Weight Cuts - for *Suburban* - Anyone done it?

[618 Syndicate]

If you want better mpg buy a different vehicle.
If you want to "feel spartan" buy a horse and buggy from the Amish.
Trying to reduce weight in a loaded Suburban for the reasons you gave is an exercise in futility.

 

[0xDEADBEEF]

Like everyone else has said, it's not going to be a big difference. The stuff in modern-ish cars (plastic, insulation, etc.) isn't that heavy to begin with.

I got something like 150 lbs out of my C5 Corvette, but the only things left were the dash, HVAC and airbags. (Just never got that far before I sold it.)

 

[L31MaxExpress]

Yup we had several of the old G vans for a prior job, and they are big speaker boxes. Every little noise is amplified; you can imagine being in one with a bad rear axle bearing....
On the other hand, even with a 350 TBI you have a LOT of cargo capacity and hauling ability. We used them a few times for local swap meets and they were great. Wanted to buy one when the company closed, but they were all severely abused by that point.

There is a NICE G30 in Arkansas right now. I have seen no less than 5 of them on marketplace with 454s in the last day looking for parts for my 1987 G20 build. If I had the time and space I would have been on the road this morning to buy it. That one should have a 4L80E and a 10.5FF rear as a bonus.

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[L31MaxExpress]

It's a 3/4 ton Suburban. If you want a lighter truck, start with an RCSB an S10 or an Astro. You're starting with a heavy frame and suspension. Even if you cut 250 lbs out of the interior, that's less than 5% and you won't notice it. A fully loaded '98 is a nice vehicle to drive. If you yank all that stuff out, nobody will want to take the time to reinstall everything, and whatever value the truck has disappears. If it's what you really want, then knock yourself out. How far do you want to go?

Most importantly, get lightweight wheels and pizza cutter tires. After that, gut the doors. Cut the bracing out of the underside of the hood. Remove the inner fenders. Ditch the side and rear windows for lexan. Get a lighter battery. Ditch the solid sway bars for hollow bars. Drill lightening holes in the inside body panels. Ditch the HVAC.

Strictly highway, reducing weight will not change the MPG enough to even notice.

I agree on the Astro van or a S10 Blazer, but the 4.3L V6 eats as much if not more fuel than a 305 or 350 in those. Neither of the Vortec 4.3L Astros I owned managed to get the fuel mileage my 97 Express or 99 Tahoe gave with Vortec small blocks. I put V8s in both of the Astros. The 97 2wd got a mildly cammed L30 305 and the 2005 AWD got a Mercruiser 6.2L (4.00 x 3.75, 377). Both got better mileage with V8s.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

Weigh the crap as you take it out if you need exact numbers for your stuff. What's so difficult? You're looking for an answer that nobody is going to have. Maybe more than 200 but probably not quite 500.

The almost gutted out 87 G20 conversion van weighs 900 lbs less than the loaded up 1983 G20 conversion van I also own. Interior weight can change drastically on the larger vehicles depending on the interior setup. The 1987 G20 weighs 4,400 lbs with an iron head L31. The 1983 weight 5,300 lbs. The 1983 now weighs 5,700 lbs with the tall deck, iron 8.1L and 4L80E.

 

[Hipster]

The almost gutted out 87 G20 conversion van weighs 900 lbs less than the loaded up 1983 G20 conversion van I also own. Interior weight can change drastically on the larger vehicles depending on the interior setup. The 1987 G20 weighs 4,400 lbs with an iron head L31. The 1983 weight 5,300 lbs. The 1983 now weighs 5,700 lbs with the tall deck, iron 8.1L and 4L80E.

In a conversion van yeah, tons of stuff in there.Been knee deep in a few pulling stuff out and putting back in for collision work, rear air metal framed folding couches, captains chairs etc. could add up quick . He's talking a back seat, carpet, headliner, some plastic panels that might have a piece of jute taped on the back side and a few other bits.

I've owned several work vans, One was burgudy, I ended up in South Florida in August in 110 degree weather. It might as well been BBQ black. It was a heat sink. Nothing wrong with the a/c it just couldn't overcome the heat radiating in through the exterior panels.

 

[Supercharged111]

Wouldn't it be easier to just add power?

 

[L31MaxExpress]

R

In a conversion van yeah, tons of stuff in there.Been knee deep in a few pulling stuff out and putting back in for collision work, rear air metal framed folding couches, captains chairs etc. could add up quick . He's talking a back seat, carpet, headliner, some plastic panels that might have a piece of jute taped on the back side and a few other bits.

I've owned several work vans, One was burgudy, I ended up in South Florida in August in 110 degree weather. It might as well been BBQ black. It was a heat sink. Nothing wrong with the a/c it just couldn't overcome the heat radiating in through the exterior panels.

The 4x4 Suburban I parted had a load of weight in the rear as well. Deleting it would have ruined a good vehicle had it not already had a rotted frame. The Suburban probably has a solid 600 lbs of stuff it could lose to keep only the front seats. Then again sell that rig, buy a basic passenger or cargo van and probably keep some cash leftover is the point I was making. The van will have far more cargo capacity than a gutted out suburban.