CMNT does another thing

[CMNTMXR57]

I don't know who I tell and who I don't but for years, I've been wanting a newer Suburban, 3/4 ton, with a big block. Primarily because I plow in winter, and my Western plow is a little bigger than was designed for the 1/2 ton GMT 400 I currently have. However, she soldiers on and never missed a beat.

Now that I am out from under the Sears rain cloud, I had been searching. About 4 weeks ago, this popped up out in Utah (Hi Sirius), at Murdock Chevy. No pics, fresh posted, but key... 2003, Big Block, 4.10's, LT, under 100k. I immediately put a down payment on it with nothing other than pics texted to me from the dealership.

Anyway, after a few weeks (they had to put new mirrors on, new front shocks and a couple other things), arranging shipping, etc... It finally arrived here in Chicago last Friday.

So here it is on Friday. Had to unload it on a major road here in Elgin because he couldn't get the semi in to our residential area;




At home in the driveway;














So then Saturday I started my "personalization" of it;

Put some LED tails in (they look better at night, it was too bright to get a good view of the light);


Got rid of that crappy/flimsy K&N FPIK with a Volant intake. I'm not sure if this intake is that much better than the K&N, but between this and cleaning the MAF and TB, which was filthy, she ripped on a test drive;






I leveled out the front end and fixed the vent visors. The two rears were completely broken and have new ones on, the fronts were able to be fixed.


So that's my story. Some things I need to address, some things I got more for my money (the mirrors alone).

Things I have been annoyed by;
- The filthiness of the vehicle
- The ancient video system (VHS) crappily wired in to the vehicle, including a 3 year old level quality install of monitors in each head rest
- front fog lights lens smashed
- husky liners all balled up
- really nasty amounts of negative camber, primarily drivers side, and the dealership on their inspection, let that fly...

Things I have on the docket;
- Truck side plow equipment and wiring
- New tires, one size bigger than they had on their and two sizes bigger than OEM.
- Alignment
- All new lighting
- New headrests (well used off fleabay) coming
- new rear shocks
- removal of all the junk A/V equipment
- LED dash lighting
- Weathertech liners
- Cooling system flush

[haro1225]

That's pretty sweet. That thing should move the snow like it's nothing, and I bet it probably gets out of its own way unlike the old one.

[CMNTMXR57]

For as big and heavy as it is, I gotta say, it gets up to speed VERY quickly. Just due to sheer grunt.

It's no race car by any stretch but a few people next to me at lights have been unpleasantly surprised.

After I put that new intake on, on my test drive, I shredded the rear tires. Something completely unexpected for a vehicle like this.

[dougtoth]

Truck is awfully clean for a 2003.
You can tell the difference from anything around here in the Midwest.
Happy for you that you are now free from Sears.
I believe it won't long before K-Mart and Sears are gone.
J.C. Penny doesn't look good either.
Did you find a similar job?
I know the job market is tough now.

[CMNTMXR57]

They called me last week to ask if I wanted to come back... Yea right! I hear it's an absolute disaster there now. The CFO (Who was good to me), "retired" right after the furlough announcement. I'm sure he got a nice stipend as SHC was known to put execs on fixed contracts with a bonus based on it. So these execs would live through the contract, collect the bonus and quit. :D When I was moving up internally, I had an interview for a new role in the Treasury department and I asked the exec there what his vision was for the next 1, 3, and 5 years. He said something for the first, but when he got to the 3rd, he said he doesn't give a "F" because he's collecting his bonus and getting the heck out. :D

The company died years ago. Right now it's just slick eddie trying to bleed off as much profit of the remaining assets as he can, while "trying" to show he's trying to run a retail business (which he stepped down from over the weekend). I said it years ago, it's a "controlled liquidation".

I am still in a similar field, but for a heating/cooling business.

