Which would you buy, '72 Burb gurus step inside

[NJTy180]

This is my first post here, so be gentle

I'm looking for a tow vehicle and just a general purpose truck for driving around and taking on an occasional road trip.

Ive been trying to decide between a 71-72 Burb, a 84-87 crew cab dually or a mid-90s crew cab dually.

I found two '72 Burbs relatively close to me (within 3 hours), here are the descriptions...

Burb #1

• 3/4-Ton
• 2WD
• 350 small block (blown, and I don't mean supercharged)
• TH350 trans
• typical rust on rear quarters
• aftermarket sunroof installed (ugh)
• has been sitting since 2001
• asking price $1000

Burb #2

• ?/?-Ton
• 2WD
• 400 big block (has been rebuilt)
• since its a big block, im assuming TH400
• description says it needs bodywork
• factory marker lights on roof
• new dual exhaust, A/C and Tilt Wheel
• asking price $2250

Based on those stats alone, what would be the better bet, or is it too hard to tell without pictures of the rust.

Burb #1 I emailed about, they answered all my questions and gave me a number to call for more info.

Burb #2 only had a number listed with it, so I don't know the extent of the body work, but it says it runs and drives.

The engine on Burb #1 really doesn't scare me, I have a 4 bolt main 355 in my 1970 El Camino I can "borrow" and/or I have a complete LS1/4L60E sitting in my shop as well.

Doing the body work doesn't scare me either, its just the cost of all the replacement panels that will come back to bite me in the butt.

Ive read about some of the spots to look for rust (4th door area & the area where the steel meets the wood floor), any other info will be appreciated on this as well.

Do you think a Burb of this vintage would be up for some hauling tasks right off the bat? I own a 70 El Camino like mentioned earlier, 93 GMC Typhoon and a 98 BMW 540i that im doing a twin turbo LS2/T56 swap into.

[Skirkpat]

The 90's Dually will be the best, most comfortable tow rig, followed by the 80's, last will be the 72 Burbans ..... The coolness factor is the exact opposite, and anyone swappig LS engines into Bimmers should go with something COOL... Make it nice before you tow though, and please use a trailer with brakes if you plan on towing through MO.

[NJTy180]

Originally Posted by Skirkpat

The 90's Dually will be the best, most comfortable tow rig, followed by the 80's, last will be the 72 Burbans ..... The coolness factor is the exact opposite, and anyone swappig LS engines into Bimmers should go with something COOL... Make it nice before you tow though, and please use a trailer with brakes if you plan on towing through MO.

fair enough, I appreciate the honest answer.

my dad had a 72 Suburban when i was a little kid so Ive kinda always wanted one, regardless of practicality, but I guess Ill see what I can find out there for Duallys.

the trailer does indeed have electric brakes and Im pretty familiar with MO roads. Ive been to KC (Overland Park to be exact) just about every summer except for last year, but this year the event got moved to Bowling Green, KY so I wont have to venture that far this season.

[boostat4500]

I 2nd what Skirkpat said. I have a 71' burb and a 96' ex. cab. I'd much rather take the 96' on a road trip. By the time the burb is half as nice and comfortable as the newer truck you will have spent 3 or 4 times the money on it. Believe me, I'm there.

[BADSAM]

First let me say, I have never towed with my 69 or 72. However, I have towed with pickups vs suburbans and I much prefer towing with a suburban. It might just be me, but it feels much better to me. I have 20 foot trailer with electric brakes and I have towed both (69 and 72) subs on it. ... just my humble opinion.

[Skirkpat]

Originally Posted by BADSAM

First let me say, I have never towed with my 69 or 72. However, I have towed with pickups vs suburbans and I much prefer towing with a suburban. It might just be me, but it feels much better to me. I have 20 foot trailer with electric brakes and I have towed both (69 and 72) subs on it. ... just my humble opinion.

Duallys makes all the difference in the world when pulling and Sub's look kinda ssilly with 6 wheels , I always pull with a pickup, used to be F-350 Diesels, now it is a single rear 2500 HD with a Vortec 8.1 Liter and Allison Trans., As long as you load right and HAVE TRAILER BRAKES the tow rig is not that important, Trucks are better in my opinion because of a lower center of gravity and generally heavier suspension. When I make a sudden turn in one I am glad I'm missing all that weight up high. Remember JMO

[NJTy180]

Wow, this thread blew up nicely as I was out at dinner

Thanks for all the good replies.

Just a little more background on myself, I wouldn't call myself a serious trucker or anything, I work for a construction company (as a mechanic) and Ive hauled everything from little Bob Cats to 12,000lb Excavators on tri-axle trailers, in total I think we have 5 trailers that I maintain, as well as the following trucks used for towing all of our equipment.

91 GMC 4x4 Dually Ext Cab 6.2L Diesel / Auto (complete turd, but got the job done in a pinch)

95 Dodge 2WD Utility Dually, 5.9L Cummins / Auto

97 Dodge 4WD Ext Cab Dually Pickup, 5.9L Cummins / Auto

98 Dodge 4WD Ext Cab Utility Dually, 5.9L Cummins / 5-Speed Manual

98 Dodge 4WD 1500 Reg Cab Pickup, 5.9L Gas / Auto

91 Chevy G30 2WD Van, 5.7L / Auto

90 Ford F350 Ext Cab Dually, 7.3L Diesel / Auto (crapped out with bad head gaskets)

... and I also towed my friends 87 Grand National to Kansas City with his 93 Chevy Tahoe with POLICE PACKAGE!... now THAT sucked for towing, lol.

