- Joined
- Mar 10, 2005
- Location
- Hooterville (24171)
Got this hulk from arsonfinder (Thanks again Dave!) back in April as a super low budget ("I want pay a lot for this truck!") towrig & general hauler, so figured it was time to do a write-up. Came from a surveyor in Cary and never had a hitch, so it didn't haul anything more than a few fat @$$es and 1500# of tools. Everything drove out well, so I thunked down the cash and drove it home.
Have been DD'ing it for the past month since my son fooled the state into issuing him a DL & laying claim to the Camry
1999 Suburban 2500 (4x2) w/ 180K
After a few days, it was evident there was an issue with the tank (slight dribbling of fuel). Dropped the tank, hauled it King Radiator for a patch. While it was out, I surmised siphoning 40+ gallons of fuel on the roadside would not be an option... ever, and added a trapdoor in the floor to allow quick(er) fuel pump removal/access.
The tires were getting down towards the wear-bars, but had enough for an inspection. Ended up buying a couple new tires (came w/ 2 bad tires, all mounted on Dodge rims) from 84cj7, he even threw in a fairly nice Drawtite electronic brake controller for a few more bucks (Thanks bro!). Rims work for now, but looking for a hubcentric rims to get rid of the vibes...
It sat in the drive for a few days and LARGE puddle developed in the rear... WTF? Found the rear hatch weatherstrip was MIA, so picked up replacement from a local scrapper. He made me a deal on the Cruise Control module & turn signal stalk (w/ CC functions), so I snatched it up. Took 2mins for the weatherstrip, 2.5hrs for the turn stalk, and 10mins for the actual cruise module (ALL the CC wiring was in there, just capped).
Next was to prove it wouldn't have any issues towing (not that the 7.3L NA or the craptastic tranny in the previous towrigs were any indication), so I started looking for parts. Got Class V hitch & rear Bilsteins (rear were WSO!) from wwildmans Sub [RIP]. (Thanks Wildman)
The 7-pin RV receptacle (w/ 4/5-pin"u-Haul plud" & wiring kit (weatherpac T-connector = NO scotch-locs/crimps cause they bring the SUCK!) were purchased from TSC and the self-resetting circuit breakers from yO'Riellys. ALL wiring was tinned or soldered...
Now that we had all the players in place, the only thing left was a couple test pulls. The first was my empty trailer, and a long drive out to a buds farm to pickup a few items. No problems were encountered, so it was time for a load... unfortunately, the fuel tank in the Moss sprang a leak (courtesy of Golden Mountain
) and was DL'd. Decided the wife's mimi-van was the same weight *AND* likely worse aerodynamically than the Jeep (I know, I know! It's a stretch that *anything* could be worse, so see for yourselves)
About 50 miles total (75/25 highway/country), ambient was 85*, no adverse cooling issues (engine or tranny) or anything out of the ordinary! Despite knowing the 5.7L wasn't exactly a towing "powerhouse", I was very pleased with it's ability to maintain the set speed (Cruise Control) on the hills (Bethania to Mt.Airy on US52) and acceleration was very acceptable IMO (I may not be first/fastest, but I'll get there
).
The last thing I've done was installed a new airdam courtesy of Snappy (Thanks Bro!
). I've been told it really helps cooling when loaded, but have just as many say it doesn't matter... I think it just *looks* better, period! Had to enlarge the holes and source some J-nuts from Automotive Fasteners in W-S, but it went on nicely. Tater donated a set of OEM towhooks for the holes... they're sitting in the basement awaiting a coat of paint before installation.
That pretty much sums it up at this point. Future wants include:
Have been DD'ing it for the past month since my son fooled the state into issuing him a DL & laying claim to the Camry
1999 Suburban 2500 (4x2) w/ 180K
- 3500 Vortec
- 4L80E
- SF "14bolt" w/ 3.73 & GovBomb
- Hydroboost + Anti-Lock = will sling you through the windshield!
- Power door locks... everything else is manual & vinyl
- NO A/C (RPO shows "AC delete by customer request")
After a few days, it was evident there was an issue with the tank (slight dribbling of fuel). Dropped the tank, hauled it King Radiator for a patch. While it was out, I surmised siphoning 40+ gallons of fuel on the roadside would not be an option... ever, and added a trapdoor in the floor to allow quick(er) fuel pump removal/access.
The tires were getting down towards the wear-bars, but had enough for an inspection. Ended up buying a couple new tires (came w/ 2 bad tires, all mounted on Dodge rims) from 84cj7, he even threw in a fairly nice Drawtite electronic brake controller for a few more bucks (Thanks bro!). Rims work for now, but looking for a hubcentric rims to get rid of the vibes...
It sat in the drive for a few days and LARGE puddle developed in the rear... WTF? Found the rear hatch weatherstrip was MIA, so picked up replacement from a local scrapper. He made me a deal on the Cruise Control module & turn signal stalk (w/ CC functions), so I snatched it up. Took 2mins for the weatherstrip, 2.5hrs for the turn stalk, and 10mins for the actual cruise module (ALL the CC wiring was in there, just capped).
Next was to prove it wouldn't have any issues towing (not that the 7.3L NA or the craptastic tranny in the previous towrigs were any indication), so I started looking for parts. Got Class V hitch & rear Bilsteins (rear were WSO!) from wwildmans Sub [RIP]. (Thanks Wildman)
The 7-pin RV receptacle (w/ 4/5-pin"u-Haul plud" & wiring kit (weatherpac T-connector = NO scotch-locs/crimps cause they bring the SUCK!) were purchased from TSC and the self-resetting circuit breakers from yO'Riellys. ALL wiring was tinned or soldered...
Now that we had all the players in place, the only thing left was a couple test pulls. The first was my empty trailer, and a long drive out to a buds farm to pickup a few items. No problems were encountered, so it was time for a load... unfortunately, the fuel tank in the Moss sprang a leak (courtesy of Golden Mountain
) and was DL'd. Decided the wife's mimi-van was the same weight *AND* likely worse aerodynamically than the Jeep (I know, I know! It's a stretch that *anything* could be worse, so see for yourselves)
About 50 miles total (75/25 highway/country), ambient was 85*, no adverse cooling issues (engine or tranny) or anything out of the ordinary! Despite knowing the 5.7L wasn't exactly a towing "powerhouse", I was very pleased with it's ability to maintain the set speed (Cruise Control) on the hills (Bethania to Mt.Airy on US52) and acceleration was very acceptable IMO (I may not be first/fastest, but I'll get there
).The last thing I've done was installed a new airdam courtesy of Snappy (Thanks Bro!
). I've been told it really helps cooling when loaded, but have just as many say it doesn't matter... I think it just *looks* better, period! Had to enlarge the holes and source some J-nuts from Automotive Fasteners in W-S, but it went on nicely. Tater donated a set of OEM towhooks for the holes... they're sitting in the basement awaiting a coat of paint before installation.
That pretty much sums it up at this point. Future wants include:
- Additional Lighting - have a set of 9003 housings & some LED backups
- Some OEM Buckets - the vinyl bench is fubar & covered with at least 2 rolls of ducktape!
- Headliner recover (the usual deteriorating foam BS)
- Some limo tint on the rear glass - can't have the pervs peeking in while I snooze!
- Slight upgrade of tuneage - OEM CD from fleabay?
- And if the stars align... I *might* attempt to source & swap in A/C (but it ain't looking good)