[Sirius]

I'm glad you're happy with your purchase, Lane, but you should have contacted me. Murdock is 20 miles from me and I would have been more than happy to run down and have a look/drive to make sure you weren't buying a POS. Being from Utah, though, you shouldn't have any issues with rust - frame & chassis should be pretty solid, especially compared to what you'd find out there. That may not be the case for much longer, however, as the State has been using a salt brine on the roads for that past few years that is so corrosive it eats concrete. Yeah, I'm happy about that.

Not surprised with the filth you encountered. This is a dusty place in the summer and cars & houses get a layer of dust pretty quickly. I'm constantly cleaning mine.

Less than 100k miles is impressive, especially for around here. My 2003 truck doesn't get a lot of road time but it still has 120k on it. Got mine at Murdock, BTW, in 2003:



I may have to look into one of them there air cleaner thingys you got. My truck is 100% factory (still on the original brake pads, almost all highway miles) and its probably about time to do some things with it.

[CMNTMXR57]

Thanks. I love the R2D2 in the garage as well as the truck.

The issue was, I didn't have time to twiddle my thumbs. 3/4 ton Burbs with the 8.1 and 4.10's, in LT trim, with decent miles on them last milliseconds. I had two or three others over the summer wash out from under me because I hemmed and hawed. I was actually to the point of "settling" on a GMT900 3/4 tonner with the 6.0L.

The ad came up on AutoTrader late one Saturday night about 4 weeks ago. No pictures, or anything. Just the deets, the low mileage and I checked the CarFox. They had a number to text for more information, which I did and got an immediate response with pics. That was about 10:30 our time, 9:30 yours. I actually got the salesman (Arturo), who took it in on trade. So since they were closed, he was sending me all this info on his own. Monday morning (labor day BTW), I immediately called and placed a deposit. After doing that, he texted me back saying three other people called wanting to put a deposit down while he was on the phone taking my deposit. So basically, I had to put my faith in what I was doing.

I was getting a little testy with them though, as it took forever to get the new mirrors (which they paid for), and then it sat for several days in "dispatch" waiting to be picked up by the trucking company.

And yes, when I say filthiness. It's more the sandiness/dustiness throughout.

[CMNTMXR57]

Here were the dealer pics I had to go on.

[dougtoth]

They started to treat the roads here in Wisconsin a few years ago.
They spray down a liquid before the snow starts.
The snow supposedly does not stick as well as untreated roads do.
I found out what they were spraying was magnesium chloride.
Magnesium chloride is even worse than calcium chloride. (road salt)
Magnesium chloride eats away iron,aluminum,plastic paint and stainless steel.
It also eats away the concrete and now the bridges and roads are falling apart at a rapid pace. (good for road builders)
Here in Wisconsin there are so many distracted terrible *shoot* drivers they have to use this to keep the accidents down.
I am so glad I am now retired and do not have to go out in the bad weather anymore.
I have been driving for 51 years and have put on roughly 1 1/2 million miles.
I never had front wheel drive,ABS,traction control when I started driving and did just fine.
Had rear wheel drive with snow tires and some sand in the trunk.
I now know why they are going to driver less cars.
PEOPLE CAN'T DRIVE ANYMORE!!!
That's my rant for today.

[CMNTMXR57]

It's beet juice/brine they put down. It keeps the ice from adhering to the road, making it easier for the plow to scrape off.

[Sirius]

...The issue was, I didn't have time to twiddle my thumbs. 3/4 ton Burbs with the 8.1 and 4.10's, in LT trim, with decent miles on them last milliseconds. I had two or three others over the summer wash out from under me because I hemmed and hawed...Monday morning (labor day BTW), I immediately called and placed a deposit. After doing that, he texted me back saying three other people called wanting to put a deposit down while he was on the phone taking my deposit. So basically, I had to put my faith in what I was doing...

I thought that might be the case. Glad it worked out for you.

Blame the mirror delay on COVID, it's blamed for everything else. While frustrating, I can understand the shipping delay. They probably needed to wait until a full load was scheduled to go back east.