1-Ton Duallys are definitely the way to go in terms of hauling heavy stuff, I fully agree with that, but my Typhoon weighs 3,864lbs and thats the heaviest thing I would be hauling, plus the trailer and your typical cargo that would be in the tow vehicle itself.

My friend tows his Typhoon with a 3/4 Ton 8.1L Vortec 4x4 Burb and says its great, but I haven't driven it myself.

I used to own a fabrication business before I started working for my friend, so I have all my equipment with Im not afraid of using, lol. Plasma cutter, 3 welders, milling machine, 2 lathes, sand blasters and a 9000lb 2-post lift make things pretty easy to take apart and repair.

Despite all of that, Im still hurting in the pocket like most of America is at the moment. I could buy a dually but I dont wanna leave myself short in this time of uncertainty and I really dont want to be making payments either. My thinking behind the Burb is this... If I can get some under 2K, put a little time and money into it, I can either sell it in better shape and possibly make some money on it if I'm feeling more trustworthy financially to buy something newer OR I can ultimately do what I would like is pick up a newer wrecked Suburban with an 8.1L in it, swap pretty much everything including the newer chassis and upgrade that to 1-ton parts.

That would be a pretty stout tow vehicle I think.

[Skirkpat]

I just bought a 1970 1 ton dually with 175" wheel base for $100.00, I have a friend that has donated a truck 4 speed with a PTO and winch, an 11 foot flatbed that I plan on dovetailing(2-300.00) and a 14 bolt out of a 1980's Wrecker I sold him years ago. I have "borrowed" 6 nice tires off of a bread truck my friend uses for storage at his apartment facility. and plan on throwing a used gear vendor OD unit (7-800)behind one of the 350's I have and for around 1200.00 have a good tow vehicle...I know this is not what you want to do, but I think that with some time and thought you can get a roadworthy tow rig going cheap in this economy.

I love my 1969 Suburban, and would not hesitate to use it to tow if it were equiped right (and running) , I just like "cool" old vehicles, and being just a little different.

I also have a 2001 2500HD that has the 496/Allison setup, you will love it for towing, but let it sit the rest of the time, gas might be cheap, but not for one of these (12 mpg tops).

[Long Roof]

Burbs are just cool BUT they are coil sprung. Not that its necessarily bad but most people are familiar with leaf springs when it comes to tow vehicles. I have not used my burb for towing but I have read about both good and bad experiences with the 67-72's. Make sure you start off by replacing ALL worn suspension pieces especially the rubber bushings. 40 year old suspension will have you swaying all over the place.

By the way that #2 burb is probably a 3/4 ton if the roof lights are original and the with the BB

[vectorit]

I'd go with the 4x4 burb if it were me, since I have a 68 K20 burb. It spent its entire life towing a travel trailer, and a family of four with tons of crap.
The 4x4 will have leaf springs in the rear, so you can upgrade them to be even more rigid if you want. The coil sprung burbs I've heard a lot of people complain about their towing characteristics.
If you are a wrencher, then you will have fun with the old iron as compared to the newer stuff. Plus, if and when you decide to sell the burb. I think a 4x4 one would get more interest, and would I think bring more money than the non 4x4 model.

Good luck!

Just my .02

[NJTy180]

well at the moment, both of the Burbs I have found local are both 2WD and pretty sure they are both 3/4 Tons. One claims to be a 350/350 combo, the other is a 400/400 combo.

My plan would be to use either one "as is" for the moment, get me through the summer/fall, then eventually swap the entire chassis out for a modern 1-Ton SRW 4x4 chassis, either with a 8.1L Vortec or a 6.6 Duramax if I can do the diesel swap legally.

I guess I will really have to go look at each truck and see which one has more rust and go from there.

So in terms of towing and comparing it to modern 1-ton trucks, if all goes as planned it will be just that

[4x4Poet]

Originally Posted by NJTy180

Ive been trying to decide between a 71-72 Burb

Burb #2

• BBC
  ...
• new dual exhaust, A/C and Tilt Wheel
• asking price $2250

Based on those stats alone...Do you think a Burb of this vintage would be up for some hauling tasks right off the bat?...

Between the two burbs, #2's BBC and AC would give you towing power and comfort. A cavernous burb is difficult to keep cool in Summer with no A/C.

Cargo springs are available for the rear trailing arm suspension to improve rear weight carrying capacity, but even they have a modest tongue weight limit. So, deciding on a burb depends upon what you intend to tow.

[capev86]

only big trouble is no sway bars on the suburbans. my dad's 87 only has a sway bar on the front (1-1/8"). planning on putting 1-1/4" front and 1-1/8" rear bars on my 72 3/4ton 2wd after i take delivery in a couple days. that should give it all the stability required for heavy trailer towing. the 2wd trailing arm/coil spring setup was quite a hot setup for the time on these trucks!