Just picked up a 2500 Suburban 8.1L

[RedRocketZ28]

Last fall I sold my 2003 1500HD with 57k miles on it because I wanted something that towed our 26' boat better.  I had planned on getting something a little newer this go around but really fell in love with the 2500 Suburban/Yukon XL.  I know I didn't want the 6.0L again because it was gutless in my truck and didn't like how it towed our boat.  I set out to find a 2500 with the 8.1L in it.  I missed out on an 02 Suburban in Texas that had 74k miles on it for $8900 from a dealership.  It would have been a long drive home to Iowa but the thing was in perfect shape.  A few days later I came across one located in Indiana that was a two owner, in very nice shape, and was advertised with no rust.  It had 105k miles on it and the guy was asking $12,500.  I called him up and asked some questions about it and put a small deposit down.  I rented a car and drove out there with a buddy to take a look at it.  The interior is in almost perfect shape, the paint has a few scratches here and there and the undercarriage has a ton of factory undercoating on it but some of the parts underneath have some rust on them.  What I was concerned with was the rockers and cab corners and they are completely rust free.  I took it for a drive and it ran very well and everything worked as it should.  I ended up giving $12,000 for it which isn't a great deal by any means but from looking around all over the country it seems like it is right in line with other prices I am seeing.

 

It does have a few things I need to take care.  The rear bumper has some rust on it.  It has a small exhaust leak I didn't hear until I started it up one morning after it had been sitting all night.  It goes away once warmed up though.  The drivers seat has a very small hole in it that I will probably get fixed sooner than later so it doesn't get worse.  I have already ordered new black bumpers for the front and rear, a black grille, and new  headlights/marker lights.  Outside of those few issues it's a very nice SUV.  It came with brand new 10 ply tires and remote start.

 

It made the trip home to Iowa from Indiana running 75-80 and averaged just over 11 MPG.  My 1500HD got almost identical MPG.  I plan on tuning the Suburban myself like I did my truck to try and maximize MPG and get a little more power out of it.  The Suburban also has 4.10's in it while my truck had 3.73's.  This 8.1L has a ton more torque that I can certainly feel as well.

 

This is not my DD as I have a little Saturn SL2 that I drive back and forth to work when I go to the office three days a week.  The Suburban will be a dedicated tow/vacation rig and used whenever else I need it.  Like I mentioned, we have a 26' boat we tow and I also have a 2001 Camaro I tow on an open trailer to different events.  I'm excited to make some changes to the Suburban and make it "mine".  New wheels and tires will come eventually.

 

What are your thoughts on these and the price I gave for it?  Any other comments or suggestions?  Thanks!

 

 

[Brandon5778]

Nice truck. The 8.1L is a gas towing machine. On the exhaust leak, take a look at your exhaust manifold and look closely at all the bolts, I'll bet you that one or more is broken. You mentioned a little rust underneath, how are the brake lines? Fuel lines?

[newdude]

That's one sharp thirsty tank.

 

If the brake/fuel lines are good, coat them with Fluid Film or Boeshield.  Brake and fuel lines are way too common on the GMT-800 chassis.  Check the top of the tank if possible for the condition of the sending unit as the tops of those rot out too. 

 

Any info on that sweet C/K next to it?

[RedRocketZ28]

30 minutes ago, Brandon5778 said:

Nice truck. The 8.1L is a gas towing machine. On the exhaust leak, take a look at your exhaust manifold and look closely at all the bolts, I'll bet you that one or more is broken. You mentioned a little rust underneath, how are the brake lines? Fuel lines?

I did take a look and couldn't see any broken bolts.  The 5.3L in my Buick Rainier had broken bolt and it ticked when cold as well.  I used one of the "fix-it" pieces that bolts to the head and it worked well.  I am going to take a better look at the Suburban when I have some time.

 

Brake and fuel lines all look good.  I know those can be a huge issue on these.  I don't plan on driving this thing much in the winter so hopefully I keep the rust at bay.  I am going to hit the few rust areas on the frame and other places with a wire wheel and put a fresh coat of paint on them.  I plan on keeping it clean and staying on top of any rust that comes back through.

4 minutes ago, newdude said:

That's one sharp thirsty tank.

 

If the brake/fuel lines are good, coat them with Fluid Film or Boeshield.  Brake and fuel lines are way too common on the GMT-800 chassis.  Check the top of the tank if possible for the condition of the sending unit as the tops of those rot out too. 

 

Any info on that sweet C/K next to it?

So far they look good.  I will make sure to stay on top of coating them.  Like I mentioned above, it won't get driven in the winter unless I absolutely need to go somewhere.  My wife has an AWD SUV that does decent in the snow as well.

