Sub Culture Convert

[TankerCadaver]

Hey all,

Previously I owned a 1983 K5 Diesel. It was a great rig but ended up falling short on some duties I needed it to do. My man-cubs are getting bigger and they needed rear shoulder belts for their booster seats. I "figgered" on getting a different fiberglass top w/ belts... no biggie. Then I realized it just wasn't going to have the storage/hauling capacity when the boys were in the rig with me. So, I decided to get rid of it.

I replaced it with a 1996 GMC K2500 Suburban Diesel w/ the 6.5L Turbo engine.

It's in pretty good shape, will haul a LOT of gear w/ the whole family onboard and I think it's going to be the ideal vehicle for me.

It will most likely be a support vehicle for my 1991 XJ Jeep Cherokee (don't taz' me bro') that has been modified to the point of almost needing to be trailered to the dirt. But, I do want to outfit the Sub' w/ a mild lift, tires, recovery gear, etc. so it can serve a greater role in that support position.

So, I've searched around the forums and on the internet. Seems that the 3/4 ton Suburban doesn't lift all that easy with the Diff' IFS set up. Minimum lift looks to be around 4" or 4.5". Does this seem right?

Also, it appears that WITHOUT a lift, my 3/4 ton Sub' would only support tires in the 31" to 32" range... correct?

Any suggestions on a winch bumper?

Thanks for any help you guys can provide. I'm looking forward to getting started on CK5 Forums again... this time as a Sub-Culture member!

 

[BlackBourbon]

I dunno much about the IFS rigs but I can say.......
on the burb! now post some pics!

 

[bftank]

torsion bars can be cranked for a 2" lift. you can get different torsion keys for a 2-3" lift. tire size depends on ho much you are will to cut. we got a 33 under a 3/4 ton with factory flares by opening the wheelwell and cranking the torsion key up a bit. tall and skinny works better like 33x10.small body lift is another possiblity. but in reality you know it needs a dana 60 under the front you just haven't admitted it yet

 

[dhcomp]

How many miles on that thing? I wanted one bad, but couldnt' find one wiht under 200k on it. WHat type of mileage you getting?

Will be a good rig. I say leave it stock, run 33's (285/75/16' sor 285 70/17's.

If you want to lift it, Rancho made a decent lift for that truck that was really a 4" and could get to 6" with the torsion bars cranked. Should be able to run 33/12.50's on that 4" no prob, or run 35's and crank it a little and clean up the fender lips. 33 vs. 35 will depend on if you want to regear. Hopefully you have 4.10's stock, do you know? 4.10's or 3.73's would be the difference. You can look at the glovebox sticker, for the GT number. GT4 will be 3.73's, GT5 or GT8 will be 410's.

Wiht 4.10's, 33's wont be an issue at all. I don't have a ton of diesel experience, but i would think you would need 4.56's to keep the diesel happy on teh freeway with 35's. So easy answer is plan on possibliy needing to regear for a lift and 35's, not needed for 33's.

EDIT. Ok, i lied. Rancho doesn't make a 3/4 ton one. I think the 6.5" Dick Cepek stage 2 was teh prefered for the 3/4 tons, but im not sure it is around anymore. HOpefully one of the IFS guys will chime in. You could also post in the IFS form.....ths is the burb form, but most of these guys are SFA guys.

 

[pauly383]

My DD and current tow rig is now a 99 Suburban with the Vortec 350 . The stock suspension carries a 265/75/16 ( roughly 32's ) or a 235/80/16 easily ( roughly 31's ) .

Now the 265's are on there now ( my 235s are E rated , I mothball those for long trips ) . And there is little space for a larger tire . Too wide and its going to hit the rear of the fender . Its even worse if you got the flared wheelwell plastic .

 

[dhcomp]

Wow, i totally spaced. I forgot about the 97 i owned for a couple months. 97 2500, stock. 285/75/16's BFG AT's (brand new) on 16x8 Alcoa or M/t wheels. Rubbed into parking lots. I bashed the rear corner of the front fender in with a sledge where it rubbed, and removed the front little plasticy bumper trim thing, and didn't have other problems on the street. Only put about 2k on that truck before i sold it, so no more results from off highway driving. This had the black flares on it.
Looked badass, bummed it didn't meet my needs at the time. Could always do this setup, run E range tires, and see how oyu like it.

Photos show before i removed the piece and worked it with teh sledge

 

[pauly383]

That looks pretty sharp .

 

[dhcomp]

Yah, too bad i drove it like a granny and got 11mpg (asjusted for tire size) on teh freeway.

Didnt' meet my needs, sold it, and couldn't be much happier wiht my 91.

 

[TankerCadaver]

torsion bars can be cranked for a 2" lift. you can get different torsion keys for a 2-3" lift. tire size depends on ho much you are will to cut. we got a 33 under a 3/4 ton with factory flares by opening the wheelwell and cranking the torsion key up a bit. tall and skinny works better like 33x10.small body lift is another possiblity. but in reality you know it needs a dana 60 under the front you just haven't admitted it yet

Right on! Trust me, I've been searching all the info I can find on solid axle swaps!

 

[TankerCadaver]

DHCOMP,

thanks for the great info and history AND photos!!!

I haven't had the Sub' long... just about a week. The previous owner claimed to get 20-22mpg, so I'm guessing he got 20. With the big fuel tank it may take me weeks to get my first reading

Some of that definitely depends on how it's driven and the condition of the motor, exhaust, intake, etc.

My rig has 210K miles on it and a mechanic who checked it out was very impressed with it despite the mileage. Very little if any leaks, etc. in the engine and the overall underbody, etc. is quite clean, dry and rust free. I think it originally came from Minnesota and I think I'm the 3rd owner.

Thank you all very much for the insight on the lift and tires, etc.

I'm leaning toward a tweak of the torsion bars and maybe a very small spacer/lift block in the rear just to get it leveled out, etc. I will probably go with BF Goodrich AT tires so it'll still tow decently and have some decent traction offroad.

 

[TankerCadaver]

Pauly383,

Thanks for your experience with the tire size, etc.

I really appreciate your input and everyone else's!!!

This will definitely help me make more informed decisions as I upgrade my Sub'!!!