Project Polar Bear: '89 V2500 Suburban

[Larry]

A little update on the bear….

Last year one of my buddy’s bought a 2wd ’89 Suburban to pirate the engine and trans from to throw in another project vehicle, which is where that nice matching 3rd row seat came from in post 277. The donor Sub also had a mint condition set of front inner fenders. As we all know, the 73-87 (~91 burb & K5) are notorious for growing rust at the inner fender where it is double walled at the cab area. Even rigs from the desert grow rust in this spot.

Donor inner fenders all scuffed up and lathered in a fresh coat of tractor paint. Not just any paint, but the good ole cancer causing, lung clogging, ozone eating, baby bird killing oil based stinky arse farm paint. This stuff works great and is tough as nails. The brand of the paint is Van Sickle. Try it….you’ll like it!

Much better!

She is a clean machine at the cab supports where the square body rigs are also famous for rusting

Purdy!

Umm, really purdy! Also installed a factory battery tray for an aux battery while I was at it. It is amazing that for being 25 years old the factory jack and tools are still present. They look like they never even had been used either.

Also got another set of Strike 8 Desert Rattler wheels to pay the K10 back for the tires and wheels the Polar Bear stole from it a few months ago. Just need to order up another set of Fierce Attitude tires before next season.

And, we took the little monkey for her first camping/fish trip in the Bear a few weeks ago.

Camping here was certainly not an exotic destination away from civilization like I prefer but this lake is a great lake to take the wife and baby with conveniences the ladies prefer (bathrooms and it close to home). We just camped in my in-laws popup trailer.

That’s it for now….. Oh….I sold that Jeep J20 in post 239 that I bought a few months ago. Management (wife) was giving me a hard time about it so I basically gave it away just to get it out of here. Out of sight, out of mind. Next time I buy a terd, which it is inevitable that I will, I am going to hide it behind the house instead of next to it that way she can't see it Damn, I had such lofty goals for that J20 too

 

[Irish1941]

Awesome Larry.
We are taking our monkey for her first remote Mojave camping trip in the Blazer shortly weather gets cooler.

That paint, brush or blow? Sure looks smooth from here...

 

[Larry]

Awesome Larry.
We are taking our monkey for her first remote Mojave camping trip in the Blazer shortly weather gets cooler.

That paint, brush or blow? Sure looks smooth from here...

That will be fun! I love the Mojave!

The paint comes in brush and spray can but I always use the spray can. Mainly use Satin black the most for all of the truck projects like these inner fenders, axles, frame and the rear winch bumper. The stuff works great! You can paint a greasy ball bearing and it will still turn out nice and smooth without fisheyes. It’s sticky too, if you get any on you it takes some work to get it off. Once I found this stuff years ago I haven’t touched a Krylon bottle since

 

[munepit]

That rig is so clean!!!

 

[y5mgisi]

Cool stuff. Doing family stuff in a burb is super cool!

 

[campfire]

Cool stuff. Doing family stuff in a burb is super cool!

X2! Nice to see it on the road!

 

[big-blue]

Larry, I noticed earlier in this thread that you had a new dual exhaust system installed. How did you handle the O2 sensor? Did you just remove it all together or did you just have it on one side? In the next two months I will be putting on a new exhaust - looking at pre-made kits and custom work.

Hey also, I noticed that you have Viking popup too! I took this pic from last weekend, as we ventured over into the Florida panhandle. Ours is an '04.

Take care,

-graham

 

[Larry]

Hey Graham,

Actually the dual exhaust is fake It has a single inlet / dual outlet Flowmaster so the O2 is still in the stock location but once the 8.1L goes in shortly it will have two O2’s, one in each bank. The Viking camper belongs to my in-laws but it is a neat trailer we have access to any time we want to use it.

Nice Burb you got there. Perfect rigs for pulling campers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[big-blue]

Ah - noted; I presume you will be using the computer and all the wiring from the 8.1.

But if I have just one feed circuit for the O2 (like how it is right now, stock) and I do a true-dual exhaust - can both be plugged into that 12v? Or will the ECM flip out because there are two competing signals coming from that same wire (does that make sense)?

Thanks Larry - and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

-graham

 

[Larry]

Well, sort of…. It will be running on a Howell Engine Development harness and an ECM that will run an 8.1L with a mechanical throttle body, not so much an 8.1L specific ECM but the tune will be a tweaked 8.1L tune. It will basically be identical to the 8.1L in my K10 with the exception in that the Suburban's engine has RayLar 202 cam and Sanderson headers.

I haven’t played with TBI as much as a lot of the other guys here but I believe you can stick with one O2 sensor even if you run true dual exhaust but you’ll probably want to ask around in the EFI section. I’ve never researched that one.

Ah, another Turkey Day down….. now got to haul the boss around for Black Friday shopping tomorrow

 

[Larry]

Well, finally got around to getting the RayLar cam is installed and the engine is all back together. Got boxes of install parts stacking up around here like cord wood but still have a lot more bits to collect. The Howell Engine Development harness is due in any day. Looking at the holiday schedule, work travel and life things the actual install probably won’t go down until at least mid-January if not February….until then here are some pretty engine pictures to look at.