 

It's actually my buddies truck.  It's a 78 that he's owned forever and just recently had redone.  We plan on swapping a 5.3/6.0 into this winter.  I told him he could store it in my garage for the winter or at least until I get the engine and transmission back for my Camaro.  Need to get it ready to race by April at the very latest.

[Colossus]

whats wrong with the wheels on there right now?  I think they look great on the burb. 

[Brandon5778]

I think the price is right for the amount of miles, being a 2500, and somehow not rusted out in the salt belt. 

10 hours ago, RedRocketZ28 said:

It's actually my buddies truck.  It's a 78 that he's owned forever and just recently had redone.  We plan on swapping a 5.3/6.0 into this winter.  I told him he could store it in my garage for the winter or at least until I get the engine and transmission back for my Camaro.  Need to get it ready to race by April at the very latest.

Oh, you have to give us more than that. Pics of the old truck?

[bgbdwlf2500]

17 hours ago, RedRocketZ28 said:

Last fall I sold my 2003 1500HD with 57k miles on it because I wanted something that towed our 26' boat better.  I had planned on getting something a little newer this go around but really fell in love with the 2500 Suburban/Yukon XL.  I know I didn't want the 6.0L again because it was gutless in my truck and didn't like how it towed our boat.  I set out to find a 2500 with the 8.1L in it.  I missed out on an 02 Suburban in Texas that had 74k miles on it for $8900 from a dealership.  It would have been a long drive home to Iowa but the thing was in perfect shape.  A few days later I came across one located in Indiana that was a two owner, in very nice shape, and was advertised with no rust.  It had 105k miles on it and the guy was asking $12,500.  I called him up and asked some questions about it and put a small deposit down.  I rented a car and drove out there with a buddy to take a look at it.  The interior is in almost perfect shape, the paint has a few scratches here and there and the undercarriage has a ton of factory undercoating on it but some of the parts underneath have some rust on them.  What I was concerned with was the rockers and cab corners and they are completely rust free.  I took it for a drive and it ran very well and everything worked as it should.  I ended up giving $12,000 for it which isn't a great deal by any means but from looking around all over the country it seems like it is right in line with other prices I am seeing.

 

It does have a few things I need to take care.  The rear bumper has some rust on it.  It has a small exhaust leak I didn't hear until I started it up one morning after it had been sitting all night.  It goes away once warmed up though.  The drivers seat has a very small hole in it that I will probably get fixed sooner than later so it doesn't get worse.  I have already ordered new black bumpers for the front and rear, a black grille, and new  headlights/marker lights.  Outside of those few issues it's a very nice SUV.  It came with brand new 10 ply tires and remote start.

 

It made the trip home to Iowa from Indiana running 75-80 and averaged just over 11 MPG.  My 1500HD got almost identical MPG.  I plan on tuning the Suburban myself like I did my truck to try and maximize MPG and get a little more power out of it.  The Suburban also has 4.10's in it while my truck had 3.73's.  This 8.1L has a ton more torque that I can certainly feel as well.

 

This is not my DD as I have a little Saturn SL2 that I drive back and forth to work when I go to the office three days a week.  The Suburban will be a dedicated tow/vacation rig and used whenever else I need it.  Like I mentioned, we have a 26' boat we tow and I also have a 2001 Camaro I tow on an open trailer to different events.  I'm excited to make some changes to the Suburban and make it "mine".  New wheels and tires will come eventually.

 

What are your thoughts on these and the price I gave for it?  Any other comments or suggestions?  Thanks!

 

 

The wheels were one of my favorite things when I had my 02 Silverado with the Duramax so I wouldn't change them. The 8.1 is certainly making more power but the 4.10s is where the torque is compared to 3.73s. It will be a great vehicle to pull with for sure with the 4.10 and 8.1. It does look like its in good shape, only thing I would do right off the top of my head is have a body shop color match the fender flares with paint and clear coat. I know they're black already but painted to the body color and clear coated makes a ton of difference. Does it have the Allison in it?

[RedRocketZ28]

9 hours ago, Colossus said:

whats wrong with the wheels on there right now?  I think they look great on the burb. 

Nothing is wrong with them at all.  They are actually in really good shape.  If anything, it needs some 265's or 285's.  These 245's are too small and make it look like it skipped leg day.

5 hours ago, Brandon5778 said:

I think the price is right for the amount of miles, being a 2500, and somehow not rusted out in the salt belt. 

Oh, you have to give us more than that. Pics of the old truck?

Yeah, I was surprised that there isn't any rust on the rockers or cab corners.  I even expected some to be starting on the bottoms of the doors but there isn't anything.

 

I don't have any old pictures of the truck unfortunately.  All I can tell you is that it was white, rusty, and looked like an old farm truck.

