Suburban 82 Diesel

[clecio]

I am looking for a truck for a long trip to south america. The plan is drive the car from here all the way down there, expect through the Darien gap.
Anyways, I kind of stuck with the Blazer/Suburban, it is easy to get, parts cheap and easy to work and fix. However, I found recently a good deal in a Suburban 4x4 diesel which I wasn't looking for. It is in a very good shape and it is Diesel. So what you guys think about it, any drawbacks? Something special I should check on this truck before make a deal?

By the way, it is a 6.2l, TH400, NP 208, 4.10

Thanks for the help

[greguw]

Is this a one way trip for the truck ? These rigs have a high rate of theft in the 3rd world countries since they are easily stolen .
You would be better off with a Toyota since the parts would be more common . If you go with the suburban take a big supply of fuel filters and extra fuel cans .

[clecio]

It is a one way trip. Im from there, Im planning to live the car there.
I found Toyota harder to find and more expensive

[rcbildr]

Originally Posted by clecio

I am looking for a truck for a long trip to south america. The plan is drive the car from here all the way down there, expect through the Darien gap.
Anyways, I kind of stuck with the Blazer/Suburban, it is easy to get, parts cheap and easy to work and fix. However, I found recently a good deal in a Suburban 4x4 diesel which I wasn't looking for. It is in a very good shape and it is Diesel. So what you guys think about it, any drawbacks? Something special I should check on this truck before make a deal?

By the way, it is a 6.2l, TH400, NP 208, 4.10

Thanks for the help

That's pretty much the same drivetrain as my 85...I love it. I had a couple hiccups recycling parts when I built it...ie not rebuilding them before I installed them on my rig. I was backing a car trailer up a slight hill and burned out the reverse band in my TH-400...found out afterwards that if I put the t-case in to 4-Lo that might not have happened so soon.

What's the mileage, does the glow plug system work (it's easy to bypass on that year if it isn't), when were the fuel filters changed. If it has the auto-locking hubs, IMO I would change them out for manual hubs....they are a little more reliable. 'Bout the only real drawback is the price of diesel, but that rig should get around 18-19 so IMO it's not that bad of a drawback.

[clecio]

Well, it has 92000miles and it doesn't have manual hubs.
This is not a very low drivetrain? What do you think should be the cruise speed. The lack of Overdrive doesn't bother you? I saw you converted you Suburban to TH400, is it was TH700 before?
What do you think I should check buying this truck
Sorry, for so many questions. Thanks

[rcbildr]

When I got it, it had the 700R4 and I converted it to an SM-465 manual (The 700 quit shifting in to overdrive). That was one sweet set up. I could go anywhere and pull just about anything. After a few trips thru a mud pond the clutch quit working right so I converted it to a TH-400 mainly so my girlfriend could drive it. I currently have 35" tires on it right now so cruising at 65 is about as fast as I want that 6000 pound beast to go...could probably go up to 70 but I don't push it...I would rather be a little slow. If I had stock size tires on my burb I would be wanting overdrive. I think if you can squeeze a set of 32" tires on the burb, your cruising rpm will not be too bad...maybe someone else can help with that.

92,000 miles isn't that much for a diesel if it was well cared for. The auto hubs can be very unreliable..I think they locked up on me on the highway and by the time I got home the t-case chain decided launch itself thru the case. I put in a set of Warn Premium Hubs and have haven't had any problems.

I'm having a hard time thinking of things to check right now...didn't sleep well last night and my brain just dumped....Hopefully someone else can help out with this. My burb sat in a field for 3 years with a cracked block before I got it. It was the only diesel burb I had seen at the time so I wasn't too picky.

A few checks that did come to mind (somebody correct me if I'm wrong) was look at the tires for uneven wear. IF it feel loose on the test drive, that could be the ball joints. (I think you have to) Put the trans in neutral (block a tire or two) and crawl under it and try to twist the halves of the front d-shaft opposite directions...that's checking the tighteness of the splines in the d-shaft. Then try to rotate the rear d-shaft at the u-joint at the rear end. Most likely the burb will have A/C, listen to see if the heater controls work. That will tell you if the vacuum pump is good or not. IF the vacuum pump is not working it will affect the transmission shifting. IIRC the tranny will shift like it has a shift kit installed. I had an 82 2wd deisel burb that acted that way.

