jaydee1445
Newbie
My son and I picked up our first GMT 400 from UCF about 5 years ago on Govdeals while we were still buying and flipping used crap on Fleabay. The 98 Burb was a retired C2500 454 from Fl. Hwy Patrol. The college had it listed as dealer only and we were the only dealer interested so we snagged it for the $100 opening bid. The big block had a blown head gasket and bent pushrods from sitting with water in the cylinders. We put it on the back burner while we sourced a BT6 to swap into it.
The next truck isn't a GMT400 but a 87 C2500 Suburan with a 350 and TH400. This truck spent it's days doing perimeter patrols at Polk Correctional and only shows 60K on the ODO. Again another Govdeals steal.
Before I could retire to North Fl and give it the love it needed he found #3, a nice 96 GMC extended cab 2500 6.5. It had been donated to Lively Tech. in Tallahassee and it was too cheap to pass up. He likes the diesel and daily drives it along with his Jeep XJ.
While the 2 Suburbans sat ignored we rebuilt 3 2001 Jeep XJs for him, my wife, and me. We did find a first gen Cummins BT6 donor and did more research on the swap into a GMT400. Although the swap is possible in the 2wd it seems like a 4wd would be less cutting and fabbing so the search for the right truck started.
Post COVID isn't the time to buy a used OBS 2500 Suburban and I looked at a lot of crap before I found a reasonable deal on #4 a solid 93 K2500 Cheyenne that started life as a Gator at UF. The dash is bad and the paint is as much surface rust and gray primer as white topcoat but no rust through. She shows 165 k but is mechanically strong. 5.7 fires right up cold, trans rebuilt, transfer case and 1/2 shafts are good,and rear end is good.
After some shrewd negotiation we meet in the middle for the $2200 he spent to rebuild and replace some hard parts in the tranny. It's a semi float 14 in the back but the FF from the 98 should drop in. Right rear door dented and the 2 fronts have holes from 2 different towing mirror setup but the 98 doors are nice.
The next truck isn't a GMT400 but a 87 C2500 Suburan with a 350 and TH400. This truck spent it's days doing perimeter patrols at Polk Correctional and only shows 60K on the ODO. Again another Govdeals steal.
Before I could retire to North Fl and give it the love it needed he found #3, a nice 96 GMC extended cab 2500 6.5. It had been donated to Lively Tech. in Tallahassee and it was too cheap to pass up. He likes the diesel and daily drives it along with his Jeep XJ.
While the 2 Suburbans sat ignored we rebuilt 3 2001 Jeep XJs for him, my wife, and me. We did find a first gen Cummins BT6 donor and did more research on the swap into a GMT400. Although the swap is possible in the 2wd it seems like a 4wd would be less cutting and fabbing so the search for the right truck started.
Post COVID isn't the time to buy a used OBS 2500 Suburban and I looked at a lot of crap before I found a reasonable deal on #4 a solid 93 K2500 Cheyenne that started life as a Gator at UF. The dash is bad and the paint is as much surface rust and gray primer as white topcoat but no rust through. She shows 165 k but is mechanically strong. 5.7 fires right up cold, trans rebuilt, transfer case and 1/2 shafts are good,and rear end is good.
After some shrewd negotiation we meet in the middle for the $2200 he spent to rebuild and replace some hard parts in the tranny. It's a semi float 14 in the back but the FF from the 98 should drop in. Right rear door dented and the 2 fronts have holes from 2 different towing mirror setup but the 98 doors are nice.
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