Another 1991 Suburban

[sean257]

I recently bought a 1991 GMC Suburban 1/2 ton 4x4 that has a 6" lift and 36" tires on 15" rims.
Stock 350, and automatic with 133k miles + (20% x unknown mileage it has been on 36's) No power anything, the radio doesn't get any stations, the gas gauge only works between 1/4 and E (but that is the most important range, so I am not going to fix it), speedo is 20% off, and the third row passenger side seatbelt doesn't retract. It cost $1,900.00

We don't go on expeditions, or use our vehicles to camp out, but my 5.5 year old daughter and I like to go explore and sometimes make trails in our smashed up little 84 CJ7 that we keep at the lake. The economy being what it is, there are some developments around the lake that barely got started, or are on hold so I am helping them knock over the small trees this making it a touch easier for them when they finally get going and clear the land completely... Now that my 1.5 year old boy can go + my wife + my friend and his kids, I decided we could use something bigger to haul everyone, and take short trips on the expressway to some of the creeks and rivers (the Jeeps handling is sketchy to me at 70mph) that are within an hour or so. Most of the time it will just be parked at the lake next to the jeep waiting for us to abuse it, so I am not worried about daily driveability, mpg, or any of that sort of stuff.

Since I work at a steel fabrication shop, I am having some fortifications made, and a roof rack just for fun. I will probably use the roof rack as a patio where I can sit in a lawn chair and watch the kids. In genreal my plans are to make sure it is relatively safe, comfortable, and not lose my headlights and grille when I purposely run into a tree or something.

Please offer any advice you have for me to achieve my modest goals!
I put some photos in the Suburban photo thread, but I will add progress pics here.

New to us:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/f8dae853.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/cd2ca670.jpg

First mod - Rattle canned the wheels black:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/4f4e0db5.jpg

I bought a casette to iphone thing at walmarts for $5 as a fix to my radio that cant find a station.
I also downloaded a speedometer app, so I don't have to do math to figure my speed (although it is almost an even 20%)

Front bumper progress:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/7ccaea55.jpg

It is sturdy 3/16"

[sean257]

Some time went by with no visible progress, but a squeek from under the hood is gone - new alternator, and I now have air conditioning compliments of a new compressor (old one was locked up) and new seals and misc for r134
Since I got a new alternator I got to thinking I should have dual batteries to help out with the six hella 700's, two hella 500's on the front rack of the roof rack/front bumper and two generic lights on the back of the roof rack, and the 12000 lb warn winch (CL - $400). So I now have a dual battery setup. I also have a drivers seat that does not require a rachet strap to hold the seatback up, and both of the armrests fold down on the passenger seat. Score 2 for comfort!

[sean257]

Roof rack progress:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/d39d1e08.jpg

Not the best pic with the scaffolding, but you can kind of get the idea.

We do not have a machine to roll this small square tube at our shop, so he is making the corners out of plate:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/2941ad5e.jpg

He is also making the transition from ~12" tall in front of the rack around the lights to ~6-1/2" tall out of 1" thick plate cut to contour on our plasma table. I will have to take a pic.

New running boards are sturdy as the front bumper:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/13879fa8.jpg

Tiebacks from running board to frame.
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/c729fdba.jpg

That is all for now.

I am waiting on the front bumper and roof rack to be complete and painted, winch and lights to be mounted and wired, ladder down back driver side barn door, and new back bumper with a fold down step below the ladder.

[BurbanAZ]

Some cool additions you've made already, I love suburbans. I know you said you weren't going to do much to It but it looks like its going to snowball and before you know it you'll have this among expo suburban lol

[sean257]

Thanks!

Some progress from the weekend:

Manual lock outs:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/68ad6574.jpg

Front bumper is about finished:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/bac0ba15.jpg

Roof rack is getting closer. I need to order some expanded metal. Does anyone have any suggestions for the exp metal? overall I need 4'x10' to cover it. There are supports every ~2'
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/d3f8e739.jpg

[Warn Industries]

Looks like a great build. Always love older Suburban projects.