How soon will you be making the trip after buying the burb...if you buy it.

[clecio]

Thanks a lot.

so you had a TH700 and swapped to a TH400? I was thinking about doing the opposite!!! Converting a TH400 to a TH700 to have the O/D. Just curious, why didn't you rebuild your TH700 at the first place?

[rcbildr]

Mainly because the Burb is my tow rig and the 700r4 really isn't meant for towing. Eventually I hope to get a gear vendor overdrive or I will put in a 4L80E. But that won't happen any time soon. I just rebuilt the th-400, and I have a few other projects to do first.
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[clecio]

Ok, so what do you think will be the best option: TH400 with GV O/D, Rebuilt TH700, NV4500 (manual) or 4L80E. Which one will be easier and more reliable? Iam not worry about towing, but I need a very reliable drivetrain for a long trip.
Thanks again

[rcbildr]

If the TH-400 checks out good, I would leave it and try to make the rig more capable for off road. I don't know what the roads you will be driving on are going to be like, but if they are kinda nasty I would put a 4" lift and bigger tires on it and then see if you need the overdrive. With either 33" or 35" tires, I think they would compensate for not having OD. I've got 35" tires on mine and I am not in a big hurry to put OD in my beast. The 4L80E and the NV-4500 are also good options, but they are quite spendy.

[clecio]

The roads actually are not that bad. If I go through the Amazon that will be different. I would say 99% will be on good highways, I will not need even the 4x4 for that trip, it is just a nice feature I would like to have.
As far as tires, I am thinking about not bigger than 33". So, do you think I could get a constant cruise speed of 60mph with 33" tires?
By the way, I forgot to answer your previous question, I am planning to leave on August or September of next year.

Thanks a lot

[rcbildr]

Yeah, I think you will be able to cruise at 60 with 33's. I had that size on my burb for a couple years and I could 60-65 easily. I would probably put an external trans cooler on (have it hooked up to your existing cooler in the radiator) and have your TH-400 checked out and call it good if they check out ok.

[clecio]

Hi,

I checked two diesel suburbans this weekend. A 1982 3/4 and a 1983 1/2 ton. The 1983 is in a really good shape, it is just like new, no rust, perfect original paint, low miles, etc. The drawback is the interior... It is perfect but is RED!!!
The 1983 has overdrive but it has very small original wheels and tires (235x75 R15), so I guess the diff gear ratio is very low. I would like to put 33" tires, so should I change the gear ratio? Any problem running with big tires?

[rcbildr]

Check the SPID on the glove box door, it should tell you what ratio you have. So far all the diesel rigs I've seen have had either 4.10 or 3.73. My 83 1/2 ton short bed has 3.73 and all the Burbs I've come across had 4.10, but they were 3/4 ton. I ran 32" tires on my short bed with no problems and am running 35" tires on my 85 burb...so far no problems.

[csa daddy]

My 87 sub had 3:42 gears an my fathers 89 had 3:42 the 91 I'm building has 4:56 front an back with 35 Sx,s swampers on it with a 6.2 diesel an 700r4
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[Edahall]

For reliability, go with an NV4500 5 speed manual. It'll also probably sell for more money in S. America with a manual.

Install a good auxiliary fuel filter like a Racor.

Ditch the problematic glow plug controller and replace with push button and AC 60G glow plugs.

Replace harmonic balancer. Bad harmonic balancers can crack the block.

Tighten bolts around steering box so frame doesn't break. If it's already broke, buy an aftermarket plate to strengthen it. My 82 Suburban steering box ripped right out of the frame and you don't want that happening.

Rivet all trim pieces and emblems because if not, someone will steal them. People down there tend to be very brand conscious and having missing emblems will reduce the value of your truck.