18 minutes ago, bgbdwlf2500 said:

The wheels were one of my favorite things when I had my 02 Silverado with the Duramax so I wouldn't change them. The 8.1 is certainly making more power but the 4.10s is where the torque is compared to 3.73s. It will be a great vehicle to pull with for sure with the 4.10 and 8.1. It does look like its in good shape, only thing I would do right off the top of my head is have a body shop color match the fender flares with paint and clear coat. I know they're black already but painted to the body color and clear coated makes a ton of difference. Does it have the Allison in it?

You're right.  These wheels are hard to come by and do look good but it definitely will be getting some bigger tires at some point.  I won't go crazy with it or anything but would like to step up to 265's or 285's.

 

I agree that the 4.10's help quite a bit.  I have driven a 2500HD with a 6.0 and 4.10's though.  It was a turd compared to the 8.1 and 4.10's.

 

I have a buddy that works at a body shop.  I will get a quote from him on the flares.  The bumpers I ordered come powder coated black and they are more of a flat black.  I thought about just having them cleared the way they are but will wait to see what they look like.

 

These came with the 4L80E.  The Allison would be nice but my experience with the 4L80E has been great in the past and they are cheap to have rebuilt if needed.

[bgbdwlf2500]

1 minute ago, RedRocketZ28 said:

Nothing is wrong with them at all.  They are actually in really good shape.  If anything, it needs some 265's or 285's.  These 245's are too small and make it look like it skipped leg day.

Yeah, I was surprised that there isn't any rust on the rockers or cab corners.  I even expected some to be starting on the bottoms of the doors but there isn't anything.

 

I don't have any old pictures of the truck unfortunately.  All I can tell you is that it was white, rusty, and looked like an old farm truck.

You're right.  These wheels are hard to come by and do look good but it definitely will be getting some bigger tires at some point.  I won't go crazy with it or anything but would like to step up to 265's or 285's.

 

I agree that the 4.10's help quite a bit.  I have driven a 2500HD with a 6.0 and 4.10's though.  It was a turd compared to the 8.1 and 4.10's.

 

I have a buddy that works at a body shop.  I will get a quote from him on the flares.  The bumpers I ordered come powder coated black and they are more of a flat black.  I thought about just having them cleared the way they are but will wait to see what they look like.

 

These came with the 4L80E.  The Allison would be nice but my experience with the 4L80E has been great in the past and they are cheap to have rebuilt if needed.

Change tires all you want, the rims I think are great looking. lol The flares like yours and painted flares is the difference between the plastic sided avalanche and the painted one, night and day difference in my eyes, I think the plastic sided one is UGLY. I loved my 02 with the Dmax and Allison, maintenance on the Allison was a breeze with the drain plug in the pan and then the spin on filter. Post some pics when you get the bumpers on

[RedRocketZ28]

20 minutes ago, bgbdwlf2500 said:

Change tires all you want, the rims I think are great looking. lol The flares like yours and painted flares is the difference between the plastic sided avalanche and the painted one, night and day difference in my eyes, I think the plastic sided one is UGLY. I loved my 02 with the Dmax and Allison, maintenance on the Allison was a breeze with the drain plug in the pan and then the spin on filter. Post some pics when you get the bumpers on

The wheels will more than likely stay, lol. 

I thought about removing the flares but am afraid of them already rubbing into the paint and possibly finding issues underneath.

 

The bumpers, grille, and lights will be here next weekend.  Not 100% I will keep the lights but I will see how they look.  They are black housings with clear lenses.  I may end up just getting new marker lights as the ones on it now are showing their age.  The headlights still look and work good.

 

I also plan on getting a muffler installed.  I bought a Jones 3" two in, one out, muffler for my 1500HD I never got installed.  It's got a decent exhaust note now but want a little more.  Hopefully it isn't too loud for the family.

[bgbdwlf2500]

4 hours ago, RedRocketZ28 said:

The wheels will more than likely stay, lol. 

I thought about removing the flares but am afraid of them already rubbing into the paint and possibly finding issues underneath.

 

The bumpers, grille, and lights will be here next weekend.  Not 100% I will keep the lights but I will see how they look.  They are black housings with clear lenses.  I may end up just getting new marker lights as the ones on it now are showing their age.  The headlights still look and work good.

 

I also plan on getting a muffler installed.  I bought a Jones 3" two in, one out, muffler for my 1500HD I never got installed.  It's got a decent exhaust note now but want a little more.  Hopefully it isn't too loud for the family.

I pulled the flares off 3 to 4 years later and the paint on the truck was fine. I know yours is older but I think it will be fine. theyre only held on by clips underneath the fender well