- Andy

[sean257]

Thanks Andy.

Back bumper tacked up
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/3bb6681f.jpg

I ordered 3/4 No. 9 flattened expanded metal for the roof rack. Should be here tomorrow so I will see if it is sturdy enough.

[sean257]

Back bumper welded
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/e987aa42.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/941a2d34.jpg

[sean257]

Bumper on for test fit, ladder tacked together and verifying fit.

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/a2287c41.jpg

[sean257]

Front bumper, rack and running boards are painted and back on. Waiting on winch, back bumper and ladder to be reinstalled, and all of the light wiring.

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/bb59b83d.jpg

[LIVEanimals]

Thats a Hella of a lot of lights, haha looks good

[Got Beer]

Great looking sub. Makes me want to start a search for my own.

[azxc]

I've been closely following your build and really like how stout you've build your sliders and bumpers. I'm envious of the rack you've fabed up and wanted to know if you had to add any supports to the inside to hold the weight of the rack plus any gear you put on it? Also do you have the specs on the rack build?
Again--sweet build up and I'm envious of your capabilities and access to a full fab shop.

AZXC

[chilliwak]

Things are looking really good. Keep up the good work! Cheers, Chilli.:)

[sean257]

Thanks. He did not add any support to the roof, and it seems Ok. The rack has pretty big feet, and is trough bolted through the roof. He used 1x1x10ga tube steel for the roof rack, as well as some 1" plate that was burned on our plasma table for the transitions since we do not have a tube bender for square tube. In the corners of the roof rack he used 90 degree sections of ID/OD ring burned out of 10ga plate for the top and bottom of the "tube" and rolled 10ga for the sides. The deck is 3/4 No. 9 flattened expanded metal welded to the tube. The expanded metal is a little springy, so we'll just have to see how it holds up. Over all the rack is ~4' wide x 10' long, 11-1/2" tall in the front transitioning down to 6" The bottom frame of the rack has 4' wide cross bars every 2', and there are 2 bars splitting the width that run in the 10' direction.

Back bumper and ladder is on
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/31246f98.jpg

I wanted a fold down step since the bumper is pretty high:

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/dc11a95b.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/91802202.jpg

The fold down step is very solid and sturdy!

[Larry]

Nice work Sean! I thought that looked like a clean rust free Suburban for being in St. Louis (Saltbelt) then I noticed the Daniels Chevrolet – Colorado Springs sticker on the back. That makes sense why it is still so clean…transplant truck.

Love your racks ladder, sliders and bumpers but, how much does all that stuff weigh? I never noticed those pop-out rear windows in a square body style Suburban before. Interesting! Do they look factory or aftermarket? Nice rig you got there!

[sean257]

Thank you. It weighs a lot, I worry about it being top heavy, sinking, and sliding faster than I want down hills. Is there anything I can do about that (wider tires, bigger brakes...) I figured the windows were factory, but have never looked that close. I'll have to check them out.

[Larry]

Yeah, check out those windows and see if they look factory. I just don’t recall seeing pop-out windows on thes ole Burbs before. Looks cool! Wish my Polar Bear had those.

Well, if it where me, I would ditch that little 6 lug 10bolt semi floating rear axle and bolt in an 8 lug 14 bolt floating rear axle and ¾ ton leaf spring packs. This would also give you much bigger brakes in the rear and a much stronger axle. For the front, the 10 bolt axle will be fine but you can change it to 8 lugs by just changing the brake rotors and backing plates. The ¾ ton brake rotors are a bit larger but they still use the same calipers and brake pads as the ½ tons. Rotors and fullfloater is a quick easy swap for these old GM rigs with huge gains in strength and braking power. I suspect your burb has 3:42 or 3:73 gears now. Bonus if you decide to drop the gear ratio down to 4:10 or 4:56 while you are at it. Even a bigger bonus in braking if you change the brakes from vacuum to hydroboost. Regearing gets pricy though. My Polar Bear is getting an axle swaperoo in the next month or so as well. I want to ditch the semi float rear axle but more importantly, I am anxious to get rid of the 3:42 gears for 4:10’s. The Polar Bear is one gutless pile of style with 3:42 cogs.

