94 Burb, Family camping/towing rig.

[redrussell]

I just traded and got an exquisite 94 GMC Suburban 2500. It has the 7.4L/4L80E/241 power train in it and pures like a kitten, more like a lion for what it consumes on gas. It is a super clean interior and I have yet to find a spot of rust or anything that the guy didn't say was an issue when we traded. Came with bad tires, ok easy fix. Parking lights and Brakes weren't working, after a little trouble shooting I found it was the Brake switch on the brake pedal causing it. Been sitting for 7 years in the guys garage so just needed a full tune up. Those were all he said was wrong with it. Oh and the moody alarm system that is tied into the ignition. It just randomly chirps is all, nothing else. Besides the 13mpg I have no complaints, better than the 8mpg my F250 460 gets! Currently is sits on 265/74R16 (32" basically), I am thinking it will look and ride well sitting on 35" tires but I have never lifted on early IFS Chevy so what that would take I am unsure. If it is a major undertaking I am not that motivated to get it done though.

With the 4 kids(and counting, I'm married to fertile Myrtle) this will become the camping vehicle. My wife wants to get a large camping trailer so what are the options for making it ride soft without a load, keep it from sagging though, and make it capable of hooking up a 10,000lb camp/Jeep trailer to it and not look like it is trying to take off. I have read about airbags but only on coil cars, this has rear leafs. Just looking for what people have done and what is tried and true. Not looking to invest an arm and a leg into getting this setup either since it is all in great shape sitting stock.

 

[ID Bronco]

I had a 2500 6.0 1999 suburban, it was fantastic for our family (7 of us) Airbags are great because they are soft when deflated (as soft as it can be) but stiff when you fill them. I just had ports near the license plate where I filled them. They were easy to install. A compressor makes it nicer for adjustment on the fly, but I just filled them when I hooked up a trailer. I think you'll like it a lot.

 

[bryson]

Yup. Airbags will do what you're looking for.

 

[redrussell]

I was thinking of adding on board air, nothing fancy, my wife likes to go to the water so my excuse for it would be to fill the float toys. Is there more math to it than just fitting them in, welding up the perches and plumbing the lines?

Any ideas on the lift for it? I like 35" tires because that is what my truck is on and probably what I will have on my jeep for street tires and all 3 rigs are the same lug. Just a worst case scenario thing, I can scavenge tires and rims from my own rigs and only have one bolt pattern to qorry about.

 

[bryson]

All overload style airbags that I've installed were bolt-in. Easy enough to install in an evening in your driveway.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Sounds like a cool rig. Got any pics?

 

[Jeromy]

Suburban's rock

 

[redrussell]

Sounds like a cool rig. Got any pics?

When I get on a computer I will post some pictures. Cant do it from my phone.

 

[Bart]

Gotta love a good Burb. Congrats

 

[redrussell]

I hope I did that right, The white steelies and the mudterrains I put on there just for now to get it rolling around and driving. I have pictures of the interior and engine but they are on my phone, my wife snapped this picture.

The family and I loaded up in it this weekend actually and went to Boise ID. we had my tandem axle car trailer loaded with 4,100 lbs of my in-laws stuff so 4,100lbs+1820lbs(Trailer empty) we towed 5,920 plus all the kids, dog and a good sized tool box since it was it's first long trip. We Filled in Dugway and didn't fill again until Mountain Home ID and that was only because the head wind was so bad. Coming home we made it all the way back with 1/4 tank left. Yes it is the huge 42 gallon tank! I weighed it with a full tank and no cargo or people in it and it tipped the scale at 6,600lbs! I'm going to go to another scale sometime just to verify that. So far little things have been done, vaccum checked the AC and once it held for 30 mins we put 4 cans of R134a and a can of ac oil in it and it blows super cold(Wife is happy). Did have a "oh crap" moment on the trip though. Sunday morning we went to Albertson and when I went to back out of the parking spot, nothing! It wouldn't move. I drove forward over the little barriers and went to my Uncles. Did some reading online and found that the reverse band stretching is pretty common. Needing to get home for work the next day and not wanting to invest in a total overhaul we opted for the redneck fix, pull the reverse servo and add 1/8" to the rod with the welder to put more tension on the band. Got the tig out and made it all pretty and put it back together. Since we were in there we did a filter change and I checked the t-case. The t-case was full, drained 3 qts out of the fill hole! So now we know the rear tranny seal is bad too. We have all the gears and made it home without an issue though. Overhaul the tranny is on the list now.

 

[redrussell]

Forgot to mention how it pulled, duh! We held a steady 65mph with the engine revving at 2600rpm pulling up the hills! I set the cruise are 73mph to get a little better economy(That word and Big Block don't go together). It chirps the tires with no load if you stomp on it. I haven't taken it offroad anymore than a dirt road yet.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Great looking rig!

 

[redrussell]

We have only a few things we want to change. I did the NAPA industial injector cleaner, the one where you disconnect the fuel pump and it runs off just the cleaner. The injectors still spit a little so I am going to pull them and take them in to be cleaned. Around here I don't know where to go so if anyone has some suggestions... I want to do a dual battery system on it. Then I want to do front and rear bumper with 2" reciever hitch wired for the Multimount winch we use on the trailer and a grill guard. Next I want to build a solid roof rack with a LED bar in front and then a flood on each side and 2 in the rear. Been toying with getting a backup cam just to speed up hooking up to trailers and not running over the little ones. My wife wants a CB but that is easy.

 

[redrussell]

A little update. We loaded a box truck onto my flatbed and took a trip to San Diego to see her family. Was an 04 Savannah delivery truck minus the box. Weighed 6,200 lbs when I weighed it. We made it to and from Cali making a whopping 6.5mpg climbing up and over those dand Sierra Nevada's. I haven't put bags on it yet and towing something like that with most of the weight on the tongue would have helped. Cali drivers broke both of my mirrors though so if anyone has or knows of anyone with some mirrors(housings too) let me know. I would like to try and mod some later model ones with defrost I'm them into my doors.