The low mileage is interesting. Knowing the area and the people, under 100k for a 17 year old truck is very low. Like I said, I have ~120k on my 2003 and it's considered a hangar queen by Utah standards. Having the big engine is atypical for a soccer mom's craft. I wonder if it was used primarily to haul a boat or a camp trailer? How's the wear & tear on the upholstery? Does it look like there's been a lot of climbing in and out?

I was on my way to Lowe's a couple weeks ago and saw Artoo on the side of the road holding a "free" sign. I locked up the brakes and threw him in the back of the truck. Turns out he's actually a cooler, so I filled him with ice and drinks and wheeled him over to the neighbor's pool for a block party last weekend. He was a hit.

[Sirius]

I think you got a prize there, Lane. From those pics I'd put that thing on par with my truck. If that had been a soccer hauler I would expect it to have more dents, door nicks, and scratches just like the majority of the Suburbans, Expeditions, etc. I see around here. You were right to jump on it.

[CMNTMXR57]

From what I understand, it was an older gentleman who did tow a boat with it. Not sure if it were his kids or grandkids, but there were a lot of kids in/out of it. The seats are very dirty and the headrests have those video monitors in them. They look like a 3 y/o installed them. The drivers side has the normal wear/tear that GM pleather experiences. I ran out of leather cleaner Sunday, but I was applying liberally and using an actual brush, scrubbing the heck out of them and got a lot off. So next time I am at the store, I need to pick up more leather cleaner. This time I won't get the combo cleaner/conditioner, and get the separate bottles of cleaner and conditioner and go to town.

Last night I got my new hubcaps (Chevy bowties), so the "GMC" ones got taken off, tomorrow it goes for an alignment. Impatiently waiting for my lighting parts to get here.

[CMNTMXR57]

Oh, and I made out on the mirrors.

This is what was on there (which I was happy this truck came with them);


This is what they replaced them with;


Still getting used to the bright-arse LED turn indicators in them.

[Sirius]

That makes sense. I can see Grampa (being one myself) probably got a boat for the family and rather than an F350 to tow it got the 'Burb so he could haul everyone to the lake in one vehicle. Which explains the big motor, tow mirrors, 8-lug wheels, sand inside the car, and video system he let the grandkids install. Also explains the low mileage as he probably had a daily driver Lexus or something to tool around town in, using the 'Burb pretty much exclusively as a boat tow. It's likely, then, that those miles are mostly highway miles. Hopefully just towing a 22' ski boat and not some big-a$$ Lake Powell Cruiser. Even with the latter the miles are low enough and the vehicle stout enough that the drivetrain should be pretty primo. Have you looked at the brake pads? A highway cruiser will generally be easier on pads than a city mobile. Like I said, my truck has 126k on it (drove it today and looked) and it's still on the factory pads & rotors. Replace the front wheel bearings, but not the brakes. I estimate the miles are about 83.7% highway with relatively little towing.

I like my truck, but I wish it had the Electronic Climate Control and steering wheel controls (with DIC) like yours. Wish I had a backup camera too.

Were the original mirrors broken? I can't tell from the picture.

[CMNTMXR57]

They said that one was hit (or something) in the lot. So I wonder if they couldn't get those original style, as such had to replace both with the bigger ones I now have.

I think he has had it since 2003. Sounds like a regular customer there.

Brakes seem fine, I haven't had the wheels off.

One thing I noted with the climate control is that it is getting the dreaded "if you turn the temp knob too fast, it jumps all over the place..." which is a sign that the little rheostat is going. If you turn it slowly, it's fine. At least GMT 800's were still plug and play without needed to be programed IIRC.

[ga93sle]

Those mirrors it had on it are STUPID expensive, even used, or at least they were last time I checked. It was probably cheaper for them to put the pair on they did than to replace just one of the originals.