[sean257]

Thank you for the advice Larry! I was planning to drive as is for a while if the braking does not feel unsafe, then replace the axles and more as I break them. I guess that may not be the best plan, because they may not break at the most convenient times. In general I have probably added about 1k+ lbs, but I will not be towing a trailer or carrying a ton of gear.

[beez33]

all I can say is sweet. I am also building a 1991 sub I have a 4inch lift not the six , but I love sliders and rack. how are they holding up? I am adding a rack to put a rtt up there hard to belive that a sub could need more space. I will us the front for storage. post more pictures
beez33

[chilliwak]

Hey Sean, what can I say other than `Nice Rack´:Wow1: No pun intended. My dad had a HUGE roof rack on his 454 `Burb´and it was bolted through like yours. He must have put 2 tons on that thing without any issues. But my dad was the kind of guy that used to save on winter tires and just get us kids to shovel the whole back lane for snow so he could come out!:Wow1:

[Wes]

Great looking truck you have there!!! I like the step on your rear bumper!!! Thanks for posting the pictures:o)

~Wes~

[warrpath4x4]

nice 91, us 91's have to stick together even if you do spell your name wrong lol

[sean257]

Thanks!
All done now and back on the road/trails
See how comfortable it is:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/719b520c.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/1dee1109.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/d7774c6a.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/f7d64542.jpg

[AA1PR]

Thats one bad azz Burb !

[sean257]

Thanks.
Here are a few more pics
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/77d6522d.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/64cbc848.jpg

[sean257]

Yeah, check out those windows and see if they look factory. I just don’t recall seeing pop-out windows on thes ole Burbs before. Looks cool! Wish my Polar Bear had those.

Well, if it where me, I would ditch that little 6 lug 10bolt semi floating rear axle and bolt in an 8 lug 14 bolt floating rear axle and ¾ ton leaf spring packs. This would also give you much bigger brakes in the rear and a much stronger axle. For the front, the 10 bolt axle will be fine but you can change it to 8 lugs by just changing the brake rotors and backing plates. The ¾ ton brake rotors are a bit larger but they still use the same calipers and brake pads as the ½ tons. Rotors and fullfloater is a quick easy swap for these old GM rigs with huge gains in strength and braking power. I suspect your burb has 3:42 or 3:73 gears now. Bonus if you decide to drop the gear ratio down to 4:10 or 4:56 while you are at it. Even a bigger bonus in braking if you change the brakes from vacuum to hydroboost. Regearing gets pricy though. My Polar Bear is getting an axle swaperoo in the next month or so as well. I want to ditch the semi float rear axle but more importantly, I am anxious to get rid of the 3:42 gears for 4:10’s. The Polar Bear is one gutless pile of style with 3:42 cogs.

I finally looked, and the windows are definately not factory. They have about a hundred screws holding them in. If you want I can take a pic.
Thanks again for the axle and brake info!

[sean257]

Out using it...

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/2050419f.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/291bcfce.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/709a096c.jpg

I did notice that the front tires can rub on the back corners of the fenders in certain situations. I am not sure what to do about that yet. My immediate reaction is to get a sledge hammer and make some clearance.

[Funrover]

Nice Burb!

[doubled4324]

"My immediate reaction is to get a sledge hammer and make some clearance."
LOL, reminds me of years ago when I used a sawzall to cut out the fenders on my 72 scout.

[1leg]

Any wind noise from the roof rack?

[sean257]

Any wind noise from the roof rack?

I am sure, but nothing noticeable over the 36" super swampers, headers and cherry bombs. With the kayaks I can hear wind noise overall at 60+mph, but without I do not notice anything above the aforementioned sounds.

