, it sticks way out with that rear overhang!!!

SOME PICS FOR INSPIRATION!!!

Stole this pic from another site, they can be wheeled!:

Here's my "foolsized" Jimmy out wheelin (back when it was in one piece):

Ditto. + if you do a M1008 parts swap you can use the 6.2 and run it on near free fuel, I have never purchased fuel for my Deuce or my M1008 (granted I don't log that many miles in them and I just got the M1008 but the deuce has been making the rounds for a few years) but used motor oil and veg oil works just fine.

I am new to this site but have been wheeling for a long time. I am not a Chevy guy but I always end up building them because they are logical to build. Most recently I have built an 89 crew cab on 40's and it has worked very well and I have had good luck finding parts cheap (even aftermarket parts like a D60 ARB). I am envious of the Land Cruisers too because you see all these cool pics of them in some far off desert etc but they just don't make sense and honestly every 4x4 Toyota sold here up until the latest generations has been underpowered and too slow for me, when I want to pass someone I do it. I still want a LC but when I do one it will be turbo diesel.

 

[RADAR12]

Rear axle

Burbs are cool. I love my 90. Suburbans came with 3 rear axles . The 8.5 10 bolt in the 1/2 tons and 2 different 3/4 tons axles --- the 9.5 semi floater and the 10.5 full floater 14 bolt. I found a 10.5 for mine out of an 88 3/4 ton -- direct bolt in . The only thing you have to do is use a conversion u-joint to fit the larger pinion flange. Good luck with the build.