is this the smart thing to do?

[FlatBlackBurb]

okay so im looking into selling my 87 suburban and getting a 94 3/4 ton sierra 4x4 extended cab truck. its got a 4'' ifs lift and its going for really cheap. 4k. he put a brand new crate engine in 20k miles ago and the thing looks really sound.

ive heard bad things about ifs, so i would be prone to do a solid axle swap. i know a LOT of work is involved, ill ask someone who's done it in the past, how much does it cost approximately? im looking to do probably a 10'' lift. any input or is it worth it.

i mean what does it take for IFS to break? i dont wheel that intensely, just hillclimbs, muddy ruts, mudpits, and some flexy jeep trails once in a while just to show my buddy's up. who here's broken ifs?

 

[supersize75k5]

well I beat the crap ot of my hd and the front end is still holding up..


oh wait I forgot its a 2wd



from what I see though, any abuse and 35's and you go boom! ive seen a few trucks get a little bounce and its all apart in seconds..

cv's or t-rod ends are what I see most, go look at the tie rod ends on them and you wont smile at the thought of wheeling it.

keep the word "abuse" away from a lifted ifs and it should make do untill you can do a solid axel.

 

[b454rat]

Which 3/4 ton is it?? If it's the 6 lug, then the IFS probly won't last very long. The 8 lug might last little longer, but depends on what kind of mood it's in that day. AFA SAS price goes, it all depends if you can fab stuff, and what kind of deals you can find. It adds up pretty quick, couple grand isn't out of the ordinary....

 

[Cajun4x4]

like has been said 8 lug stuff will hold up better than the 6lug crap. how much money would you be willing to drop into this project?

ive put about 6k into my swap, thats with the cost of the axles, rebuilding, gearing and locking(rear) them, pdrop tcase,hangers brake lines etc. etc., some custom alcan springs, recentered H1 beadlocks and new 38s

 

[rdn2blazer]

why do you want the new truck? for the newer body style? is your burb in bad shape? me personally, I LOVE the old body style, thats why I have 3 of them.

I would stick with the burb and put the money into it and fix any problems you have with it. will you break an IFS at some point, who knows, I would say probably. a straight axle swap is a lot of work and can be pricy. if you have a shop do it, it will cost you a fortune.

for 4 grand you can put a crate motor in your burb and have left over money to do other stuff.

 

[roadnotca]

Just for laughs, ORU wants $25K to convert.

 

[jimbug]

A buddy of mine had a 98' with a Rancho 6" and 35" SSR and we went all over Hollister Hills -tank trap but most of the other trails and flexed and beat and all that.... I thought he was gonna break it, but to my suprise it held up. And he it the type of guy that breaks stuff in the first 5 mins of getting there.... yeah that happened like 4 times!! OBW it was muddy when we went so that may have helped?

 

[resurrected_jimmy]

I couldn't keep CV shafts in my 2500 with 33's, mostly mud and hunting camp type trails... places I didn't think i would break it.

 

[FlatBlackBurb]

basically ever since i was a kid ive always wanted an extended cab 4x4 with the 88-94 interior. i dunno just something ive always wanted. i mean i love the burb, its a really fun truck and commands respect everywhere it goes, but i kind of want a new project to start... im all down for fabricating my own stuff. im just weighing the pro's and cons very seriously before i undertake anything...

 

[rdn2blazer]

you could allways start a chevy truck collection , I have 5 chevy's and love every one of them, 1 runs great, 2 run ok, and 2 of them are projects.

 

[FlatBlackBurb]

yeah i wish!!!! there are already 7 cars at my house.

my mom's got her minivan
my sisters got her stupid box scion
my dads got his infiniti and his cts
we've got a '93 2500 sierra that we use for towing our trailer (its 2wd)
and then ive got my 85 cadillac that i use as my daily driver... and then of corse my truck

if i could afford more room, believe me. i would totally keep both trucks. you know i think i'm going to go for it. if i bought it i'd be buying it tomorrow so theres no way i can sell the burb before then... maybe i will end up keeping all 3... space is really really tight around here so i doubt it.

too bad that truck isnt 4x4... its only got 24k original miles on it and the whole truck is perfect. how hard is it to do a conversion to a 4x4??? probably would be cheaper just to buy a truck huh...

 

[vortec]

basically ever since i was a kid ive always wanted an extended cab 4x4 with the 88-94 interior. i dunno just something ive always wanted.

i love my 94 xcab c1500 pickup. i picked it specifically because i has the old interior and mirrors (which i prefer), but also has the newer rounded grill. it's perfect for me. i like the style of my 82 k5, but in my opinion, the gmt400 trucks, are the most aesthetically pleasing.

as far as ifs offroad, there are a few major things that we sfa guys take for granted. sfa axle shafts are protected by the tubes. ifs shafts are shielded by the control arms to some degree, but are largely exposed. hello carnage. and my biggest knock on ifs is that your minimum ground clearance changes with the terrain, so you can damage parts that you thought were out of the way. with an sfa rig, minimum ground clearance is always the same, and maximum is dependent on terrain and articulation. 8" at rest is 8" or more at full flex (for the sake of argument, i'm factoring out random rocks in the way, etc.) and the frame is always above the axle/wheels. with ifs, if you have 8" minimum clearace, you may end up with only 4, if you have one side flexed out and the frame drops BELOW the center of the wheel. on the road, this doesn't matter, since you'll almost never be unevenly flexed by that much, but offroad, it's the difference between problem-free progress and getting hung up and busted. that said, look at some of the extremely capable vehicles that have independent suspension like the H1, and Isuzu Vehicross. these are purpose-designed and built, though.