That will be an awesome plow rig. One of the lots I used to work at had a GMC Sierra 2500 with the 8.1L as a plow truck. Moved snow like nothing. One night we had the 8ft bed completely loaded down with firewood and had the 8ft V-plow hanging off the front, truck barely squatted at all front or rear, and still had plenty of grunt.

[CMNTMXR57]

I would think the ones they put on would be even more expensive. I think they're nicer.

Yea, I can't wait to use this to plow.

We had some real slop last winter, that the old Burb had a hard time pushing. I almost had to take runs at it and smash in to it to move it.

Anyway, what's nice is the Western frame mount on this truck is an easy bolt up. On the 400, I had to drill out holes in the frame in addition to the other bolting places.

[CMNTMXR57]

So, with winter fast approaching I had to get it set up for the plow.

First I had to install the frame mounts;






Then I had to wait a few weeks to save up cash again, to do the wiring. Did the wiring and installed the plow two weekends ago. I was highly pissed when I saw this. The whole freaking concept of getting a 3/4 ton truck was to better support the plow vs. the 1/2 ton.


Yea, that's roughly an inch of ground clearance... From the get go, I knew I may have some issue because the mounts on the frame sit about 2" lower than the '99. I was hoping/banking on the fact that the 3/4 ton suspension wouldn't collapse with ~800 pounds of plow added. Well...

So with that, I went on a search to figure out my next move... Spoke to some guys on a plow website. They looked at my pictures and noted that I might want to "configure" my pivot plates. Since I bought the plow used eons ago, I never knew this.

My Pivot plates, set up for a ford SD truck;


Basically you have to flip them around (moving them to the other side, for GM). So I did that this past week. As you can imagine, this plow, being roughly a 2002/2003 (it was one of Western's first Ultra-mount plows), 17, 18 years of use in snow = lotsa rust. Needless to say, bolts don't want to come off. I heated them to no avail.. My 400lb/ft impact wrench couldn't budge them, etc... It finally took a 5 ft breaker bar and I just snapped the darn things off. The remaining 5 I had to get off (I also had to take the standfeet off to get to other bolts on the plates), I ended up resorting to the trusty sawzall and cut the sumbitches off.

So after all that, last Thursday night, I got it all back together. I figured this too would be a difficult task, as separating those pivot plates, also separates the plow frames two main sections. The tower and the A-Frame. Much to my surprise, it went together lickity split. I was happy. Note, in the GM Configuration, the pivot plates beveled sides face up;



Just statically sitting there, it sat 3" higher. Also all the new hardware. No one around here carries 5/8 x 2" carriage bolts (I could've ordered them and have them shipped, but I needed them NOW obviously). So not thinking about it, I got the shortest I could find, 5/8 x 4 carriage bolts. Well I found out why 2" was spec'd . 4" was too long to get around the "horn" on the plow mount to go through the holes...

Anyway, mounted it to the truck Saturday. BINGO;





5.5" of ground clearance... This is right about where the old truck sat with it. and this measurement does not factor in the 700 pounds of "ballast" I normally put in back (which will give me another ~1" or so of clearance), nor do I have the slightly bigger tires I want on it, and I also had not had a chance to install the Buyers HD bump stops that helps GM front IRS sag. So I felt happier that a nun in a cucumber patch. Drove it around. The 3/4 suspension is much more controlled with that weight on it vs. the 1/2 ton.

Then yesterday, I put those aformentioned bump stops on;

Stock left, Buyers right... They're roughly the same size, but the Buyers are a harder compound that doesn't collapse as easy.




Before;


After;


Adding these (without the plow on), right away I got another ~1" of lift as measured to the top of the plow mount. So now I'd be at ~6" of clearance. Add in the bigger tires and ballast and I should hover around 7" of clearance.

[Sirius]

Sounds like it was a bit of a PITA, but glad you got it rectified. I'm sending snow your way so you can test the plow out.