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99 2500 Suburban for Baja

BAJA_BLAZER

BAJA_BLAZER

1/2 ton status
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San Diego, CA

Last night I bought a ’99 Chevy Suburban 2500, 4X4, 454, 4L80E, 14bff with 135K miles on it to us as a chase vehicle for this years Baja 1000. This is the 40th Anniversary of the race and I turned 50 this year so I am going to solo the race in my 1-1600 JIMCO. This will be my 15th Baja 1000 and 7th Baja 1000 to La Paz/Cabo but instead of the usual multi-chase truck team, I am planning to have only one chase vehicle. I chose a ¾ Ton 4X4 Suburban because I can lockup all the spare parts (engine, transmission, etc.) in the back and it will be able to get to me anywhere I may have problems. It will also easily tow the race car home. I don’t want to send my 2005 CrewCab down because whatever I use will most likely get damaged and the Suburban is cheap in comparison.

I have three Gen II Blazer but this is the first IFS 4X4 I have owned. I am hoping some of you can tell me what I should be aware of and checkout on the Suburban before a 2500-mile jaunt in Baja. I am also wondering about turning up the torsion bars and what size tire I can run in an otherwise stock Suburban.

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These vehicle tends to have cooling issues as far as leaks. First check the heater hose coupler at the intake. They are made of pot metal and love to leak. Another place to look is the heater hose outlet on the water pump they like to leak where the pipe goes into the water pump. Also check the cooler lines going into the radiator. Cracks develop around those couplers in the radiator causing leaks. One more place is the intake gaskets in the rear of the motor. There is actually a tech service bulletin on the intake gaskets. GM sells replacment gaskets that will seal better than the old style.

I have replaced everything except the intake gaskets in my 98 Suburban. I have just been lucky i guess, but i am sure i will have to change them soon. Hope this helps.
 
Thanks for the input. I'll check all those points. It is in very good shape and I got it for what I think is cheap ($4500) here in So Cal because the Radiator's plastic tank is cracked - so you are right on that point!

It currently has LT265/75R16/E Firestone Highway Tread tires on it. I have a friend that runs BFG LT285/75R16/D (32.8") on his similar Suburban with only minor rubing at full bump. I am thinking of getting the same tires but do wonder if anyone is running Hummer H2 "Takeoffs" which are BFG LT315/70R17/D (34.5") on their Suburban with no lift bracket type lift, but only with turning up the torsion bars.
 
Thats a pretty good price. I picked mine up for $6400 and it had 88K on it at the time. I was actually looking for a k2500, but this price was too good for the low miles so i took it. As far as the lift goes i am not a fan of lifting the front end with the torsion bars. I have heard of people doing it without problems i am just not a fan of that method.

Oh yea i dont know if you have already check the price on a new Radiator but when i was checking they were between $400-$600. Just an FYI.
 
Luckily one of my sponsors is The Radiator Store here in San Diego and my cost is $125.
 
doesnt get any better than that. My connections are not as good as your i actually paid $250.
 
Make sure you ground it out my 99 has gone through four radiator's finally figured out that it wasn't grounded and doing the electrostatic thing and burning a hole in like three weeks, glad they were all warrantied
 
Congratulations on the purchase. I had a '99 2500 myself. Nice truck.

I'd check the front suspension/steering components before the trek, especially if you plan on increasing the tire size. The idler arm tends to wear on those trucks and I had to replace mine in the '99. Just last year I had to replace the idler and pitman arms and the relay rod on my '01 2500.

Good luck in Baja.
 
Ramsey,
Nice buy - I bought a '94 K2500 Burb this year (454 w/ Whipple blower, 4L80E, 14 BFF). I put a set of 305/70R16 BFG A/T tires on it (~33" equiv). The rims are aftermarket (I'm not sure of the offset), and I did a very slight amount of fender trimming and they fit just fine. The torsion bars were left in the stock setting. I'll snap a pic if you'd like.

The 3/4-ton sits noticeably higher in stock form than the 1/2 - with those tires, it has a nice stance and plenty of clearance. Perhaps more importantly, it's still at a great height for towing. I towed my old ('86) Burb with it halfway across the country to give to my dad.

I changed my front diff actuator to a manual system. The original design used a notoriously unreliable thermal actuator. I can now lock in my front diff with a push/pull cable system. This means I can also run in 2WD low-range (not possible stock). I'm not sure if '99 used the same actuator.

I would drop a low-temp thermostat in for Baja and extended idling at the border.

On a side note, I moved across the country this spring (for a year or two), but will be at the race this year with some friends again. If you need a hand with anything let me know.
 
I would run a 255/85 on the stock wheels, or a 285/75. 305's would fit with trimming, but I would not go any bigger. Keep the tires small and the IFS will hold up well. Check the ball joints and steering before you go, or replace them. Adding a lift other than a mild torsion crank is asking for trouble, IMO.

The thermo diff actuator is a problem spot, but was replaced with a solenoid type mechanical setup on later models. I too ran the Posi-Lok lever actuated setup, but had a couple of gripes, including a broken cable that left be buried in a river bottom, and that I had to be rolling slowly to engage the front diff, so if I waited until I got stuck to engage the frontend I wasn't always able to do so.
 
Great responses

Thanks for all the great responses. Looking on the BFG size charts, both the LT285/75R16/E and the LT305/70R16/D have the same diameter of 33 inches. The section width of the 285 is 11.3" on a 8" wheel and the 305 is 12.2" on a 9" wheel. I think I'll go with the 285's and have a call in to the BFG race program to get pricing and order them.

I'll replace the radiator, hoses, water pump and thermostat all at the same time. I'll have my friend Tony Cortez at TrueLine in El Cajon check over the front suspension/steering. Other than that I think a oil change and trany service is all that should be needed.

I am reall happy with the idea of using this Suburban for chase/support. It should be very safe, comfortable, reliable and capable on the trip south. If I need to be retrieved or have parts brought down course, it should handle it just fine. The most dangerous aspect of racing the Baja 1000 is running a chase truck during the race and then the drive home, especially if you are towing a trailer. Flat towing the race car behind the Suburban will be a piece of cake and much safer.

Thanks again for the help and ideas!
 
I have the 285 BFG AT's on '05 HD alum rims on my 99 2500 with only slight rubbing offroad, I did trim the edges of the front bumper a little.
 
Any updates on the Suburban? How did the trip to Baja go? Maybe some pics?
 
Wasnt sure about when he was going, but thats cool. Still would like to see pics of the Suburban out in the Desert though. Thanks
 
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