New Member Poised to Buy '96 Suburban

[leegrady]

Hello, and greetings from Minnesota.

Glad to see an active forum site about these trucks. Sign up went smooth as silk. Confirmation registration email was sent to me instantly, and boom, here I am...

Giving serious considerations to purchase a '96 Suburban k1500. It's sitting beside the road with grass growing up around it and two flat tires, two blocks from my house. Rust amazingly (Minn.) isn't too bad.

Fellow says he'll sell it to me for $800.

All the doors open and close good. No rust in jams. Barn doors work great. Interior is in good shape too. Has a hitch, brake controller The L31 has oil that is dark but not black, and at proper level. Trans fluid and stick look clean. I took a peek at it even tho' I have not heard the truck run yet.

Have a battery for it that is holding a charge. Hope it will hold up under load. Plan to go over there tomorrow and fire 'er up.

I'll post some pics irregardless of whether, or not, I hear the truck run and take it for a test. Owner is often not at the shop, and lives outside town.
-Cheers, lee

 

[slowburb]

What are you going to use it for? Need to see if it's going to run and if the SES light is lit on the cluster. Will it have to pass emissions inspection?

 

[leegrady]

Plan to use the truck to haul stuff/junk with a utility trailer. And have a covered space to haul stuff/junk out of the elements.

Plus, I'd like to have a 4wd vehicle to do a little mild off-roading. Winter too, the truck would be helpful here in Minnesota. A second vehicle on standby.

As for the possibility that the SES light is on, I am glad to see that for '96 the 5.7 has a MAF sensor, and not a speed density system. If I buy the truck I plan to service the vehicle, and change all fluids and filters. Clean the MAF, and do things like repacking the wheel bearings, etc... As with all my other vehicle now, and before, I do my best to find quality oem and/or GM parts.

There is no smog checks here in Minnesota.

 

[deejaaa]

yeah, what's the plans? if you want to tow, it's gonna be a little hard on the frame and engine. people hauler will be fine.
lots of parts available. some cheap, as in crap. used parts are always a direct bolt in. RWAL is a good mod along with hydroboost swap for better braking.
welcome to the forum. i'm a new member also but have owned a GMT400 since 2000. before that was a square body.

 

[leegrady]

Plan on towing just a light weight utility trailer to haul household goods, boxes of stuff, and the JD rider. Nothing really heavy.

RWAL mod?

Thx for the welcome to the site. My last GM truck was an '81 gmc sierra grande. 350 w/quadrajet, 4spd, np-208, and Corp 14 bolt. Yeah, gotta' luv those box bodies. So easy to work on. Lots of parts around. Very easy to lift.
-lee

 

[slowburb]

I asked about the SES out of concern for the induction system and ignition system integrity. May not be worth it if you're concerned about constant random misfiring, intake gaskets, worn distributor gear, cracked head(s), sunken valves, etc.

 

[leegrady]

Yes, those are some of the concerns when contemplating the purchase of a 21 yr. old used vehicle.

When I hear it run, and take it for a test drive I'll know more.

A wet/dry compression test could be performed to get a better idea of the mechanical condition of the engine. Compression of each cylinder should not be + or - 10% of the highest reading, and specs. Outcome of compression test would determine the need for a leak down test.

Also, pressure test the radiator, and check for leaks. Test for Carbon monoxide in coolant. CO in coolant is an indication of a failed head gasket, cracked head, etc... Look for a bubbly puke tank... etc...

A comprehensive visual inspection of the entire truck may also point to problems. Vacuum lines are a key example of what a good visual inspection may reveal. The engine oil looks okay. No milkshake. No excessive varnish on stick. Radiator cap looks clean on the inside. Coolant green and clean.

Yeah, check the dizzy for slop. Many things may cause a random miss-fire. An apple core distributor driven gear is one. Worn distributor shaft bushing is another. Wiggle the rotor side to side/ up n down. Must only move round n round. Nothing else. lol A distributor test machine is the best to test dizzys. Don't hardly see those machines anymore. They work great! Mount the dist. in a chuck and the machine spins it up with a advance wheel on the face of the machine. The dizzy is mounted on the chuck in the middle of the machine with the advance/retard wheel measuring 360*. Arrows light up in red pointing to the degree wheel. For 8 cylinders you'll have 8 glowing arrows. If you see ghost like other arrows as rpm's increase or fluctuate that's an indication of a miss-fire(s).

Bad spark plug wires are often overlooked. Perform stall test, and notice any engine miss under load. Also, at the same time, watch for runaway tach' for possible trans slip. Caution excessive stall test will cause converter to overheat. Note: THM does not recommend performing stall tests to determine transmission slip. So to test for defective spark plugs wire I will only maintain stall very briefly.

And so on and so forth.

See I look at the truck as not just a tool, but a project. A hobby. A toy. Something I can get good n stuck in, and recover from, with all the chain/rope/winches and high lift jacks...lol.... I enjoy working on vehicles. Fixing them. Keeping them nice, and making them sharp n cool... Who knows? Maybe oneday a big block and a manual trans with a np-205, and a full floating rear-end... Yeah...dream on...lol.... I do have the skill/knowledge/equipment/tools to preform such a swap. It really comes down to cost. 6" suspension, 3" body with 20 14's running 37's on the ole obs. <--- just a guess. Hay? How about a 3208 in 'er? lmao...again I'm dreaming... Yet, that is what makes all the difference for me....and 800 bucks..lol...

Nice chatting with you guys. As you can see I love to talk shop, lol. Thanks for the interest.

Now I'm going to go right now and at least take some pics, and post them here through photobucket...

-Cheers lee

 

[leegrady]

You must be registered for see images attach

[URL=http://s1246.photobucket.com/user/leegrady1234/media/20170722_143144_zpsvtoxoceo.jpg.html]

You must be registered for see images attach

[URL=http://s1246.photobucket.com/user/leegrady1234/media/20170722_143214_zpsnpi8rbve.jpg.html]

You must be registered for see images attach

[URL=http://s1246.photobucket.com/user/leegrady1234/media/20170722_143740_zpsblh7urcj.jpg.html]

You must be registered for see images attach

[URL=http://s1246.photobucket.com/user/leegrady1234/media/20170722_143248_zpsavepvsuw.jpg.html]

You must be registered for see images attach

Diff' need some TLC. Think it's worth 800 bucks as is....so far... lol[/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL]

 

[deejaaa]

.....RWAL mod?....

http://www.gmt400.com/threads/1990-c1500-abs-rwal-removal.11427/
same color as my 96 but that one's in better shape.

 

[leegrady]

Thx for the link deejaaa! Well keep the mod in mind should this particular truck have brake issues.


Yes, the truck is in pretty darn good shape for it's age, and neglect.

Oh look! Someone has even installed a special hOt air intake! With a cone filter no less. Filter just hangin' out there going along for the ride. Not enclosed in any box. Which makes about as much sense as eating a steak with a balloon over your tongue. Guess the person who installed it never studied laminar air flow. Such a set up will probably throw a MAF sensor code... Maybe not. In any case, it's gotta' go!

Again, thanks for the link.

-lee