Anxious to see how a performance cam works out in a L18

The engine is actually a 2008/2009 model year unit with painted 2002 valve covers on it. It probably had less than 10,000 miles on it before tear down. I like the early textured valve covers better than the later bare pieces.

That is not the actual oil fill pipe that will be used. That one is just in there to plug the hole for now.

In a few months the Polar Bear will be looking just like the K10. I’m using the exact same recipe of install part numbers right down to the air induction piping, fuel system and ECM tune. The only difference between this one and the K10 is the Raylar cam and use of headers. I am no fan of headers so hopefully the Sanderson headers used on the Polar Bears engine will turn me in to a header lover. Mr. Larry at RayLar talked me into headers to make the best of the cam so we'll see!

 

[y5mgisi]

Sure would be insane to have a burb as nice as yours with an 8.1/nv4500.

 

[Big Ray]

You know Larry, with your massive knowledge base and inventory, have you ever thought about opening up an off road custom vehicle shop...?



I always get something from your post'.

 

[82355]

It's nice to see someone doing stuff with an 8.1.

Martin

 

[Larry]

Thanks guys

You know Larry, with your massive knowledge base and inventory, have you ever thought about opening up an off road custom vehicle shop...?



I always get something from your post'.

Nah, I grew up in a family business (gas station, large independent repair shop, towing service) and I have no interest in owning my own business. I'm plenty happy working for Corporate America (for now anyway) with the wrenching thing being a hobby. My dad’s old shop is how I acquired all of the equipment (and wrenching experience from a very young age) in my garage though.

 

[1leg]

Hi Larry,
First thanks for taking the time and effort you put into providing all the information in your builds.

I can see that you really like to go with the mechanical throttle for better control off road. However with my suburban I plan to do more heavy towing over the road then rock crawling. I will also need to use an automatic. Cruise control is also important to me.

I would like to use a 2003+ non-egr with the electronic throttle to keep the cruise control install easy.

Can you run the earlier dual fuel line system with the electronic throttle? Not super important but I would like to be able to adjust the fuel pressure. I’m sure the stock 8.1 power will be more than enough for what I want to do.

What do you think is the best route of attack for the automatic to passenger side 4 wheel drive. I would be nice to find a 4l80 adaptor out of a 91 but I doubt I’ll find one. I have heard of guys using 2wd trans and making their own adaptor.

 

[Larry]

Hey 1leg,

I don’t blame you. Cruise control is nice for long hauls.

I use the L29 454 cable operated throttle bodies more for durability than anything, but throttle pedal “feel” is definitely second plus it makes the engine swap much easier and cleaner. All automotive (GM trucks, medium duty, Workhorse) L18’s used electronic throttle (while marine and industrial L18’s used mechanical). Even the 2001 to 2003’s with the return type fuel system with the adjustable fuel regulator used electronic throttle, just like my stock 2001 Silverado HD. The return type fuel rail has no bearing rather use you mechanical or electronic throttle or not. Cruise control can still be had with a mechanical throttle body by using the “Electro-Motor Cruise System” from the 88-00 GMT400 trucks where they had a small box on the firewall and a cable going to the actual throttle body with very simple inputs to make it operate. It looks like this. That is the route I plan to use on the Polar Bear at some point to gain cruise control. I’d like to add that cruise system to the K10 as well as it sees a lot of long distance travel. In the end, it is a tossup if using electronic throttle or using the GMT400 cruise system is easier or cheaper but I would take the mechanical route every time.

As far as transmissions go, I haven’t spent much time researching automatics as I am a manual trans guy, but I don’t see why your existing 32 spline 241 behind your current TH400 wouldn’t bolt right on to a 4x4 4L80E.

 

[1leg]

Thanks Larry,

I acually have one of those CC boxes out of my 93 1/2 ton.

For some reason the 241 does not bolt to the 4L80 wierd. I have a friend that can make me one just need to get it mocked up.

 

[Larry]

Thanks Larry,

For some reason the 241 does not bolt to the 4L80 wierd. I have a friend that can make me one just need to get it mocked up.

Hmm, something weird then . Sounds like 4L80E is missing the transfercase adapter. The 4wd adapter for the 4L80E uses a SAE 6 bolt round flange and the 241 uses a SAE 6 bolt round flange. Both require 32 splines, which that is what your TH400 uses. The most common transfercase used behind a 4L80E for many years was a driver's side front output Np241. A passenger's drop 241 like what you already have behind the TH400 should be a direct bolt on....but then again, what do I know. I've never messed with a 4L80E personally

 

[1leg]

Hmm, something weird then . Sounds like 4L80E is missing the transfercase adapter. The 4wd adapter for the 4L80E uses a SAE 6 bolt round flange and the 241 uses a SAE 6 bolt round flange. Both require 32 splines, which that is what your TH400 uses. The most common transfercase used behind a 4L80E for many years was a driver's side front output Np241. A passenger's drop 241 like what you already have behind the TH400 should be a direct bolt on....but then again, what do I know. I've never messed with a 4L80E personally

It's what i have read on the internet, so it must be true , I really need to just get me 4L80 and check it out.