thezentree
3/4 ton status
ok, so i have a 97 yukon with a tired 5.7 vortec and 127k hard miles. little things are starting to go bad, like the belt tensioner, valve cover seals, falling headliner, ripped seats, dash lights that work when they want to, etc. basically the little stuff that goes wrong on a truck thats been abused like this one. the motor knocks when its cold, and pings under load in higher gears or at higher RPMs. the tranny is solid, its not showing any signs of giving up the ghost (knock on wood), but i think that using it to tow 6,000 or 7,000 lbs of jeep and trailer isnt really gonna be great for it.
all of this has made me think about trading it for a 3/4 ton suburban, either a 87-91 or a 96-99, but i really cant afford the newer one, and the older one would probably have the same minor annoyances as my truck does (even though i could clear 36s with 4" on the old burb...
). i want a 3/4 ton whatever it is, cause i have a new trail rig that should be ready in the next few months and a 20' boat that i use all the time in the summer. it also needs to be 4wd, because this will see a lot of beach use and random mud runs when i turn my brain off...
anyway, to get to the point, last night, i was talkin to a friend and he got me thinking about swapping in a new drivetrain. im thinking another 350, but maybe with a mild cam and with a balanced rotating assembly. i dont need stupid power, and i really dont want to have to modify my FI system. i dont know much about building motors, so gimme somethin to think about.
i also want to swap transmissions to a built 4L60, something like a TCI truck master or a bowtie overdrives stage II (that seems more performance oriented, rather than towing - is there much of a difference?). opinions here would be appreciated as well.
last but not least, i want to swap a 14 bolt FF rear end in. not a huge deal here, other than the 8 lugs vs 6 lugs up front. i know a 3/4 ton IFS swap isnt really feasible, so what's involved with converting the front to 8 lug? SAS would be ideal, but i dont really think thats a wonderful idea for something thats gonna be doing a lot of towing. i wanna run 4.10 gears, 33s, and maybe a good 4" lift.
so, to finish my book i just wrote, is this worth going for, rather than just buying a new vehicle? i love my truck, and if/when i get rid of it, im gonna bawl like a little kid. its not worth but $5k-$7k, so its not like i'd be able to sell it for $10k, and spend that money fixing up an old burb. i'd end up spending probably the same amount of money either way (i think), so what do yall think, worth doin, or is it a pipe dream?
all of this has made me think about trading it for a 3/4 ton suburban, either a 87-91 or a 96-99, but i really cant afford the newer one, and the older one would probably have the same minor annoyances as my truck does (even though i could clear 36s with 4" on the old burb...
). i want a 3/4 ton whatever it is, cause i have a new trail rig that should be ready in the next few months and a 20' boat that i use all the time in the summer. it also needs to be 4wd, because this will see a lot of beach use and random mud runs when i turn my brain off...anyway, to get to the point, last night, i was talkin to a friend and he got me thinking about swapping in a new drivetrain. im thinking another 350, but maybe with a mild cam and with a balanced rotating assembly. i dont need stupid power, and i really dont want to have to modify my FI system. i dont know much about building motors, so gimme somethin to think about.
i also want to swap transmissions to a built 4L60, something like a TCI truck master or a bowtie overdrives stage II (that seems more performance oriented, rather than towing - is there much of a difference?). opinions here would be appreciated as well.
last but not least, i want to swap a 14 bolt FF rear end in. not a huge deal here, other than the 8 lugs vs 6 lugs up front. i know a 3/4 ton IFS swap isnt really feasible, so what's involved with converting the front to 8 lug? SAS would be ideal, but i dont really think thats a wonderful idea for something thats gonna be doing a lot of towing. i wanna run 4.10 gears, 33s, and maybe a good 4" lift.
so, to finish my book i just wrote, is this worth going for, rather than just buying a new vehicle? i love my truck, and if/when i get rid of it, im gonna bawl like a little kid. its not worth but $5k-$7k, so its not like i'd be able to sell it for $10k, and spend that money fixing up an old burb. i'd end up spending probably the same amount of money either way (i think), so what do yall think, worth doin, or is it a pipe dream?
