Best year of Burb? Or things to watch out for...

[C20_Paul]

Hey all,

My wife and I are expecting our first child, so I am switching from my '67 C20 to something a little more family friendly. I'd really like something that can tow a boat/trailer and 4WD in the winter would be awesome. So the Suburban is an obvious choice, right?

I've read through some of the threads and done a little Googling. It sounds like in 1986-1987 Chevy switched the burbs from carbed to TBI. Are there any other major changes I should watch for when shopping for one?

The rig will be my DD when the weather is too nasty ride my motorcycle. I will likely not be taking it off-road and it will pull a boat/trailer probably 10% of it's life.

Any recommendations on the "best" year or common trouble spots to watch for when shopping for a burb would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[C20_Paul]

I should add that I am leaning towards the 1973-1991 body style and while I'm waaaay more comfortable working on gasoline engines I do find the 6.2L interesting.

[z3pr68138]

How many kids to you have ?? K5 Blazer get a little better MPG then a burb, but can be a chore loading kids. I'd honestly look for a 89 to 91. Fuel injection, and I like the side by side headlights.

[C20_Paul]

Good call on the side by side lights. I think they clean the front end up a lot!

This kid will be our first and we'll likely have one more. But we also have 4 dogs (mostly dachshunds) and I need a rig where I can contain the weiner-army from marching all over the kid. At least until he's old enough to defend himself.

Do the Blazers tow as well as the suburbans? Granted the biggest thing I'll tow is a 20' boat or a small camping trailer.

[Cheesewagon]

Hi,
I've had several burbs. They are great for the family. My first one was a '72, and I now own a '91. I really do like the looks of the '91 the best. I also had about 6 station wagons in between the two. By far your money ahead with the burb. My milege isn't to bad , about 12 to 14 in town. And a steady 18 on the highway. And with the tbi and overdrive you can't beat them. Good luck on your search.

Tom

[Jonboy]

As much as I love Blazers, I would look for an 89-91 Suburban. There were quite a few improvements on those, and the interior is nicer, too. A Sub will tow a lot better thanks to the longer wheelbase, and the fuel mileage isn't a lot different. Also, you don't have to fight putting a kid in the rear door as opposed to a Blazer.

[C20_Paul]

Cool. Thanks for advice guys - I really appreciate it!!

Is there a noticeable difference in the ride between a 3/4 ton to a 1/2 ton?

[JEM]

Originally Posted by C20_Paul

Cool. Thanks for advice guys - I really appreciate it!!

Is there a noticeable difference in the ride between a 3/4 ton to a 1/2 ton?

Yes.

As for the choice of year - from an aesthetic perspective I think the earliest round-light ones are the prettiest, and the 7in round headlight is the easiest one from which to get a decent H4 headlight setup.

The little quad rectangulars in the '89-91 setup are awful, and while it's possible to put decent lights in the thing it's not all that easy. This is what I've got:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...7&postcount=26

and it works quite well.

You can also put a decent H4/H1 light setup in the models that use the stacked 4x6 rectangulars, but I find that design horribly ugly. The 'cheap' '89-91 models with the single 200mm rectangulars are perhaps the most attractive of the later models IMO.

The later ones have nicer stuff in them, the seats are better, you get the four-speed automatic, etc.

TBI is better than a carb for a stock engine but a limitation if you want to build big HP. My '91 2500 L19 454 was a pretty pathetic thing in stock form, it's now got late Vortec heads, Thorley headers, a cam, and a bored-and-sleeved 900CFM TBI that may or not be available any longer (you'd have to poke around the 454ss.com forum for details.) I don't have dyno numbers, it's a whole lot better than stock but you need some quality time with a laptop, a wideband O2 sensor, and $500 in Moates stuff to make it all work.