1991 Chevy Suburban 2500 4x4 no rust western truck 75000 miles $6900

1991 Chevy Suburban $6900 SOLD


Here is a 1991 Chevy Suburban 2500 for sale, this is not my personal vehicle I am selling it for someone. It was originally purchased by The University of Oklahoma where it served as reliable mode of transportation into the back county for students of geology and geophysics. Over the years it has only travelled about 75000 miles and was well maintained. Being from a dry climate the truck has no rust or rot, it still has its original paint and shows no sign of previous body work or repair. 1991 was the last year of the solid front axle so this would be the perfect truck to use for off road or expedition travel where reliability, durability and payload are top priority. The truck was purchased from the University in 2013 and is now located in Connecticut.

Drivetrain
The Suburban is equipped with a 350 V8, a motor that is known for its reliability and longevity. It is fuel injected which means that it will run smoothly at any angle off road and get better gas mileage when compared to the older carbureted versions. The transmission is an automatic with overdrive so cruising highway speeds will not be a problem. Another trait that makes this truck desirable is that is has a solid front axle, a huge asset for off road use, and being a 3/4 ton truck is equipped with heavy duty axles. There are no oil leaks although the rear pinion seal shows some signs of seeping. The drivetrain is in great shape with no known issues, it drives and stops great. It is equipped with air conditioning although it probably needs to be recharged. The tail pipe is rusted through at the back but the rest of the exhaust is original and in great shape. The tires are 235 85 16 and are at about 90% tread, the spare is still like new.

Interior
The interior is the base version which is an asset for off road use, it has manual windows and locks, basic vinyl seats and rubber mats which makes for a durable, easy to keep clean interior. The dash does have some cracks from UV damage and there is a 1'' rip on the front seat but the rest of the interior is in really good shape. The turn signals, headlights, taillights, gauges, wipers, washers, rear power window and radio all work, the horn and interior lights are not working. The truck seats 6 people and has a huge cargo bay for gear.

Body and Chassis
The body is completely free of any rot or repairs. The paint is original, it is lifting in a few spots and there is some light surface rust on the roof. There are minor dents on the passenger side doors and a small dent on the lower quarter panel, besides that the body is very straight. The frame has never been undercoated or repainted, even some original chalk marks are still evident. All rubber bushing appear to be in good shape. The windshield does have a crack on the right side.

This is an excellent vehicle to use for back country travel anywhere in North America. The truck comes with all service records and has a clear CT title.

You can contact me at mike@northamericaoverland.com


http://s1078.photobucket.com/user/northamericaoverland/library/?sort=3&page=1

















 
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Basically no rust on the body or frame that would compromise the structural integrity of the vehicle. Body mounts, lower doors and floor panels are all susceptible to rusting out and are good on this truck. Obviously I'm not referring to surface rust on the suspension, driveshafts or exhaust as all street driven cars have this
 

Renntag

Adventurer
As the buyer of this vehicle, I can say that Mike's description was spot on. Clearly user, "lqhikers", questions the "no rust" statement, rightfully so. Clearly there are little spots of rust, but objectively speaking there is no appreciable rust. I have been searching for a clean burb for over 2 years. Many that were billed as "no rust", had serious cancer in a number of key places underneath. After making a deposit and traveling many hours to preview a vehicle, I had to enact my deposit return due to rust clause. Not wanting to travel 12 hours with the same result again, I kindly asked Mike if he would capture more pictures and video for me. Braving the bitter cold and snow, he crawled under the Burb and captured EVERY image on my list as well as confirming subsequent inquiries as I needed to narrow my decision.

In the end, this vehicle was 'almost' exactly what I wanted. It fell short on two points.
1. I wanted a 6 door burb with the 'delivery' doors at the rear. This unit is equipped with the tail gate that uses an electric regulator to operate the rear window. The key design flaw here is that the rear of the vehicle can not be opened with out the glass being lowered. <sigh>. First order of business will be to strip this assembly apart and make it fresh/new. Currently it works as intended but performance is not 100%. (I will plan to acquire a spare assembly for the future.)
2. It doesn't have a full floating rear axle. (unlike the tailgate, this I can upgrade with bolt on parts).

My wife prefers the tail gate over the delivery doors so she is happy. (I conceded). She and my daughter are excited to have another Burb as we have sold our '99 K2500 6.5 TD and they miss it.

Arriving to Mike's location, I new what I was going to find given the upfront info. The vehicle started right up and ran perfectly. I checked it over to make sure everything was fine for the first leg of my trip. I spent a little time getting to know Mike and North American Overland before heading into town to fill the tank. Pulling out of the driveway and navigating winter torn roads, I was impressed with how well the vehicle tracked and absorbed the bumps. It was like a time warp to maybe test driving one of these when they were 3 years old on a dealer's lot. Truly impressed. No rattles, no shakes, no vibrations. While my '99 was a fully loaded LT and very luxurious, it had a few vibrations over bumps that seemed to come from the doors and the cowl assembly. No such sounds from this '91.

To avoid expanding into a War and Peace type explanation of future plans here, I will instead share a snap shot of my plans and then post a link to the build thread and blog once started.

General plans:
1. Sell the stock TBI 5.7 (Perform tune up, compression and leak down test, get MPG numbers, keep motor in place until sold)
2. Remove the poor factory paint and repaint (white). (I like the current patina, wife wants a vehicle that is all one colour and not satin black).
3. Sort all mechanical systems that will be retained. (Steering, ball joints, all drive joints, axles, fluids, brake hoses, a/c, etc)
4. Make the interior comfortable and usable for family outings/camping. (upgraded stereo, seat covers, sound deadening, LED lighting, Carpet floor matts, storage options, Inverter)
5. Repower with a Cummins 6BT (Gen II, 12 valve)
6. Improve braking ability. (Hydro boost, 4 wheel discs, Exhaust brake)
7. Improve off road capability. (Springs, dampers (dual front), locking diffs)

Stay tuned, thanks for reading, and many thanks to Mike for all of his help coordinating this sale and answering my myriad of questions.
 
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Renntag

Adventurer
Check the vehicle parts for sale- Ujoint has a crate Cummins...
Thanks. I will check that out.
I do have an arrangement to purchase a 98 Dodge with a member from 2 other forums. I have contacts that are keeping an eye out for a motor.
 

Renntag

Adventurer
Thanks. I found it here.

The motor is listed on CL. It looks great and seems like a good buy given what has been spent.
http://asheville.craigslist.org/pts/4332787040.html

Ujoint_exp port_6BT_600x450.jpg
 

Renntag

Adventurer
I am about to start a build thread for this burb and will provide the link. Work progresses. Much planned, much to be done.
 

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