[ericvs]

very nice work! Great looking truck.

[sean257]

Thanks.

Took it out on a fishing boat trip. Also some pics with lights on.

I am going to need more power if I am going to pull things up hill on the highway. 454?

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/940A8D21-1CE5-46E3-A4A3-A8CD3BB5CCB5-260-00000014487F7C6A.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/347E1793-CF5A-4BD3-A6A4-42F5D1F10BD5-260-0000025767D4E264.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/39AAE282-477E-43C8-9391-EC0CEC276434-260-000002576C2BD96A.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/sean257/10170391-5057-4ADF-B73D-C39429C6B642-260-000002576EEB9BE1.jpg

[clandr1]

Thanks.

Took it out on a fishing boat trip. Also some pics with lights on.

I am going to need more power if I am going to pull things up hill on the highway. 454?


Depends -- what size tires are you running, what gear ratio, and what motor/transmission combo do you currently have?

[1leg]

A TBI 454 will get better gas mileage towing(real life testing). And with your big tires it will be about the same around town(guessing). Now on the freeway the TBI 350 will do a little better when not towing(real life testing).
The other option if you don't plan to tow anything too heavy is the 5.3 LS engine. It will tow your boat better and get better MPG.

I will be doing a TBI 454 swap when i can find one at a good price.

[xpndbl3]

I believe the 5.3L would get better mileage and have more power while towing against the ancient efi technology of the 454tbi, it's a better combo all around. Plus 125 ish pounds lighter than the sbc and what 225-275 pounds lighter than a 454 with iron heads?

[mimalmo]

Great looking truck!

[beez33]

how has the roof rack been working out i may have to steal idea for my 91

[sean257]

Aside from putting the kayaks up there I have not been using it much, other than sitting up there and drinking a beer or two. The ladder makes it nice. My daughters kayak sits within the rack and the bigger two go on top. I may have some sketches I can send you if you want.

[Bushcoat]

Looking really good, and functional too! Ill be stealing an idea or two from you, thats for sure. Bumpers look great and I really love that rear step, everything looks well thought out. I also love the mudflaps, Id love to find a new old stock set that style with the montana logo!

[beez33]

great looking rack can you post or send me the specs

[beez33]

need updates please

[beez33]

bump

[sean257]

What gears would be best for the standard 350 and 700r4 pushing 36" tires? I blew out the rear dif, and am thinking of switching out the rear for a 14 bolt, and going ahead and switching the front axle to Dana 60.

Sorry Beez, I have not looked at this thread in a while. Are you looking for, exact sizes and dimensions on the rack? I will have to see if he still has the sketch

[xkid]

Awesome! Great work.

[Scrib]

What gears would be best for the standard 350 and 700r4 pushing 36" tires? I blew out the rear dif, and am thinking of switching out the rear for a 14 bolt, and going ahead and switching the front axle to Dana 60.


I have 4.56's with 34-inch tires, so I think you would want to go 4.88 minimum. Here is a chart (http://www.alloyusa.com/gear-ratio-calculator) (this is 1:1 at 65mph - remember, we have an overdrive).

[sean257]

Thanks Scrib.

Another question - If I am going to swap out the axles, I may as well get rid of the blocks that are lifting it now and get a proper lift kit for it. What should I be looking for if I am going to have 1 ton axles under it? WIll the lift kits for 3/4 ton work?

[bfdiesel]

You can do a 52" spring swap on the front with a zero rate block and a shackle flip on the rear. Eliminates blocks rides better flexes better. While your at it with the 60 check out the springless plates and bronze king pin bushings also crossover steering. I am currently in a swap with dually axles(60 front 70hd rear) so I can run H1 rims and tires.

[beez33]

Yes if you can , did you drop your head liner to put it on or just bolt thru. I am going to add a try to the back of mine.

[beez33]

I got my lift from rough country full springs all around and they let you pick the longer ones if you like